/ 13 January 2020

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ANC 108 lays bare Cyril’s failure

President Ramaphosa is in a disastrous position for someone elected the way he was and with enemies circling

Matric pass rate hides failures

Performance in critical subjects is declining and the number of passes at 30% is a sign of the shortage

Learner excels after long journey

Sibabalwe Mkungwana did not attend school until age 10. Now she’s a top matric achiever

“Rot at the public protector’s office,” says former chief operating officer

Basani Baloyi has submitted an affidavit to the ConCourt asking for leave to appeal the high court ruling in her case against the public protector

Zondo asks court for more time

The deputy chief justice says the inquiry’s terms of reference are too broad and it would take six years to look into state capture in such detail

Slice of life: Consistency pays off

‘I don’t believe there was any recipe to passing my matric’

Purge threatens state agency

The animal vaccine producer has been hit by the exodus of executives and other staff members amid the dubious hiring of a chief executive

US-Iran crisis raises global tensions

EXPLAINER: What’s happening in the Middle East — and what does it mean for Africa?

Polluting power plant faces closure

The environment department has lost patience with Eskom’s defiance of air pollution regulations

Water ‘wars’ wash over the world

Conflicts have doubled in the past decade,  with 26% of these occurring on the African continent

AFRICA:

The last French speakers in Lagos

In the floating suburb of Makoko a dwindling Francophone community clings to its linguistic heritage

Al-Shabab sends ‘a message’ to US with Kenya attack

The deadly attack on Camp Simba comes in response to a dramatic escalation in US drone strikes against the Islamist militant group

A playlist for pan-African integration

‘Music is the weapon of the future,’ said Fela Kuti. If so, Africa’s leaders need to arm themselves —and these are the songs they should start with

A peek into SA’s foreign policy black box

South Africa’s foreign policy performance, over its first quarter-century democratic governance, is put under the spotlight

BUSINESS:

Move to renewables already here

The electricity crisis has spurred the government on to use independent power producers to boost the grid

Maponya’s African dream

By working with neighbours, business tycoon Richard Maponya managed to get around oppressive laws and create an empire

Soleimani killing, US strategic incoherence

Given the general’s standing, Iran is unlikely to back down

Trump has markets on tweeterhooks

The markets fluctuated after Trump last week ordered the killing of Iran’s top military commander Qassem Soleimani

Prosus in a tug of war for Just Eat

The technology investment company is aiming to build a food-delivery empire and already has investments in Brazil, India and Germany

COMMENT & ANALYSIS:

A cultural war waged by a cartoonist

Helen Zille’s favourite cartoonist is a case study of a right-wing con artist inspired by Donald Trump

Editorial: On media transparency

“We believe that M&G readers and staff have a right to know who owns this newspaper and how it is funded”

Editorial: We need a better party as ANC does birthday rerun

“The ANC’s long history and continued survival is something to marvel at. But celebrating the mere fact of survival is really not enough”

Staggie legacy remains a threat

The Cape’s notorious hoodlum was buried in reverence while an innocent child was shot during a gang chase

Democratising financial participation

JSE chief executive Dr Leila Fourie details how the exchange is aiming to become more inclusive

Some tips for Eskom’s new boss

Regular maintenance, zero corruption and no emergency coal procurement are the main issues

Motsoaledi report card is ‘way off the mark’

The department of home affairs’ media manager writes a response to the M&G’s report card on his boss

FRIDAY:

Get rich or die trying: Parasite’s uneasy picture of capitalism

South Korean film gives an uneasy picture of capitalism and its unsavoury consequences

Angela Davis on ‘How to be a revolutionary’

Angela Davis shared her lived experience of activism at Afropunk — and advice on how the arts can effect change 

Our artistic herri-tage online

The viewer is in total control when navigating a website named after Herri the Strandloper, a soundmine of narratives and ideas

SPORT:

Amakhosi chasing proud history

Kaizer Chiefs top the table in their 50th year, but there are some worrying mishaps that must be stamped out if they are to keep it that way

How Schalk Brits built his fantasy

The Springbok hooker built his long career on his ability to adapt — and will likely do so again now that he’s finally retired from rugby

Cricket SA’s myopic new hierarchy

The English Tests have offered some promising performances but there’s little reason to be excited about the future of the Proteas

Proteas have much to prove

The netball team want to show last year’s success was not fluke when they take on world’s best