Daily news update: ANC launches manifesto, Mashatile was making a church donation and ‘user pays’ has an SABC problem

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E-tolls vs SABC: User-pay principle only applies when govt wants it to 

The government and some state-owned entities appear to be painting themselves into a corner on the user-pay principle, which the government continually uses to justify the e-tolls on the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP).

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana reportedly cautioned earlier this month against forgiving road toll debt in a presentation that was delivered to an ANC meeting and seen by financial services media company Bloomberg.

It said Godongwana told the meeting the government, among other things, will need R4.6 billion to forgive unpaid highway tolls in central Gauteng, adding that this “request has serious long-term consequences if the user-pay principle is rejected”.

Mashatile’s church cash handout in Limpopo a non-issue, says Mbalula 

Ahead of the ANC’s election manifesto launch at Church Square in Tshwane on Monday evening, the party’s head of elections, Fikile Mbalula, was asked about all the controversy around a video clip that circulated on social media showing ANC treasurer-general (TG) Paul Mashatile handing out cash in a church.

ANC Treasurer, Paul Mashatile handing out money to congregants in Limpopo, where he is doing door-to-door campaign. ANC staffs have not been paid for at least three months now via @PelaneM #Election2021 #ANCLGE2021 pic.twitter.com/Exz2nieajW

— Mpho Maṱhoho (@MaxMpho) September 26, 2021

Mbalula told eNCA the party had already dealt with clarifying the matter, and it was wrong to assume that Mashatile was “buying votes” by giving money to voters.

“That is a distortion and an exaggeration of lies. We know that when we go to church we do offering. That is what happens in all churches. So it was not buying of votes or anything of that sort. It was the TG in his personal capacity giving a donation.”

Ramaphosa asks voters for another chance

The ruling party has undertaken to root out corruption and usher in an era of competence in local government that has not been witnessed in the past.

Picture: Michel Bega 

After acknowledging that the ANC had lost support during the era of “state capture”, ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa has asked party supports to once again come out in their numbers to return the ANC to power in local governments that have been governed in coalitions over the past five years.

Bye-bye Arthur Fraser: Lamola appoints new acting prisons boss 

Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola has appointed Makgothi Samuel Thobakgale as acting national corrections commissioner, to replace the outgoing Arthur Fraser.

In a statement, the department’s spokesperson, Chrispin Phiri, describes Tohobakgale as a “hard-working, passionate, insightful and knowledgeable public servant”. 

Thobakgale joined Corrections last year as the chief deputy commissioner for incarceration and corrections. He holds a B.Com in Finance and Business Administration, and a postgraduate degree in Development, while he is currently studying for his Master’s in Finance.

‘Who’s fooling who?’ ANC roasted for ‘breaching’ lockdown regulations

Although delegates at the ANC’s election manifesto launch in Church Square in Tshwane repeatedly said on Monday that they were keeping to the lockdown limits announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa, social media users were having none of it.

Accusations came thick and fast that the gathering was clearly in excess of the current adjusted level 2 lockdown regulations, which cap the legal limit for outdoor gatherings at 500 people. 

The EFF faced much criticism for having far exceeded this limit at their own manifesto launch on Sunday at Gandhi Square in Johannesburg. However, the big difference there was that the EFF has publicly declared its opposition to the regulations and leader Julius Malema has called on his members to breach them.

Could local elections bring Covid-19 fourth wave closer? 

With the 2021 local government elections fast approaching, questions have been raised on whether a fourth wave of Covid-19 infections could be triggered as political parties continue to campaign.

Political parties and independent candidates have been engaging with various communities ahead of the local elections as well as launching their manifestos with the country set to go to the polls on 1 November.

While political parties are expected to be constrained in conducting their campaigns due to the Covid-19 pandemic, elections activities such as rallies and door-to-door visits remain a concern for some as they could be potential super-spreader events.