/ 4 March 2019

Unembargoed: March 1 — 7

All articles in this week's M&G are free to read.
All articles in this week's M&G are free to read.

Fake SAA pilot flew under radar

For 20 years he transported passengers without a licence, until a mid-air ‘incident’

Vetting lapse puts pupils at risk

Would-be teachers require police clearance certificates but these are not being produced

Pupils at four Eastern Cape schools get ticket to ride

The Eastern Cape department of education has agreed to provide transport to pupils who are walking 10km or more to school

Slice of life: Looking for life in Jozi

“On the second day, someone showed me where the shelters are and how to hustle for food. I wasn’t scared. I just didn’t want the sun to set each day because I’d have to find somewhere new to sleep.”

Speedy Gonzille is racing against time

With less than 11 weeks to go in the job, Western Cape Premier Helen Zille is a difficult person to get hold of. She’s rushing to and from meetings.

Maimane puts a spin on DA’s wide ball

The party leader jumps in to add some pace to the party’s underwhelming manifesto launch

Ramaphosa charms the Western Cape

He has promised the ANC will put the people first and that gang-related crime will be tackled

Killer Eskom’s victims pile up

The utility has released toxic pollutants up to five times a day, a study has found, for which it could be fined R46-billion

Climate change claims its first mammal extinction

The Bramble Cay mosaic-tailed rat’s first recorded encounter with humans was violent. Sailors on the HMS Bramble, on discovering the volcanic outcrop between Australia and Papua New Guinea where the rodent lived, took to shooting at it.

Queens of the night answer their calling

Drag is about much more than just the fanfare and costumes —it is also about self-realisation and affirmation

State pulls out of KZN land case

Residents on Ingonyama Trust land want the board’s leases to be scrapped and money returned

Prison head who resisted Bosasa died ‘mysterious death’

Family and supporters of former correctional services national commissioner Vernie Petersen, who is said to have resisted Bosasa corruption, have backed a call to the Zondo commission of inquiry into state capture to investigate his death

Auditors delayed Bosasa case – Hawks

The ex-NPA chief says the police unit’s forensic firm withheld the report over a fees squabble

Guptas’ Eskom shenanigans exposed at Zondo inquiry

“Eskom allegedly gave Tegeta preferential treatment even though the coal it supplied from its Brakfontein mine did not pass quality checks.”

Jiba scores a ‘yes’ – and a ‘no’

Two statements to the Mokgoro inquiry give insight into Jiba’s discussions, usually confidential, with her lawyers

Churches want code against cons

Those who wish to f leece the public will be held to account, say church leaders

Ballerina bots of the Amazon job-pocalypse

Hundreds of orange robots zoom and whiz back and forth like miniature bumper cars but, instead of colliding, they’re following a carefully plotted path to transport thousands of items ordered from online giant Amazon.

Foldable phone outlook hinges on the bend

Handset-makers are racing to launch their first smartphones with folding screens but analysts warn the technology is still too rudimentary — and expensive — to woo consumers in large numbers.

Health:

Birth control shortage drags on

Women who have been forced to go without their usual birth control shot are now facing consequences of months-long shortages

Life under Nigeria’s gay ban

It’s been five years since the country prohibited same-sex marriages and LGBTI gatherings, and the climate of fear left in its wake could be deadly

Africa:

Tensions simmer in restive Togo

Governance is a family business but a new generation of protesters is trying to disrupt the old order

Chagos Islands isn’t British, court says

The UN court’s ruling isn’t binding and islanders worry that resettlement means being a colony of Mauritius

Don’t ignore Sudan’s catastrophe

The international media and world leaders are blind to Omar al-Bashir’s brutal rule

Business:

Palladium surge helps to save miners

The hike in the price of the sister metal has helped to turn around the fortunes of several local companies

Mystery Mr N rattled PIC

No one can shed light on who is behind damning emails and their far-reaching consequences

Social media influencers must #ad it

To protect the public, people should disclose when they are paid to promote products

Tyme’s up for entrenched banks

Tymebank, the new kid on the banking block, is pitching its fees so low that one wonders how it will make money.

Looking the Brulpadda in the mouth

It will be years before the fuel produced there can be used — and it will come at a massive environmental cost

More power to greenfield thinking

Eskom put its future into just two megaplants, a handful of contractors and a single energy coal which some of our banks will no longer finance.

Comment & Analysis:

AfriForum’s flag argument doesn’t fly

If no one flies the old South African flag anyway, as the organisation states, banning it wouldn’t matter

Editorial: Nigerians voted – by not voting

‘In a country with a population of 191-million people and 84-million registered voters, Buhari can hardly claim that this result represents a ringing endorsement. In fact, the opposite is true.’

Editorial: Small step to stifle abuse

‘From the Boy Scouts to the Catholic Church and just about every organisation in between, the abuse of children has continued largely unfettered, with countless lives directly and indirectly wrecked.’

Editorial: Our worthy flag-bearers

Banyana Banyana has instilled a national pride that often seems absent as our confidence in institutions has been eroded. 

Importing power is not the answer

“Importing very expensive Inga 3 energy won’t solve our energy crisis, nor will it do anything to fix our economy.”

Energy reform in context

Engineers should be consulted on solutions for the country’s embattled power giant

A cool cat with a warm heart

I owe my life to my dad. Given my inability to follow the herd, I wouldn’t have survived if  I’d stayed in Belfast

Democracy needs to be democratised

Too few South Africans are able to participate in systems that allow their voices to be heard

What Ramaphosa can learn from Trump

Cyril Ramaphosa can learn how electoral success can be achieved in the 2019 elections, when it comes to Donald Trump’s personality politics

Ramaphosa and the Thatcherite moment of truth

Cyril Ramaphosa is no Margaret Thatcher but he is having to determine the same issue: Who runs the country?

You don’t snooze, you lose

Billions of rands are lost because workers are just not getting enough shut eye

FIFTH COLUMN: Pope thinks entrapment isn’t kosher

“It’s probably the least of his problems right now, but Pope Francis has caused something of a storm by advocating a change to the Lord’s Prayer”

Teachers should write matric exams to boost their subject knowledge

The scripts of grade 7 to 9 educators will be assessed to identify where they need support

Home education is a viable alternative

The method is a viable alternative for parents who struggle to get children placed in schools, where high demand has led to limited spaces.

Three Rs plus playful classes builds creativity, critical thinking

From preschool to university, practitioners, researchers and opinionistas are talking about the fourth industrial revolution (4IR). It makes sense that the place to start preparing for a life with artificial intelligence is the school.

Friday:

The Weekend Guide

For good vibes and an arts fix, don’t miss this.

The Portfolio: Londeka Thabethe

“This image is important to me because it represents the day I made a conscious decision to open myself up to learning about and respecting amadlozi.”

Beyond striking a pose

This series by writer, director and producer Ryan Murphy takes New York’s queer history forward.

The hand behind Kubrick

Don’t let a small budget hold you back, advises Jan Harlan, producer of many Kubrick masterpieces.

Mzansi marvel makes it big

Debbie Berman set her sights high on Hollywood and her tenacity has paid off with ‘Black Panther’.

Failed au pair’s a pinot protégé

Berene Sauls now wants to add chardonnay to her Tesselaarsdal label — and grow the grapes.

Dorothy Masuka, a rare gift from our ancestors

The golden-voiced singer, activist and author of such iconic songs as ‘Pata Pata’ and ‘Khawuleza’ spoke to Sihle Mthembu a few months ago.

Sport:

Selborne’s humble coach soars

Judging by the plaudits Phiwe Nomlomo is receiving, he may enter Super Rugby next

SA cricket reels in nightmare week

A series of whacks and punches leaves us searching for answers to woes on the pitch

French sports hijab row ‘hysterical’ – minister

French Justice Minister Nicole Belloubet on Wednesday waded into a row over the marketing of a sports version of the Muslim hijab headscarf

City screamer sows PSL doubt

When City scored a cracker two minutes from the final whistle, Sundowns fans were stunned

Smeda’s star rises with Banyana’s

The blossoming midfielder, who never envisioned a career in sport, finds herself in the big leagues