By Lerato Mutlanyane
Hailing from Bloemfontein, the City of Roses, Palesa “Lisa S” Sentso is stepping into her own spotlight — and bringing a sound that refuses to be boxed in. First known as part of the duo Harmonic Squared, which made waves on the Bloem music scene in 2018, Lisa S has since evol...
Water and Sanitation Deputy Minister Sello Seitlholo said on Tuesday his department will continue to request the National Treasury to withhold Equitable Share allocations to defaulting municipalities that owe R25 billion to water boards.
Seitlholo said the withholding of the allocations was used as the last resort to force the councils to honour their obligations.
“The Department of Water and Sanitation, together with the National Treasury and the Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Department, will continue to implement this measure to municipalities that persistently default on their current accounts,” he said.
Seitlholo made the statement when his department, Cogta and National Treasury briefed the Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation on the withholding of the Equitable Share from municipalities owing water boards.
He said the withholding of the Equitable Share was meant to ensure defaulting councils paid their current invoices prior to their allocations being released by the National Treasury.
“It is not aimed at reducing the historical debt. The debt write-off mechanism that has been agreed to between the National Treasury and Department of Water and Sanitation is aimed at reducing the historical debt,” said the deputy minister.
eitlholo said the debt owed to water boards stood at R25 billion as at July.
“The outstanding debt owed to water boards by municipalities does pose a financial threat to operational and sustainability of the water boards,” he said.
Seitlholo also said the withholding of the Equitable Share allocation was necessary and temporary intervention to safeguard the sustainability of the water bards.
“This mechanism will be in place until most of the non-compliant municipalities demonstrate consistent payment of their current invoices.”
Director-general Shaun Phillips said they get often get requests from the water boards to ask the National Treasury to withhold allocation from municipalities which consistently do not pay their current invoices.
The department submitted 35 requests to the National Treasury for the withholding of the equitable share of defaulting municipalities in July.
National Treasury official Sifiso Mabaso said 18 municipalities submitted written representations to Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana.
“A total of R278 million was paid to the water boards within a period of seven weeks,” he said.
A Cogta presentation said R3.9 billion was withheld from 34 municipalities.
It said of the 34 municipalities, 18 municipalities owed the highest amounts to Vaal Central, Magalies Water, Lepelle Northern Water and Rand water and that these water boards face severe financial challenges.
“The total amount owed by these municipalities to the water boards is R15.8 billion.”
On Friday it was reported that the Office of the Auditor-General recovered R460 million in outstanding audit fees from municipalities in December 2024 after the National Treasury notified them of that their allocations would be withheld.
Mabaso said Godongwana has directed the National Treasury to withhold the allocations in December and March 2026.
Phillips said since the next transfer of Equitable Share is in December, the department will be preparing submissions to the National Treasury at the beginning of October 2025.
Parties have welcomed the withholding of the allocations to the defaulting municipalities and praised the collaborative efforts by the departments.
Mk Party MP Visvin Reddy praised the departments for enforcing payments by the municipalities.
“It was a bold step that signals seriousness about accountability,” Reddy said.
ANC MP Stanley Ramaila said: “We appreciate the achievement thus far in terms of making sure that the water boards are self-sufficient and sustainable.”
DA MP Stephen James Moore also thanked the department for the success of the project so far.
Legal experts said it’s advisable to keep your will stored in a safe at home, with a law firm or with a bank.
During National Will Week, people are being encouraged to have a will written up.
And if you have one, make sure it’s updated, especially after any major life-changing occurrence.
Ayanda Mboto, a director with Kloppers Inc, said it’s advisable to have a professional prepare your will.
"There are prescribed formalities that you have to comply with. One of them is that your will has to be signed by the testator. You have to sign and if your will has more than one page, then you have to sign the other pages of your will. Your testator must sign their will in the presence of two or more competent witnesses, and your witnesses have to be present at the same time."
*This article was first published by Eye Witness News
Attempted murder accused Vusimuzi Matlala will learn if his bid for bail has been successful in the Alexandra Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
Matlala brought his bail application earlier in September after initially abandoning it.
The controversial businessman is accused of calling a hit on his socialite girlfriend, Tebogo Thobejane, in December 2023.
He’s been charged, together with his wife, Tsakane, and three others, on charges ranging from attempted murder to money laundering.
It’s a coincidence worth noting that Matla will receive judgement on his bail application on the same day that KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi will begin his testimony before the police commission of inquiry.
Since Mkhwanazi’s explosive press briefing in July where he implicated Matlala in dodgy dealings with senior politicians and top cops, the 49-year-old businessman has become a figure of interest.
But it’s for an alleged hit on Thobejane and not his alleged dodgy dealings that Matlala is arrested.
In his bid for bail, he told the court that he suffers from asthma, chronic tonsilitis and he could die in prison.
The State opposes bail, saying he is a flight risk, as he owns a private jet and assets in Mauritius.
*This article was first published by Eye Witness News
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has tabled a private member’s bill in Parliament to amend the Electoral Act of 1998. The proposed legislation aims to automatically register all South African citizens on the national voters’ roll at the age of 16, using data from the national population register.
Under the bill, the Electoral Commission would notify citizens of their registration and require them to confirm or update their place of residence before casting their first vote.
EFF MP Mazwi Blose says, “It doesn’t mean that at the time you’re turning 16, it should be the year of voting. Someone can turn 16 now, but you know that in the next local government elections, they will be eligible to vote.”
“So it’s always better to register our people earlier so that those who come of age when the election year arises are already on the voting roll. That way there won’t be a backlog of people that on the year of registration, you’ve got this huge numbers that you need to register. It is being a proactive government to register your people beforehand,” adds Blose.
lose also says amending the Act would resolve the increasing voter apathy, as well as eliminate the need for registration drives ahead of the elections.
“The IEC should take a proactive approach, or rather an opt-out narrative rather than an opt-in, which then means that people must be automatically put into the voters’ roll and then those who do not want to can then deregister themselves rather than relying on people to go and register themselves to vote.”
The Islamic State of Africa (ISA), a non-profit organisation, is contending with what it describes as systemic bias in democratic processes after the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) struck the its' appeal to register as a political party off the roll.
The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) rejected ISA’s application on three grounds:
The party failed to meet the threshold of prescribed details of registered voters supporting the party’s formation. The prescribed details are full names and signatures of 300 registered voters.
The application notice was published in a newspaper circulated only in parts of the municipal area (eThekwini Municipality), which is insufficient to alert all relevant persons in the geographic area of the party’s application.
The CEO received over 200 objections from individuals and organisations arguing that the constitution of ISA espouses “the intention to develop policies based on Sharia law”. Objectors argue that part of ISA’s constitution is “antithetical to the secular and inclusive nature of the principles underpinning the South African constitutional order and registering ISA would cause serious offence to a section of the population”.
ISA administrator Rev Ethan Ramkuar said that after careful consideration and deliberation with organisation founder Farhad Hoomer and the executive, 'it is sad that in a democracy, a person who has a vision using God’s law cannot fulfil their duty'.
“It’s noted that the IEC argued there were over 200 objections; strangely enough, when gay marriages were passed, abortion was passed, and just recently the surname saga passed that a man can take the wife’s surname, did the state institutions even look at what the people of the country want and was it in the best interest of the people?” Ramkuar asked.
“We speak of democracy, but yet throughout all these above laws passed, the opinion of the majority Christian population was not considered, but ironically, for a party that wants to make a difference, objections were taken seriously.”
He said the ACDP openly calls for the death penalty, something contrary to our Constitution and yet they are still a party.
"The ACDP, being a Christian party, and funded by certain people who have interest, seem to also be anti our Constitution but allowed to practice.”
He also questioned why the ISA is not given the same opportunity. Obviously, it is a case of double standards.
Earlier, ISA noted the IEC’s decision dismissing its appeal. It said it respects the process but disagrees with the judgment.
“The Islamic State of Africa non-profit organisation applied to be a political party and was rejected. We are not backing down, we are consulting our leaders and executive, including our attorneys. We are deliberating on whether to approach the High Court or other possible ways forward,” Ramkuar said.
He said South Africa’s democracy allows for the challenging of decisions by any institution if they feel the need to, and also allows the courts to decide.
The US Treasury sanctioned South Africa-based ISIS organisers and financial facilitators, saying that between 2017 and 2018, Hoomer led a Durban-based ISIS cell, using his assets to support its activities, recruit members, and communicate with ISIS-DRC and local supporters. He raised over one million rand through kidnap-for-ransom and extortion. In 2018, South African authorities arrested Hoomer and associates for plotting to use incendiary devices near a mosque and commercial buildings.
Hoomer and 18 associates were arrested on October 5, 2018, for murder, attempted murder, and possessing an explosive device found at their Reservoir Hills residence. The case was struck off the court roll on July 13, 2020, due to incomplete police investigations and insurmountable challenges with evidence reliability and admissibility, preventing re-enrollment.
On June 25, 2021, Crime Intelligence eThekwini Inner South obtained and executed a search warrant in Mayville, Durban, to recover items from a Scottsburgh house robbery. At the Mayville warehouse, Hoomer and others were arrested after jewellery, firearms, and ammunition were found. They appeared in court on June 28, 2021, but the case was withdrawn on July 5, 2021, due to inadmissible evidence and witness credibility issues.
If South Africa’s bond affordability challenge is not corrected, it can lead to inflationary pressures as the cost of living increases.
This can further strain household budgets and reduce economic stability, says Nondumiso Ncapai, the managing executive at Absa Home Loans.
In response to this publication’s enquiry, she says this will lead to lower consumer spending, affecting businesses and overall economic activity.
“Consumers may struggle to meet their bond repayments, leading to higher default rates. This can negatively impact banks and financial institutions, leading to tighter lending criteria and reduced credit expansion in the private and household sectors,” Ncapai said.
Affordability
Earlier this year, the Department of Human Settlements said the local sector contended with challenges with the housing accessibility opportunities for the gap market.
It said the gap market pressures are felt more strongly in metropolitan municipalities, intermediate cities, and small towns. DHS said all stakeholders in the value chain must find long-lasting solutions to this challenge since the gap market challenges drive the proliferation of informal settlements.
The Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA), which is responsible for the Government Employees Housing Scheme (GEHS), said the current finance products are too expensive for most government employees who fall within the gap market.
It said as such, a market product needs to be developed for this segment of employees so that they can also become homeowners. This would require collaboration between government, government entities, development finance institutions and the commercial housing finance sector to develop such products that would accommodate these employees' market, DPSA said at the time.
GEHS is mandated to assist employees in accessing housing finance and loans on affordable terms.
At the beginning of this year, one financial institution told this publication that of the home finance applications received in 2024, 20% were approved and registered with it.
However, this week, Absa Home Loans said that they have observed that approvals have gradually improved since the repo rate started to come down from the third quarter of last year. The banking unit said that, in particular, declines related to affordability have reduced since then.
“In determining qualifying criteria for South Africans to afford a bond, factors like good credit score, debt-to-income ratio, affordability and employment stability are essential for securing a bond.
"The credit score reflects the borrower’s creditworthiness and ability to repay the loan, and a healthy credit score can lead to better interest rates and loan terms. A low debt-to-income ratio indicates the borrower has a manageable level of debt relative to their income.”
The financier said banks typically look for a stable and sufficient income to ensure that the borrower can meet the monthly bond repayments. When borrowers have a stable employment history, this generally suggests a reliable source of income.
Having said that, it added that variable income is considered by banks if this can be sufficiently evidenced.
Interest Rates
Ncapai said that further rate cuts by the South African Reserve Bank appear unlikely in the near future. Absa forecasts headline CPI inflation to approach 4% towards the end of this year and going into early 2026, making the case for rate cuts challenging, especially as the MPC looks to solidify its credentials around the 3% anchor.
She said they believe the scope to cut will emerge only from 2027. “As a baseline, Absa has pencilled in 50bp of easing in 2027 and a further 50bp in 2028, taking the repo rate to 6.00% over time.”
The managing executive said that with the repo rate likely to remain unchanged in the near term, property prices may stabilise while borrowing costs are unlikely to rise. This stability may attract more buyers to the market, potentially leading to a gradual increase in property prices, she says.
Ncapai adds that investors may find the stable repo rate environment attractive for long-term investments in the property market. “This could lead to increased demand for both residential and commercial properties.
“The unchanged repo rate may also boost market sentiment, as buyers and investors will have a clearer understanding of the borrowing costs over the next few years. This predictability can lead to more confident decision-making in property transactions,” she adds.
Absa Home Loans says that while banks can play a crucial role in stimulating bond approvals, by adjusting lending criteria to be more accommodating during the unchanged repo rate period, supported by their risk appetites and within the confines of the National Credit Act(NCA), providing financial education to consumers on the stable rate environment and how to manage their finances effectively is critical for growing their confidence in applying for bonds.
National residential property price inflation
Meanwhile, Statistics SA data released this week show that in April this year, the annual national residential property price inflation was 5.9%, an increase from a revised 5,5% in March this year. The residential property price index (RPPI) increased by 0.6% month-on-month in April.
The main contributors to the 5.9% annual national inflation rate were Western Cape (9.3% and contributing 3.6 percentage points) and Gauteng (3.0% and contributing 1.1 percentage points). The RPPI for all metropolitan areas increased by 5.4% between April 2024 and April 2025.
The main contributor to the 5.4% annual inflation rate for metropolitan areas was the City of Cape Town (9.0% contributing 3.3 percentage points). The RPPI for properties sold for the first time increased by 2.8% between April 2024 and April 2025. The index increased by 0.2% month-on-month in April this year.
