South Africa: What's Happening In South African News - March 25, 2022

Bolt, Pixabay, Wikimedia Commons, GCIS / Flickr
e-hailing service, South African currency, addressing racism in property sector, President Cyril Ramaphosa (file photo).
24 March 2022
allAfrica.com
By Esther Rose

Cape Town —  

E-Hailing Taxi Strike Ends

The 3-day nationwide strike by Bolt, Uber and DiDi drivers over working conditions and exploitation by their companies has ended. A  group - Unity in Diversity - that represents drivers, said in a statement that there is ongoing communication with the departments to which they submitted their memoranda. The drivers are urging President Cyril Ramaphosa to regulate the e-hailing industry. They are also asking the president to compel Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula to engage with them. The work stoppage was prompted by rising petrol prices and issues over workers' rights in the e-hailing industry that have been simmering for years. They said they are now waiting for a full report from the government and cars would operate as normal after midnight on March 25, 2022.

Interest Rates Go Up - Again

Already cash-strapped South Africans are to pay more on home loan and car repayments. The South African Reserve Bank's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has decided to raise the repo rate for a third successive time since November 2021, by 25 basis points, to 4.25% per annum. The decision is against the backdrop of higher global and local inflation, Reserve Bank governor Lesetja Kganyago said.

Hearings Into Racism In Property Sector 

Public hearings into racism in the property sector kicked off in Cape Town on March 23, 2022. The Property Practitioners Regulatory Authority (PPRA) said it received a number of submissions concerning cases of racism. The hearings were also prompted by a probe it conducted into a complaint lodged against a Western Cape estate agent. Hearings will also be held in Durban and Gauteng. According to reports, PPRA CEO Mamodupi Mohlala said that "racism and discrimination in any industry were contrary to economic growth".

No Confidence Vote In President Cyril Ramaphosa In Limbo?

Political parties have been urged by Deputy Speaker Lechesa Tsenoli to wait for Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula to take a decision on the motion of no confidence against the president, scheduled for March 30, 2022.

It is not clear if the motion will go ahead, in light of a court application by the African Transformation Movement (ATM) on March 28 in the Western Cape High Court, calling for a secret ballot. The request for the secret ballot was previously opposed by the speaker.

Mapisa-Nqakula is currently in Indonesia attending the Inter-Parliamentary Union with other legislators.

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