China gifts SA with R370bn
Not everyone believes a stimulus package will get the country out of its economic crisis
SAA flights’ failure to take off may down the state airline
A related problem is that its maintenance and repair company could lose lucrative contracts
Agriculture MEC ‘pockets’ emerging farmer’s cattle
North West agriculture MEC Manketsi Tlhape is alleged to have taken 44 cattle, worth more than R500 000, meant for an emerging farmer in her hometown of Delareyville.
Hawks bust group running ‘ghost’ municipal projects
On Thursday one suspect appeared in the Umzimkhulu Magistrate’s Court for Magaqa’s murder. Police say another suspect was killed in a shootout with the police.
Deputy mayor’s kin on murder rap
The arrest of six men for the killing of a former councillor has rocked the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal
Slice of life: ‘She was no more a sinner than I’
“Every evening, I would go to the ICU and sit by her bedside. I’d hold her hand and pray, ‘Lord, give her another chance. She is no more a sinner than I am.’”
I didn’t plot against Cyril, says Ace
But the ANC’s secretary general said he would never give up on former president Jacob Zuma
How Home Affairs was Gupta’d
Ashu Chawla’s whereabouts remain unknown and the explanation his lawyer has given to MPs eagerly anticipating his testimony is suspicious
No gain without pain, says Cyril’s capitalist comrade
Colin Coleman and Cyril Ramaphosa go way back, and the Goldman Sachs banker has the ear of ANC policy gurus — but his tough recipe for growth won’t have labour salivating
20-million in SA denied clean water
The cash to give it to them has been spent, but corruption and waste have left them without
ANC Ghostbusters ready for court
‘Ghost” ANC members who had died and were allegedly kept on branch membership lists to inflate numbers ahead of December’s national elective conference at Nasrec continue to haunt the party in Mpumalanga, despite attempts by the national leadership to exorcise them.
Flaming row over health dept dangers
As deadly fires tear through unsafe buildings in Gauteng, civil servants tell state: ‘We warned you’
Fear not, trout-fanciers: your alien fish are here to stay
The department of environmental affairs wants trout declared an invasive alien species, which will add them to a list of species that need to be removed from South Africa.
Clan battles AfriForum for control of Tshwane
A clan’s claim to prime areas of the capital has been dogged by controversy
Court action divides North West ANC
North West ANC regions are becoming increasingly divided over whether to challenge in court the dissolution of the party’s provincial executive committee (PEC), with one of its biggest regions, Bojanala, calling for action against those who do so.
eThekwini probes ‘bribe’ phonecall
The city’s lawyer says the mayor put pressure on him to protect an official facing corruption charges
Internet of Things needs more cowbell
Connecting things, not just people, at ever-increasing speeds is where growth is taking plac
Apple acolytes and fans of excess will access its Xs soon
Apple has announced three new phones and a redesigned smartwatch at its annual iPhone event on Wednesday in California
Verwoerd’s assassin a complex ‘hero’
Dimitri Tsafendas, the man who killed the architect of apartheid, was an enigmatic ‘revolutionary’ with a ‘deep social conscience’
HEALTH:
Heroin and hope in the changing metropolis
Until two years ago, this man helped property developers push drug users out of gentrifying neighbourhoods. Then this happened
‘The attack didn’t break my spirit’
In the wake of acid attacks, victims — often women — can feel hopeless. Now, women around the world fighting back
AFRICA:
MDC copies Kenyan playbook
The opposition’s leader has closely imitated Raila Odinga’s strategy but the Kenyan politician’s end result is a cautionary tale
Hydropower is Africa’s big gamble
African states have bet big on huge hydroelectric plants, but climate change is threatening rainfall
Mozambique’s brutal war on free speech
Proposed high fees will make it impossible for those reporting at grassroots level to continue
South Sudan makes another bid for peace
South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar signed a much-anticipated peace deal on Wednesday, the latest attempt to end five years of civil war that’s torn the world’s youngest nation apart.
BUSINESS:
Africa’s debt to China is complicated
China is not always the largest lender and Chinese companies sometimes act in their own interests
Debt relief won’t be a quick fix
Writing off debts of the poor, as laid out in a Bill before Parliament, may take up to seven years
Spicy atchar turns a hot profit
Atchar can be enjoyed with curry, vetkoek, which is also called magwinya, or the uniquely South African bunny chow called kota.
Experts queasy over SOE bank Bill
The treasury’s proposed changes paving the way for SOE banks come with strict conditions, but analysts point to already troubled institutions
What 10 years post-2008 tell us
Global growth has been surprisingly strong, but the surge in buybacks is limiting expenditure and could cause more political turmoil
Tobacco ‘epidemic’ in Africa fuelled by fewer filters
Many African countries with poor tobacco controls are an attractive destination for cigarette companies, according to a study on trends in the supply and demand of cigarettes
COMMENT & ANALYSIS:
Use a novel way to understand the other
We should be taught from a young age to think critically about our own perspectives
Editorial: Water is a right in SA in name only
‘Twenty million South Africans don’t have reliable access to clean water. Twenty million. That’s a third of the population. And it’s a conservative number.’
Editorial: Definition of state capture
‘Caveat lector: Former president Jacob Zuma says state capture is political hocus pocus’
Letters to the editor: September 14 to 20
Our readers write in about Chagos, Coca-Cola, and a new reader gives us feedback
Of secret plots to curry f(l)avour
Was that Maharani meeting about spices? And how does a kid get his gaming ban lifted?
How to build a future for SA’s youth
Among the most serious threats to a prosperous and inclusive South Africa is the stubbornly high rate of unemployment among young people.
In denial of reality, we stuff our eye sockets and ears with toilet paper
Years of incompetent government in the service of irresponsible oligarchs has left the country in ruins
Bolton’s ICC attack is same old US stance
The national security adviser’s jingoism has also reduced the space to discuss what global justice should be
FIFTH COLUMN: Of ciphers and little favours
The Broederbond itself — dedicated to ensuring the supremacy of Afrikaners —was split into verkrampte and verligte tendencies
Want to quit smoking? Breathe
Puffing away on nicotine is unhealthy and socially no longer acceptable, but people do struggle to give it up
Universities in the neoliberal age
The colonisation of higher education by neoliberalism is a sinister assault on academic freedom
FRIDAY:
Our approach to drugs must change
Prison should not be where you want a child to go to take a break from an addiction, but social services in Zimbabwe are almost nonexistent.
The Weekend Guide
Comic Con Africa, offstage by Frances Goodman,Mama, I Want the Black that You Are
On our Lists this week: Bheki Mseleku, Craig Higginson, and Somi
Ginger Me Slowly by Somi, Amaculo, Rediscovering the Genius of Bheki Mseleku
Cooking fills the gap of a lost love
A new South African film focuses on food and how it can be central to relationships
Get a taste of Fordsburg’s history
Fordsburg is a mix of Indian, Pakistani, Somali, Turkish, Ethiopian and Syrian cultures.
New play unearths apartheid doctor Basson’s trial
The court records of cardiologist and South African Defence Force chemical warfare head Wouter Basson had disappeared from public sight when playwright and publisher Maggie Davey got hold of them in 2012.
A fight to survive
A play about coming to terms wil living with serious illness is an indictment of society
‘Wuz Dat?’ It’s what the people want
It’s fun, it gets you moving, it’s trap. But Boity and Nasty C fail to be innovative
Ramaphosa, und’funa ntoni?
DJ Luvvas is a Durban dude whose song Ramaphosa is spiked with double meaning
Nomasonto shows off her Sunday best
Nomasonto’s story may be a short one, but the two minutes are a beautiful glimpse into a vibrant city and its thriving culture.
Lens turns on Swiss neutrality
An artist questions the relationship between Switzerland and apartheid South Africa
SPORT:
Hubris haunts Reds and Spurs
The two teams have become the big boys but swollen egos could lead to their downfall
Remembering one of the great comebacks
A trip to Newcastle’s St James’s Park means more to Gooners than to most other sets of fans in the Premier League.
Where the bad men go: Armstrong seeks redemption
It’s the podcast you never knew you wanted. Arguably the most widely reviled figure in recent sporting history interviewing others about their mistakes; chewing the cud over repercussions and redemption.
Farmers swap sheep for skis
They’re having to learn new skills to provide support at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing
Fired-up Benni’s countdown begins
The battle with the Soweto giants looms and City is one game away from equalling last season’s best
The defiance of Luc Eymael
It’s clear that Free State Stars coach Luc Eymael is fed up with having to explain away his side’s poor results at the start of the season.