It will become clear this week whether Israel will abide by the order of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over the protection of Palestinian citizens in Gaza.
President Cyril Ramaphosa last week called for that country to do everything possible to ensure it prevents its forces from committing acts of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and to improve humanitarian access. Israel will be preparing to report back within a month on its efforts to the ICJ.
Global anti-corruption movement Transparency International will release its annual corruption perceptions index on Tuesday. This will show how SA has scored, compared with other countries, in terms of perceptions about tackling corruption in the country over the past year.
The index is the leading global indicator of public sector corruption, providing an annual comparative snapshot of 180 countries and territories.
The 2023 index will assess how countries have responded to corruption over time, reviewing progress and failures over the past decade and beyond. The analysis in 2024 will specifically focus on how weakening justice systems contribute to a lack of accountability for public officials, thereby allowing corruption to continue to thrive in SA.
Ramaphosa will this week be putting the final touches to the state of the nation address (Sona), set to be delivered on February 8. It will mark the start of government’s calendar ahead of the 2024 general elections. The DA will present its alternative Sona in the first week of February.
SA’s second- and third-largest political parties, the DA and EFF, are preparing for the election manifesto launches in mid to early February.
SA’s political landscape will probably see a significant political shift if analysts and pollsters are to be believed. There is mounting uncertainty over who will form the national and provincial governments after the general election, which has been pencilled in to take place sometime between May and August 2024.
Independent polls show that the ANC — rocked by administrative, financial and operational challenges — is likely to fall short of the 50% plus one required for it to form a national government on its own. It could lose power in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State and the North West.
The polls also show that no other party is likely to emerge with an outright majority.
More than 100 new political parties, including ActionSA, the Patriotic Alliance, Rise Mzanzi and uMkhonto weSizwe are gearing up to run in the elections. With the new parties and independent candidates standing for election, there will be a third ballot for the first time since 1994.
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