In the op-ed pages today, Zuma’s daughter thinks it’s A-OK for a second round of looting and riots in defence of her father’s legal battles, there is still a string of questions that need to be answered about the Phala Phlala farm robbery, and increasingly the private sector is filling in the gaps where government has failed to provide adequate services.
Jacob Zuma’s daughter Dudu Zuma-Sambudla has recently been tweeting her support for “another unrest” like the one that ripped through KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng last year, which caused many to lose their lives and racked up damages in the billions. Rebecca Davis writes an open letter to Zuma-Sambudla asking how anybody could call for a repeat of the deadliest time in South Africa’s democratic history? Davis asks whether when Zuma-Sambudla tweets her gleefulness for rioting does she think of the innocent people that were killed because her father refused to go to jail when he was held in contempt of court? – Daily Maverick. Read more here.
The news that there was a robbery of an alleged $4 million from President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phlala farm in Limpopo in 2020 has dominated the opinions pages for the past week and a half but there are still burning questions that need to be answered writes Lumko Mtimde. A former special advisor in the presidency, Mtimde has compiled a list of questions that need to be answered by former spy boss Arthur Fraser, police minister Bheki Cele, the presidential protection unit, and the state security agency – News24. Read more here.
Privatisation of government services has for a long time been the bastion of right-wing conservative politics and formed the centrepiece of much of British prime minister Margaret Thatcher and American president Ronald Reagan’s policies in the 1980s. Increasingly that privatisation has crept into the way the ANC, a left-wing party, runs things writes Mandy Wiener. Recently, Discovery Insure launched its own firefighting service in Johannesburg, in response to the poor service given by the city’s fire services. Wiener opines that it should be no surprise that where government services fail, the private sector sees an opportunity to mobilise and assume responsibility – News24. Read more here. (for subscribers)
Here’s a round-up of what else we’re reading today:
Ramaphosa’s ghosts out to haunt him – The Citizen (for subscribers)
Carol Paton | If Ramaphosa can’t get govt to work properly, his social compact is useless – Fin24 (for subscribers)
We beatified Ramaphosa and didn’t question his credibility – now we must confront the uncomfortable – Daily Maverick
TOM EATON | If only ANC NEC had the mind and feelings of a seven-year-old – Sunday Times Daily (for subscribers)
Ralph Mathekga | If Ramaphosa resigns, what then for the ANC? – News24 (for subscribers)
EDITORIAL: Non-tariff barriers pose a growing challenge for SA farm exports – Business Day
Image Credit: Gallo Images/Sunday Times/Simon Mathebula
