19 June 2025

/ The Wrap /

Hi there 🙋🏽‍♀️

You know what South Africa definitely doesn’t need? ANOTHER political party. Yet that’s exactly what Floyd Shivambu is offering South Africans after a dramatic press conference today. Meanwhile, his former chomi, Julius Malema, has been denied a visa to the UK. Yikes.

In international news, you’ve heard Israel is locked in another bloody war, this time with Iran, but why now? We break down how Benjamin Netanyahu’s political survival is linked to creating ongoing conflict.

In our global briefs: Movie mogul Tyler Perry faces serious accusations, we take a look at the deadly Air India crash, why Will Smith’s new album doesn’t slap, and a promising HIV prevention shot that could change lives.

Now, let’s dive into these stories and more in this week’s wrap, brought to you by Verashni Pillay and the explain.co.za team. 😄

Format:

🔊 Voice note by Verashni

📰 Text: Keep scrolling

▁ ▂ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ █ Briefs

NATIONAL

1. SA’s cabinet spent over R200m on travel since July 2024. 😲 ActionSA recently dropped this bombshell after months of using their allocated questions in parliament to hold ministers to account. Some didn’t even bother responding, and others like John Steenhuisen dragged their feet. ActionSA is proposing a bill to curb ministerial spending. We love that the fragmentation of political power is leading to this kind of accountability. 💪🏾
    

2. Mamelodi Sundowns are on a roll at the FIFA Club World Cup. They beat South Korea’s Ulsan HD 1-0 yesterday in Florida, topping Group F for now and pocketing R36m. The month-long Club Cup is a precursor to next year’s FIFA World Cup between nations. It’s been newly expanded to 32 top clubs from across the world. Next, Sundowns take on German giants Dortmund on Saturday. Cue: Nail biting. 🫣
    

3. The death toll from the Eastern Cape floods has risen to 92. Devastatingly, 31 were children. Heavy rains since last week have displaced thousands, and rescue teams are still at it while aid’s being rolled out. Government and NGOs are scrambling to help, but it’s a stark reminder, as we’ve written before, that we need better infrastructure to handle these disasters, or it’s just rinse and repeat.
    

4. SA is racing to finalise a trade deal with the US before 9 July. That’s when Trump’s “Freedom Day” tariffs will kick in across the world. 🙄 SA tariffs are temporarily set at 10% and set to triple to the original 30%. This was announced before Trump backed down to give countries time to negotiate. Our proposed deal includes duty-free quotas for cars, steel and aluminium, plus a joint minerals fund and boosted liquid gas imports.
    

5. Julius Malema’s UK visa application was denied! According to a leaked letter dated 17 June, he isn’t allowed into the country thanks to his “extremism”. This includes public support for Hamas and past remarks about “slaughtering whiteness.” The UK’s Home Office added in the letter that future attempts are likely to be refused, too, and there is no right of appeal. It must be a shock for Malema that words do, in fact, carry consequences. 🤭 

INTERNATIONAL: 

1. Things are getting dramatic off-screen for Tyler Perry. Actor Derek Dixon accused the Madea creator of sexual harassment and workplace abuse in a new lawsuit filed last Friday. Dixon alleges Perry made unwanted advances and retaliated when he didn’t respond. He’s asking for $260 million in damages. Perry’s lawyer slammed the suit as a shakedown and said that Dixon had “set up a scam.” The case includes alleged flirty messages from Perry. 👀
    

2. Last Thursday, an Air India passenger plane tragically crashed after taking off in Ahmedabad, western India, killing 241 passengers and crew. 😔 Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British national, was the sole survivor. At least 30 people were also killed on the ground as it crashed into a hostel. Tata Group, which owns Air India, said it will give around R2 million to the families of each person killed in the crash, both onboard and on the ground. An investigation is underway.
    

3. Critics aren’t impressed with Will Smith’s first full-length album in 20 years, Based on a True Story. Pitchfork called it “corny”, while Rolling Stone found it “cringey” and “clunky”. Smith says his infamous 2022 Oscars slap of host Chris Rock was a turning point. The backlash apparently led him to confront his addiction to approval and explore deeper truths. That inner work inspired the album, and maybe the reaction to it, too. 😆
    

4. The anti-Trump demonstration in the US on Saturday could have made history. An independent data journalist, G Elliott, said between four and six million people took part, potentially surpassing the 2017 Women’s March. The “No Kings” demonstrations were held in over 2,100 cities to coincide with Trump’s birthday, which itself happened to coincide with a military parade at his behest in Washington, DC. Is there any page he’s NOT taking out of the dictator playbook?
    

5. A game-changing HIV prevention shot got the green light in the US. The injection, Lenacapavir, was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday. It only needs to be taken twice a year, but it costs a whopping $28,000 a year in the US. Researchers say that price can be lowered to just $25 per person per year. “If this game-changing medicine remains unaffordable, it will change nothing,” said Winnie Byanyima, UNAIDS Executive Director.

    

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Illustrative image from left to right: Protests in the US. Credit: Clay Banks/Unsplash; Tyler Perry. Credit: John Mathew Smith/Wikimedia Commons; Will Smith. Credit: Will Smith/Facebook; Air India Plane. Credit: Mark Bess/Wikimedia Commons; Deputy President Paul Mashatile. Credit GovernmentZA/Flickr; Julius Malema. Credit: Economic Freedom Fighters/ Facebook; Mamelodi Sundowns FC. Credit: Carlo Bruil Fotografie/Wikimedia Commons.

▁ ▂ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ █  The Big Stories

Floyd Shivambu’s solo mission 

Floyd Shivambu wants to know if he should start a political party.

That was the upshot of his dramatic press conference today, capping months of tumult for the politician formerly of the EFF, formerly of the ANC Youth League, and probably soon-to-be formerly of the MK Party. 

We told you a few weeks ago about Floyd Shivambu’s demotion from MK Party Secretary General to ordinary MP. MKP leader Jacob Zuma then slammed him without naming him at a Youth Day address on Monday. Things weren’t exactly easy before then, with reports of plenty of clashes with other people in the party, chief of which was MKP princess, aka Zuma’s daughter Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla. 

Now, just months after dramatically quitting the EFF, Shivambu is teasing the idea of starting his own political outfit. At the same time, he’s refusing to resign from the MKP. 

At a press conference at a Midrand hotel this afternoon, Shivambu said he’ll be going on a “listening tour” to consult ordinary South Africans—plus a few big names like Irvin Khoza and Patrice Motsepe—about whether the country needs a new political party. He insists it wouldn’t be a “personal project,” but a people-led initiative that avoids the traps he says plague today’s world.

He was fired as MKP secretary-general ostensibly because of an unsanctioned visit to fugitive Shepherd Bushiri’s church in Malawi. At his conference, he linked his removal with false accusations that he was trying to oust Zuma and dabbling in, um, alleged witchcraft. As we said, it was dramatic. 

Shivambu now says he won’t go back to the EFF—calling it a “cult”—nor the ANC. Instead, he’s trying to carve out a new lane, claiming he’s learned more under Zuma than in a decade with Malema. Ouch. 

This latest pivot may be less about public demand and more about political survival. As we noted earlier this week, Shivambu has made a habit of burning bridges—and it’s unclear whether voters want another new party or just leaders who can get their act together.
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Floyd Shivambu at a speaking engagement in May 2025. Credit: Floyd Shivambu/Facebook.

Trump keeps the world guessing over Israel-Iran war

The Middle East is on fire—again. Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a military offensive on Iran, dubbed “Operation Rising Lion”. The strikes have so far wiped out the top echelon of Iran's military command, damaged its nuclear capabilities and killed hundreds of people, while Iranian retaliatory strikes have killed at least two dozen civilians in Israel, Reuters reports. Today brought fresh news that Israel had bombed nuclear targets in Iran, and Iranian missiles hit an Israeli hospital overnight. 

So, why now? Officially, Israel says it’s trying to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Iran’s also been bankrolling groups like Hezbollah and Hamas, who’ve been thorns in Israel’s side forever. But critics aren’t convinced that’s the only reason. 

Netanyahu’s political survival has increasingly relied on whipping up security threats. 

He is facing multiple corruption charges that could lead to prison time, plus a reckoning with his own failings ahead of the October 2023 Hamas-led attacks on Israel. His ruling coalition is also extremely vulnerable, narrowly surviving a vote to dissolve parliament and trigger elections last week. 

Analysts say he’s used military campaigns before - like Gaza - to distract from legal troubles and rally support.

Arab-Israelis and international observers have raised alarm, accusing Israel of violating international law and risking a wider war.

The huge issue now is whether the US will be drawn into the conflict, dramatically raising the stakes and creating global repercussions. Trump seems to relish keeping the world guessing, saying yesterday, "nobody knows" what he will do. 

Previously, he went from proposing a swift diplomatic end to the war to suggesting the US might join it. On Tuesday, he mused on social media about killing Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, then demanded Iran's unconditional surrender.

Asked yesterday whether the US was getting closer to striking Iran's nuclear facilities, Trump said: "I may do it. I may not do it." An Economist/YouGov poll conducted over the weekend revealed that 53% of voters who backed Trump in the 2024 presidential election do not want the country to join in Israel’s strikes. Will Trump listen?
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President Trump Meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Credit: Trump White House Archived/Flickr

The Proteas have finally clinched Test glory! 🎉

SA’s men’s cricket team have finally gotten their mojo back, and once and for all shaken that pesky “chokers” label. Under sunny skies at Lord’s on Saturday, South Africa won the ICC World Test Championship for the first time, beating Australia by five wickets. Aiden Markram’s sublime 136 anchored the chase of 282, breaking a decades-long silverware drought. Social media erupted— Rassie Erasmus and former players led the cheerleading. 

This could finally be a glorious return to form after decades of letdown. “We’ve created history,” Captain Temba Bavuma said. “But as a group we’d like to emulate, if not do better than what Graeme (Smith) and his team did. They set the standard. I don’t think anyone has reached that standard as of yet.” Under Smith, South Africa twice lifted the Test Mace in 2012 and 2014 but did so before the WTC format was introduced in 2019, News24 reports. 

With a team of superstars that included Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, Dale Steyn, and Hashim Amla, Smith’s group established itself as the world’s premier red-ball outfit. Bavuma said his team has drawn inspiration from the Springboks, praising their ability to embrace “what being South African actually means.” He said the Proteas also want to offer the nation “a chance to rejoice... to kind of forget about our issues and really come together.” We’ll toast to that. 

While our sporting mantra, "No DNA, Just RSA", flooded social media after the win, the question is whether these wins are enough to keep uniting the nation. We wrote about that here if you're keen to ponder with us.
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The Proteas and their technical team. Credit: Cricket South Africa/Facebook

Nearly two-thirds of African countries face US travel bans

Over 60% of African countries are facing possible total or partial bans on entering the US. This follows a leaked memo showing the Trump administration is considering adding 36 more countries to the 12 they banned earlier this month. Seven more countries already face partial bans.

The new and proposed lists are disproportionately aimed at Africa:

🔸Seven of the 12 countries that are currently fully banned are from Africa.
🔸Three of the seven countries that are currently partially banned are from Africa.
🔸This new possible list of 36 includes 24 from Africa.

This brings the total number of African countries currently or possibly facing some sort of ban to 34 of the continent’s 54 countries. 

The new list bizarrely includes major powerhouses on the continent like Nigeria and Egypt. South Africa has been spared. But what are the bans? They’re basically a restriction on visas. 

🔹Full Ban: If your country’s on this list, you’re pretty much barred from getting any US visa—tourist, student, work, or immigrant. No entry, period, unless you’ve got a rare exemption (like being a diplomat, a US citizen’s immediate family, or serving some big US interest, like for the 2026 World Cup). If you’re already in the US with a valid visa, you’re safe for now; the ban doesn’t revoke those. But if you’re outside and applying? Tough luck, applications got tossed from 9 June, when the current ban kicked in.

🔹Partial Ban: For these countries, it’s not a total shutdown but a squeeze. You can’t get permanent residency (green cards), tourist visas, or student visas, but some work visas might still be okay. Visas issued here are shorter, and companies hiring from these places are worried, especially in tech, healthcare, and universities.

Note, the 36 new countries aren’t banned YET. They face potential full or partial bans if they don’t fix “vetting and screening” issues within 60 days. According to the leaked memo, the countries had received a deadline that passed yesterday to shape up or face restrictions. The memo’s cagey about specifics but flags problems like weak passport systems, high visa overstays, or not cooperating on deportations.

This ban’s crafted to dodge court battles that tripped up Trump’s first-term bans, but immigration lawyers are gearing up for lawsuits anyway. Chad’s already retaliating by suspending US visas, and others might follow.
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Donald Trump speaking with supporters at a campaign rally at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Credit: Gage Skidmore/Flickr

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. ✌️