For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Halima Frost.

Making headlines: Maile suspends DA councillors without pay, Government struggling to convince banks to loan SAA billions and, South Africa improves in corruption index but still has serious problems

 

Maile suspends DA councillors without pay

Gauteng Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Lebogang Maile has suspended the DA's former Johannesburg speaker Vasco da Gama and Tshwane speaker Katlego Mathebe for breaching the councillors code of conduct.

Maile said his decision was consistent with the law and impartial to avoid accusations of tilting the balance of forces in councils to favour a particular political party.

He said the decisions were based on strengthening local government by ensuring those elected into positions of responsibility carry out their work in the best interest of the electorate.

 

Government struggling to convince banks to loan SAA billions

Government is struggling to borrow R2-billion from reticent banks, with Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan saying members of his ministry are working their “backs off” to ensure the airline survives.

The ANC NEC agreed to keep SAA the national airline “with substantial restructuring” as opposed to other options reportedly mooted by the airline’s business rescue practitioners, including liquidation.

As part of SAA’s business rescue, government pledged to contribute the R2-billion, which it planned to borrow from banks.

 

South Africa improves in corruption index but still has serious problems

South Africa still ranks among countries that are deemed to have a serious corruption problem.

This, despite its score increasing in the Corruption Perceptions Index, from 43 to 44.

Corruption Watch executive director David Lewis said the regulation of electoral funding seemed to play a significant role in how corrupt a country was.

While South Africa’s Parliament had passed the Political Party Funding Act in January, he said, president Cyril Ramaphosa had yet to bring the Act into operation.

 

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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