Update@Noon

The Impeachment committee is meeting today to consider and adopt draft terms of reference, as well as recommended evidence leader. The committee was set up after the Constitutional Court ruled in May that Parliament's 2022 decision to reject the Section 89 Independent Panel report was unconstitutional. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to Parliamentary Reporter, Abongwe Kobokana....

Former Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) Head Advocate Andrea Johnson has conceded before the Madlanga Commission that suspended National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola should not have been joined with accused persons facing fraud and corruption charges, Masemola faces charges under the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) tied to the alleged irregular awarding of an R228 million SAPS tender to Medicare 24. Johnson agreed that Masemola, who faces only charges under the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), could be prejudiced by being tried alongside those accused of serious corruption offences. However, she rejected suggestions that prosecutors deliberately sought to embarrass or tarnish Masemola's reputation, insisting there was never any intention to portray him as complicit in fraud or corruption.

The battle over President Cyril Ramaphosa's impeachment inquiry is headed to the Constitutional Court, with the EFF seeking to overturn an interim High Court interdict halting Parliament's Section 89 Committee. The MK Party and United Africans Transformation have now joined the EFF and the African Transformation Movement in the direct appeal, becoming the fourth and fifth applicants in the matter. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to Legal Analyst, Nthabiseng Dubazana....

"ELECTION WEDNESDAYS BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE IEC". The Electoral Commission is calling on all South Africans who are eligible to vote to make use of the final voter registration weekend, taking place on 1–2 August, to register to vote or update their registration details ahead of the 4 November Local Government Elections. While the voter registration weekend provides an important opportunity for in-person registration and updates, eligible voters will still be able to register and update their details through the Commission's online voter portal after the weekend. The online portal will remain open until the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) formally proclaims the election date, which is expected in the days following the registration weekend. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to IEC Assistant Manager Civic and Democracy Education, Mmakgabo Ramatlhodi

Former Investigating Directorate Against Corruption head Advocate Andrea Johnson has admitted before the Madlanga Commission that arresting senior suspects was unnecessary and amounted to an abuse of arrest powers. Johnson conceded less intrusive measures, including summonses, could have secured court attendance without arrests. The admission followed sustained questioning over the arrests of Lieutenant General Khumalo and other suspects, with commissioners arguing the process unjustifiably infringed constitutional rights.