In a stirring tribute to former African National Congress president Oliver Tambo, ANC elder statesman Kader Asmal has delivered what reads as a veiled criticism of the leadership styles of both Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma. Asmal does not specifically name either man in his address, given at the launch of the book, Oliver Tambo Remembered, in Johannesburg.

Western Cape police commissioner Mzwandile Petros has accused Cape Town mayor Helen Zille of ”not telling the truth” when she claimed that the Cape Town city council employed private investigators because the police had failed to probe controversial councillor Badih Chaaban. Said Petros in an interview: ”I called a press conference and played recorded evidence to show that the council employed the private investigating firm.”

The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has been lashed over its second ”failed” attempt to explain why Cape Judge President John Hlophe will not be impeached. The JSC issued a second statement after pressure from the legal fraternity to provide clarity on the reasons for finding there was no ”prima facie evidence of gross misconduct” against Hlophe.

Multimillionaire businessman Cyril Ramaphosa is ready to accept nomination for the presidency of the ANC, despite past public statements that he was not interested in the party’s top job. Ramaphosa’s low-profile entry into the ANC’s presidential race prompted by his nomination for the presidency by the party’s Gaby Shapiro branch in Rondesbosch, Cape Town — caused a stir in ANC circles, with some giving an almost audible sigh of relief.

Every journey begins with a first step. While a few steps have been taken by China into resource-rich Africa, the country’s growing influence has been thrown into the spotlight with the investment by the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China in Standard Bank — a deal totalling a staggering R36,7-billion. The Chinese say this is just the start.