News24

People Must Start Their Businesses

18 May 2016, 08:30

By Thandisizwe Mgudlwa

A new era in township business in South Africa has heralded. 

Yes, the Family Best Buying Group (FBBG) has hit the ground running.

As South Africa welcomes the milestone achievement in the development township businesses, it would be healthy to also look at the economics and politics that threaten or can grow this news township business venture.

With the birth of the FBBG, which is by the way, the first 100 percent black owned buying group in the country, as many some entrepreneurs have alluded, real Black economic empowerment (BEE) has arrived.
Initially, the Family Best Buying Group is an initiative of The National African Federated Chamber of Commerce and Industry and its affiliate, ACHIB ( African Co-operative for Hawkers and Informal Businesses) who joined hands with Advance Cash and Carry, one of Gauteng’s biggest independent distributors of groceries and fast moving consumer goods. 

Advance Cash and Carry is owned by the entrepreneurial Kalla family, owners of Amka Products some of whose brands include Soft ‘n Free, Easywaves, Black like Me, Revlon among others.
FBBG further aims to address the challenges being faced by township businesses including the matter of malls that are mushrooming in townships. 

Minister of Small Business Development Lindiwe Zulu has given her full support to Family Best Buying Group (FBBG) initiative.  Commenting at a recent business gathering she said the FBBG  is a clear testimony of people taking action, “we have people who are saying it’s possible and we are going to do it’’.
Zulu also emphasized the importance of supporting the growth of township businesses. “This partnership will go a long way in stabilising trade and healthy competition among township shop owners,” she said.
According to JT Foxx, the World's #No1 Wealth Coach, as a small business owner in South Africa, "You're part of one of the most vibrant economies in the world."
"But it's more than that. You're a vital part of your community."

Foxx says, "Small businesses are the most integral piece of the South African economy. In 2011 alone, there were 5,579,767 small business owners, which is roughly 10% of the total population."

He notes, "If you don't own a small business, you're probably part of the 68% of people who are employed by them. The bad news is that at least five out of every seven small businesses will fail. And almost every one of those failures could be prevented." According to Entrepreneur Magazine, one of the top 5 reasons South African small business fail is due to the lack of a Marketing and Branding strategy. 

"Many businesses start out with a bang only to plateau a few years later. You wouldn't take a journey without a map. You shouldn't go another day without a marketing and branding strategy. "

And another effective option for developing entrepreneurs is that of business hubs.

Take Raizcorp for example. Raizcorp is Africa’s only unfunded for-profit business incubator model that provides full-service business support programmes that guide entrepreneurs to profitability. 

Drawing on the best practices of business incubator models, worldwide, Raizcorp has created “Prosperation” – its own unique, world-renowned model of business incubation. 

Raizcorp also works with entrepreneurs, corporates and governments around the globe in order to support entrepreneurial development strategies and initiatives.

To date, Raizcorp  has over 900 companies that have graduated from its Prosperator programmes, currently supports 400 plus companies in Prosperation programmes, develops over 3 000 companies per annum in “other” programmes and has 8 physical business incubators known as Prosperators (7 in RSA and 1 in Angola).

Others include discussions and negotiations with numerous African countries,  operates using urban, peri-urban and rural models, employs approximately 109 full time staff, has been profitable since 2006, processes between 10 and 40 applications to incubation programmes per day, employs approximately 109 full time staff, has been profitable since 2006.

Meanwhile, Minister of Economic Development Ebrahim Patel in promoting the Black Industrialists programmes remarks, "If we don’t watch (the creation of black equity stakes in businesses) carefully it simply becomes like a tax on companies. We want to say to fellow black South Africans ‘get into the economy — build things and make things’," he says.
Minister of Trade and Industry (DTI), Dr. Rob Davies,  Minister of Trade and Industry (DTI) adds, 

“The lessons that we’ve drawn and which is also the common understanding of the African continent is that industrialisation is necessary because if we don’t industrialise we are trapped in the most disadvantageous place in the global division of labour as producers and exporters of primary products and as importers of finished goods, that is the most disadvantageous position to be in because the real value in value chains lies in the parts that take place after the delivery of the primary materials,” he says.

As Dr. Davies further explains, “This Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP) also represents our intent to progressively upscale our industrial policy. What is clear to all of us is that this economy has not had sufficiently fast inclusive economic growth, GDP growth has not been high enough and the growth that we’ve had has not been inclusive enough to place us in a position where we can see a significant dent in the levels of poverty, inequality and unemployment in our country,” 

“What we are doing is that we are creating an environment, we are creating a support package of measures, we are creating a defensive framework that will allow manufacturing activities to flourish in South Africa, that’s what it’s about.”

The Minister further added that a total of 3 384 private sector enterprises across all provinces were provided with incentive and other support in 2014 to a value of R13.6 billion.
Chairman of the Manufacturing Circle, Bruce Strong welcomed the IPAP, saying that South Africa’s growth is tied to the health of manufacturing.

With the opportunity presented by the Family Best Buying Group, the message has become loud and clear. Start your own business or businesses, innovate, make and produce things in order to make it big in the 21st century economy.

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The Southern Times

BUSINESS

AU pushes up intra-African trade

By Staff Reporter on 25th November 20161 Comment

> Thandisizwe Mgudlwa

CAPE TOWN – THE African Union is intent on advancing intra-continental trade. This became clear during the 8th meeting of the African Union Sub-Committee of Directors General (AUSCDG) of Customs held in Harare on Monday this past week.   

The theme of the gathering was: “From Barriers to Bridges-Implementing One-Stop Border Posts for Improved Trade Facilitation”.

Heads of customs agencies in Africa, representatives from Regional Economic Communities (RECs), World Customs Organization (WCO), African Development Bank (AfDB), and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), among others, attended the meeting.

AUSCDG noted in a statement that the meeting discussed the African Union’s important agenda of creating a Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) within the framework of Boosting Intra African Trade (BIAT) for economic growth and development on the African continent.

“The significance of OSBP (one stop border post), as a concept for removing barriers to trade at border posts was therefore highlighted as a trade facilitation measure that would speed up the establishment of the CFTA,” it said.

“The objectives of the meeting were to take stock of the work that has been carried out so far by technical working groups and to endorse the recommendations of the experts and to reflect further on the issue of Implementing one-stop border posts for improved Trade Facilitation in order to Boost Intra-African Trade.”

Happias Kuzvinzwa, the Acting Commissioner General of Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA), in his opening address, recalled the theme of the meeting and admitted that it is in line with the current economic trends in Africa.

He pointed out that borders by nature, divide countries and act as frontiers between countries.  Kuzvinzwa also mentioned that the theme places emphasis on the removal of barriers, borders and boundaries to form bridges that connect countries.

He emphasised that building bridges allows connectivity, which he said links people-to-people, eases border congestion, ensures smooth movement of both human and vehicle traffic across borders and in turn increases trade relations between nations.

Kuzvinzwa also raised some of the challenges faced by customs administrations.  He suggested that the establishment of Single Window Systems, coupled with one-stop border posts, would go a long way in promoting efficiency and reducing time and cost for traders.

“Cross-Border Cooperation is one of the solutions to some of the challenges that customs administrations face in the discharge of their mandates,” Kuzvinzwa underscored.

Kumio Mikuriya, the Secretary General of WCO, thanked Zimbabwe for the warm welcome and expressed the readiness of his organisation to assist and support the country’s initiatives launched in the framework of reform and modernisation through human resources capacity building.

Mikuriya stressed that the theme of the meeting fits with the WCO’s vision.  He announced that the WCO will next year organise a Global Conference on Transit in order to support regional integration in Africa.

He highlighted the importance of data collection, data exchange and data analysis and urged the meeting to share best practices and promised that the meeting’s outcomes will be incorporated into the WCO’s capacity building programmes.

Outgoing Chairperson of the AUSCDGC, Ambassador Lazarus Kapambwe, highlighted the importance of removing barriers to trade, as a trade facilitation measure that would speed up the establishment of the Continental Free Trade Area, which is one of the flagship projects of Agenda 2063.

“Barriers were established because of fear of the neighbour. However, in a globalised world, countries need to open up but within a safe environment based on rules agreed upon by all.

“This is why the AU is spearheading negotiations for the basic rules that will guide the establishment of the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) and enable us to move and trade within a conducive environment,” he stated.

Kapambwe also recalled the pertinence of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement and urged member states to accelerate its ratification and implementation for it could reduce the costs of trade by between 12.5 and 17.5 percent among both developed and developing countries respectively.

In this regard, Kapambwe encouraged member states to carry out the necessary trade facilitation measures that will ensure the tightening of all loopholes in order to attain the AU’s vision of doubling intra-African trade by 2022.

The conclusions of this 8th meeting will be presented to the African Union Specialised Technical Committee on Trade, Industry and Mining, and the Specialised Technical Committee on Finance, Monetary Affairs, Economic Planning and Integration of the Union for further consideration and endorsement.

The Southern Times

BUSINESS

African Union Commission moves on SME strategy

By Staff Reporter on 21st October 2016

By Thandisizwe Mgudlwa

CAPE TOWN-WHAT will a recent workshop held in Kenya do for small business development in Africa? It is worth noting that the Small Medium Enterprise (SME) Strategy and Master Plan 2017-2021 provides the continent with an opportunity to ‘jumpstart’ economic growth and development.

And the African Union Commission (AUC) began the process of validating the SME Strategy and Master Plan 2017-2021, when it held a two-day workshop that started on October 10 in Nairobi.

Critical to the plan’s success is how far the AUC can sell the plan to its members and convince them that small businesses hold the key in the development of Africa.

According to the AUC, “The objective of the initiative is to develop an African Union strategic framework, which will support the implementation of the Accelerated Industrial Development of Africa (AIDA) and Africa’s sustainable economic transformation under Agenda 2063.”

The workshop was attended by the Senior Industry Officers from the Regional Economic Communities (RECs), the Private Sector and Development Partners. AUC and UNECA officials co-chaired the working sessions.

“The SME Strategy and Master Plan 2017-2021 aims, among others, at improving the continental business environment, increasing business formation, supporting formalisation of growth-oriented informal enterprises and startups, increasing SME/Is, MSMEs and entrepreneurs’ participation in regional and global value chains and promoting innovative financing,” according to the AUC.

Treasure Thembisile Maphanga, Director of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) of the African Union Commission, is appreciative of participants for their continuous commitment in supporting the AU’s Department of Trade and Industry to contribute to the sustainable structural transformation of the continent through Industrialisation.

She praised RECs and experts from various institutions – including the European Union, JICA, Traidlinks, UNCTAD, UNECA and the Canadian Government who worked closely with the Commission during the last few months by providing inputs in order to enrich the draft SME Strategy and Master Plan.

Maphanga pointed out that “industrialisation has recently become a high priority for more countries and more cooperating partners.”

She echoed the tragedy that migrants are going through while trying to join Europe and the high rate of youth’s unemployment.

“The continent’s industrialisation appears to be the winning strategy that will accelerate job creation and poverty alleviation for the coming years in addition to supporting the continent’s sustainable structural transformation,” said the AUC official.

Maphanga also referred to some key statistics about the youth population in Africa to highlight the importance of taking advantage of its full potential.

“In 2015, 226 million youths aged 15-24 lived in Africa, accounting for 19 percent of the global youth population. By 2030, it is projected that the number of youths in Africa will have increased by 42 percent. Africa’s youth population is expected to continue to grow throughout the remainder of the 21st century, more than doubling from current levels by 2055,” she emphasised. Maphanga says Africa must deepen its reflections and support for youths and start-ups.

Meanwhile, the SME Strategy and Master Plan identifies initiatives that should be undertaken in the next five years that are aimed at unleashing the potential of SMEs.

In harnessing the youth’s demographic dividend, which is the 2017 theme of the AU, Maphanga said research has identified some policy actions related to SME Development as key levers.

“According to the findings, economic reforms to create more quality jobs with multiplier effects, enhance innovation and productivity of the informal sector and support graduation from small to medium-sized enterprises, as well as transformative education to focus on innovation, skills development, science and technology and entrepreneurship are winning strategies,” Maphanga remarked.

ANN7

SMEs key to Africa’s economic growth

May 15, 2016

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Small Economies: Nurturing the small business sector has the potential to grow Africa’s economies and attract investment. Picture: Facebook

Africa’s small business sector has the potential to grow the continent’s economies, create jobs and attract the much needed investment.

A series of activities over the past couple of years have played a part in the pumping up of the Africa Risingstory.

One such development is the May 2014 forum at Gallagher Convention Centre, for the first international trade conference designed specifically for small and medium enterprises.

At this forum, Africa’s brightest and most promising gathered to pave a way for the future of SMEs on the continent and what could be done to create a thriving small business sector.

As correctly analysed then, the National Small Business Chamber (NSBC) of South Africa as organisers, had embarked on a new journey, not only for South Africa, but for the rest of the African continent.

The success of the conference also ensured that international trade for the small business sector would become a big drive for the continent’s development on the road ahead.

Themed Trading Across Borders, this trade conference attracted more than 1000 delegates from all over South Africa as well as Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and Tanzania.

According to the organisers, these delegates were primarily seasoned SME decision makers who attended this all important forum for the purpose of getting to know more about accessing new markets and growing and competing in the global arena.

Another notable milestone was the launch of Build a Business in Afrika initiative, now a global leader in small business and entrepreneurial development and also the official ambassador of NSBC in South Africa and throughout the African continent.

The main outcomes of the conference included the question of extension into Africa, with the following focus points: exposing South African SMEs to international trade experts; linking SA’s SMEs to funding and support; showing the country’s SMEs how to expand their global customer base.

Others included helping SMEs establish contacts with foreign partners; inviting SMEs to ongoing international trade forums; helping SMEs get to know the African economy; providing local SMEs with ongoing education on global trading.

A point of strength for the SMEs in Africa is that there is now a united voice and international trade is the key to growth and competitiveness, the key driver for small and medium enterprises around the world.

“If you are serious about expanding and boosting your top line, follow our educational journey and seize the opportunity to take your business into the lucrative global arena,” was a stated at the conference.

Remarking further on Build A Business in Afrika, the SME forum said: “If you’re looking to start out or grow your business and expand internationally, then this is an unmissable opportunity for you too.

Get exposed to unique and amazing opportunities; receive daily success tips and inspiration; network and gain information or assistance in exporting your products or setting up overseas operations.

To confirm the success of the 2014 forum, last year thousands of business people gathered at the Cape Town International Convention Centre as part of the follow up to that masterpiece vision at Gallagher.

This was a celebration of another season in SA of My Business Expo, now incorporating Business Start-Up Expo Access to Finance Expo, Small Biz Techno Expo, My Business Seminars and the world-famous Buzz Party, The Franchise Show and Build a Business Live programme.

With more than 27000 visitors, 500 exhibitors and sponsors, and top of the line seminars, many participants still refer to this as the most successful show of its kind in the region.

One thing is clear though, there is new energy for the development of small business and entrepreneurship in South Africa and the rest of the continent.

And if the small business and entrepreneurship community can be dedicated to the success of small business in South Africa and Africa, it will be a big role in growing, teaching and learning, networking, connecting,and inspiring many more entrepreneurs.

African governments would do well to join forces with these initiatives for economic growth purposes.

More recently, a workshop on the plan of action of the Accelerated Industrial Development in Africa, which kicked off in October last year, in Nairobi, Kenya, was another opportunity to leverage the African SME sector.

Organised by the African Union Commission and its Department of Trade and Industry the workshop brought together relevant practitioners with experience and influence in the SME sector, to learn from the challenges they face and their achievements in supporting SME development.

Thandisizwe Mgudlwa

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NUCWOSA formed to advance struggle for national minimum wage

By Thandisizwe Mgudlwa

A new trade union has been born in South Africa.

The National Union of Care Workers of South Africa (NUCWOSA) comes into being at a time when the national minimum wage of R3, 500 ($242) is making its's way in the country.

From 23 to 25 November eighty care workers from all nine provinces (drawn from both the health and social development sectors) gathered in Johannesburg to form the new national union. 

According to NUCWOSA this was the culmination of many years of self-organising during which workers created forums in the major urban centres to engage government and the NGO’s that employ them to recognise the extreme exploitation and job insecurity that they face.

"This process reached a peak early this year when the Labour Court ruled that their so-called ‘volunteer’ status is unlawful and that they are in fact employees performing a vital role in providing health and social care for the most vulnerable sections of the working class – the chronically sick, the aged, the bed-ridden as well as orphaned children."

Also noted is, "The need for a trade union, however, has never been more apparent in that the departments of Health and Social Development that still refuse to grant them “employee” status and thereby denying them workers’ rights as enshrined in our labour laws. Wages in the sector for most workers continue to be less than R2000 per month, being as low as R1000 (in Mpumalanga) and no higher than R2263 (for community health workers in Gauteng), says NUCWOSA.  

NUCWOSA also confirmed that the inaugural meeting of the union (which already has a membership of some 5,000 workers) was attended by observers from the Department of Labour. 

"Officials expressed confidence that the union would soon be registered and be able to play its part in defending the status and living standards of workers in the sector. Guests from FNV Mondiaal (the international solidarity organization of the Dutch trade union federation) which had provided valuable seed money for the formation of the union were also present.

Motions mandating the formation of the union and adoption of a constitution as well as resolutions covering health and safety, the launch of a Living Wage campaign, intensification of the struggle for permanent employment status with full benefits, building united fronts with similarly vulnerable workers and rapid recruitment of new members across all provinces were adopted. 

The union’s scope includes all community care workers in both the public and private sectors, including child care workers."

In addition, the following National Office Bearers were elected:  General Secretary Bonga Thubeni (from Mpumalanga), Deputy General Secretary Clara Mahlangu (from Limpopo), President Makhosazana Ganamfana (from Gauteng), Treasurer Thobeka Faltein (from Eastern Cape) and William More (Deputy President from Free State). 

The congress was facilitated by non-profit labour service organisation, Workers World Media Productions which has assisted care workers over the past two years in building the organization.

ANC Today

RADICAL ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN IS KEY IN CURBING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN & CHILDREN

Posted on 25th November 2016 by Staff Reporter Posted in Viewpoints.

MEOKGO MATUBA

 Annually the African National Congress Women’s League (ANCWL) and the ANC-led government, through the Department of Women, run a successful campaign in pursuit of curbing violence on women and children as espoused in the fundamental principles of the movement of a non-violent, non-sexist and a prosperous South Africa.

Since 1998, South Africa embarks on the 16 Days campaign against violence on women and children that commences today, the 25th of November and ends on the10th of December.

The 16 Days of Activism against gender based violence, which marks the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of violence against women, is the Human Rights Day. This period also includes Universal Children’s Day and World AIDS Day respectively. The campaign, therefore, remains an essential tool in creating awareness on the negative impacts of violence on women and children.

The ANCWL has noted that violence against women and children is still rife in South Africa.  This violence against women takes different forms, namely; physical violence in the form of domestic violence, terrible violent crimes such as murder, robbery, rape and assault in the survivor’s homes and in society and the rape culture in institutions of higher learning and schools against young women and girl children.

While the ANC-run government works tirelessly to eradicate inequality and poverty, we note that the terrible brunt on our democracy is the violence of poverty, starvation, humiliation and degradation, especially against women and children. Poverty, inequality and unemployment are conditions under which violence thrives.

According to the 2015/2016 crime statistics released the by Minister of Police, Comrade Nkosinathi Nhleko, earlier in the year, there is a decline in violent crimes but for us, one incident of crime is one too many. The victims of violence are human beings and at the most violence directly and indirectly affects women and children more than it does men.  For instance, violent crimes such as murder destabilises families since children are left as orphans with lifelong psychological scars.  Again, the majority of sexual offenses perpetrators are men than women.

As much as the ANCWL appreciates the gradual decrease in crime against women & children, it is our firm belief that more needs to be done in relation to sex crimes, which includes sexual assault and rape. On sexual violence, statistics indicates that Gauteng had 9510 cases, KZN 8947, Eastern Cape 8797, Western Cape 7130, Limpopo 4369, North-West 4164, Free-State 3928, Mpumalanga 3331 and Northern Cape 1719. In total there were 51895 reported cases. These are not just numbers but there are human being and especially vulnerable women and children behind each and every number.

When we take into consideration the fact that statistics are not an accurate reflection on the number of sexual violent instances because it is only based on reported cases and it is common knowledge that there are survivors who do not report rape and assault cases due to various reasons ranging from safety, economic reasons etc. we, in the ANCWL remain concerned because crime statistics tell us that while we conduct successful campaigns yearly, we need to intensify the fight in curbing the culture of violence against women and children.

As the ANCWL launched the campaign this week, the aim is to mobilise society into acknowledging that violence against women and children is not a government or a criminal justice system problem, but a societal problem, and that failure to view it as such, results in all efforts failing to eradicate this scourge in our communities.

Violence against women and children is one of the most egregious and persistent violations of human rights, affecting victims across race, gender and age. This societal ill is a symptom of gender inequalities which are pervasive socially, in politics and in the economic mainstream. Women perform 66% of the work worldwide and produce 60% of its food, yet they earn 10% of the income and own 1% world’s property.

The ANCWL is adamant that radical economic transformation of women will curb violence against women and children. Gender gaps in the economic mainstream need to be tackled with vigour and the urgency it deserves as economically disempowered women are vulnerable to gender based violence.  Women need to be economically empowered to gain their confidence and independence respectively.

As a country we need to focus our energies on strategies for empowering women economically to afford them greater autonomy in securing livelihoods through traditional employment and self-employment.  Women empowerment has proven to yield great results in families and society at large.

Women cannot stand in the side-lines and watch the gains of our democracy regress. We, being in majority in country’s population, will continue to take up our role to influence, mobilise and fight for economic emancipation of women thus curbing violent crimes against women and children. We must move together towards a violence free South Africa.

The ANCWL calls on men, young men and boys, in all their formations and in society at large to join the fight against violence on women and children. While the campaign is marked for only 16 days, the deeply entrenched scourge dictates that everyday becomes a day to make progress our fight to emancipate, first and foremost women economically and thereby curbing gender based violence perpetuated mainly by inequality and poverty.

It is the responsibility of all members of our society to ensure that the rights of women are respected as equal citizens. That responsibility cannot be relegated to women alone.

CDE MEOKGO MATUBA IS THE SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE ANCWL

Business Tech

Zuma may be right

By Staff WriterDecember 1, 201615 Comments

President Jacob Zuma may have a solid Constitutional case to challenge former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela’s instruction that he set up a judicial commission of inquiry into state capture.

This is according to Constitutional law expert, Pierre de Vos, who says that, in this case, the powers of the Public Protector as enshrined in the Constitution come in direct conflict with the powers of the president.

Madonsela’s report into allegations of state capture made no findings against those implicated within the report – including Zuma, the Gupta family and several ministers; however, it did contain a directive that the president set up a commission of inquiry, with an order the chief justice Mogoeng Mogoeng be in charge of establishing it.

However, president Zuma has since announced that he will take the report on review, saying that the entire report was unfair and had procedural issues. Pertinently, Zuma told Parliament that the Public Protector had no right to tell him what to do or how to do it.

And Constitutionally speaking, he may be right, de Vos says.

According to de Vos, case history in South Africa supports the president’s view, in that the Constitutional Court has previously ruled that the right to appoint a judicial commission of inquiry belongs solely to the president, and that this power cannot be abdicated, nor dictated.

“The Court held (in the case of the President of the Republic of South Africa and Others v South African Rugby Football Union and Others) that when the Constitution vests the power to appoint commissions of inquiry in the President, the President may not delegate that authority to a third party. The President himself must exercise the power,” de Vos said.

“This precedent suggests that the President will have a plausible case to have the remedial action set aside. It is therefore possible that a court…will find that the Public Protector unlawfully dictated to the President how to exercise his powers under section 84(2)(f) of the Constitution.”

However, this case is slightly more complicated than that, the legal expert noted.

Unprecedented case

While the president is Constitutionally empowered to be the only to be able to set up such commissions – the Public Protector is Constitutionally empowered to impose binding remedial action, even on the president.

De Vos said that there is tension between these two powers, and it could be argued that the president has already abided by an instruction from the Public Protector, dictating how he should use his powers (by reprimanding ministers, following the Nkandla ruling).

“If there are other provisions in the Constitution that allow another constitutional body (like a court or the Public Protector) to instruct the President to appoint a commission of inquiry and how to select the person chairing that commission, this would trump the requirement that the President cannot act under dictation,” he said.

“It is not easy to predict how the Constitutional Court will view the instruction by the Public Protector that the President should appoint a commission of inquiry to further investigate maladministration.

“The situation is rather unique and I cannot imagine that the drafters of the Constitution ever envisaged that it would arise,” de Vos said.

De Vos said that there was a clear prima facie evidence of severe maladministration, and possibly criminal activity – and that there was a conflict of interest in the president having power to establish the commission. However, it would be up to the Constitutional Court to strike a balance.

“Whatever happens, it is going to be fascinating to see where the Constitutional Court come out on this issue.”

Africa Biz says: having failed to make any finding against the President or others involved into 'State Capture' allegations, the former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela has misled the nation with the State of Capture report which makes assumptions and untested allegations against a sitting President. 

At best, Madonsela has been incompetent at carrying out her duties while she was the Public Protector. At worst, she is mischievous and driven by malicious intent to discredit President Jacob Zuma as had happened before with the Nkandla report. 

And the “leaking” to a news channel of an audiotape of an interview Madonsela had with Zuma during her “state capture” investigation.

Character assassination of President Zuma seems to be behind Madonsela's actions. With the end objective being that the ANC's National Executive Committee will finally turn against President Zuma and recall him.

Africa Biz sees no other reason for Madonsela to invest years of her work as the Public Protector and consistently manufacturing untested allegations against the President of the Republic.

Madonsela must be charged for any unconstitutional conduct on her part.