Daanyaal Matthews

Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources Gwede Mantashe has expressed interest in lifting the moratorium on shale gas exploration, describing it as a potential game changer for the country.  Last year, Minister Mantashe stated that he wanted shale gas to be “exploited,” while asserting that a balance could be struck between national development and climate change concerns.  Neville van Rooy, Community Outreach Coordinator at the Green Connection, has questioned the […]

The state of the South African National Defence Force has been questioned following the words of Deputy Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Bantu Holomisa, who stated that the Defence Force was not equipped to defend the Republic, pointing to outdated equipment and chronic underfunding.   Holomisa has further noted that the issue of underfunding had been raised by ministers in the past, only to be ignored by the National Treasury, […]

The MK Party has come under increased focus following the leaking of letters, with one calling for action against Zuma’s daughter, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, and another wanting the party's newly appointed chief whip to be removed.  While the MK party has maintained that there is no instability within the party, its former Secretary General, Floyd Shivambu, has established committees to evaluate the need for a new party while being a member […]

Minister of Higher Education Nobuhle Nkabane has faced increased pressure as numerous organisations, including political parties and student organisations, have called for the minister to be fired.  Student organisations noted that the minister's unfulfilled promises and her failed attempts to appoint ANC-aligned individuals to the Sector Education and Training Authority's (SETA) Chairperson board. Speaking on VOC’s NewsBeat Show, Mangaliso Nompula, 1st Deputy Secretary General of the student organisation SASCO, noted […]

Gender expert, Doctor Lisa Vetten, has testified at the Judicial Service Commission's (JSC) tribunal hearing of Eastern Cape Judge President Selby Mbenenge as the Commission investigates the allegations that the judge president had harassed a court secretary by relentlessly requesting nude photos from the court secretary, Andiswa Mengo. In her testimony, Dr. Vetten stated that the texts between Mbenenge and Mengo were grossly inappropriate, as the Judge President would persistently […]

The Government of National Unity has been fraught with issues following the decision by President Ramaphosa to dismiss Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry, and Competition, Andrew Whitfield, due to his earlier trip to the United States with the Democratic Alliance (DA). In response, the DA has removed itself from the National Dialogue, with Chairperson of the DA Federal Council and Helen Zille, maintaining that the party had the option to […]

As Youth Month draws to a close, the economic challenges facing South Africa’s young people persist, with youth unemployment remaining alarmingly high at 46.1%. According to Statistics South Africa, the youth unemployment rate has climbed by 9.2% since 2015, when it stood at 36.9%—a troubling indicator that over the past decade, the chances of young South Africans finding employment have only worsened.  Independent economist Ulrich Joubert attributes this to a […]