South African Current Affairs
Collection by Daily Maverick
Articles from www.dailymaverick.co.za
DA-Agang: Dial M for Merger
Depending on which political analyst you listen to over the next few days, you’ll be told that the news that Agang leader Mamphela Ramphele will be the DA’s presidential candidate in this year’s elections is either a total gamechanger, or no gamechanger at all. The truth is that nobody can possibly know with any degree of certainty what impact the DA-Agang deal will have until the votes are counted. One thing that is clear, though, is that the move will have surprised nobody very much –…
Khayelitsha Policing Commission reveals residents’ fear, frustration and resilience
Ostensibly driven by claims of high levels of police inefficiency and a general breakdown in relations between community members and SAPS, the O’Regan Commission of Inquiry finally took off in crime-ridden Khayelitsha last week. The first four days of public hearings brought to light a combination of anguished allegations of poor policing, an attempted defence of police work in underdeveloped informal settlements, fear-tinged accounts of vigilante justice and - despite a perceived loss of…
Elections 2014: How the ANC’s top guns line up
Tuesday was a befuddling day in politics. The Democratic Alliance leadership, led by Helen Zille (still the DA's ELECTED leader) gave South Africans the impression that they could vote directly for their next president, whom they believe should be their new recruit, Mamphela Ramphele. (We can’t, obviously.) Then the ANC gave a rundown of their long, complicated process of compiling their election lists. The ANC did not, as expected, reveal the names on the lists. While there appears to be…
Platinum belt strikes: The road is still long
The Marikana Massacre strikes a deep chord amongst the workers in the platinum belt, currently on a protected strike at the world’s three biggest platinum producers – Lonmin, Anglo American Platinum (Amplats) and Impala Platinum (Implats). THAPELO LEKGOWA & GREG NICOLSON give an update on what could be a marathon strike for the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU).
Candy(dates) everybody wants: The politics of party lists
In politics, some things are hard, and some are even harder. In a game that is all about making choices, any single wrong one can have an impact upon you, your party, and your country, for many years to come. This is one of the reasons why political parties under our system, where party bosses essentially choose a list of candidates to represent it in Parliament, have to manage this process so carefully. Everyone is going to fight for their space, and their place in Parliament, or provincial…
The life and times of Thandi Modise: North West premier’s official CV just doesn’t check out
An official curriculum vitae for Thandi Modise, the controversial Premier of South Africa’s North West province, contains a number of false claims and glaring factual inaccuracies, AFRICA CHECK has discovered. By KATE WILKINSON and JULIAN RADEMEYER.
Coming to a protest near you: The EFF revolution/roadshow continues
As protests continue to rage across the country, getting significant attention as we run up to the elections, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) are following them faster than the Bang Bang Club. They want to be seen as the leaders of the New Struggle, and on the streets, no one does it so wel...
Red tide rising: Numsa in attack mode
Elections 2014 will come and go, the ANC will be top of the pops, and a new bag of Liquorice Allsorts will fill the parliamentary benches. The great shake-up in South African politics looks set to happen after the elections – and metalworkers’ union Numsa is likely to play a big role in the new alignment. Numsa and a group of other Cosatu unions will put their federation on notice this week on a number of issues. Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim is also taking on the government’s enforcer…
Tonight, tonight, the strip’s just right: An inside look at illegal drag racing in Cape Town
South Africa was ranked worst in the world for road safety last year by the International Transport Forum, and with 1,376 fatalties in car accidents during the 2013 festive season alone, our roads are a dangerous place. Adding to this is the problem of illegal street racing, particularly in the Cape Town surrounds. Over the course of several months, SHAUN SWINGLER visited a gathering of illegal street racers in Gatesville on the Cape Flats. This is his insider’s account.
Analysis: Reporting Nkandla – anatomy of a scandal, and how the media responded
Are the media hostile to the ANC? Do they attack the dignity of ANC politicians? Do they operate to the detriment of the public interest? Is responsible and ethical reporting treated as less important than the protection and promotion of media freedom? By JEANNE PRINSLOO.
Is there a military option for school leaver unemployment?
More than 50% of the country’s youth is unemployed. Every year another wave of school leavers adds to this number. Many are unemployable because they lack basic skills. To avert the coming national disaster and to address the country’s most critical problem a radical solution is needed.
Analysis: A culture of entitlement that holds us back
Over the weekend main editorials once again lamented the reaction of police to what we still call the "service delivery" protests in Mothutlung and which led to the deaths of three people last week. That police were heavy-handed is trite. Already the Human Rights Commission has pointed out that if the police had implemented their own recommendations after the Andries Tatane shooting in 2011, these three fatalities would not have occurred. But there is a much larger dynamic that is playing…
Checkmate: The case against Zwelinzima Vavi
Suspended Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi has tried to stare down the leadership of the federation in an all-or-nothing battle for survival. After being accused of sexual misconduct, he and his allies tried to fight his suspension within the federation and in court, attempted to force...