One year after it came into being, Walter Sisulu University (WSU) is facing financial disaster. This follows the recent award of a staff salary increase for which the university has no budget. Documents in the possession of the Mail & Guardian show that WSU management, headed by interim vice-chancellor Nicky Morgan, strongly opposed any increase.

Traffic jams are on the increase and the public transport system seems to be stuck in a rut. Critics question whether South Africa’s transport infrastructure can handle the pressure of three million World Cup visitors when it is already struggling to cope with domestic demands.

Reactionary troops rallying in mountain hotel hideouts to subvert the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) … or concerned academics meeting to discuss ways of promoting both transformation and excellence. These polar opposites in interpretations of recent upheavals at UKZN emerge from written communications among university staff.

The score is three-two in favour of South Africa — and there is no chance of a penalty shoot-out. So says the South African head of world football governing body Fifa, Michael Palmer, in reaction to ”faceless rumours” that Fifa was considering moving the 2010 World Cup.

The embattled communications regulator wants the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) to conduct a witch-hunt into recent leaks that have drawn attention to the dire state of the regulator. Minutes of the June council meeting of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) report that its chairperson, Paris Mashile, ”has contacted the NIA to conduct an investigation on the leaks at Icasa”.

Veteran journalist Jon Qwelane says he is fully behind Jacob Zuma’s defa-mation action against the media and he lashed out at the Mail & Guardian’s cartoonist, Jonathan ”Zapiro” Shapiro, who is among Zuma’s targets. Recently Zuma’s lawyers, led by advocate Jurg Prinsloo, reportedly lodged a series of multimillion-rand suits.

President Thabo Mbeki faces an awkward trip to the World Cup this weekend. The focus of questions about the 1999 arms deal has shifted squarely onto him, with German investigators pursuing allegations that massive kickbacks were paid to help secure the contract to supply warships to the South African navy.

After a string of legal setbacks, the National Prosecuting Authority is facing the opening salvo of the Jacob Zuma corruption trial on July 31 with a success under its belt. The Pretoria High Court upheld the legality of the search and seizure operations carried out at the premises of Thint (formerly Thompson CSF), the French defence company that is a co-accused with Zuma.

Department of Health Director General Thami Mseleku ordered the release of a shipment of tablets, imported by controversial Aids quack Matthias Rath, after Port Health officials in Cape Town had impounded it about five weeks ago. Mseleku’s intervention raises new questions about the Department of Health’s close relationship with Rath, whose claim that his vitamin supplements can "reverse Aids" has earned him national and international condemnation.