Daily Podcast – April 23, 2021

23rd April 2021 By: Thabi Shomolekae - Creamer Media Senior Writer

Daily Podcast – April 23, 2021

IEC CEO, Sy Mamabolo

For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Sane Dhlamini.

Making headlines: Jacob Zuma says some members may be corrupt, but not the ANC itself, Parties split about whether local government elections should be postponed and, thousands gather to wish Chad's slain president "a deserved rest"

 

Jacob Zuma says some members may be corrupt, but not the ANC itself

Former president Jacob Zuma has criticised President Cyril Ramaphosa's letter to the African National Congress, in which he called the party corrupt.

Zuma said some members may be corrupt, but not the party as a whole.

He said it's no secret that the president wrote a letter, saying the ANC is the number one corrupt organisation in country. Zuma said he thinks the party demonstrated that its power and political understanding are weak, because the ANC, in his view, is not corrupt.

Zuma was speaking in Umhlanga, north of Durban, where the SA National Civic Organisation Youth Congress belatedly celebrated his 79th birthday - which was on 12 April.

Zuma said the ANC, as a whole, could not be defined as corrupt, but he conceded there were challenges with some members.

 

Parties split about whether local government elections should be postponed

About half of the 14 parties on the Electoral Commission of South Africa's participatory panel want the local government elections to be postponed.

On Wednesday evening, the Presidency announced the elections would take place on 27 October.

On Thursday, the IEC briefed the media about the upcoming elections.

Its CEO, Sy Mamabolo, said the announcement allowed the IEC and other stakeholders to start their preparations to ensure South Africa's sixth municipal council elections were free, fair and safe.

He said the commission met with leaders and representatives of political parties in the National Party Liaison Committee, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize and Deputy Home Affairs Minister Njabulo Nzuza.

 

Thousands gather to wish Chad's slain president "a deserved rest"

Thousands of people gathered at the main square in Chad's capital N'Djamena on Friday to pay their respects to the late President Idriss Deby, who was killed while leading his troops against a rebel offensive on Monday.

Deby ruled Chad for more than 30 years and was one of Africa's wiliest political survivors, holding on to power despite rebellions that reached as far as his palace gates.

Although criticised by human rights groups for his repressive rule, he established himself as a key military ally of Western powers in the international fight against Islamist militants.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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