/ 25 March 2019

Read the March 22 – 28 edition of the M&G

We've got you covered: March 22 to 28 edition of the Mail & Guardian.
We've got you covered: March 22 to 28 edition of the Mail & Guardian.

A suspect contract blew the fuse

Eskom is investigating irregularities that resulted in the power utility cancelling a tender process

Security agencies, IEC on red alert to counter cyberattacks

Kenya and the United States’s recent experiences highlight how outside manipulation can compromise the legitimacy of electoral processes

Numsa denies ‘politicised’ workers are a threat to Eskom

Numsa’s general secretary says the party’s aim is to push the workers’ interest in all sectors of society.

Three mayors investigated for murders

ANC leaders Sindiso Magaqa, Wandile Ngubeni and S’bu Maphumulo were assassinated

IEC stays calm in the face of chaos

The chief electoral officer’s years of experience will help ensure citizens’ choices are honoured

Beira, one week after the apocalypse

Mozambique’s second city was destroyed by Cyclone Idai. A week on, desperate survivors attack food stores, and the mayor claims that aid is being politicised. Beira will never be the same

Cyclone Idai: After the floods, the famine. And then more of the same

Climate change means that violent cyclones are likely to be Southern Africa’s new normal

‘His Excellency’ bows out of the House

The nonagenarian MP is finally calling it a day and putting his faith in the precocious IFP caucus

Now the MPs’ jobs are done, the real campaigning starts

Ever since it was captured, the department’s administration has collapsed and been corrupted

Mkhwebane broadens her fightback

She laid a complaint against Intelligence Minister for failing to provide her with a declassified document required for her investigation into Gordhan.

No end to Arcelor’s toxic practices

Little has changed since the Mail & Guardian’s 2005 report on how the steel giant put people’s lives at risk. Fourteen years later ArcelorMittal wants permission to keep on releasing toxic pollutants.

Headless cats and government promises back in 2005

Government interest in the pollution claims appears to have been aroused by Constitutional Court action launched against President Thabo Mbeki

Autistic children welcome

A new centre offers hope to families needing support for children with special needs

Pan-Africanist parties hope for revival

They believe black consciousness has made a comeback and they’ll attract voters on May 8.

Brothers in conservation want to restore indigenous knowledge

Dr Johan Wentzel and Dr Ephraim Mabena are tied together by a common passion.

Eskom battle to claw back Trillians

The power utility claims there was no contractual basis for the payments to the consulting company.

Splurge does little for Sharpeville

Residents are angry that commemorating the massacre has not resulted in a better life for them.

Job losses threaten the CSIR’s reputation

The council’s climate change research could suffer from job cuts.

Three countries endanger world

Reality-denying United States, Brazil and Saudi Arabia join forces to stop another bid to understand the dangers of tinkering with climate.

São Paulo’s only ‘faggot house’ survives Bolsonaro

The election of Brazil’s right-wing president has let loose his followers’ queerphobia.

Health

A matter of time: SA’s race to beat this drug-resistant bug

For years, catching this drug-resistant bacteria meant painful treatment that risked your hearing and mental health. Now, that could be changing.

Bosasa blocks family of dead boy

A South African toddler died on the firm’s watch at its Lindela Repatriation Centre. Now it says it won’t release his records to his desperate parents.

Africa

US war in Somalia kills civilians

Ever-increasing air strikes since Donald Trump’s election are killing more and more innocent people.

Hope fades over CAR peace deal

Fighting continues in the Central African Republic, and the thorny issue of amnesty for militants has not been clearly resolved.

Dictator brought to justice

A superb book unravels the story of how a Senegalese court jailed a former Chad president for life for crimes against humanity, war crimes, torture and sexual violence.

State capture: The Kenyan edition

Corruption scandals have rocked Kenyan politics this year, implicating some of the country’s most senior officials.

Business

Outages: Problems and solutions

The domino effect of stage four power cuts this week — which stripped consumers not only of electricity, but of water and telecommunications in some areas as well — was a stark reminder of South Africa’s utter reliance on embattled power utility Eskom.

Get out of the way, Eskom

There’s only one option for South Africa and that is to scrap the flailing power utility.

Hawks’ Steinhoff probe angers MPs

It has taken the investigative unit almost a year to follow up on a single allegedly fraudulent transaction

Mobile money moves across Africa

The ‘age of interoperability’ is based on regional collaboration — and the continent is here for it

Inflation outlook remains on target

Figures released by Statistics South Africa showed that CPI increased, mainly because of the increased cost of transport and insurance.

Mpati commission queries PIC finder’s payment

Questions about the $1.7-million finders fee arose during the executive assistant to the PIC chief executive Wellington Masekesa’s testimony.

Comment & Analysis

Is Cyril on a slow train to nowhere?

In a country desperate for solutions, the electorate is indifferent and parties are fighting themselves.

Chinese South Africans still fight racism

A case in the equality court shows that 300 years of discrimination against South Africans of Chinese descent has not stopped.

A poison by any other name

It is not just the person who drinks alcohol in excess who is harmed; the family suffers too.

Shedding loads of tears

We all carry loads — we all have crosses to bear.

Twenty-three journos floored

The magistrate’s court circus means forgoing the poll countdown clock ceremony – but it is murder after all

Home Affairs foils ‘SA open for business’

Ever since it was captured, the department’s administration has collapsed and been corrupted.

Sovereign wealth fund would put graft over the top

Although the idea of a sovereign wealth fund to develop our country is a nice one in principle, it may not be the best idea we have had.

Human rights and cultural practices

A new study explores clashes between initiation, polygamy and constitutional rights.

Education

Children’s progress is more than kissing babies

Parties have early childhood development in their election manifestos but the path to it is tricky.

An open letter to the minister of trade and industry

Copyright law should balance authors’ entitlement to reward for their labour with the needs of society to benefit from what they have written.

Nelson Mandela University studies Madiba to transform society

The institution looks at how it could become an academic expression of Nelson Mandela and live out the social values he stood for.

Friday

The Weekend Guide

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

Arts department messes up again

“We have someone in charge of the department who understands how best to serve the interests of their stakeholders.”

Many memories make history

The lived experience of each generation and every person expands on the official version.

The deep African science of Smiles Makama

The eSwatini maestro who plays the smilerphone is making a comeback after years spent in Amsterdam.

A culinary journey across SA

The menu of a new bistro in Johannesburg is a food map of tastes from across the country.

New look at identity struggles

Francis Fukuyama’s latest book considers dignity and recognition and the limits imposed on these.

Sport

Billionaire buys Team Sky

The head of a multinational chemicals group has ridden to the rescue of the cycling group.

The Bok-ready Bulldog who was fed to the sharks

Ian Fihlani was one of the best wings of his time, but rugby politics kept him on the bench.

Football futures hang by a hair

The Bafana Bafana coach’s only option is victory, which will propel the team into the Africa Cup of Nations and secure his job.

SA is a forsaken market, so get used to it

Most big international clubs now opt almost exclusively for the United States and Asia for their summer trips.

Masutha prays for better times

The hit-and-miss coach believes his bumpy ride may be at an end after his new side bags a win.