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Top 10 stories of the day: City of Joburg’s VIP policy unconstitutional | Chesnay Keppler memorial service | ‘Nothing to celebrate’ for ANC
Here’s your daily news update: An easy-to-read selection of our top stories.
Photo: iStock/The Citizen/Cheryl Kahla
In today’s news, the Johannesburg High Court ruled that the City of Joburg’s VIP policy to allocate 10 bodyguards and six vehicles to the mayor is unconstitutional and invalid. However, the DA, who challenged the policy, said Joburg’s residents will end up paying for the debacle.
Meanwhile, Acting Gauteng Premier Lebogang Maile called for South Africa’s justice system to be reformed while speaking at the memorial service of Chesnay Keppler, the murdered Gauteng Crime Prevention Warden.
Then, as the ANC prepares to celebrate its 113th birthday on 8 January, a political analyst says the party has nothing to celebrate.
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Residents ‘will have to pay’ as court rules on City of Joburg’s controversial VIP policy
Political office bearers in the City of Johannesburg are set to lose a significant portion of their security detail, but the DA says the city’s residents will have to pay for the debacle.
The Johannesburg High Court on Thursday ruled that the Executive Mayor, Chief-Whip and Speaker of the Council can legally only be given two bodyguards each.
It comes after the City passed a new law last year that saw the mayor receive 10 bodyguards and the speaker receive eight, without evidence of a threat-risk assessment.
The DA, while welcoming the judgment, says the “residents of Johannesburg will have to pay for the lack of good governance and due diligence by the City”.
Chesnay Keppler: Don’t give alleged killer cop bail, urges Lebogang Maile
Acting Gauteng Premier Lebogang Maile has joined the chorus calling for justice to be served after the murder of 22-year-old Chesnay Keppler.
The Gauteng Crime Prevention Warden was allegedly killed by her police officer boyfriend in the early hours of 26 December 2024.
Speaking at a memorial service for Keppler in Eldorado Park, Johannesburg, on Thursday, Maile said the case must be an example of a firm stance on the need for justice and systemic reform.
READ MORE: Chesnay Keppler: Don’t give alleged killer cop bail, urges Lebogang Maile
‘Nothing to celebrate’ for ANC as it prepares for its 113th birthday
As the year begins and the ANC prepares to celebrate its 113th birthday on 8 January, political analyst Ntsikelelo Breakfast from the Nelson Mandela University (NMU) says there is nothing to celebrate.
Breakfast told The Citizen on Thursday that the ANC has been weakened by its service delivery failures, internal factional battles, and a dramatic loss of votes at the 2024 general elections.
After losing it majority at the elections, this is the party’s first birthday in a power-sharing agreement.
“There is nothing to celebrate, honestly,” he said.
READ MORE: ‘Nothing to celebrate’ for ANC as it prepares for its 113th birthday in CT
Taps to run dry again: Joburg residents warned to brace for water throttling
Johannesburg residents are bracing themselves for another bout of water throttling expected to come into effect on Thursday.
The city is already on level 1 restrictions which came into effect from September 1, with a warning that if the measures prove ineffective, the city may need to escalate to level 2 or level 3 restrictions.
The level 1 restrictions prohibit watering gardens, filling swimming pools, washing cars, and using hosepipes between 6am and 6pm.
READ MORE: Joburg residents warned to brace for water throttling
Could Gauteng really go bankrupt in 2025?
The Gauteng government is looking to avoid a financial “day zero”, but questions remain about whether the province could truly face bankruptcy next year.
Several months ago Finance and Economic Development MEC Lebogang Maile warned that Gauteng could find itself “R6 billion in the red” by June 2025 if urgent financial caution isn’t exercised, following R15 billion in budget cuts.
Maile pointed to the Gauteng Department of Health as the primary driver of the province’s financial troubles.
READ MORE: Could Gauteng really go bankrupt in 2025?
Five more stories of the day:
- Dirty water… and antics: Over 50% of municipalities face criminal action over sewage crisis
- January fuel price increase bad news for over-indebted consumers
- Maphaka to become Proteas’ youngest Test debutant in Newlands match
- Muhsin Ertugral roped in to replace Eric Tinkler at Cape Town City
- ‘After Zolani’s departure, we took quite a deliberate pause,’ Freshlyground on finding a lead vocalist
Yesterday’s news recap:
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