/ 11 March 2019

Unembargoed: March 8 to 14

All the articles in this week's Mail & Guardian are free to read.
All the articles in this week's Mail & Guardian are free to read.

ANC lists sidestep hard decisions

The party is employing ‘jump, don’t push’ tactics for removing compromised candidates

Malema’s dreams of kingmaker, or even king

In the post-Zuma political landscape, it is possible for the EFF to throw its support behind the ANC in exchange for posts

Energy sector favours home-grown help for Eskom

Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan had been forced to give up his plan to import technical assistance for Eskom from Rome

SAA licence fraud claims another scalp

A department head has been suspended for allegedly trying to cover up for the disgraced pilot

Slice of life: ‘Most lovely night of my life’

I remember that I was supposed to perform about two or three songs. But the DJ ended up adding another song because everybody was just having fun’

Jiba’s evidence under scrutiny

Nomgcobo Jiba said one thing to President Cyril Ramaphosa in August 2018 about the prosecution of former KwaZulu-Natal Hawks head Johan Booysen

Life imitates art for Babes Wodumo

It is uncanny how, long before Babes Wodumo’s assault at the hands of boyfriend Mampintsha became a national conversation, her 2016 hit Wololo provided clues about the milieu out of which she rose

Ramaphosa to MPs: We will nationalise the Reserve Bank

President Ramaphosa was speaking during his final question and answer session for the fifth Parliamentary term before elections

The horror of abuse taking place in SA’s bedrooms

Babes Wodumo’s beating is public knowledge but thousands more suffer the same fate. Five women tell their stories

Justice fails when too much is at stake

A large number of cases related to domestic violence are being withdrawn. Prosecutors explain why.

Carolissen turns NSFAS around in six months

Sars executive brought in experts to sort out the shambles he found institute in

Ruling party faces loss in Gauteng

ANC provinces led by two sides of the factional divide face acute challenges to retain control in the 2019 general election

ANC says it will retain KZN

ANC provinces led by two sides of the factional divide face acute challenges to retain control in the 2019 general election

District still at sixes and sevens

Claimants have drawn up their own plan after the land reform department has missed its deadline

Changes afoot at KZN land board

The KwaZulu-Natal provincial government wants to overhaul the Ingonyama Trust Board, which includes members who have been in office for 15 years. The aim is to improve efficiency and better distribute the R90-million a year it earns in leases to traditional authorities.

Bedrock of food security destroyed

Ecosystem destruction by human activities has reduced plant varieties and other life — and the ability to survive

TUT shut as standoff goes on

For the second time in a week, the Tshwane university has suspended its activities

Saldanha’s legacy lives

This year, with support from the Summit Education Trust, Dinonofo Pico was selected as the Eugene Saldanha fellow.

Rapists back at school with victims

Families say the Western Cape education department doesn’t care about their children’s wellbeing

Health:

The bare truth about breastfeeding

Bhekisisa recently published about a story about breastfeeding babies born to HIV-positive mothers “Love and other drugs: Men could make all the difference in keeping your baby HIV-free.”

It’s life, death and birth on the water

When a river and several hours of dirt roads stand between you and the nearest hospital, giving birth can be deadly. One nurse is hoping to change that

Africa:

Kigali’s trade-off: The cost of Africa’s cleanest city

At first glimpse, Rwanda’s capital is a model African city: clean, organised, beautiful. But behind the gleaming facade, not all is well

Ruling with one foot in the grave

Algeria’s president is the latest in a long line of heads of state who are too ill to do their job properly

Business:

Edcon clears the first hurdle

Edcon chief executive Grant Pattison and his team achieved what many critics doubted they could — secure an almost R3-billion lifeline for a retail company that is deep in the doldrums. But that, analysts argue, may have been the easy part.

Matjila on a witch-hunt

The inquiry into the PIC has heard that the parastatal’s head contravened laws in

his bid to expose a whistle-blower

A market darling falls to Earth

EOH was dogged by corruption allegations — and then Microsoft cut its contract

New Sars boss to call in Tax Inspectors Without Borders?

There appeared to be two major takeaways from the global grandee get-together at Davos last month — 1 500 of them arrived in private jets, and a Dutch historian called out the gathering for being focused on philanthropy when the real issue is “taxes, taxes, taxes”.

China wins the tech war in Africa

Huawei has built up a loyal following by both states and consumers who see through the US’s charges

Comment & Analysis:

Postcolony SA needs to work out a new way

Until a democratic order delivers some form of social justice, we will lurch from crisis to crisis

Editorial: Why does Julius fear the media?

‘To suggest that Malema did not know exactly what he was doing is to do him a disservice: he is a smart political strategist’

Editorial: The art of hollow gestures

‘That paragon of virtue and great socialist leadership, ANC secretary general and former Free State premier Ace Magashule, will lead a deputation of the tripartite alliance to Venezuela’

We desperately need to change course

The ways in which we view, produce and use food, energy and waste have to change completely

Never a cog in the war machine

A detour through John Matshikiza’s old M&G columns sparks memories of defiance

People must take back the municipalities

Cadre deployment has led to self-enrichment and the collapse of local government

SA needs a leader of Sobukwe’s calibre

He had moral authority and integrity, and believed that land was at the heart of his fight for liberation

Sex scandals divide the Catholic Church

Pope Francis blames the ‘plague of clericalism’ that enables abuse and protects the perpetrators

Cute folk are more permissive

People gifted with good looks usually have had more partners – and are often more tolerant about sexual norms

Doccies don’t lie. Or do they?

In Leaving Neverland two men make allegations refuted by the family of a dead man unable to defend himself

Don’t just read to your children, talk to them too

What seems to be most important for child language development is the extent to which parents and children take turns when speaking to each other

South Africa needs to think differently and embrace 4IR

The country is still locked into the past and the world is moving on, so we need to act quickly

Student housing shortage still a problem

It’s the third month of 2019, yet many students are still looking for accommodation.

Friday:

The Weekend Guide

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

Project spawns stories for young adults

Why do African governments have ministries of arts if they don’t seem to put as much funding into the arts as the Goethe-Instituts of this world?

Bassy seeks the future from 1958

The Cameroonian discovered early that, when you move people, they then want to know why

Art history by two Bermans

Kathy Berman’s time as an arts journalist subconsciously pushed her to fill the gaps of her mother’s art history canon

Wupperthal, a story not told

Like a magnet, the town attracts a journalist to fulfil a mission born decades ago

Oh, to be ‘free’ in Zimbabwe

Revisiting a book written in 1989 is an opportunity to review the country’s history

Memories exiled to a room

We recall some details so sharply and others hide away — like those of people we loved

Sports:

Rain dampens Ghost spirit

If fans and players had conjoured up more enthusiasm, the game could have ended in a win

Celtic’s boardroom troubles chase supporters away

The ongoing administrative woes at Bloemfontein Celtic now threaten the team’s biggest strength — its loyal supporters.

LeBron passes his idol Jordan

At his current pace, the superstar may soon become the highest-scoring player in the NBA

Wilting Proteas must accept death

A complacent side and reluctance to take risks and trial new players puts World Cup in jeopardy

Bullfighting enthusiasts woo kids to boost numbers

Portugal’s bullfighting tradition is on its knees; attendance has fallen by nearly half in the past decade.

Brave new world: Australia offers Banyana stars a football utopia

Banyana’s Rhoda Mulaudzi and Refiloe Jane are making it big in Australia — a women’s football utopia.