March 11, 2024.

For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Thabi Shomolekae.

Making headlines:

Survey says ANC likely to lose parliamentary majority in May vote

BLSA says GDP figures cap decade of negative GDP per capita growth

And, Ramaphosa assures Eskom working on increasing electricity generation capacity

Survey says ANC likely to lose parliamentary majority in May vote

The African National Congress is likely to lose its parliamentary majority in May for the first time since Nelson Mandela led it to power at the fall of apartheid 30 years ago, a survey showed, opening up the prospect of coalition rule.

South Africans go to polls on May 29 to elect a new National Assembly, which will then choose the next president.

A survey of voter opinion in February by Johannesburg-based think tank The Brenthurst Foundation and the SABI Strategy Group estimated support for the ANC at 39%, down from 41% in October and 44% in November 2022.

The survey was modelled on the 66% turnout of the last general election in 2019, when the ANC got more than 57% of the vote.

A result below 50% in May would mean the former liberation movement would be forced to enter into a coalition with smaller parties to govern the country, a far cry from its best-ever result in 2004 under Thabo Mbeki when it secured almost 70% of the vote.

The ANC's image has been tarnished in the past decade by economic stagnation, rising unemployment and repeated corruption scandals involving its top officials.

BLSA says GDP figures cap decade of negative GDP per capita growth

While the gross domestic product for the fourth quarter of 2023 was 0.1%, growth was negative in terms of GDP per capita, given that population growth is outpacing it.

Business Leadership South Africa CEO Busi Mavuso said South Africa has been trending lower since 2013, and have now crowned a decade of negative per capita growth. South Africans now earn, in real terms, on average, what they earned in 2006, she noted.

Loadshedding eased in the fourth quarter, but logistical challenges were a major constraint on economic activity with port delays damaging exports and import volumes.

She said this is a “self-induced growth crisis” that comes down to a failure of State-provided infrastructure and services. Inadequate electricity supply and logistical constraints were the key obstacles to growth.

She warned that South Africa must also plan for emerging threats, including the national water system, which is an increasing concern.

Ramaphosa assures Eskom working on increasing electricity generation capacity

President Cyril Ramaphosa noted today that Eskom, under the leadership of its new Group CEO, is finalising an agreement with business to deploy additional independent skilled experts to support the ailing power utility.

Eskom CEO Dan Marokane assumed office on Friday. Eskom has been without a CEO since February last year, after the early departure of André de Ruyter.

Ramaphosa wrote in his weekly letter to the nation that the partnership between government and business was established in June, last year, to tackle the electricity supply crisis, the severe challenges in freight rail and port operations, and crime and corruption.

He noted that while the partnership has been focused on specific immediate actions, the broader work to grow the economy and create jobs draws on the contributions and capabilities of all social partners and stakeholders.

He said the partnership is working to increase electricity generation capacity from different sources by up to 10 600 MW, which will enable a significant reduction in the severity of loadshedding by the end of the year.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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