24 April 2025

/ The Wrap /

Hi there 🙋🏽‍♀️

This week began on a sombre note with the passing of Pope Francis. We look back at the times he broke the internet and unpack what happens next now that we’re in sede vacante (yes, we’ve watched Conclave).

On a brighter note, the VAT increase that had us all sweating has just been scrapped. The Treasury dropped the news in the early hours of today, a move reminiscent of the Zuma years. Will service providers reverse their price hikes, or are awkward apology emails on the way?

Meanwhile, the weather’s been showing off. Depending on where you are in Mzansi, you’re either drenched or defrosting. We summarise what you need to know. 

On the lighter side, a beloved broadcaster has tied the knot, and our closest relatives in the wild have been observed having happy hour.  🥂

Also this week, a new daily pill is giving Ozempic some serious competition, and scientists say they’ve found signs of life on a distant planet.

So, 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

BIG STORY: That’s them (VAT) breaks

We take our hats off to the DA - and their unexpected court allies, the EFF. They’ve just done what others couldn’t (we’re looking at you, Action SA). 

The Treasury announced this morning that the contested 0.5% VAT hike will be scrapped, and VAT will remain at 15%. This follows a disastrous day in court on Tuesday for Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s legal team. They were defending the VAT hike after the DA took them to court over the matter, with the EFF later joining their application. 

The DA hinged their argument on who decides to increase VAT rather than the moral argument against it. The judges seemed to agree that the minister had overextended his authority rather than allowing for the will of Parliament—the people’s representatives. 

In fact, as one appropriately named judge, Kate Savage, remarked: "The notion of no taxation without representation seems to be a vague concept in the mind of the minister." Ouch! By Wednesday night, Godongwana’s team had smelled defeat and approached the DA to settle out of court. 

The blue and red parties will come out of this looking pretty good, but the same can’t be said for Herman Mashaba’s ActionSA. As we told you previously, ActionSA were duped into rubberstamping Godongwana’s VAT hike in a parliamentary subcommittee, thinking their “recommendation” for the Treasury to reconsider the hike would hold water. Spoiler alert: it didn’t. The EFF pointed out in court Godongwana never intended to revisit his decision, contrary to what he promised smaller parties. It’s a lesson for all smaller parties: do your homework. This didn’t stop ActionSA from trying to take credit for the VAT hike reversal, though. 

Now that this matter has been settled, the GNU will resume trying to reset their working relationship, a process that started last week but needed the budget impasse to resolve before concluding. 

They’ll need all the cooperation they can muster, as South Africa must now plug a R75bn hole in the budget over the medium term, with lower than expected growth thanks to the US’s war on, well, everyone (more on this later). 

For now, we can breathe a sigh of relief that we won’t be facing yet another squeeze on our wallets. Now we just need our banks and insurance companies to apologise for those increase letters they sent us! 😆

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE: Popes, princes and primate parties

🗣️ “Now I’m not saying that JD Vance killed the Pope, per se. I just think his actions raise some questions, like for example: Did JD Vance kill the Pope?” - @TyrellMcGowan, 21 April. 

Just a day before his death, Francis met US Vice President JD Vance — a conservative Catholic close to Donald Trump. Online, the memes flew: Some joked the visit “drained the Pope’s will to live.” Others noted he survived double pneumonia, only to be undone by... Vance. 😆

🗣️ “From radio queen to royal queen — Anele didn’t just secure the bag, she secured the entire throne with legal representation!” - @Markosonke1, 20 April. 

Anele Mdoda just broke the internet in traditional style. The popular broadcaster and media powerhouse recently celebrated a traditional Xhosa ceremony with fiancé Bonelela Mgudlwa, ukwamkelwa kwabakwenyana: a cultural milestone where the groom’s family is officially welcomed after lobola has been paid. Mgudlwa is a lawyer and prince from the Abathembu royal family. With both families confirming plans for more festivities later this year, fans are already counting down to a September wedding.

🗣️ “Wild chimps were caught on camera sharing fermented fruit—like a tiny jungle pub crawl. Researchers say this might explain why humans love bonding over drinks. Evolution’s oldest happy hour? Cheers to that!” - @ElihuAranday, 22 April. 

Researchers filmed wild chimpanzees in Guinea-Bissau sharing fermented African breadfruit, The Guardian reported this week. The fermented fruit was tested and found to contain alcohol levels similar to those of light beer. The chimps didn’t just snack solo; they sought out the boozy bits and shared them across ages and sexes, hinting at some serious social bonding. Modern research says no amount of alcohol is truly healthy… but try arguing that with evolution. The chimps seem unbothered. 🍷🧬
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Credits: JD Vance, @bannedforduty/X; Anele Mdoda, @MDNnewss/X; Wild chimpanzees, @shinO7_O7/X

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has slashed global growth forecasts for everyone, including South Africa. 😕 They announced the updated forecasts in a press conference on Wednesday on the sidelines of the IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington, DC, this week.

The IMF now expects global growth to hit just 2.8% in 2025, down from 3.3% predicted in January. While that may not sound dire, it’s well below the 3.7% long-term average since 2008.

The big reason? Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs. Though paused for 90 days, the damage is done. 

This, says the IMF, is the highest level of trade tariffs in nearly a century, and it’s dragging down investment and fuelling inflation. They’ve put the chance of a global recession at 30%, up from 17% in October. 

The IMF’s new forecast for SA in 2025 is just 1%, down half a percentage point from 1.5% in January. Even that meagre figure may be optimistic, with the IMF calling it a “reference forecast” – code for: “don’t get too comfy.”  This is also lower than the 1.9% our Treasury predicted in the March Budget. 

For 2026, it’s not much better, with projected growth at 1.3%. Meanwhile, our population grows by 1.6% annually, meaning GDP per capita is shrinking. 

Globally, the pain is widespread:

• US growth for 2025 is down to 1.8% (from 2.7%)
   

• China’s at 4% (from 4.6%)
   

• Germany’s at a flat 0%

Locally, hopes that South Africa’s government of national unity might inject energy into reforms are being tempered by both global uncertainty and local instability. Like most small, open economies, SA is vulnerable to global financial wobbles, and our high public debt and limited fiscal space don’t help. 

Sub-Saharan Africa as a whole is also feeling the squeeze, with its 2025 forecast trimmed to 3.8% down from 4.2% predicted in January. 

The IMF’s advice? Countries must restore stability in trade policy and cooperate, or risk “stagflation”. That’s slow growth plus high inflation, the worst of both worlds.

Expect more news from the IMF and World Bank meetings this week, where SA will co-lead this week’s Finance Track as part of our G20 presidency. Here’s hoping we make it count.

Read the full article here.
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IMFC Governors meet at their IMFC Plenary session, chaired by then IMFC Chairman Tharman Shanmugaratnam, on April 16, 2011. Credit: International Monetary Fund/Flickr

A new daily pill might be the next big thing in weight loss and diabetes treatment – and it doesn’t come with a needle. This is according to the results of a clinical trial announced last Thursday morning.

US pharma giant Eli Lilly is testing a drug called orforglipron (try to say that three times fast). Early results suggest it works as well as injectable drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro, helping folks with Type 2 diabetes shed kilos and manage blood sugar levels.

These meds are part of a class called GLP-1 receptor agonists. They’ve gone viral for their weight-loss perks – but currently, they’re pricey, need refrigeration, and must be injected. A convenient pill could change the game.

In a 40-week trial with 559 people, those on orforglipron saw their blood sugar drop significantly and lost around 7kg – about the same as Ozempic users. Side effects? The usual suspects: nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and constipation.

Eli Lilly hopes to get the green light for obesity treatment later this year and for diabetes in 2026. 

Right now, GLP-1 meds are mostly out of reach for ordinary South Africans. In the private sector, you need a doctor’s prescription, and even then, most medical aids won’t cover it if you’re using it for weight loss. In the public health system? Forget about it.

That’s worrying, considering nearly 5.6 million South Africans have diabetes, and obesity affects more than a quarter of adults. Experts say traditional advice – eat better, move more – isn’t cutting it, especially when it just heaps shame on patients.

There’s global pressure on the World Health Organization (WHO) to list GLP-1 drugs as “essential medicines” – which could push governments to make them more available. WHO is expected to revisit that call this year.

If the WHO gives GLP-1 meds essential status and local policymakers follow suit, we could see a future where more South Africans get access to life-changing treatment. It’s a small pill, but it could make a big difference.
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A doctor administering Ozempic. Credit: Focal Foto/Flickr

If you thought you could ease into the week after the Easter break, think again – Mother Nature has other plans. The South African Weather Service has issued several warnings for disruptive weather across the country thanks to a moody little weather phenomenon called a cut-off low. 

A cut-off low is a low-pressure system that becomes separated from a larger jet stream. When that happens, it tends to loiter over an area, much like that one guest who just won’t leave the party. The result? Days of cold, wet, and potentially dangerous weather.

Expect widespread rain, strong winds, severe thunderstorms, hail, and even snow (yes, snow!) in some areas – all between Wednesday and Saturday. KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, North West, Gauteng, and the Eastern Cape are in the firing line.

Who needs to be extra cautious?

• KZN: Disaster teams are on standby as heavy rainfall could cause flooding in many areas, from eThekwini to uThukela.
   

• Free State & North West: Under yellow Level 4 alerts for thunderstorms with damaging hail, lightning, and flooding.
   

• Gauteng: Rain is expected to drench returning holidaymakers, with warnings in place for the southern regions.
   

• Eastern Cape: A Level 5 warning for Buffalo City and parts of Amathole district – that’s serious business.
   

• Drakensberg and Lesotho: Dust off those beanies – snowfalls of up to 20cm are possible.

So, is this actually normal?

Sort of. These systems usually pop up in autumn, but this year’s rainfall has been well above average – likely due to a neutral El Niño-Southern Oscillation (Enso) phase, which makes weather patterns a bit more unpredictable. And yes, climate change is very much in the mix.

Our advice? Stay indoors if you can. Avoid driving on flooded roads or low-lying bridges (that puddle is not as shallow as it looks). Move your car, pets, and prized braai setup to higher ground. And for the love of all things dry, don’t go golfing in a thunderstorm.
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Lightning storm captured in Ephangweni, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Credit: Ndumiso Mvelase/Pexels

Why pay R700k for a Birkin when TikTok says you can get one for R26k from the source? Spoiler: it’s not that simple.

Chinese suppliers have taken to the platform, claiming they’re the real makers behind your fave designer bags and activewear, which usually bear a prestigious “Made in Italy” or similar label. Think Hermès Birkins, Birkenstocks, and Lululemon tights – all supposedly straight from the source at a fraction of the price.

These viral videos, now mostly deleted by TikTok for promoting counterfeit goods, suggest that shoppers can skip Western brands and Trump-era tariffs by buying directly from Chinese manufacturers. One TikToker even broke down the “real” cost of a Birkin: around $1,400 instead of the $38,000 price tag. In this economy, that’s tempting stuff.

This has followed Trump’s 145% “Liberation Day” tariffs to punish China, but they’ve mostly hurt consumers. Now, some shoppers are fighting back, seeing TikTok’s “factory direct” deals as a hack to outsmart both brands and tariffs.

Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. As experts told GQ and Euronews, most of these so-called luxury steals are unverified and, at worst, outright fakes. This means no guaranteed quality control, compliance with international standards or brand warranties. Some counterfeits even contain dangerous chemicals like arsenic and lead. “You are buying something that you think is cheaper and better, and it's a big F.U. to some of the brands, but you don't realize that you're actually harming yourself,” says Vidyuth Srinivasan, CEO of luxury authentication company Entrupy.

We know what you’re thinking; this sounds like something the luxury goods industry planted to fool us. 

But some say the Chinese government could be quietly encouraging counterfeits to retaliate against US trade restrictions, turning your online shopping spree into an international chess move.

Bottom line? If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. Proceed with caution – your wallet and your health might thank you.
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Hermes-Themed Cake With Miniature Handbags. Credit: Dian is Light/Pexels

Pope Francis, the most memeable pope in history, died aged 88 on Monday morning after a stroke and heart failure – just hours after delivering a final Easter message calling for peace in Gaza. His funeral will take place Saturday at St Peter’s Basilica in Rome, with global dignitaries expected.

Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Francis made history as the first pope from Latin America and the first non-European in over 1,200 years. More than his titles, he’ll be remembered for his compassion, humility, and how often he made headlines for simply doing the decent thing. 

Here are four unforgettable times he broke the mould (and the internet).

🇺🇸 Standing up for immigrant rights
Pope Francis clashed with Trump-era immigration policies for years, a topic he felt strongly about. In a now-famous 2016 exchange, he said of Trump’s proposed border wall: “A person who thinks only about building walls and not building bridges is not Christian”.

He also fired back in a letter to American Catholic bishops earlier this year after Vance misinterpreted the Christian concept of ‘ordo amoris’ (rightly-ordered love) as compassion first “to one’s family and fellow citizens… and then after that” to the rest of the world. Without naming Vance directly, he wrote, “Christian love is not a concentric expansion of interests that little by little extend to other persons and groups”. 

🌈 “Who am I to judge?”
In 2013, Francis was asked about gay priests. His response - “If a person is gay and seeks God and has goodwill, who am I to judge?” - marked a turning point in how the Church speaks about LGBTQ+ people. While Church teachings didn’t change overnight, the tone did. He later endorsed same-sex civil unions, met with gay and trans people, and allowed priests to bless same-sex couples (if not in a marriage-like way).

📞 The Pope who called Gaza daily
During the ongoing war in Gaza, Pope Francis phoned the strip’s only Catholic church every single day, offering prayer and comfort to the besieged community. His final message to the world? A plea for an immediate ceasefire and humanitarian aid.

🐕 It wasn’t all serious stuff. In 2014, his comments about “all creation being redeemed” were misinterpreted as confirming dogs go to heaven. Cue the internet’s collective tail-wag.

Here’s to the Pope the world needed. 

Read the full story here and learn who the possible contenders are here.
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Pope Francis. Credit: Catholic Church England and Wales/Flickr

If you’ve ever stared at the stars and wondered if something is staring back, you may be right. A team of scientists from the University of Cambridge revealed last week they found the strongest signs yet of life on a distant planet. 

Using the James Webb Space Telescope (yep, the fancy one NASA launched in 2021), researchers found two interesting chemicals – dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) – floating around in the atmosphere of a planet called K2-18 b. These molecules are usually produced by living organisms on Earth, mostly by plankton. That’s enough to get scientists a little giddy.

But hold your UFOs! Not everyone’s convinced. Other experts argue that the evidence is flimsy and that the levels of these chemicals are so low that they may not even qualify as proof on other planets. In other words, interesting, but not quite E.T. phoning home yet.

K2-18 b, by the way, is a chunky exoplanet (a planet that orbits a star other than our Sun) 8.6 times as massive as Earth and a casual 124 light-years away in the Leo constellation. It orbits a cool little red dwarf star in a habitable zone, a spot not too hot and not too cold, where liquid water could exist.

Even if K2-18 b turns out to be a lifeless gas ball, it’s still our most promising lead in the search for a second Earth. But maybe the real message isn’t out there - it’s right here. As scientists scan the skies for distant biosignatures, Earth is quietly giving us its own signals: melting ice caps, extreme weather, and species disappearing.

This cosmic discovery was announced just a week ahead of Earth Day, marked on Tuesday, 22 April—perfect timing to remind us that while it’s fun to dream of other worlds, we only have one that’s proven to sustain life.
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This illustration shows what exoplanet K2-18 b could look like based on science data. Credit: Webb Space Telescope/Website

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. ✌️