February 1, 2024.

For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Halima Frost.

Making headlines:

Multi-Party Charter says 2024 election a critical moment in SA’s history

Home Affairs extends operating hours ahead of voter registration weekend

And, Brics gets boost as Saudi Arabia joins group of emerging nations

The 11 parties to the Multi-Party Charter for South Africa have warned that an another opportunity to bring in a new government to get South Africa moving forward may not come again in the 2029 elections.

Parties held a joint registration event in Johannesburg, to encourage all eligible voters to use the February 3 and 4 registration weekend to register and vote for change in the 2024 general election later this year.

The parties claimed that it was “unlikely” that the African National Congress would respect the rules of democracy once they were no longer assured of winning elections.

The Multi-Party Charter highlighted that for the first time since 1994, there was a “realistic, credible pathway to power” for an alternative government to replace the ANC.

Ahead of the 2024 national elections, a second voter registration weekend will take place on February 3 and 4, and will see Home Affairs extend its operating hours for Identity Document and Temporary Identification Certificate applications and collections.

Home Affairs offices will be open until 18:00 on Friday and between 08:00 and 17:00 on Saturday and Sunday.

Temporary Identification Certificates, which are issued on the same day, will cost R70 and will allow voters to register for the upcoming elections.

Collection appointments can be booked using the Branch Appointment Booking System on the Home Affairs website. Walk-ins are also accepted.

South Africa’s foreign minister said Saudi Arabia and four other countries have accepted the invitation to join the Brics club of nations that was extended during a summit last year.

Minister Naledi Pandor said that Russia, who takes over as chair of the bloc this year from South Africa, has received written interest from 34 countries who want to join. Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates are now full members, she said.

Leaders from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa agreed to enlarge their Brics group from January 1 at a summit held in Johannesburg in August.

Brics foreign ministers are developing a so-called Brics partner country model to accommodate 17 nations who were not accepted as full members, Pandor said.

The bloc is also devising a framework to allow members to use their local currencies for inter-Brics trade. The minister said that the bloc found the current, predominantly dollar-based international payment system to be “unfair and costly.”

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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