Daily Podcast – March 29, 2023

29th March 2023 By: Halima Frost - Senior Writer

Daily Podcast – March 29, 2023

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

Making headlines: DA's Cilliers Brink elected as mayor of Tshwane; Hawks raid ANC bigwig's home over R1bn Tembisa Hospital tender scandal; And, Public hearings on Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill to be held in April

 

DA's Cilliers Brink elected as mayor of Tshwane

Democratic Alliance councillor Cilliers Brink has been elected as the mayor of Tshwane.

Brink won the mayoral vote in the metro with 109 votes. His competitor, Cope candidate Ofentse Moalusi, received 102 votes.

Brink’s victory was followed by resounding applause from the DA and its coalition partners.

The mayoral appointment will be seen as a hopeful path for the City which has had no permanent mayor, serving longer than a week, since February.

 

Hawks raid ANC bigwig's home over R1bn Tembisa Hospital tender scandal

The Hawks raided the home and business premises of African National Congress Ekurhuleni treasurer-general, Sello Sekhokho, as part of investigations into the R1-billion Tembisa Hospital tender scandal.

Sekhokho is a central figure in an alleged extraction scheme first discovered and reported by Babita Deokaran three weeks before she was murdered in 2021.

Sekhokho has previously denied impropriety. Three companies owned by the ANC strongman have, in three years, seemingly scored contracts worth nearly R100-million from the Gauteng Department of Health.

 

And, Public hearings on Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill to be held in April

The Portfolio Committee on Basic Education will only organise its public participation process for the controversial Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill next month when Parliament reconvenes after recess.

However, the public hearings are expected to resume towards the end of April. Last week, the committee halted the public participation process and postponed its public hearings in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.

This came after African Christian Democratic Party MP Marie Sukers raised several issues, with her main concern being that parents' voices weren't heard. In a letter to the committee, Sukers requested a postponement of the hearings until after Easter.

She said the main reason for this request is to allow the necessary time for staff to ensure that the hearings are well organised and inclusive, ultimately fostering a more effective public participation process.

She said more than 3 000 people signed a petition to that effect.

 

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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