DA Emerges Victorious in Gauteng, But Partnerships Remain Fragile

LOCAL NEWS

• DA emerges as the big winner in Gauteng in all three major metros, but comes as a result of smaller parties with no official coalition agreements.
  • The DA will need to lobby smaller players to pass important things like budgets and policies, and this could result in very volatile governance over the next five years. The ANC, meanwhile, has been left licking its wounds, with reports of infighting and turmoil within its ranks in Gauteng
• Public accounts watchdog cites frustration at Eskom after it registered an R37.2bn irregular expenditure bill in its Scopa presentation yesterday.
  • Eskom CFO said this was due to a lack of condonations, newly identified expenditure from prior years and other issues. Scopa chair said this was unacceptable and that things had to change at Eskom, noting that Scopa would continue to probe until it stopped
• Helen Suzman Foundation, the DA and AfriForum have approached the courts to have Jacob Zuma sent back to jail, saying that there has been absolutely no indication that the former president is terminally ill, making the granting of his medical parole unlawful.
  • The groups argued in court on Tuesday that the medical parole was granted against the recommendation of the medical parole board, and Zuma's outings after being released were proof that he was fine