Ramaphosa sets local elections for 4 November:
President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that the local government elections will be held on Wednesday, 4 November 2026.
Ramaphosa announced the election date on Thursday at Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg during a meeting with leaders at the PresidentialCoordinating Council, where he reportedly stated the election date would fall on a Wednesday — which would be a public holiday for voting.
“As 2026 is the year in which the local government elections are held, they should be held on a Wednesday, which is the middle of the week, on a date that I now determine as 4 November 2026,” he said.
Subsequently, the minister of cooperative governance, Velenkosini Hlabisa, will gazette the election date, kick-starting political parties’ campaigns for votes.
The elections were expected to be held between November and January, within 90 days after the end of the 2021 term of office.
The Electoral Commission of South Africa has set the first voter registration weekend for 20 and 21 June, with a second expected between July and August to increase voter participation before the November poll.
The 2026 local elections is expected to be highly contested, especially in metro municipalities such as Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane where political parties have declared mayoral candidates.
KZN bus operator claims R6m-a-month contract was reassigned without a tender process:
A KwaZulu-Natal bus operator has alleged that the provincial department of transport awarded a contract worth about R6 million without advertising it for competitive bidding.
Mduduzi Sithole, 47, the owner of Zululand Bus Service, which operates passenger routes between uMtubatuba and Nseleni in northern KwaZulu-Natal, says he initially held the contract before losing it in January 2025.
He alleges that departmental officials colluded with another bus operator to remove his company from the service, which was subsequently taken over by Ikhwezi Bus Service.
Ikhwezi Bus Service is linked to businessperson Sol Paruk and the Paruk Group, a large commuter transport operator with more than 130 buses operating across parts of KwaZulu-Natal.
The matter is under litigation.
In an interview with the Mail & Guardian, Sithole alleged that senior officials in the department demanded bribes from him over a prolonged period, under the pretext of protecting his contract.
He said he ultimately lost the contract after he stopped making payments.
“Speaking out was the last resort. But I’ve endured bullying and torture from the department officials for far too long.
“I’m prepared to accept anything that will happen to me after I have revealed the rot and corruption committed by the department officials.”
Sithole alleged that on one occasion he was summoned to Florida Road in Durban, where a senior official instructed him to place R25 000 inside a compartment of his vehicle.
The M&G has seen documentation, which Sithole claims reflects payments made to officials.
Sithole also alleged that an official requested a stake in his business. “One official went to the extent of requesting that I give her a stake in some of my buses, saying she was struggling financially. I ended up giving her two buses,” he said.
Sithole said his difficulties began in November 2024 when departmental officials inspected his bus depot in eMpangeni in northern KwaZulu-Natal.
According to the inspection report, which the M&G has seen, 16 buses failed compliance checks. The report also noted that the fleet had been placed under administrative restrictions by authorities in Mpumalanga because of investigations.
Sithole disputed the findings, alleging that the inspections were used to remove him from the contract.
He said he was pressured to provide buses for free for political events, including ANC rallies and youth league gatherings in KwaZulu-Natal and other provinces.
He also alleged that he was instructed by officials to cover costs for accommodation and catering for political events and on one occasion to pay for funeral-related expenses at a private funeral service provider. Sithole said he had invoices and supporting documents related to some of the expenses.
He said the dispute had left 27 or so buses idle at his depot for more than a year, causing significant financial losses.
He had written to KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli requesting an investigation into the conduct of the officials involved.
In a letter dated October 2025, Ntuli said the allegations of corruption, fraud and procurement irregularities had been referred to the provincial forensic investigation unit for investigation.
“You will be contacted in due course to provide evidence to the investigators,” Ntuli said.
Ikhwezi Bus Service has denied any wrongdoing. In a statement through its attorneys, Cuzen Randeree Dyasi Inc, the company said it was not involved in any illegal procurement process.
“Our client denies any collusion with the KZN Department of Transport,” the lawyers said. “Our client understands that the KZN DOT [department of transport] and Mr Sithole have been embroiled in litigation. Our client is not privy to any further details in respect of such litigation.
“Our client denies that he is being favoured by the KZN DOT. Our client is not privy to any allegations/or any further information in respect of any contract between Mr Sithole and the KZN DOT.”
KwaZulu-Natal department of transport spokesperson Ndabezinhle Sibiya said there was nothing improper about the decision to appoint an alternative service provider. The contract contained a clause allowing the department to appoint a substitute operator if a service provider failed to deliver services.
“There is a clause in the contract signed by all bus operators contractors contracted by the department (including him) which provides for a substitute contract in case they fail to provide services,” Sibiya said. “He signed the contract well aware of this provision. Such a procurement process is within the framework of supply chain management practices built into the system by the treasury.”
Sibiya also accused Sithole of attempting to damage the department’s reputation amid the litigation. Sithole disputed that interpretation, arguing that the clause could be applied in the circumstances and that the termination was illegal.
IDC avoids confirming board probe into Tinley Club Med deal:
The Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) has not clarified whether a transaction linked to the Tinley Club Med development was subjected to a board inquiry, leaving a key governance question unanswered.
At a briefing on Thursday, addressed by Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Parks Tau, the issue was put to the IDC after indications from within the institution that the deal had been the subject of a board-level investigation and a report had been submitted.
Asked to confirm whether such an inquiry had taken place and whether any findings would be made public or presented to parliament, IDC head of corporate affairs Tshepo Ramodibe did not provide a direct answer.
“Because this relates to ongoing matters and specific client engagements, the board has exercised its oversight in testing what is before it,” Ramodibe said. “Once there are definitive outcomes, we will report through the appropriate governance and regulatory platforms. At this stage, it remains an ongoing matter.”
The response does not establish whether a formal board-led inquiry exists or whether any findings have been made.
The issue goes to how the IDC applies its own governance processes. The question is not only the transaction itself but whether internal review and oversight mechanisms are applied consistently in high-value deals.
The briefing was convened to outline the IDC’s strategic direction, introduce a newly appointed board and set out measures aimed at strengthening governance.
Board chair Gloria Serobe said the board had held back from public engagement in its early months to understand the institution before responding.
“We have deliberately been absent from talking to the media because we needed to understand the institution first,” she said.
Serobe said the board had identified weaknesses in responsiveness, turnaround times and communication, particularly in how complaints were handled. A complaints review panel would be established, chaired by a board member but including external participants, to assess grievances and report to the board monthly.
She said complaints ranged from delays in decision-making to concerns about fairness and process and that those would be addressed through internal mechanisms.
IDC chief executive Mmakgoshi Lekhethe said the institution was operating in a constrained economic environment marked by low growth, high unemployment and infrastructure bottlenecks.
She said the IDC would move beyond its traditional role as a direct lender towards a model based on partnerships, co-investment and support for new sectors, including critical minerals, digital infrastructure and energy transition.
Lekhethe also rejected claims that the IDC was retreating from its transformation mandate, saying black-owned enterprises accounted for about 60% of its funding portfolio.
She said the IDC had supported 73 companies through the department of trade, industry and competition’s black industrialists scheme, with R7.28 billion approved. About R2bn was allocated in the past financial year to support distressed businesses.
Tau said the IDC was being repositioned as a platform to mobilise capital, partnerships and technical capability across key sectors of the economy, aligned with government priorities of job creation and reducing poverty.
He also acknowledged concerns raised in parliament and in public discourse, saying the new board had been tasked with strengthening oversight and improving accountability.
The status of any board inquiry into the Tinley-linked transaction remains unclear. The IDC has not confirmed whether such an inquiry took place or whether any findings exist.
For now, the matter remains within internal processes, with disclosure deferred until those processes are concluded.
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