Parliament to Scrutinize Ramaphosa's SONA This Week

LOCAL NEWS

• Parliament set to discuss Ramaphosa’s SONA this week where his plans for reforms will be scrutinized by the opposition.
  • The reception has been mixed among various parties, but economists have welcomed the business-friendly aspects while questioning SA’s capacity for credible implementation
• Energy Analysts say proposed amendments for SA’s Electricity Regulation Act to add more private power producers form part of several crucial steps SA is taking to reform the industry and should help boost productivity/capacity which has been dragging on SA’s growth path – BD
• Political Analyst Susan Booysen says Ramaphos faces his toughest year in office in 2022 ahead of the December elective conference with the odds stacked against him following last week’s SONA.
  • Warns that such acute internal divisions will make achieving a second term difficult for the President - EWN
• ANC plans to change the Political Parties Funding Act in the coming months to increase the disclosure threshold of individuals or entities that donate to a party to R100m annually.
  • This comes as the ANC faces major financial issues with staff salaries going unpaid for months - BD