President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to jet back to SA this week after concluding his official visit to four West African nations, which started last week.
Ramaphosa visited one of Africa’s economic powerhouses, Nigeria, followed by Ivory Coast and Ghana on Sunday. The president will conclude his visit with Senegal on Monday and Tuesday. A number of agreements are expected to be signed between SA and the four West African countries.
The parties were also expected to explore ways to leverage the opportunities presented by the African Continental Free Trade Area, aimed at creating the largest free trade area in the world measured by the number of countries participating. At least 54 of 55 AU member states have signed the agreement seeking to connect 1.2-billion people across 55 countries that have a combined GDP of $3.4-trillion.
Ramaphosa is accompanied by a delegation including ministers, business leaders and journalists, “in view of growing economic relations and people-to-people interaction between SA and these West African countries”.
On Monday, national director of public prosecutions (NDPP) Shamila Batohi is expected to hold a media briefing after the resignation of the head of the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) Investigating Directorate, Hermione Cronje.
When the resignation became public on Thursday, Batohi said she would formally recommend that Ramaphosa accept Cronje’s resignation, effective from March 1 2022.
Batohi said NDPP deputy director Ouma Rabaji-Rasethaba would support Cronje during the transition period, during which time the new Investigating Directorate head will be recruited.
Ramaphosa appointed Cronje in May 2019 to effectively expedite the investigation and prosecution of state capture cases. The ID, established in March of the same year, was dubbed the “new Scorpions”. The directorate of special operations, or the Scorpions as they were known, were a unit of the NPA that investigated and prosecuted organised crime and corruption and were disbanded during former president Jacob Zuma’s controversial term in January 2009.
On Tuesday, deputy president David Mabuza is expected to deliver the keynote address at the virtual annual summit of the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac), the country’s policy formulating body comprising the government, business, labour and community constituencies. Employment & labour minister Thulas Nxesi is also expected to address the summit to be held under the theme, “recovering and rebuilding together”.
On Wednesday, MPs are set to grill governance cluster ministers in the National Assembly, with questions ranging from Covid-19, high youth unemployment rate, traditional leadership disputes before courts, unauthorised expenditure, cabinet members’ lifestyle audits, and whether any disciplinary actions have been initiated against any member of the cabinet for failing to meet a performance target.
On Thursday it will be Mabuza’s turn in the hot seat, with DA chief whip Natasha Mazzone set to ask the deputy president whether he attended any meetings with any person, entity and/or organisation while he was on his most recent visit to Russia.
EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu is set to ask Mabuza what short- to medium-term plans Eskom management has to ensure the cash-strapped entity stays afloat, following the announcement by finance minister Enoch Godongwana, during his maiden medium-term budget policy statement recently, that the government would no longer be bailing out state-owned enterprises.
Parliamentary committees will continue their work for the last week before parliament goes into the December/January recess.
On Wednesday, the justice & correctional services committee is expected to be briefed by justice minister Richard Lamola and Batohi about the implications of Cronje’s resignation.
The Federation of Unions of SA (Fedusa) will hold a special congress on Monday to elect its national office bearers for a five-year term. President Godfrey Selematsela will seek re-election at the congress, which is also expected to deal with the question of mandatory vaccinations, which the federation supports.
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