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

Making headlines: DA lays Public Protector complaint against McKenzie over R110m fund; BLSA warns of ‘reform drift’ as index points to loss of momentum; And, International Criminal Court drops case against Darfur militia leader

DA lays Public Protector complaint against McKenzie over R110m fund

The DA has officially filed a complaint with the Public Protector against Sports, Arts, and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie, alleging that he violated his oath of office to benefit his inner circle and the PA party.

The complaint accuses McKenzie of breaching the Executive Members’ Ethics Act and the Executive Ethics Code through systemic maladministration, abuse of power, and improper benefit, arguing a potential conflict between the Minister’s executive responsibilities and his party-political interests.

According to DA Spokesperson on Sports, Arts, and Culture Leah Potgieter, the primary complaint centres on McKenzie appointing key PA members to strategic positions.

McKenzie appointed a six-member adjudication panel for the 2025/26 Mzansi Golden Economy fund.

Three members – Steve Motale, Vernon Vraagom, and Francisco Tejada – were active members of the PA at the time of their appointment.

Motale was simultaneously serving as the PA’s national spokesperson.

McKenzie is also facing intense scrutiny after the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture spent roughly R31-million on a delegation to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

BLSA warns of ‘reform drift’ as index points to loss of momentum

Business Leadership South Africa CEO Busisiwe Mavuso has warned of “reform drift” after the latest BLSA Reform Tracker showed that quarter-on-quarter momentum had turned negative for the first time since it started tracking South Africa’s reform agenda.

Developed and managed by research consultancy Krutham for BLSA, the index monitors 247 reform deliverables across economic, criminal justice and governance categories.

Covering the period from April to June, the tracker’s overall reform completion index fell to 71.5 from 71.7 in the previous quarter, while remaining 26% above the March 2024 baseline.

This quarter is the first time South Africa has seen more reforms lose ground than gain it, Mavuso said, highlighting a slowing in the pace of reform in the crucial areas of electricity and freight logistics in particular.

Besides delays to Eskom’s unbundling, the subject of a heated debate in recent weeks between Mavuso and Eskom chairperson Mteto Nyati, the tracker highlighted several other areas where reform progress had “paused”.

While highlighting Eskom’s improved operational performance, which has put a halt to loadshedding and created surpluses of more than 5 GW, the index in the electricity-reform area eased from 69.1 to 67.5, representing a 2.2% quarter-on-quarter fall.

And, International Criminal Court drops case against Darfur militia leader

Judges at the International Criminal Court terminated proceedings against the former leader of an armed group in Darfur today after prosecutors withdrew the charges against Abdallah Banda Abakaer Nourain.

The prosecution said the evidence against Banda, who had been charged with war crimes over a 2007 attack on African Union peacekeepers, had deteriorated in the time since the charges were confirmed over a decade ago in 2011.

The prosecution said there are no longer substantial grounds to believe that Banda is responsible for the charged crimes.

The judges said the withdrawal of the charges and the termination of the case does not prevent prosecutors from bringing a similar case against Banda later.

Banda had been leader of the Justice and Equality Movement, one of the two main armed groups in Darfur during a conflict that erupted in 2003 when mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms against Sudan's government.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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