Toh Unplugged

Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane The Eastern Cape, which is among provinces grappling with extortion syndicates, does not have  a proper and effective policing strategy in place. If it had, premier Oscar Mabuyane, a key ally of President Cyril Ramaphosa, would not have dared criminals to challenge the police, in the manner he has done. He sees this as a quick fix to a fundamental crime problem which has been allowed to permeate across the social fabric of South Africa, where more than 6,000 people were murdered and over 9,000 raped between April and June 2024.  According to the crime statistics for the first quarter of 2024/25 there were a total of 6,867 attempted murders, 42,858 common assaults, 11,312 common robberies, 5,438 carjackings and truck hijackings in the country, and 429 cash-in-transit heists occurred during the period under review.  I agree with police minister Senzo Mchunu, these stats are "sobering".   In a widely circulated  video clip, ...

Former Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink (centre) There you have it folks! With 120 votes, DA councillor Cilliers Brink was removed as Tshwane executive mayor during a no confidence vote on Thursday (September 26). While ActionSA has been heavily criticised for the latest turn of events, some have heaped praise on its leader Herman Mashaba for "dethroning" the DA in South Africa's capital city, which it had led via coalitions since 2016. ActionSA was initially part of the governing coalition in Tshwane but fell out with the DA over a difference of opinion on how the metro should be governed. Among other things, ActionSA accused the DA of prioritising the delivery of municipal services in affluent areas  - Tshwane (formerly Pretoria) has the second-largest number of embassies in the world after Washington D.C. - and neglecting townships where the black majority live. I recently blogged about what led to ActionSA  ditching its coalition partners in Tshwane and electing to throw...

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa should be commended for growing a pair and effectively telling his peers (read: heads of state and government) that Africa is tired of being treated like an unwanted stepchild by global superpowers, stressing the need for Mother Africa to have a place in the sun. Addressing the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, US, on Tuesday, Ramaphosa criticised the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for having largely remained unchanged 78 years since its formation. The UNSC, whose stated objective is to maintain international peace and security, has five permanent member states including the US, France, UK, China and Russia. The 10 non-permanent members are Algeria, Ecuador, Guyana, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia and Switzerland. While the council is mandated to mediate between warring parties to settle their disputes amicably, in some cases i...

Human settlements minister Thembi Simelane While justice minister Thembi Simelane is expected to appear before the ANC integrity commission today (September 25) to explain herself regarding a loan she received from a company implicated in the systemic looting of the VBS Mutual Bank, I won't be holding my breath that any justice would be served from what is essentially a tick-box exercise. This is because accountability and consequence management are swear words in the South African context of politics, where the levels of impunity stink to the highest heavens. While the former c ooperative governance & traditional affairs minister has already briefed President Cyril Ramaphosa and parliament on the matter, she now has to convince the ANC's head honchos in the integrity committee that her conduct was beyond reproach. Simelane has denied any wrongdoing, saying the loan of more than R500,000 she received from Gundo Wealth Solutions to buy a coffee shop in Sandton, Africa's ...

Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa Zimbabwe, which has faced severe hardship over the years due to debilitating sanctions on economic activity, has announced plans to cull 200 elephants to feed hungry communities affected by the El Niño-induced drought. The prolonged dry spells have seen the landlocked country, which has the world's second-largest elephant population and was once known as the breadbasket of Africa, stretching out its begging bowl - spurring countries like Rwanda to donate 1000 metric tonnes of maize (corn) meal, a staple food in Zimbabwe. The drought, according to Reuters, has wiped out crops in southern Africa, affecting 68-million people and causing food shortages across the region. The global news agency said more than 200,000 elephants are estimated to live in a conservation area spread over Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Angola and Namibia, making the region home to one of the largest elephant populations worldwide. Animal welfare groups, however, have critic...

Basic education minister Siviwe Gwarube As always, the past couple of days have been hectic on the South African political landscape, from deputy president Paul Mashatile unexpectedly collapsing while delivering a speech, to a teachers’ union calling on basic education minister Siviwe Gwarube to fall on her sword for boycotting the signing of the Basic Education Laws Amendment (Bela) Bill. Starting with Mashatile, the country’s No.2 collapsed while addressing the N’wamitwa Day celebrations in Tzaneen on Saturday (September 14), with his inner circle blaming the heatwave in the area for the scare. Mashatile, however, had told the Ronnie Mamoepa annual lecture held at the Tshwane University of Technology on Friday (September 13) that he had been feeling unwell since Thursday morning and suspected food poisoning. [ Watch from 1:20:10 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eor2VPTzJPY ] Now, the mention of poisoning in our country's body politic, be it any kind of poisoning, is a sure way ...

Why ActionSA Parted Ways with the DA in Tshwane An interesting question was asked by Radio 702 host Bongani Bingwa this morning (September 17) about whether ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba is a turncoat.  This after ActionSA's senate - the highest decision-making body - elected to cut ties with the DA-led multiparty coalition running SA's capital city Tshwane. This effectively means DA councillor Cilliers Brink's days as executive mayor are numbered. A motion of no confidence is expected to be tabled against him next week Thursday (September 26). If ActionSA votes with the ANC and EFF to remove him - as widely expected - then Brink is toast! This is clear for everyone to see, hence the DA has been on panic mode recently, issuing critical media releases questioning Mashaba's bona fides.  But back to Bingwa's question. I hold no brief for Mashaba but it would be disingenuous to suggest he is a turncoat. For a number of reasons, of course. During 2023, as the buildup...