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Year is a long time in politics

IN THE NEWS: EFF leader Julius Malema arriving in Nkandla under heavy police guard to give a house to a needy familypHOTO: TEBOGO LETSIE
IN THE NEWS: EFF leader Julius Malema arriving in Nkandla under heavy police guard to give a house to a needy familypHOTO: TEBOGO LETSIE

January- ANC members block Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema and his entourage on a visit to President Jacob Zuma's village in Nkandla, where the firebrand politician was due to hand over a house built by his party.

- DA leader Helen Zille announces Agang SA leader Mamphela Ramphele will run as the DA's presidential candidate in the 2014 elections. Agang members revolt, some leave the party as a result.

February

- EFF leader Julius Malema provisionally sequestrated by North Gauteng High Court Judge Bill Prinsloo for the R16-million, including interest, he owed the taxman. Malema had failed to submit tax returns between 2006 and 2010.

- The DA abandons its march to Luthuli House after clashing with ANC supporters in downtown Johannesburg. The official opposition had claimed the march was to demand "real" jobs from the ruling party's head office.

lRamphele announces that a partnership between the DA and Agang SA fell apart after misunderstandings between herself and Zille.

March

- Public protector Thuli Madonsela releases her long-awaited report on her investigation into the multimillion-rand security upgrades at Zuma's sprawling Nkandla compound. She finds that Zuma and his family unduly benefited from the non-security upgrades and recommends that he pays a portion of the amount spent on non-security features.

April

- Two dozen Cope MPs abandon the party for their former political home, the ANC, on the eve of the May 7 election. Some are later rewarded with diplomatic postings.

MaylMore than 18.4million South Africans cast their votes in the country's fifth democratic elections, in which Malema's EFF becomes the third-largest party in parliament. The ANC wins 62.15% of the vote and Zuma is sworn in to serve his second term.

June

- EFF MPs cause a stir when they arrive for Zuma's state of the nation address wearing red overalls and aprons.

July

- Gauteng premier David Makhura announces members of the panel to review the effect of e-tolls.

- Ramphele quits her party to pursue "the idealism that has driven" her. She leaves behind a fractured and broke organisation with two seats in parliament.

August

- Former cabinet minister Pallo Jordan resigns as ANC MP after his doctorate is exposed as fake. He says he is owning up for his deceit over many decades.

- EFF MPs chant "Pay Back The Money" after accusing Zuma of giving unsatisfactory answers during his question-and-answer session in the National Assembly. Parliament's presiding officers later suspend the session.

- Three Numsa members are killed in KwaZulu-Natal in what is alleged to be a politically motivated murder. Njabulo Dube was Numsa chairman in Mandeni, Sbonelo Ntuli was his deputy and Ntobeko Maphumulo, a shop-steward.

September

- A Constitutional Court ruling leads to the resignation of Independent Electoral Commission chairwoman Pansy Tlakula. The court dismissed Tlakula's application for leave to appeal an Electoral Court decision finding her guilty of misconduct relating to the leasing of the commission's headquarters and that she should be removed from office.

- Water and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane vows that ANC members and her cabinet colleagues will use their buttocks to defend under-fire Zuma.

October

- In another victory for an opposition party, the DA succeeds in its long-running battle to obtain the so-called "spy tapes" and other documents used by the prosecuting authority to justify dropping fraud and corruption charges against Zuma.

- Zuma grants authority to Energy Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson to sign a controversial agreement on nuclear energy with France.

November

- Riot police are called into the National Assembly chambers after EFF MP Reneilwe Mashabela refuses to leave. She had refused to withdraw her statement that Zuma is a "criminal" and the "greatest thief in the world".

- Cosatu expels its biggest affiliate, metalworkers' union Numsa, raising concerns about the dire impact a split in the federation would have on the country and the ruling tripartite alliance led by the ANC. Numsa was expelled for decisions it took at its special national congress which were in conflict with Cosatu.

- Pule Mabe's hopes of being ANC Youth League president are dashed after the ANC leadership decides to change the league's elective conference to a consultative forum to discuss policy.

December

- Expelled Numsa holds a three-day consultative assembly attended by ANC veterans Ronnie Kasrils and Zanoxolo Wayile. The meeting is a precursor to the launch of the union's United Front next year.

- The ANC Women's League is divided at its policy conference on whether Zuma should be succeeded by a woman in 2017. This comes after months of contradiction by its leaders who had initially said the country was not ready for a woman's president.

- Fraud and corruption charges against ANC MP Mabe are dropped in the Pretoria Commercial Crimes Court.

 

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