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US President Donald Trump publicly announced SA leaders will visit him in Washington DC next week, but President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office says they are awaiting formal confirmation from the White House.

EFF leader Julius Malema says his party must put South Africans first when it comes to jobs, regardless of language, connections or background.

ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has urged supporters to remain loyal to the party even when it disappoints them, in the same way Kaizer Chiefs fans stand by their team through defeats. “Kaizer Chiefs supporters don’t abandon their team when it is beaten,” Mbalula said during a door-to-door campaign in ward 24 at Freedom Park in Soweto before a by-election set for May 14. “Even if they lost yesterday, the fans still have hope. What I love about Chiefs supporters is their loyalty. They’re resolute. You [ANC supporters] must be the same. We will fix it [ANC].” Mbalula, known for controversial speeches, told residents the ANC is committed to rebuilding and delivering change where it governs. “We must work for the people. Where we govern, things must change. It must be visible that the ANC is in charge and we are making progress.” The campaign comes at a crucial time for the party, which lost its majority in the 2024 general elections after three decades of dominance. Warning about what he called external threats to its survival, Mbalula rallied supporters to defend the ANC at the polls. “We must defend this freedom. It’s tough out there, the enemy is after us. If there is no ANC, who will defend us? The enemy wants to destroy the ANC. Let’s show them on May 14 we’re not going anywhere.” The by-election is one of several tests of the ANC’s grassroots support as it battles to reclaim lost ground in municipalities in Gauteng.

The DA and the EFF’s court case to block the 0.5 percentage point VAT hike from kicking in on May 1, now being argued in the Western Cape High Court, is a critical test of how parliament relates to executive decisions.

Chaos erupted at Walter Sisulu University in Mthatha on Tuesday when a third-year male student was killed and another wounded when they were shot, allegedly by their residence manager. According to reports, students approached the manager to confront him about their grievances

President Cyril Ramaphosa has praised Johannesburg’s visible policing, saying the city was crime-free during a recent late night walkabout.

ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says the public fallout between EFF leader Julius Malema and his former deputy Floyd Shivambu is fiction — believing the two are secretly pulling the strings on Jacob Zuma.

The National Consumer Commission (NCC) has announced a recall of certain Mercedes-Benz GLE (167) models citing safety concerns linked to a high-voltage starter generator fault.

Deputy President Paul Mashatile says the defiant DA’s fate in the government of national unity (GNU) will be determined by the end of Monday.

EFF leader Julius Malema has doubled down on his party’s radical stance on land reform, vowing an EFF in government would expropriate farms without compensation and hand them over to farm workers.

Justice minister Mmamoloko Kubayi has stepped in after the state’s failure to build a strong case led to the acquittal of Nigerian televangelist Pastor Timothy Omotoso and his co-accused. The outcome has ignited public outrage, raising concerns about the prosecution’s handling of the case.

ActionSA will reconsider its decision to enter into the government of national unity (GNU) should the DA leave government, the party said while warning the ANC there will be consequences if it reneges on its agreement to reverse the VAT increase. ActionSA’s parliamentary leaders held a media briefing on Thursday after the National Assembly sitting on Wednesday which saw the budget passed with the help of the Herman Mashaba-led party.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has drawn a line in the sand, telling the ANC caucus the DA had defined itself outside of the government of national unity (GNU).

The ANC has vowed to stand firm against international pressure, including threats from US President Donald Trump and lobbying efforts by Afrikaner organisations, over its land reform policies and South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The DA has condemned the Constitutional Court's decision to dismiss AfriForum’s bid to have the apartheid-era song Kill the Boer declared hate speech, warning the ruling risks deepening societal divisions.