Here’s what to expect this week in the RSA
Politics
Parties chase deadline to finalise candidate lists
Friday is the deadline for parties and independent candidates to submit their candidate lists (PR and ward candidates) to the Electoral Commission (IEC) in order to contest the local government elections on 4 November. More parties should announce their mayoral candidates for specific metros and municipalities during the course of this week, although the ANC continues to dither.
Africa Youth Economic Forum to focus on economic transformation
The Africa Youth Economic Forum will be held at the Pan-African Parliament in Midrand on Thursday and Friday. The Forum is convened by the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) and will focus on the theme of ‘Unlocking Africa’s Youth Dividend’.
Ramaphosa to answer National Assembly questions
President Cyril Ramaphosa is scheduled to answer questions in the National Assembly on Tuesday. Issues that are expected to come up for scrutiny include measures to restore South Africa’s Pan-African credibility following the anti-immigrations protests of the last few months and structural reforms to boost municipal capacity and accountability.
Parliamentary calendar
Parliament will have a busy week of oversight which includes the Portfolio Committee on Sport, Arts and Culture being briefed by the Department on its spending for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) holding a follow-up engagement with the City of eThekwini on its 2024/25 audit outcomes. Both meetings will be held on Tuesday.
The Ad Hoc Committee to Investigate Allegations made by Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi will sit on Monday and Thursday, to consider the draft Committee report.
EFF motion of no confidence to be heard on Wednesday
The EFF’s motion of no confidence in National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza will be debated virtually on Wednesday. The party is accusing Didiza of failing to oppose Ramaphosa’s interdict on the Phala Phala impeachment, and wanted the motion to be debated in person.
Economics
Producer price inflation (July 2026)
Stats SA will release the latest numbers on Wednesday morning. June’s producer prices grew by 7.5% year-on-year, and July’s increase is expected to be of a similar magnitude with some downside pressure due to moderating petrol prices in July.
Balance of trade (July 2026)
The Reserve Bank reported a trade surplus of R17.8 billion in June as commodity prices continued to support South Africa’s export growth. July’s numbers, scheduled for release on Friday afternoon, are expected to show a surplus of a similar size.
The South Africa Brief in the news
The South Africa Brief, supported by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) will publish the fifth and final article and podcast in our five-part series on the lead-up to the 2026 local government election (LGE). This week we look at post-election scenarios and challenges with an article on Tuesday, followed by a podcast on Thursday with Qaanitah Hunter.
Next week we will hold an in-person roundtable event in Cape Town on September 2, with guests Mbali Ntuli and Tara Roos. The event will focus on the future of coalition politics and local government after the November election. If you would like to attend the event, please click on this link to register.