Good morning, here’s what you need to know today.
Taverns have become a hotbed of death and violence in recent weeks with another 21 people killed over the weekend, suspended public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s impeachment hearing kicks off today, and Twitter has hired a top law firm to sue Elon Musk after he canned his bid to buy the company.
Weekend eruption of tavern massacres shocks South Africa to the core – Daily Maverick
Just two weeks after 21 teenagers were tragically found dead at the Enyobeni Tavern in the Eastern Cape, another 21 people lost their lives this weekend at three different taverns after gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Fifteen people were shot dead at the Emazulwini Tavern in Soweto, two were killed in a tavern in Katlehong, 40km away from Johannesburg, and another four people were killed at the Mntambo Tavern, near Pietermaritzburg.
It is not yet clear what the motive behind the killings is, but survivors have recalled harrowing stories of men entering the tavern and opening fire randomly on patrons while one witness recalls how two of the assailants in Soweto shot at people laying on the floor. Read more here.
Hearings on Mkhwebane fitness to hold office finally begin – Business Day (for subscribers)
The impeachment hearing against suspended public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s fitness to hold office will finally begin in earnest today with lawyers from both sides making opening statements.
The parliamentary impeachment hearing is expected to last for a month with witnesses due to testify for the rest of this week. The impeachment hearing is the first of its kind as no one has ever been impeached in democratic South Africa.
The committee holding the hearings was first established by parliament in March 2021, but it has been blocked from beginning its work by Mkhwebane’s legal challenges, which came to an end last week after the acting public protector said the office would no longer support Mkhwebane’s legal proceedings. Read more here.
Twitter Assembles Legal Team to Sue Musk Over Dropped Takeover – Bloomberg
Twitter has hired top merger law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz LLP to sue Elon Musk after the Tesla and SpaceX chief executive indicated he was ready to pull the plug on his proposed $44 billion acquisition of the social media company.
Musk has hired an equally powerful law firm to represent him in the matter after it had previously represented him in a defamation lawsuit in 2019 and an ongoing court battle regarding a failed attempt to take Tesla private in 2018. Read more here.
Here’s what else we’re reading today:
Police describe harrowing scenes inside Emazulwini tavern in Soweto – EWN
They came in with the intention to kill – Gauteng top cop on tavern massacre that claimed 15 – News24
Nomzamo Tavern Massacre | ‘I don’t know how my life was spared’ – eyewitness – News24
Hold Gordhan and De Ruyter accountable for load shedding – SA Union of Students – EWN
S&P says positive outlook on South Africa still faces hurdles – Fin24
Rebranded Russian McDonald’s is removing french fries off its menu, due to poor potato harvest – Business Insider
Trump Lashes Out at Elon Musk and ‘Rotten’ Twitter Deal – Bloomberg
Mushroom for improvement: How growers are cashing in on fungi farming – Fin24
Free State’s young farmers excel through agriculture support programmes – SABC News
Lesufi slams factional battles at ANC Gauteng conference – The Citizen
Recession and stagflation loom in South Africa thanks to load shedding – Daily Maverick
