Free State Targets Surgical Backlogs
The three-day Cataract Marathon, held over the weekend at Boitumelo Regional Hospital in Kroonstad, was a great success, with over 100 patients receiving treatment.
Screening was conducted last week Friday with cataract operations scheduled for Saturday and Su...
…Claims ‘mission accomplished’ as he prepares to step down at national party congress
“It’s mission accomplished”…These words were echoed by the Democratic Alliance (DA) Leader, John Steenhuisen, as he announced that he will not be standing for re-election as the party’s leader at the upcoming National Congress in April 2026.
Steenhuisen took the stage in eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal, on 4 February, to formally announce that he will not be standing for re-election at the end of his term in April. Speculations and various media outlets speculate that the leader’s poor financial decision may be the root cause of his decision, especially since an ambitious Steenhuisen has only held the position for six years.
Various reports revealed that Steenhuisen had suffered a default judgment of R150 000 for credit card debt, subsequently prompting Dion George, DA’s former federal finance chair, to revoke the card.
In typical Steenhuisen style, the leader boasted about the achievements he has collected in terms, mentioning that during his term, he led the DA into national government and further secured cabinet seats such as Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Basic Education, Minister of Public Works and much more.
“I have delivered everything that I promised my party when I was first elected as Federal Leader back in 2019.
“I proudly picked up the party’s banner when its internal polling was down to just 16% and after the media declared the ‘Death of the DA’,” said Steenhuisen.
Steenhuisen mentioned that for the rest of this term of office, he will be placing all his time and effort as Minister of Agriculture on defeating the catastrophic Foot-And-Mouth disease to pursue mass vaccination and to ensure that this is the last outbreak the country sees.
“The DA I inherited was reading its own obituary in a country that was in rapid decline. The DA I leave behind, co-governs a country that is firmly on the up,” concluded Steenhuisen.
Brian Molefe will now be the MK Party’s Treasurer General (TG) after resigning from the party’s Member of Parliament (MP).
This was announced by the party in a statement on Wednesday.
The party said the decision was made by the leader, Jacob Zuma.
“This emphasises the strategic importance of strengthening organisational capacity, financial discipline and resource mobilisation as central pillars in advancing the mission of the movement,” the party said.
The party affirmed that this transition is in full alignment with that directive and with the collective interests of the organisation.
The MKP commended Molefe for the disciplined manner in which he has served in Parliament and for his unwavering commitment to the revolutionary programme of the movement.
In a statement, the party said his redeployment to focus on the critical task of building the financial sustainability of the party reflected the organisational principle that cadres must be placed where they are most effective in serving the people and advancing the struggle for economic liberation.
“We reiterate that all members and public representatives of the MKP remain bound by organisational discipline and by the guidance of the President and the leadership collective.
“The unity, coherence and effectiveness of the party remain paramount as we continue to champion the aspirations of our people,” it said.
The MKP wished Molefe success in the execution of his new role.
It further called upon all structures to extend their full support to ensure the strengthening of the party in preparation for the decisive tasks ahead.
An IOL investigation has revealed that outgoing Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen repeatedly failed to pay his compulsory financial contributions to the party in 2015 – a violation of DA policy that ordinarily results in termination of membership.
According to internal DA policy, members who fall into arrears on tithe payments for more than two months are no longer considered members of the party.
Yet Steenhuisen remained in office, despite defaulting on more than R12,000 in 2015.
Tithes are mandatory monthly contributions by elected officials to the party. Leaked internal correspondence from the time suggests Steenhuisen’s arrears were known within DA leadership circles but not acted upon.
In one email dated 19 August 2015 – allegedly from Steenhuisen to the then KwaZulu-Natal finance chair Francois Rogers – he pleaded for leniency, citing an unexpected SARS deduction:
“I apologise for not settling my tithe account on the 15th as discussed. I had every intention of settling the amount in full on my pay date. Unfortunately SARS has unexpectedly debited my salary without any reference and despite an appeal, with an amount of R14,000, leaving me in a significantly cash-strapped position. I will be in a position to bring the 60-day amount up to date by next Friday.”
But in a follow-up email dated 18 September 2015 – allegedly from DA provincial bookkeeper Marie Boshoff to Rogers with Steenhuisen copied – she writes simply: “John has not stuck to his arrangement to pay his tithes by last Friday.”
When asked by IOL whether he currently owed any tithes or had defaulted in the past, a visibly irate Steenhuisen accused the publication of spreading falsehoods and threatened legal action: “You should get your word from reputable people, not bitter sacked individuals,” he said.
He did, however, provide evidence of his current tithe status showing a due amount of R3,870 – not in arrears.
Pressed again on whether the party had pursued him for payment in the past, Steenhuisen doubled down, stating: “I’m going to immediately litigate against you if you publish these falsehoods.”
IOL has viewed multiple internal emails from the 2015 period in which DA officials appear to raise concerns about the outstanding payments. One such email, allegedly from Rogers, proposes escalating the issue to the Federal Finance Committee. In the same message, he adds: “This responsibility will soon be removed from province and will be managed at a national level… hip hip hooray!”
Zwakele Mncwango, then provincial chair of the DA in KwaZulu-Natal, confirmed Steenhuisen had defaulted on his tithes. “Yes, he did default, and I tried to raise it at a senior level within the party but nothing was done about it. John was always protected. The party always looked the other way when it came to him,” Mncwango told IOL.
Another senior DA insider echoed this sentiment. “He is always protected because he picks those who will defend him in positions of power. Him not running for re-election most likely came from instructions from donors who did not want him re-elected because of his past financial issues. Dion George sounded the alarm and funders must have demanded change,” said the source.
Steenhuisen maintains his withdrawal from the leadership race was his own decision, taken to allow him, in his current capacity as Agriculture Minister, to focus on combatting the foot-and-mouth disease affecting South African farmers.
THREE police officers involved in a legal battle with former acting police commissioner and divisional head of forensic sciences Khomotso Phahlane, on Wednesday claimed that they were ignored for their efforts to report glaring acts of criminality within the SAPS.
Testifying before the Ad Hoc Committee, Colonel Darius Ramolobe, Captain Edwin Malatjie and Captain Samuel Ramalepe said they had been reporting theft of drugs, irregular appointments, irregular procurement and corruption or maladministration.
“Our efforts were ignored or not supported. As a result we suffered occupational detriment, physical and psychological harm. This is the price we pay for reporting crimes committed by police officers,” said Ramalepe.
He was giving testimony while being led by evidence leader, Advocate Norman Arendse before the inquiry probing allegations that were made by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
They told the MPs that their problems started in 2010 when Popcru submitted a memorandum to the management of the Forensic Sciences Laboratory (FSL) with a list of grievances to express frustration on inaction around issues.
Ramalepe said they were instead arrested and detained at Sunnyside police station.
“We were released on bail and the case was withdrawn without any explanation,” he said.
A meeting was subsequently held with Khomotso Phahlane, who was the divisional commissioner, in November 2011 and a subsequent meeting with other senior managers two months later.
The complaint was escalated to then acting national commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, who had shown appetite in tackling the matter but was removed from office.
Ramalepe also said when former national commissioner Riah Phiyega was at the helm, she appointed an independent forensic firm, CPN Forensic, in 2013.
It was around this time that Phahlane apparently instituted a defamation case against the Popcru members after accusing them of ill-discipline after they issued a press statement.
Ramalepe said they were not happy that Phahlane was suing them and at the time they had a problem with Popcru when they had asked for the intervention with the then minister.
“The case as far as we know is not concluded,” he said referring to the appeal they lodged after Phahlane was awarded damages.
He stated that after CPN conducted its investigation, Phiyega shared with them only the findings and recommendations in 2014.
Ramalepe said Phiyega had instructed a certain 'Nkuwa' to implement the recommendations and also undertook to instruct Phahlane to withdraw the defamation case.
However, Phiyega was suspended before the recommendations were implemented. “Till today, nothing happened.”
While the report apparently made no findings against Phahlane, it had called for further investigations into some matters at FSL.
Ramalepe told the committee of attempts last year to discuss criminal activities at FSL with Deputy National Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya.
The MPs heard that the officers were awaiting a report after National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola instituted another investigation last October.
“That is our plea to the committee, to get that report,” said Malatje.
Ramapele said matters arising from the CPN report were submitted to the Public Service Commission, SARS and IPID, but there was no apparent response.
“We did everything in our power but never got any assistance,” he said.
He told the committee that they have requested Masemola to assist in the finalisation of the legal matter with Phahlane.
Ramolobe said the Ad Committee was their last hope.
“We have been to different platforms without any assistance. What we get is victimisation and as a result we are really suffering from depression due to work-related issues, because we are reporting theft of drugs in the laboratory.
“This has been for a very long period of time. We have been raising this issue, following internal processes,” said Ramolobe.
Fuel prices are set to fall again this week, with a significant price decrease expected for both petrol and diesel from Wednesday, February 4. Data from the Central Energy Fund (CEF) is pointing to a petrol price cut of around 64 cents per litre, while diesel is set to fall by between 50 cents (500ppm) and 56 cents (50ppm).
The price of 95 Unleaded will go down to around R19.28 at the cost and R20.11 in Gauteng, however the cheaper 93 Unleaded will retail for around R20.00. Recorded to be the lowest petrol price since January 2022.
The wholesale price of 50ppm diesel will reduce to around R17.20 at the coast and R17.96 inland.
Bearing in mind that these predictions are based on unaudited data, and the final price adjustments are due to be announced by the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources early this week which could differ from the above. This follows January's fuel price decreases of up to 66 cents for petrol and R1.50 for diesel.
The over-recovery on petrol and diesel prices comes as a result of lower international product prices and a stronger South African rand, which is contributing around 36 cents to the predicted petrol price reduction.
Last week, the local currency broke below R16 to the US dollar for the first time in almost four years, supported by a weaker US currency and rising investor confidence in South Africa.
This comes after the World Bank reported that South Africa’s economy expanded by around 1.3% in 2025, largely thanks to a more reliable electricity supply, improved business confidence and a strong agricultural harvest. While international oil prices remained stable during the early part of January, the latter part of the month saw increased volatility, and if this continues, it could put an end to South Africa’s fuel price-cutting cycle. After surging to the $68 mark late last week, Brent Crude oil slipped to $64.95 on Monday morning after Donald Trump gave signals that US-Iran tensions may be easing.
