Fifty-nine years ago on the day, Nelson Mandela was arrested at a roadblock near Howick in KwaZulu-Natal, and later imprisoned for five years for incitement and leaving the country illegally. The crime later became sabotage and that five years turned to 27 before he emerged victorious a few years later, leading our country out of the bondage of apartheid to a free democracy.
Fast-forward 5 August 2021, same country, same province, same party, different (former) president. The imprisonment of the disgraced former president Jacob Zuma on 7 July set off a series of events that would destroy Madiba’s legacy and lead to the death of 330 people, place 150,000 jobs at risk and wipe R50bn off expected economic growth.
Yesterday, the Good party’s secretary-general, Brett Herron, handed over explosive evidence related to the July mayhem and a list of the names of the perpetrators of this heinous crime.
Now remember, we’ve had report upon report from investigative journalists exposing how Zuma and his Gupta cronies for years looted our country in his nine-year tenure until 2017. No one has yet been held accountable. Recent explosive media reports and the detailed SIU’s Digital Vibes report unmasking how health minister Zweli Mkhize’s family have benefited from the R150m Covid-19 communications deal have only resulted in ‘special leave’ and a declaration from parliament that its hands are tied on Mkhize.
The big questions for reining president Cyril Ramaphosa are: Are you, Mr President, going to let the July ‘sabotage’ slide? Are you going to let the Mkhize beneficiaries and the Digital Vibes owners get away? How far are you on capturing the state-capture criminals? South Africa wants and deserves action! We can still save Madiba’s legacy.
Here’s a roundup of the world’s top and most interesting headlines:
SA Business
‘Caltex’ petrol stations will soon start to disappear, replaced by 850 ‘Astron’ outlets – Business Insider
Eskom spent R29m on milk, toilet paper, cleaning products in one year – EWN
Here’s how many South Africans will struggle to survive a one month financial emergency –BusinessTech
Global Business
Donald Trump wants his supporters to carry ‘Trump Cards’ – Business Insider
‘I’ve Got to Launch the F—— Rocket!’: Elon Musk’s Fits of Rage Against Employees Documented in New Book About Tesla’s History – Entrepreneur
Billionaire Rihanna named world’s richest female musician – The Guardian
Markets
Emerging markets hardest hit by China crackdown, virus outbreaks – Bloomberg
Asian markets swing as traders digest Delta, US data – AFP
Ether holds jump on upgrade that trims pace of token creation – Bloomberg
Opinion
South Africa’s way forward: abandon old ideas, embrace bold experimentation – The Conversation
And now for some Comic Sans relief: Switching the anti-corruption vibes from analogue to digital – Daily Maverick
You’ve met the fathers of capitalism and socialism. Now meet the mother of partnerism – Forbes
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