Politics

Image: courtesy of FF Plus The Free State's budget for the 2026/27 financial year clearly shows that government’s first priority is not developing the province, but keeping the public service afloat. An eye-watering 65% of the provincial budget goes to salaries, while the sectors that truly drive economic growth are neglected. Agriculture – central to food security and job creation – receives only 2,3% of the budget, with a meagre R5 million earmarked for the foot-and-mouth d

Image: courtesy of FF Plus The announcement by the United States (US) that it will conduct a Section 301 investigation into South Africa (and 59 other countries) to probe possible unacceptable labour practices in the manufacture of trade goods is a clear sign that Washington’s patience with the ANC is finally running out. Section 301 allows the US to impose tariffs and other measures on countries whose policies are deemed discriminatory or unfair towards American interests. I

Image: courtesy of FF Plus With his State of the Province Address (SOPA) on 5 March, Mpumalanga Premier Mandla Ndlovu should demonstrate that residents' concerns come first, and not the ANC's interests. The challenges communities face daily can no longer be ignored. These include residents' safety and security, the province's economic stability and the people’s future. Pressing issues that warrant urgent attention are: •                  Foot-and-mouth disease: The outbreak h

Image: courtesy of Freedom Front Plus While the Minister of Agriculture, Mr John Steenhuisen, is defending government's exclusive right to procure and administer foot-and-mouth disease vaccines in court, the economic crisis affecting rural communities keeps expanding. Most rural towns are primarily sustained by agriculture. Rural economies consist mainly of input suppliers, businesses that receive and process agricultural products, financial and personal services, and trade.

Image: courtesy of Freedom Front Plus With the foot-and-mouth disease epidemic wreaking havoc on livestock marketing, it is crucial to protect areas that are still free of the disease. This can be achieved by ensuring that infected animals are not transported – something for which the legal framework exists, but the capacity to enforce it is lacking. Foot-and-mouth disease is a viral disease, which means it can only spread via live carriers. So, it is essential to produce doc

Image: Stock Photos A high-level meeting has been held in Addis Ababa between Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), and Sheikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan Al Nahyan, the UAE Minister of State.  The meeting built upon the first round of political consultations that took place in Abu Dhabi on September 13, 2025, under the framework of the 2019 Memorandum of Understanding. Both sides reaffirmed their mutual commitment to enhancing the partnership

Image: The Citizen The failure of the Gauteng government, led by Premier Panyaza Lesufi, to enrol all learners in schools before the 2026 school year commences is unacceptable. A mere 606 of the more than 5 000 Grade 1 and Grade 8 learners have been enrolled over the past two weeks, leaving 4 858 learners without any idea where they will attend school just one week before the academic year is set to start.  This minimal progress is indicative of poor planning, incompetent adm

Image: FF Plus The ANC cannot speak on behalf of South Africa regarding the events in Venezuela or its foreign policy. The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) has repeatedly pointed out that the ANC's ideologically driven anti-Western policy does not reflect the sentiments of all South Africans. The Freedom Front Plus welcomes the actions of the United States against the illegitimate regime of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela. The free world is under a moral obligation to act against cou