29 August 2024

/ The Wrap /

Hi there 🙋🏽‍♀️

As the Paralympics kick off, we're excited to cheer on our world-class athletes as they aim to bring home even more medals. On the political front, Julius Malema isn’t taking Floyd Shivambu leaving him as well as we believed he might. Meanwhile, the escalating violence between Israel and Hezbollah threatens to destabilise the entire Middle East, adding to global tensions. Closer to home, the rise of online gambling is becoming a serious issue among South African youth, and we’re not placing any bets on Joburg being functional any time soon. However, it’s not all doom and gloom: a man from Mpumalanga is making a difference in his community, and African penguins have been given a new lease on life.

So, let's dive into your weekly update of empowering and easy-to-understand news, brought to you by Verashni Pillay and the explain.co.za team. 😄

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OUR TAKE: Did Julius Malema’s fears cost the EFF key GNU roles? 

You might have had the EFF in the national cabinet if Julius Malema hadn’t let his fears get the best of him. Two weeks ago, EFF former deputy president Floyd Shivambu, who has been Malema’s right-hand man since their ANC Youth League days, shocked everyone by announcing his departure from the party he and Malema founded. Shivambu joined Jacob Zuma’s MK Party. The EFF’s support dropped to 9.52% in this year’s election, while the MK Party surged to 14.58%, upstaging the EFF’s position in radical politics. 

Malema (albeit sadly) initially welcomed his bestie’s move, even telling him that he was always welcome to come back should things not work out on the other side.

Five days later, however, Malema retracted that offer, attacking Shivambu during a party event in Soweto, saying anything resembling Shivambu should be “burned” and removed from the EFF immediately. Yikes! 👀

Shivambu didn’t take this lightly, accusing Malema of betraying the revolution. Meanwhile, Malema has continued spiralling into paranoia over the party’s fracturing, lashing out at those thinking of leaving and those who have remained silent on social media or, heaven forbid, liked the wrong posts. 

On Sunday, the City Press reported that Malema’s fears of being replaced as EFF leader may have cost the party key roles in the post-election Government of National Unity (GNU). Reportedly, a deal was on the table where Shivambu could have become deputy finance minister and Mbuyiseni Ndlozi the minister of higher education, but Malema rejected it, fearing it would empower them to challenge his leadership.

We’re taking this one with a pinch of salt - those appointments could have sent the economy into a tailspin, which the ANC seemed keen to avoid when they were putting together the GNU. 

Still, the EFF’s drama reminds us that in politics, today’s comrade can easily become tomorrow’s rival. Let’s hope they hug it out soon.

BIG STORY: Now that loadshedding is over, SA is pushing for a just energy future

SA has just hit a remarkable milestone—150 days without load shedding. But as the lights stay on, the focus shifts from survival mode to talks of a brighter future: the Just Energy Transition (JET). This was the hot topic at Monday's JET Municipal Conference in Midrand. 

As we’ve explained in our special report, JET refers to the world’s push towards green energy in a way that is socially just: thinking about protecting vulnerable communities, jobs, and economies. It’s important in developing countries like ours, which did not create the environmental crisis but are experiencing the worst of its effects. (The US alone makes up 20% of the world’s historical CO2 emissions.)

President Cyril Ramaphosa opened the conference by emphasising that municipalities are key to the transition. “Municipalities own and operate approximately half of South Africa’s electricity distribution grid,” he noted. 

He highlighted the need for massive investment to upgrade municipal grids, introduce smart metering, and ensure access to affordable, clean electricity. The establishment of the JET Municipal Forum, announced at the conference, aims to coordinate these efforts at the local level.

However, the road ahead is bumpy. Bheke Stofile, president of the South African Local Government Association, warned that the recently signed Electricity Regulation Amendment Act removed a significant portion of municipalities’ electricity distribution functions. This was thanks to a clause smuggled in after the public participation process. 🙄 Municipalities rely heavily on electricity revenue to stay afloat, while municipal debt was at R347 billion as of March 2024. Stofile’s point is that municipalities are expected to spearhead the fight against climate change, yet they’re losing access to the financial resources needed to carry out these policies.

While the Forum is a step in the right direction, South Africa could find itself back in the dark if we don’t address the financial and logistical challenges at play.

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President Cyril Ramaphosa addresses Municipal Just Energy Transition (JET) Conference. Photo: GCIS

You know those stories on "I Blew It," where people get millions and then, next thing you know, they’re broke, and we’re all left shaking our heads? This isn't one of those stories.

Mlungisi Majazi Maseko is a 41-year-old from Mooiplaas village in Mpumalanga. Instead of blowing his Road Accident Fund (RAF) payout on the latest fashion or fancy cars, Maseko decided to do something remarkable: bring clean water to his community. 

Maseko used R1.3 million from his RAF payout to buy water tanks, pipes, and everything needed to ensure his neighbours didn’t have to walk five kilometres just to get a bucket of water.

For 15 years, more than 100 households in his area have struggled to access water. 

Maseko, who worked as a scaffolder, was in a car accident in 2018 that left him unable to work. After the crash, Maseko sustained himself and his family through small-scale farming. When he received his RAF payout, he dug a borehole to water the land he farms and decided to help his community get water. "Seeing the community I grew up in suffering and old people carrying water buckets for 5km. I held a meeting with them and told them about the plan to draw water from the stream to their households," he told Sowetan.

Now, the folks in Mooiplaas can open a tap and get water in their yard, and there will no longer be long walks to the stream. 

The Chief Albert Luthuli Municipality, which should have been providing water for this community, has noticed, too, and have recognised Maseko's efforts. Similar to the rest of Mzansi, Mpumalanga grapples with water scarcity. The Department of Water and Sanitation reported that the water levels in the province’s dams had dropped to lower than the previous year - though not at drought levels yet. 

Maseko didn’t just avoid blowing his payout – he turned it into a lifetime investment in his community. And that’s one story we can all raise a glass of clean water to. 🥂

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Grayscale of tap on a brick wall. Photo: Mike Bird, Pexels

Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah escalated on Sunday morning when Israeli fighter jets launched an intense wave of airstrikes over southern Lebanon. This marked the most significant exchange between the two since Hamas's attacks on Israel on 7 October. Around 100 Israeli jets targeted Hezbollah positions, while Hezbollah retaliated by firing over 300 rockets and drones into northern Israel.

Quick explainer: Although the Shia Islamist paramilitary group Hezbollah and the Sunni Palestinian nationalist group Hamas operate independently in Lebanon and Gaza, respectively, they are closely linked in terms of fighting against Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. (They’re often described as “Islamic extremist groups” in Western media.) Both are backed by Iran and have retaliated against Israel for attacks against the other. 

Hezbollah claims its latest assault was in retaliation for Israel's assassination of one of its top commanders, Fouad Shukr, in Beirut, Lebanon last month. On the other hand, Israel stated that it preemptively destroyed rocket sites Hezbollah planned to use for a large-scale attack. Both sides appeared to avoid significant civilian deaths.

Meanwhile, negotiations for a ceasefire in the ten month onslaught on Gaza are stalling. Disagreements over Israel's military presence in Gaza have created an impasse, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu showing little urgency to resolve the conflict, likely due to domestic political pressures.

The recent clashes between Israel and Hezbollah, though severe, have not yet spiralled into full-scale war. Although Iran has yet to retaliate for Israel's assassination of yet another Hamas leader in Tehran last month, the situation remains highly volatile.

If the conflict were to widen, the US would likely try to prevent the Gaza conflict from spilling over into a broader regional war. 

In the event of a full-scale war, however, the US would remain Israel’s strongest ally. The US could provide Israel with additional military supplies, including weapons, ammunition, and intelligence, adding to those already being offered by the Biden administration. 

The stakes are high not just for the region but for the world. A broader conflict could disrupt global oil supplies and cause a humanitarian crisis. Diplomacy must prevail so that another devastating conflict in the Middle East can be avoided.

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Palestinians inspect the damage following an Israeli airstrike on the El-Remal area in Gaza City on October 9, 2023. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

South Africa’s new environment minister, the DA’s Dion George, is making waves by seeking a settlement in the battle over fishing restrictions near African penguin colonies. This marks a sharp departure from the combative approach of his predecessor, Barbara Creecy.

George, who took office last month, inherited a lawsuit filed by BirdLife South Africa and SANCCOB against Creecy. The conservation groups argue for expanded no-fishing zones around key penguin breeding areas, saying the current restrictions are "biologically meaningless." The grim reality is that African penguins are on the fast track to extinction, with their population declining by 7.9% annually. At this rate, they could be gone by 2035.

The penguins’ diet mainly consists of sardines and anchovies, the same fish targeted by commercial fisheries. With fewer fish available, the penguins struggle to survive. Conservationists want broader no-fishing zones around six main breeding colonies to give the penguins a fighting chance.

The dispute escalated when Creecy suggested that fishing bans around breeding colonies should only proceed with agreement from both conservationists and the fishing industry—an agreement that unsurprisingly never came. Now, George is stepping in to settle the case out of court. He has initiated talks with both sides, arguing that a prolonged legal battle won’t benefit the penguins, who are running out of time. Amen. 

The fishing industry opposes further restrictions, claiming its impact on penguin populations is minimal and that climate change is the real driver of the decline. Environmentalists like BirdLife's Alistair McInnes disagree, believing small fishing closures can make a significant difference.

We can only hope that somewhere in the murky waters of bureaucracy, a solution will surface before it’s too late. At the end of the day, the only thing our famous African penguins should be fighting over is which one gets the choicest morsels—not their survival.

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African Penguin. Photo: Jean van der Meulen, Pexels

Online gambling is blowing up in South Africa, but it’s not all fun and games. It’s leading to some serious issues, especially for young people. A recent study shows that nearly 39% of South Africans are into gambling, from sports betting to the lotto, with a lot of them being youth. This group is particularly vulnerable, with gambling addiction on the rise, worsened by unemployment and economic struggles.

Just last year, the gambling industry raked in a staggering R23.7 billion, up from R8.8 billion in 2019/20. But with this boom comes a darker side: more people are facing financial troubles and mental health problems.

We shouldn’t be surprised that gambling has taken off like this: every second advertisement on sports channels seems to be for gambling, and gambling firms sponsor every other team.  In recent weeks, Betway replaced DStv as the title sponsor of the Premier Soccer League. Cricket South Africa also recently announced Dafabet as its shirt sponsor, leading to cheeky online comments about what Hansie Cronje must be thinking about that particular deal. 😑

To tackle the growing problem, the Democratic Alliance has proposed new regulations with the Remote Gambling Bill. The bill aims to tighten the reins on online gambling, making it harder for operators to target vulnerable people.

But there’s a twist: Gayton McKenzie, the new Minister of Sports, Arts, and Culture, thinks legalising sports betting could actually be good for the sports industry. He’s said: “We should embrace this and find ways to harness it to support our sports teams and events.”

This debate highlights the tension between the potential benefits of a regulated gambling industry and the risks it poses to society. But one thing is clear: we can’t let online gambling run wild, making billions for a few while leaving many in ruins.

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A cards table at a casino, Photo: Javon Swaby, Pexels

Paris is gearing up for its first-ever Paralympic Games, and South Africa is sending a strong team ready to shine on the global stage. The Games officially kicked off last night with the Opening Ceremony at the Place de la Concorde, welcoming 4,400 athletes from 184 delegations.

From 29 August to 8 September, athletes from 168 countries will compete in 549 medal events across 22 sports. Among them are several standout South African athletes poised to make us proud.

• Christian Sadie is one to watch in the swimming events, especially in the men’s 50m freestyle and 100m backstroke. His recent performances have been impressive, and he’s a strong contender for the podium. Mpumelelo Mhlongo, a flag bearer for Team South Africa, will compete in the men’s T44 long jump and 100m sprints. His speed and skill make him a rising star on the international stage.
   

• Another flag bearer, Kat Swanepoel, will participate in multiple swimming events, including the S5 50m backstroke and 400m freestyle. Her technique and determination have her poised for success. Alani Ferreira, in her third Paralympics, will compete in events like the S12 400m freestyle. Despite her visual impairment, her experience makes her a formidable competitor. 
   

• Danika Vyncke, just 17, will make her Paralympic debut in the S13 category for swimmers with visual impairments, bringing youthful enthusiasm and promise.

The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games are historic, with a record number of delegations and the highest number of female athletes ever. As Paris takes centre stage, let’s cheer on our South African Paralympians as they compete with passion and determination, representing not just themselves but the spirit of a nation. 

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Team South Africa at the Paralympics opening ceremony, Photo: @ParaAthletics on X

Johannesburg, once known as the City of Gold, is now in a City of disrepair. This past Sunday, a fire in Jeppestown, which claimed four lives and displaced over 200 people, underscored the city’s multiple crises. 

The recent reinstatement of Dada Morero as mayor has shifted the focus back to stabilising essential services like water, electricity, and road maintenance. The city needs over R44 billion for infrastructure repairs. Years of political instability and frequent leadership changes have plagued Johannesburg with severe service delivery issues, including leaking pipes, hijacked buildings, and frequent power cuts due to cable theft and vandalism.

Authorities suspect that illegal electricity connections caused Sunday’s blaze in an abandoned building that was never meant for residential use. This incident comes less than a year after the Usindiso Building Fire, which killed 77 people. Mayor Morero has promised an investigation into the Jeppestown fire and efforts to end the occupation of such buildings, but we’re not holding our breath. 

Meanwhile, the damage from last year’s gas explosion on Lilian Ngoyi (formerly Bree) Street remains unrepaired, making traffic a nightmare in the area. Former mayor Kabelo Gwamanda had promised the street would be fixed by December 2024, but that seems unlikely now. The city terminated the contractor responsible for the repairs due to slow progress. As it turns out, the contractor is on trial for defrauding City Power of R94 million. 😳 The DA in Gauteng is demanding answers, calling for a comprehensive review of all projects involving the company and accountability for those responsible for this financial mismanagement.

While the DA has called for the dissolution of the Joburg council, this is unlikely. For now, residents must wait for Morero’s administration to take meaningful action or until the next local government elections to make their voices heard. We’re betting on the latter.

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View of Johannesburg Downtown, South Africa. Photo: Sherissa R, Pexels

That’s it from us at The Wrap, a product of explain.co.za – simple news summaries for busy people.

The Wrap is sponsored by explain’s agency division. We specialise in content marketing for purpose-driven organisations, often with a pan-African reach. Mail info@explain.co.za for a quote. 

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Till next time, goodbye from the team. ✌️