E Cape ANC bigwigs in ‘loan’ fracas
Oscar Mabuyane and Babalo Madikizela paid for a Bentley and renovations with suspect funds
2021: ANC, DA could lose metros
Based on projections, if the ANC continues on its 2016 trajectory, the party could have to go into coalitions in Johannesburg and in Tshwane
ANC survival depends on Cyril’s choice
A credible Cabinet needs to fight for the economy and prevent losses in the 2021 local elections
JZ’s battle to avoid ‘tainted’ trial
Former president Jacob Zuma is seeking a permanent stay of prosecution in the corruption case against him that has dragged on for 15 years
Slice of life: Learning about music and life
‘The love was what I needed’
Big increase in mine water pollution
New data reveals a radical increase in the number of mines flouting water regulations
Mine shakes homes and dreams
Residents say the world’s largest open-cast platinum mine on their doorstep is killing them; mine management disagrees
‘No place for black academics’
A book accuses universities of crushing the ambitions of black lecturers and researchers
Gender is a premier issue for ANC
Compromise means the majority of provincial executives and all speakers of legislatures need to be women
Hawks move on 62 KZN councillors
Four waste removal contractors were allegedly awarded a R5-million tender despite inexperience
Read a human for a life change
The Human Library lends people with titles like Ex-Drug Addict and Gay Christian to deal with your problems or challenge your prejudices. Carl Collison spoke to two human books
ANC’s biggest Gauteng losses were wards in Soweto’s heart
Residents in Zola have punished the government for all their service delivery woes
What the low voter turnout really shows
Pomfret is a town like no other in South Africa.
A substantial number of Portuguese speakers live there, descendants of soldiers who fought in the South African Defence Force’s 32 Battalion during the Border War in Angola.
Raw sewage overwhelms Durban
The breakdown of a treatment plant has cost businesses millions of rand in lost income, delayed ship maintenance and hammered sea life
Plans for second airport grounded
Everyone’s a loser as an ambitious plan to resuscitate Durban’s old airport falls apart
Health:
Why Discovery Health didn’t pay up
Discovery Health Medical Scheme and all other open medical schemes apply waiting periods if a member has had a break in membership of more than 90 days before joining/re-joining a scheme.
Are the medical aids really fleecing you?
Medical aids may be increasingly willing to fork over the cash to cover your hospital visits, but there’s a good reason to propose new protections for consumers, a Competition Commission investigation finds.
Why your pregnancy might be pricier than you think
When medical schemes and the law count conceiving as a pre-existing condition to exclude cover, pregnant women lose
Africa:
AU ‘covering up’ perpetrators’ abuse
A damning internal inquiry has implicated senior officials in sexual harassment, nepotism and fraud,but there have been no repercussions for any of the accused
Queer voters can’t win
Ahead of polls, all major political parties in Malawi have said they will entrench the queerphobic landscape
What it feels like to go home to the new Sudan
For years I have felt great apprehension and uneasiness whenever I visited Sudan, my home country.
Not this time.
Kenya’s ID push raises red flags
There is lots of money to be made from exploiting the personal data of Kenyans, and no shortage of dodgy politicians willing to do the exploiting
Business:
Beast-free burgers are on a roll
Pioneering food firms are winning over fast food fans with meat alternatives – and even the beefy SA market is starting to bite
‘Airbnb Bill’ ruffles duvets
Those for the law say it will level the playing field whereas those against say it is anticompetitive
Small power’s green light gets brighter
Efforts are underway to make it easier for firms, farms and households to sell electricity to the grid
Let’s jam: Is it time to take stock of the Uber economy?
Investors have eagerly been waiting for Uber to make its stock market debut
Bank branches off from the poor
Standard Bank’s decision to close branches and push its app excludes low-income households and the informal sector
Comment & Analysis:
SA today is another country
1994 set us on the path to freedom, but much must still be fixed and new problems await us
Editorial: People of honour — Your time is now
‘In last week’s vote, the ANC was offered a lifeline by a public anxious to see its choice validated by action’
Editorial: EFF must expect scrutiny
‘The EFF is free to answer, or not answer, the M&G’s questions’
Online site a new model for journalism
Africa Is a Country provides news about Africa by Africans that’s free and not dependent on clickbait
uBaba fails to show up for Mama
The Durban mayor charged with corruption may, for once, not be at Jacob Zuma’s next court appearance
Show women that you care, Mr President
Ramaphosa has to demonstrate that achieving gender equality in SA is an important goal
It’s white people’s turn to be generous
Without a renewed social compact and the sacrifice of economic power, our country
will never experience its ‘new dawn
A beauty revolution emerges
Stereotypes and idealised images of what constitutes the perfect woman are being challenged
The book lover’s fallback
‘Perhaps the best thing about joining the library is the deadline for finishing a book’
The DA would benefit from a little introspection
To win back support, the DA should conduct a brutally honest assessment of its governance failures in the metros it still controls.
Friday:
The Weekend Guide
For good vibes and an arts fix, don’t miss this
The Portfolio: Madelene Cronje
“For me the image captures a normal moment in an abnormal situation”
Queer maketh camp
The artistic expression of identity has made its way to the most mainstream spotlight — the Met Gala
Peeking through death’s door
John Vlismas is exploring ways of fucking with his formula
Head’s journalism eclipsed
The acclaimed author’s newspaper articles should have been given critical attention too
One’s move is another’s muse
Do all creatives need to migrate to bigger cities in order to enjoy successful careers?
Mlangeni & SA’s syncopated society
The musician may not have known who to vote for, but he is in tune with our political past and present
The organised chaos of Sun-Xa
Sun-Xa songs often come across as extended jams centring performance and sound production.
Sport:
FC Fémeni may help Barça men’s club make history
Barcelona have the opportunity to achieve something unprecedented this season.
Banyana running out of chances
Still reeling from their most recent loss, the team has very little time to prepare for better opponents
Tale of dirty, sexy Watford
The gritty underdogs have bludgeoned their way to the finals, but can they beat football’s best?
It’s the dreamers vs the desperate
The very different dispositions of Chiefs and TS Galaxy will determine who wins