Sunday round-up: Ramaphosa speaks out about ANC metro losses, 16 Days of Activism campaign gets underway, and power cuts are here to stay

‘Big setback’: Ramaphosa laments ANC’s loss of metros to opposition

The ANC suffered major defeats in Gauteng this week when councillors gathered to elect new speakers, mayors and chief whips. The ruling party lost all three of the province’s metros.

President Cyril Ramaphosa conceded that the losses are a big setback for the ANC. Read the original story on The Citizen.

Meanwhile, Joburg’s first female mayor says that with common purpose, coalitions can succeed. The 44-old-medical doctor was elected in a surprise move, when ActionSA and the EFF decided to support the DA, rather than the ANC. For more on the story, click here.

16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence: What you need to know

November 25 marked the commencement of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign and is also recognised as International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The global theme this year is ‘Orange the world: End violence against women now!’ People are urged to wear the colour orange and ‘orange’ physical and virtual spaces throughout the campaign. For more details, read the full story on Alberton Record.

Power cuts are here to stay, Ramaphosa tells Parliament

President Ramaphosa says load-shedding, which has disrupted daily life for millions of South Africans, will be around for some time to come. He said although there were challenges in keeping the lights on, the power utility was hard at work trying to fix the problem. Read the original story on The Citizen.

Scrapped or not, South Africans will pay for e-tolls, says Mbalula

Although Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula says an official announcement on e-tolls will be made in February by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana in his Budget Speech, South Africans would still have to fork out, no matter the decision taken. Mbalula explained that e-tolls still needed to be paid for, even if the user-pay system is scrapped, The Citizen reports.

Motorists urged to renew licences before deadline

In other motoring news, the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) is calling on motorists whose driving licences expired at the beginning of lockdown, to make arrangements to renew their documents, and not wait for the last minute. RTMC has noticed that motorists whose driving licences expired between March 26, 2020, and August 31, 2021, are not taking full advantage of the extended validity period to renew their documents. Read the full story on Zululand Observer.