MK Party to oppose Gauteng provincial budget over ANC snub:
he uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party said it will not support the Gauteng provincial budget, which was recently tabled by ANC finance MEC Legogang Maile.
“We have written to our caucus here in Gauteng, directing it to vote against this budget,” said MK Party secretary general Sibonelo Nomvalo.
The MK Party was reacting to the ANC snubbing it in a meeting two weeks ago. The Jacob Zuma-aligned party had written to the ANC’s secretary general Fikile Mbalula to discuss a possible takeover of KwaZulu-Natal.
Last week, Mbalula made it clear that the ANC would not assist the MK Party in taking over the government in KwaZulu-Natal. He also said that should the MK withdraw its support for the ANC in Gauteng, the ANC would make alternative arrangements.
These moves by the MK Party come two days after the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) announced that it would not support Maile’s budget until its demands were met.
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi is running a minority government in the province and relies heavily on the support of the MK Party and the EFF to pass legislation.
Before the ANC Gauteng provincial executive committee (PEC) was dissolved and replaced by a provincial task team, the PEC – led by Lesufi as chair – was sceptical about working with the Democratic Alliance in the province.
It is also the ANC’s resolution that a party with a majority in municipalities, provincial legislatures and nationally should be allowed to lead government. However, this is not the case in KwaZulu-Natal, where the MK Party holds the majority.
Speaking at a briefing on Wednesday, Nomvalo said the MK Party was the largest party in KwaZulu-Natal and that the ANC should support it there – just as it did in Gauteng.
He said that out of sympathy for the cause being championed by Lesufi in Gauteng, the MK Party felt it was worth supporting him because he was able to defy what they described as the “agenda of the white establishment” in the province.
“Out of his conviction, he established his cabinet outside of the guidance of the national leadership and we said because of that, maybe we can be lenient towards Panyaza here in Gauteng because he is not part of the white establishment agenda.”
Nomvalo added that the party was a unitary organisation, which is why discussions about possible coalitions in both Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal were linked.
“You can use Gauteng to negotiate for KZN and you can use KZN to negotiate. Out of the political illiteracy of the secretary general of the ANC, who cannot understand a strategic potential ally…
“Our second deputy president, Tony Yengeni, invited them to a bilateral meeting to discuss KZN and possibly Gauteng, but he did not even respond to that letter.”
This showed signs of deep hostility towards the MK Party, said Nomvalo. “A party that was able to engage with its worst enemy – why would it find it difficult to engage with us?”
Meanwhile, the EFF in Gauteng has written to the ANC provincial leadership stating that it would not support the budget unless the ANC backed its call to insource security staff at the Gauteng provincial legislature.
EFF provincial secretary Moshe Koma said the party wished to state unequivocally that it would not engage in any discussions, negotiations or engagements on the Adjustment Budget Bill unless and until the ANC caucus gave due consideration to the EFF’s motion on insourcing security guards within the legislature.
Koma said that this position was informed by long-standing injustices and inhumane conditions faced by security personnel, which have been consistently raised but remain unresolved.
He added that in September 2020, the EFF tabled a motion calling for the permanent employment (insourcing) of security guards and cleaners within the Gauteng provincial legislature and across provincial departments.
“This motion was grounded in both moral and economic considerations, highlighting the benefits of direct employment for workers and cost efficiency for the state.”
“However, despite the clear merits of this intervention, the situation of security guards has continued to deteriorate. Over the past five years, the Legislature has cycled through multiple private security contractors, including Mjayeli Security Services, Mafoko Security Patrol, and Maphosho Security Services.”
Koma said guards have been subjected to unstable employment conditions, including disruptions in income — most notably the failure to receive salaries in December 2025.
He noted that workers lack access to essential benefits such as the Unemployment Insurance Fund and pension contributions and continue to face exploitative labour practices through third-party contracting.
“These conditions constitute a direct violation of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, particularly in relation to fair remuneration, termination protections and access to benefits.
Beyond the legal implications, Koma said that the current outsourcing model stripped workers of their dignity and undermined the state’s responsibility to build internal capacity.
Security guards, who play a critical role in safeguarding public institutions, were “treated as disposable labour under a profit-driven system of intermediaries”.
Koma said the EFF maintains that in-sourcing was both a moral imperative and a practical necessity, adding that permanent employment of security guards would restore dignity, ensure job security and provide access to benefits.
“The state will achieve long-term financial savings by eliminating the profit margins of private contractors. Failure to act on this matter reflects a disregard for workers’ rights and well-being.
“…The EFF reiterates that meaningful engagement on the Provincial Adjustment Budget Bill cannot proceed in isolation from the urgent matter of insourcing security guards. The ANC caucus is therefore called upon to prioritise and positively consider this motion as a precondition for further discussions.”
Koma added that the EFF remained committed to advancing the interests of workers and ensuring that the legislature upheld its legal and moral obligations.
MK bid to block Batohi pension tests limits of presidential power:
The North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria has reserved judgment in an urgent application by the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK Party) to interdict the payment of former national director of public prosecutions Shamila Batohi’s pension and related benefits.
Proceedings before Judge Nicoline Janse van Nieuwenhuizen on Wednesday focused on whether the application met the threshold for urgency and whether there was a legal basis to halt the payment of benefits pending further processes.
The MK Party is seeking an order to stop the payment of Batohi’s pension, gratuity and other post-employment benefits. In court, its counsel, advocate Kameel Premhid, argued that the disbursement of state-funded benefits would result in “rule of law harm”.
“It cannot be that now her term of office has come to an end, her accountability has come to an end,” Premhid said.
Premhid told the court that the application was limited to the state-funded portion of the pension. In response to a question from the bench, he confirmed that the party was seeking to interdict government contributions rather than Batohi’s personal contributions.
“?Yes, My Lady, that would most sensibly be the case,” Premhid said when asked whether the relief sought related only to the government component of the pension.
The MK Party’s application is based on allegations relating to Batohi’s conduct during proceedings of the Nkabinde Inquiry. The party’s court papers cite concerns about her testimony and her conduct during her appearance before the inquiry.
The party is also seeking further relief to allow a review of the decision to pay out benefits and to take steps to recover any funds, if necessary.
Opposing the application, counsel for the presidency, advocate Nyoko Muvangua, argued that the matter did not meet the requirements for urgency.
“If the applicant cannot establish prejudice … the application cannot be urgent,” Muvangua told the court.
Muvangua submitted that the applicant had not demonstrated that irreparable harm would occur if the matter was not heard on an urgent basis. He argued that the issues raised could be addressed through ordinary legal processes.
The presidency’s response, contained in court papers filed earlier this week, states that there is no legal mechanism to prevent the payment of Batohi’s pension in the manner sought by the applicant.
In her answering affidavit, Batohi denies allegations of misconduct and maintains that she is entitled to her pension and related benefits under the law.
“I deny that I ‘lied’ to the panel,” Batohi states in her affidavit.
She adds that her evidence before the inquiry was consistent and that she acted in accordance with the law during her tenure as national director of public prosecutions.
“My evidence was consistent throughout,” she states.
Batohi further states that she acted “lawfully, ethically … in accordance with the constitutional standard”.
Advocate Geoff Budlender, appearing for Batohi, argued that the application had no legal basis. He said pension benefits were governed by statute and operated on fixed rules, meaning that once a member qualified to retire, they were entitled to receive the benefits.
Budlender added that no judgment had been issued against Batohi and no quantifiable financial loss had been identified. As a result, no debt has been established against her.
The MK Party’s application is structured in multiple parts. The urgent component seeks immediate relief to prevent payment of benefits, while subsequent parts seek a review of the legality of the payments and potential recovery of funds.
The court heard that the application raised questions about the timing of benefit payments and the processes that might follow the conclusion of the inquiry.
During the hearing, the court engaged with counsel on the scope of the relief sought and the practical implications of granting an interdict.
Judge Janse van Nieuwenhuizen asked for clarity on whether the sought order would apply to the entire pension or only to specific components, prompting the applicant to confirm its position on government contributions.
The hearing also addressed whether the applicant had demonstrated sufficient grounds for the court to intervene at this stage.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the court reserved judgment.
A written ruling is expected to determine whether the application meets the threshold for urgency and whether the court can grant the relief sought by the MK Party.
The outcome will also address whether there is a legal basis to interdict the payment of state-funded pension benefits pending further proceedings.
University of Pretoria study challenges ‘70% wildlife decline’ narrative:
A new international study co-authored by a University of Pretoria (UP) conservation scientist is challenging one of the most widely cited claims in global environmental debates: that wildlife populations have declined by more than 70% over the past 50 years.
Drawing on detailed data from sub-Saharan Africa, the study’s authors argue that the narrative of uniform, catastrophic biodiversity collapse does not reflect the on-the-ground reality — and might even harm effective conservation efforts.
Published in Science Advances, the study, titled “Out of Africa Comes No Support for Global Biodiversity Catastrophes”, finds that many species often cited as emblematic of global decline are stable or increasing where they are properly protected and managed.
Referring to the widely publicised global wildlife loss claim, lead author Stuart L Pimm, extraordinary professor at UP’s Conservation Ecology Research Unit (Ceru) and the Doris Duke professor of conservation at Duke University, said: “It’s not even remotely true.”
“For example, in the [WWF] Living Planet Report 2024, the graph showing the supposed year-by-year inexorable decline in wildlife uses a little elephant as the symbol to plot the data.
“In fact, Southern Africa, by which we mean the middle of Tanzania southwards, holds 75% of savannah elephants and they are slightly more numerous than they were 25 years ago,” he said.
The study critiques global biodiversity metrics, including the Living Planet Index (LPI) and the evolving planetary boundaries for biodiversity integrity. The indices, the authors argue, are “inappropriate [and] misleading”.
“While the state of biodiversity is dire, we must separate alarmist claims based on abstract, theoretical or hypothetical conjectures from more concrete claims based on carefully documented, empirically derived evidence,” they noted, cautioning that only the latter can inform conservation practice.
Sub-Saharan Africa, where the human population has grown three-and-a-half times over the past 50 years — by far the fastest growth of any continent — and where some of the world’s most impoverished people live, provides what the researchers describe as a “stress test” for global claims of ecological collapse.
If biodiversity tipping points and planetary boundary transgressions were unfolding as dramatically as some global narratives suggest, they should be especially visible in Africa’s savannahs.
To show that the data do not support the “tipping point” and “collapse” assertions, they examined terrestrial data from Africa. Although per capita consumption in Sub-Saharan Africa might be relatively low, globalisation — the export of palm oil and other commodities to richer continents, for example — must also affect its environments.
“Surely, the transgression of the biosphere’s planetary boundaries should be most evident here, especially in African savannahs, as a 2024 report confirms and where we would expect definitive catastrophic declines in wildlife populations.”
Africa hosts numerous species, among them elephants, lions and rhinos, that are conservation icons for large organisations that fundraise to protect them. “African species constitute nearly 30% of the World Wildlife Fund’s target species.
“That said, large-bodied species are also relatively easy to count. Simply, Africa provides a unique case to test dramatic claims derived from the LPI and planetary boundary transgressions.”
Pimm’s extensive experience in the region meant he was not surprised by the findings. In southern Africa, the conservation debate was increasingly about managing abundance rather than simply preventing extinction, he noted.
“Kruger may consider culling elephants, those in Addo are on contraceptives and in Botswana there was even the threat to ship thousands abroad in response to hunting complaints.”
Pimm described sweeping claims of wildlife decline in the region as “malicious”, pointing to examples such as the recovery of South Africa’s black wildebeest from near extinction.
“These claims impugn the striking successes that South Africa and its neighbours have achieved to protect biodiversity. They are deeply offensive.”
The study highlights savannah elephants in southern Africa, where populations have increased slowly over the past 25 years and notes that short-term changes in zebra species and black rhino numbers might often reflect the difficulty of obtaining accurate counts rather than genuine population collapse.
“Almost certainly, these changes reflect the difficulty of obtaining accurate counts in some areas. Conversely, large reported declines may represent undercounts rather than population collapses.”
The authors say their reanalysis of wildlife population time series suggests that some widely cited global indices can be distorted by short or statistically weak datasets.
When longer, more robust data are examined, the picture becomes more nuanced: some species are in serious decline, particularly where poaching and habitat loss remain intense while others are stable or recovering under active conservation management.
“When we separate populations from direct pressures such as poaching and habitat loss, they are just as likely to show positive growth as decline.”
Good management has allowed populations to stabilise and sometimes increase, Pimm said. “We must learn its lessons and, as is the case for elephants, understand the complexities and challenges of doing so.”
The study also points to broader methodological weaknesses in global biodiversity indicators. The LPI, for example, primarily tracks vertebrates and contains relatively little data on plants or insects, while the planetary boundaries framework has changed definitions over time and offers limited guidance for practical conservation action.
“Catastrophism and an ever-changing narrative of global transgressions might draw attention to biodiversity loss. Nonetheless, it exposes conservation science to ‘merchants of doubt’ and detracts attention from where practical conservation action is most urgently needed.”
Broad, dramatic global narratives can overstate biodiversity decline, undermine public trust and hamper practical conservation work, especially in regions where difficult but important progress is being made.
“The challenges we face at Ceru are difficult,” Pimm said. “Having large, non-Africa based groups telling the world that Africa has made a mess of things undermines trust when it’s much more complicated than that. We are doing some things very well. We must tackle tough problems, make mistakes and celebrate success.”
The paper forms part of a broader body of work examining how biodiversity should be measured under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. This international agreement was adopted in December 2022 to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.
In a related paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Pimm and co-author professor John Gittleman, the founding dean of the Odum School of Ecology at the University of Georgia, argued that the lessons of conservation science must be applied more rigorously under the global framework.
As governments and conservation organisations move to implement the global biodiversity targets, the study argues that how biodiversity decline is measured — and how it is communicated — might shape not only public perception but the future of conservation itself.
“We show that the reports of large conservation organisations connect to these targets only infrequently,” the authors wrote. “Yet, there is abundant evidence to measure the successes and failures of the conservation enterprise.
“Generally, global financial commitments are substantial and increasing. We specify improvements and continual reassessments toward protected areas, developing countries and indigenous communities.
“To achieve success, we recommend actionable plans to improve implementation leading up to and following the next CBD-COP [Convention on Biological Diversity-Conference of the Parties] meetings.”
Ceru director Dr Bernard Coetzee, who was not involved in the study, said: “I welcome research that advances evidence-based conservation metrics, which is sorely needed globally but especially so in Africa.”
Ceru, he said, was committed to strengthening conservation science capacity in Africa and contributing to global biodiversity policy debates.
The real lesson from the African data was not complacency but clarity, Pimm said. “We need to be smart in protecting more areas, connecting populations where possible, avoiding having animals in small areas behind fences.
“None of those options is easy but explaining the problems and getting support for their solutions is the way forward. Let’s celebrate our successes,” he said.
This article will be updated with comment from the Zoological Society of London once received.
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