Unembargoed: February 8 to 14

President pulls out all the stops

Breaking down President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address

‘You watch this space!’ — Ramaphosa

This was the president’s promising refrain throughout his state of the nation address

Forget Sona, the main act is May

Popular support is crucial for the president in this election. If the ANC loses seats, Cyril Ramaphosa is in peril; if the party gains voters, he’s safe

Idle MPs likely to turn Parliament into battleground

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation address marks the official start of the parliamentary year but MPs are not expected to do much for the duration of their term.

Point of order, Madam Speaker!

If there ever was an introduction to Baleka Mbete, it is the ritual during five stormy years in office

Slice of life: I was inspired to be an activist

My father is an activist.
He’s got a car and when people had no water, he would tell me: ‘Go collect the containers of the neighbours, because we are going for water.’

The State of the Nation in numbers

The M&G Data Desk analysed 29 State of the Nation addresses (Sona) since 1994.
A total of 97 530 words were pulled from the government’s website and categorised according to their dates and related speakers.

Students, universities on a collision course

There are structural challenges in the sector that need practical and urgent intervention by the government for the country to move forwards

Unfazed Supra bounces back

The appointment of the provincial task team after the PEC’s disbandment was declared unlawful and the ANC was ordered to pay the legal costs of the two high court bids.

The workers’ struggle for dignity that’s almost won

While the country was fixated on protests that changed the face of higher learning in South Africa, when students initiated the #FeesMustFall movement, workers were fighting for their very survival. The #OutsourcingMustFall movement hardly registered as a blip for most, but the struggle and its outcomes would change lives forever, writes Bongekile Macupe

The mystery of Agent SA71, Jiba and Mdluli on a flight to Durban

The embattled deputy head of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Nomgcobo Jiba, was not crime intelligence “Agent SA71”. This is according to testimony by police Colonel Kobus Roelofse at the Mokgoro inquiry last Friday.

More Bosasa arrests still to come

The belief is the Hawks want to get the big fish and are hoping the minnows will bring them in

Colonisation drove Little Ice Age

Disease caused the death of 55-million indigenous Americans, resulting in the reforestation of vast tracts of land

Ambassador spreads fear in Geneva

She locked officials in a boardroom for five hours when some employees didn’t attend a meeting

Big deal for all concerned as small fry vanish

New research in the journal Nature Climate Change shows that climate change is dramatically reducing their numbers, and this advantage.

Jiba’s debut keenly anticipated

Until now, the former national director of public prosecutions has not been cross-examined

Teaching, science grads get jobs

Although youth unemployment remains a problem for the country, more and more graduates are finding jobs

Silence cloaks boy-on-boy sex abuse

What the effect will be is not yet known but the children themselves will never be the same again

Illegal betting syndicates target SA’s newest cricket tournament

Cricket South Africa may have driven out the Hansie Cronje devil but fixers and gangsters still plague the game

The land wars of 2019: Analysing the EFF and ANC manifestos

The ANC proposes to continue working with large agricultural businesses, an approach that has to date marginalised small-scale farmers

HEALTH:

Why fewer women die when giving birth

Pregnancy in South Africa is getting safer, but still not safe enough. Here’s what the health department says they’re doing about it

The woman rewriting Nollywood

The continent’s largest film industry has been getting mental health all wrong with dangerous consequences. Now, that’s changing

AFRICA:

‘Crimes against humanity’ in Zim

Human rights group details abuses in Zimbabwe with further turmoil in store

One peace deal can’t fix CAR

The Central African Republic’s latest conflict flared in 2013 and eight previous deals have failed

Africa’s identity begins at home

After all we have been through, we still don’t get to define our own continent. This holds us back

BUSINESS:

SA rides emerging market wave

The pressure on Eskom bonds has eased and the rand has rallied but global events can change that

US fine bolsters SA’s rand-fixing case

On January 29 this year, British-headquartered banking group Standard Chartered pleaded guilty to charges of foreign currency manipulation

Workers want say in PIC board

Unionists want greater transparency after revelations and allegations about impropriety

It’s mine, all mine

South Africa is open for business and the government is committed to ensuring the mining industry has a stable regulatory and policy environment.

Drink Durban Poison? That’s different

It’s now okay to smoke cannabis, or at least it’s legal as long as you don’t buy your supply. But what about drinking it?

Microplastic pollution on tap in SA

Particulates, prevalent in cosmetic and household products, and are now in our food chain

COMMENT & ANALYSIS:

Exclusion will continue to fuel corruption

The abuse of state resources is devastating for the poor but it opens a door for people who often have no other way of getting ahead

Editorial: The sad fact is the state is ripe for picking

‘One year post-Jacob Zuma and the light of the new dawn is still there but the air is heavily polluted’

Editorial: Oil find a mixed blessing

‘Offshore rigs have made some countries rich. They have also proven to be the feeding ground for corrupt elites’

Letters to the editor: February 8 to 14

Our readers write in about fixing the country’s wetlands, protests, corruption and faith

Fake news: Censorship’s no solution

The public, not private companies or governments, should limit dangerous digital deception

Educate state to use graft for growth

Corruption has gone too far in SA to be eradicated but other nations have used it to their advantage

The rise and fall of Mmusi Maimane

The Democratic Alliance is ‘rudderless’ and its inexperienced leader is unable to navigate the pitfalls of the political landscape

You can’t manipulate us into voting

Choosing not to vote is a democratic choice, which can send a powerful message to those who harp on about those who died to make it possible

Adopt strategies that address plight of ‘invisible’ children

According to the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef), the births of about 230-million children under the age of five — about one-third of the world’s total — have never been registered.

FIFTH COLUMN: Life (sort of) begins at 40

‘Having gone over the bill multiple times, I noticed a single decaf coffee ordered as dessert. It frightened me. Why did my friends deprive themselves? Does life not begin at 40?’

Yes, men can be harassed too

The issue of abuse of power, contrary to how it is often tackled, is not just about gender

Calls to close the IEB are uneducated

Varied examination systems only help to better assessment and to ensure that national curriculums are used instead of foreign ones

Critical thinking enhances performance

The ability to think analytically and beyond surface-level information is a skill that brings solutions to the world’s issues

FRIDAY:

SA needs to play catch up with India

Unlike South Africa, India does not tax books unless they are imported. In this way, I was able to buy books by Indian author friends for very low prices

This weekend

Shampoonaiza Comedy Show, Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, Anton Karstel 1995–2018

Art and activism become one

About six months ago, long-time friends Bradley Williams and DJ Kenzhero opened up Artivist. In the heart of Braamfontein, Johannesburg, the restaurant-cum-gallery seeks to become a lighthouse of cultural experiences. Zaza Hlalethwa spoke to its owners

Kaliyu-topia: Displacement questioned at the end of days

An epic first solo show attempts to establish a visual vernacular that South African Indians can relate to

A tale of two cultural tastes

Africa and Italy, so similar in so many ways, have shaped a Jo’burg restaurateur

Confessions of bibliophiles

Amassing a hoard of literary treasures is essential for some but so is sharing the love