Tuesday, 15 September 2026

Heritage activists argued that South Africa must move beyond one-day celebrations by integrating indigenous knowledge, oral history and indigenous food programmes into schools and communities.

Professor Matola Sechaba said patriarchy was imposed through foreign religions and colonialism, insisting African women historically held equal authority and that the mindset must be rejected.

Energy expert Vali Padayachi proposed zero-rating electricity for indigent households while applying a sliding VAT scale to richer residential consumers; commercial and industrial users would continue paying VAT.

Electricity prices have risen 165% over the past decade, while Treasury has ruled out zero-rating VAT; Padayachi warned that unaffordable power is driving households back to unhealthy cooking fuels.

A new energy-pricing policy aims to remove inefficiencies from electricity tariffs, ring-fence municipal electricity revenue and provide customers with ten-year price certainty.