South Africa is at the mercy of the double-edged sword called Jacob Zuma, again. The former president is to attend his youngest brother Michael’s funeral today, just two weeks after being jailed for 15 months for contempt of court.
The deadly violence and looting following his incarceration brought two of South Africa’s economic hives to their knees and we’re still counting the costs. Now there are renewed concerns that pro-Zuma supporters might clash with security officials at the funeral, with pro-Zuma supporters reportedly been granted permission to take to the streets for a protest march demanding the 79-year-old’s immediate release.
News24 meanwhile also revealed that police top brass warned police stations to be on high alert following intelligence that people suspected of instigating and triggering the unrest which claimed more than 270 lives and caused billions of rands of damage, may be planning to disarm police stations across KwaZulu-Natal.
On the Covid front, the South African Medical Research Council says national excess deaths, seen as a more precise way of measuring total fatalities from the coronavirus, rose to 203,000 during the coronavirus pandemic. That’s about triple the official death toll [link to Bloomberg] of about 68,000 from the disease.
On the bright side, Pfizer has reached an agreement to start production of its vaccine at a facility in Cape Town to deliver more than 100 million doses annually to African nations.
SA Business
SA Reserve Bank expected to keep interest rates on hold – SABC News
Western Cape commuters fear pay cuts and job losses following ongoing taxi strike – News24
Satellite images show KZN unrest – and its consequences – visible from space – Business Insider
Markets
Bitcoin hovers around $32,000 after boost from Musk – Bloomberg
Asian stocks regain momentum on positive US company earnings – Investing.com
TikTok’s plan? Conquer ecommerce, gaming and everything else – Bloomberg
In-depth
Minister of Justice Ronald Lamola’s law firm bungled National Lottery corruption probe, three times – Daily Maverick
Where China rules and the US dollar reigns – Bloomberg View
The King and I: Zulu royal house conflict escalates – and at the centre is Buthelezi – Daily Maverick
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