South Africa’s army is at breaking point, and water-shedding quietly begins in Gauteng

Today, 17 February, the rand is trading at R16.02 to the dollar, up from R15.98 at the close of business on Monday. 

In Parliament today, a two-day debate will begin between both houses on the State of the Nation Address (SONA) delivered by President Cyril Ramaphosa last week. 

Parliament will debate some of the President’s bold announcements, including the deployment of the army to gang-ravaged areas and the establishment of a crisis committee to deal with the country’s water problems. 

This will be followed by a reply from the President to issues and questions raised by the houses on Thursday. 

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) cases inquiry, probing allegations of political interference in the investigation of apartheid-era crimes, will continue today. 

The commission will hear from one of the original members of the TRC today, Yasmin Sooka. She was responsible for finalising the TRC’s final report.

In the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court, a fourth suspect in the killing of a 22-year-old e-hailing driver is expected to make his appearance after handing himself over to police on Monday. 

This is after three other suspects appeared in the same court on Monday and abandoned their bail applications. 

Here are five other big things happening in South Africa today:

Ramaphosa’s plan for the SANDF is a sign of military collapse – Daily Maverick

Ramaphosa’s decision to deploy the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to fight gangsterism and illegal mining in Gauteng and the Western Cape, after withdrawing forces from the Democratic Republic of Congo, is a sign that the SANDF is underfunded, overstretched and ill-led.

Water-shedding quietly begins in Gauteng – The Citizen

The Democratic Alliance says that it does not believe the Gauteng Government when it says the water crisis is under control. The party’s spokesperson for Water and Sanitation says all indications show that “water shifting” has begun, with areas being systematically turned on and off. 

Billionaire Patrice Motsepe retires from his own company – BusinessTech

Africa’s first black dollar-millionaire, Patrice Motsepe, has stepped down as executive chairman of African Rainbow Minerals, due to new JSE listing requirements that prohibit the chair of the company from also serving as an executive director. 

South Africa’s only cartonboard factory shutting down – Newsday

South Africa’s only cartonboard-producing mill in Springs will be shut down at the end of March due to the rapid rise of cheaper imports. The mill can no longer compete with the global oversupply of cartonboard and the strength of the rand, making imports even cheaper.

Convicted child killer returns to the docks – eNCA 

26-year-old Amber-Lee Hughes, who was convicted of raping and killing a four-year-old child, Nada-Jane Challita, will return to court today for sentencing. She faces a minimum sentence of life on both charges. She drowned the little girl in a bathtub in 2023.