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26 June 2025
/ The Wrap /
Hi there 🙋🏽♀️
Another week, another episode of Mzansi: The Political Soapie. A surprise deputy minister firing today has shaken up the GNU. Also in this Wrap: President Cyril Ramaphosa aims to make the judiciary more independent (finally, some adulting in government), Home Affairs is taking on banks, and Malusi Gigaba is attempting to block his ex from airing their dirty laundry on a TV show. Meanwhile, the deputy president is… well, being the deputy president.
Globally, Israel and Iran are still at it, scientists are cooking up ways to create synthetic human DNA (yes, really), and New York might soon have a mayor with Cape Town links. Plus, a new study says ChatGPT could be making your brain a bit mushy….
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. 😄
The judiciary will become a fully independent branch of government! On Friday, Ramaphosa announced plans to free the judiciary from the Department of Justice’s control over its operations, similar to parliament. This follows a landmark meeting between Ramaphosa, Chief Justice Maya, and ministers earlier this month. A joint committee will finalise the plan within six weeks. Advocates say this means faster court processes, reduced backlogs, and bolstered public trust. 🙌🏾
It’s TymeBank vs Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber over verification fees. Schreiber says the previous 15c per check led to overuse and a 50% failure rate. From next month, it’ll cost R10 in peak hours and R1 off-peak. TymeBank’s boss pushed back in an open letter Tuesday, saying banks would pass the costs on to customers. Schreiber, accusing the bank of profiteering, may win this fight. Capitec, SA’s biggest retail bank by customers, backed the minister. 🤭
The MK Party lost its fourth attempt to get election data… it already had. 🤦🏾♂️The MKP basically argued that the IEC didn’t help them download files sent via WeTransfer. Electoral Court Judge Lebogang Modiba dismissed the case on Tuesday, reminding MKP it had been given all the records long ago. Zuma’s party still insists, sans proof, it won two-thirds of the vote in 2024, not 14.6%. You can’t make this up.
Paul Mashatile’s family has been linked to SA’s new R180 billion lottery licence. 😮 A company co-owned by our Deputy President’s sister-in-law, Khumo Bogatsu, is part of the Sizekhaya Holdings consortium that won the 8-year lottery operator contract. Bogatsu and Mashatile’s buddy, Moses Tembe, registered Bellamont Gaming just days before Sizekhaya entered the bid. Sizekhaya denied the bid was tainted with political connections, which contravenes the Lotteries Act.
- Former finance minister Malusi Gigaba temporarily stalled a reality show tell-all by his ex-wife. Untied, which was due to air on Tuesday, featured Norma Mngoma on Gigaba’s notorious infidelity, plus those pesky state capture dealings. Ayeye. The honourable member claimed the airing would damage his reputation, as he’s trying to make a political comeback. The court will hear the matter in July. Get the popcorn. 🍿
INTERNATIONAL:
An MIT study shows ChatGPT erodes critical thinking skills. 😯 Students were hooked up to measuring devices, given varying levels of tech access, and tasked with writing essays over several months. ChatGPT users showed the lowest brain engagement, becoming lazier over time! The authors published earlier this month, before peer review, given concerns about schools adopting the tech. “Developing brains are at the highest risk,” said one.
Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil is free. In March, plainclothes US immigration agents arrested the US permanent resident without a warrant in front of his heavily pregnant wife. They claimed his pro-Palestinian campus activities undermined US foreign policy. His 104-day detention, which saw him miss the birth of his son, sparked protests. Released on Friday after a judge deemed his detention unconstitutional, Khalil vows to keep advocating for Palestinian rights.
A sweltering heatwave and sparse crowds are casting a shadow over the revamped Fifa Club Cup in Miami. Borussia Dortmund’s coach warned of searing mid-afternoon conditions, while UK football correspondent Richard Jolly asked if fans see the tournament as a must-watch, or just a pre-season warm-up. Meanwhile, SA’s Mamelodi Sundowns bowed out proudly after holding Brazil’s Fluminense to a draw, pocketing a tidy R228 million. Knockouts start this weekend.
We’re keeping an eye on the ongoing slaughter of Palestinians. The latest: At least 78 people in Gaza have been killed in Israeli attacks since yesterday morning. Aid sites have become deadly zones, with reports of people given just 20-minute windows to collect food before shootings begin. Diplomatic talks to end the war are reportedly intensifying, with Trump claiming “great progress” is being made.
The Synthetic Human Genome Project wants to build human DNA from scratch. Backed by £10m from the Wellcome Trust, they want to better understand how genes function and develop disease treatments, the BBC reported yesterday. Critics worry this could lead to “designer babies”, weaponised biology or even synthetic humans. Wellcome insists a programme will tackle ethics head-on. We heard that before with AI, and it hasn’t worked out so well…
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Illustrative Image, from left to right: Soccer Stadium. Credit: 2010 World Cup - Shine 2010/Flickr; Paul Mashatile. Credit: GovernmentZA/Flickr; Leon Schreiber. Credit: Leon Schreiber/Facebook; President Cyril Ramaphosa. Credit: GovernmentZA/Flickr; Jacob Zuma. Credit: GovernmentZA/Flickr; Malusi Gigaba. Credit: GovernmentZA/Flickr.
▁ ▂ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ █ The Big Stories
DA deputy minister axed: Here’s what we know so far
Earlier today, a breaking news story hinted at a potential cabinet reshuffle by Ramaphosa. The news suggested that the president would dismiss at least one deputy minister from the DA.
Well, folks, we now know that there isn’t a reshuffle planned but that Andrew Whitfield, Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC), has been let go from his position in what is looking like a targeted firing. Whitfield is a member of the DA, which is part of the Government of National Unity.
Presidency spokesperson Vincent Mangwenya stated that the president had removed Whitfield in terms of Section 93(1) of the Constitution, which governs the hiring and firing of deputy ministers by the president.
“The president has thanked the former deputy minister for the time he served in the role. However, the president has not indicated any intention to conduct a wholesale cabinet reshuffle,” Magwenya said. 👀
While the presidency gave no official reasons for the dismissal, it might be linked to a trip to Washington, US, Whitfield took in March this year. The trip, in his capacity as a DA leader, was the Blue Party’s attempt to mend fences with the Trump administration, ahead of the government’s later official visit. Whitfield’s inclusion on the trip, however, was apparently done without the president’s approval.
In response to Ramaphosa's decision, DA federal council chairperson Helen Zille called for an urgent federal executive meeting on Thursday to discuss the move.
When asked why he was fired, Whitfield replied: “Good question – only the president can answer that”.
Initially, it was believed
that the potential reshuffle was fueled by the ongoing drama with Higher Education and Training Minister Nobuhle Nkabane’s controversial appointment of chairs to the Sector Education and Training Authority boards.
Whitfield’s axing comes a year after the formation of the GNU, and a “highly placed“ source told The Citizen that Whitfield’s firing had rattled DA MPs, with many seen “walking in and out of council meetings.”
The firing comes at a tricky time for the DTIC, as it’s battling allegations of awarding the contentious eight-year lottery operator contract to a company linked to Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s family, as we noted above. It’s also alleged that Whitfield and DTIC Minister Parks Tau have a strained relationship.
Will the GNU hold this time?
The DA will meet later on Thursday to discuss the issue. We’ll be watching this developing story and keeping you updated.
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Axed DTIC deputy minister, Andrew Whitfield. Credit: Andrew Whitfield MP/Facebook.
Donald Trump’s dangerous gamble in Iran
In a move on Sunday that’s shaken up decades of international diplomacy, Donald Trump has become the first US president to directly bomb another country’s nuclear facilities.
This comes after Israel launched an attack on Iran earlier this month, including targeted assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists and military leaders. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed for decades that Iran was JUST about to nuke Israel out of existence. He apparently saw a chance to finally act with Iranian air defences and allies like Hezbollah and Hamas weakened… and a possible willing accomplice in a newly reckless US under Donald Trump.
The US is the only country with the ability to deploy bunker-busting bombs that could reach Iran’s nuclear site in a mountain. Trump's shock decision to back Netanyahu may be in contravention of international and US law. He gave the green light without US Congress approval or a nod from the UN Security Council. His team insists they were still trying to negotiate with Iran, but talks apparently collapsed. So... bombs away?
Internationally, the principle is that one nation cannot unilaterally attack another unless they’re clearly in danger. The case that the US’s ally, Israel, was in immediate danger is contested. It’s true that Iran's “supreme leader” since 1989, the fanatical Ayatollah Khamenei, is anti-Israel, and has funded aligned militias like the Houthi rebels in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. But the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had no proof Iran was actively building a bomb, although it had recently slapped Iran with a rare censure for obstructing inspections. After the US strike, Iran promptly cut off ties with the IAEA.
What does Iran have to lose now? They have been thoroughly humiliated and launched a feeble defence, undermining previous beliefs of their military might. This risks uniting the country behind its previously unpopular leader and fostering greater fanaticism and violence.
If Iran wasn’t building a nuclear weapon before, it may consider making one now.
A leaked US intel report says the strike probably didn’t eliminate the threat anyway. And while Trump declared victory and his administration contradicted the leaked report, critics say he’s doing exactly what he promised to stop: US involvement in another endless Middle East conflict.
A ceasefire, brokered by Trump, began on Tuesday, but both sides are accusing each other of breaking it. Talks are tentatively back on the table, but it’s clear the old rules of diplomacy have been blown wide open.
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Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump Credit: Trump White House Archived/Flickr
Zohran Mamdani: The millennial shaking up NYC – with roots in Cape Town
New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary has delivered a political earthquake. The winner? A 33-year-old democratic socialist with roots in Kampala, Queens… and Cape Town’s southern suburbs.
Zohran Mamdani’s victory over establishment heavyweight and former Governor, Andrew Cuomo, is nothing short of historic. Despite having a 50th of Cuomo’s budget, Mamdani built a grassroots campaign around the high cost of living, promising free public buses, city-owned grocery stores, and rent freezes – policies dismissed as “radical” by critics but embraced by working-class New Yorkers… and, surprisingly, many Jewish voters.
Despite initial polls predicting just 1% support, he leveraged a grassroots movement, mobilising 50,000 volunteers and small donors.
Mamdani’s win came via the city’s ranked-choice voting system, which redistributes second-choice votes until a majority winner emerges. In the first round on Tuesday, he led with 43.5%, ultimately overtaking Cuomo to secure the Democratic nomination. Given NYC’s strong Democratic majority, Mamdani is now heavily favoured to win the mayoralty in November.
But who is Zohran Mamdani?
Born in Uganda, Mamdani spent part of his early childhood in South Africa, attending St George’s Grammar School in Mowbray while his father, academic Mahmood Mamdani, taught at UCT. His mother is acclaimed Indian filmmaker Mira Nair. The family later moved to New York, where Zohran would eventually enter politics as a state assemblyman.
His campaign broke the political mould – not just in policy, but in style. Mamdani walked the length of Manhattan to meet and talk with voters, produced multilingual campaign materials, and embraced his Muslim identity unapologetically. He withstood Islamophobic attacks and accusations of anti-Semitism, even as he campaigned alongside Jewish allies and defended synagogues.
His win signals a clear rejection of the Democratic establishment, which rallied behind the scandal-plagued Cuomo. It also offers a rare moment of hope for progressives in the US still reeling from Trump’s 2024 win – the first since Obama’s heady early 2000s moment.
For Mamdani, the real test lies ahead. But for now, the kid from Mowbray is poised to become New York’s first Muslim, millennial – and possibly most radical – mayor.
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Zohran Mamdani with supporters. Credit: @ZohranKMamdani/X
Bezos’ big bash moves after backlash
Controversial billionaire Jeff Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sánchez had big plans: a fairytale Italian wedding, with more than 200 VIP guests in attendance. But locals weren’t having it.😆
The couple wanted to throw a massive party this coming Saturday at a glitzy 14th-century venue in the heart of Venice, the day after exchanging vows. But they were forced to change the venue after weeks of public outrage and planned protests by local activists.
Protesters say the lavish bash, reportedly costing over R600 million, is a tone-deaf display of excess in a world battling climate disasters, hunger and rising inequality. One banner in St Mark’s Square said it best: “If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more tax.” 💥
Fearing disruption, the Amazon founder moved the wedding celebration to a shipyard, in a renovated maritime area known as the Arsenale on the outer edge of Venice. Not quite the romantic vision, but still fancy.
The president of the Veneto region, where Venice is located, criticised the protests. He argued that the 90 private jets bringing guests to nearby airports would help local businesses earn close to R1 billion. Expected guests included Kim Kardashian, Leonardo DiCaprio, and members of the Trump family.
Still, the protest group No Space for Bezos declared a “victory” after the venue change, claiming they had managed to move one of the world's most powerful people out of the city.
Greenpeace campaigner Simona Abbate noted, “This isn’t just a celebration of two people getting married. It’s a display of a lifestyle that’s simply unsustainable. The richest live in excess, while others endure the consequences of a climate emergency they didn’t create.”
Bezos, whose companies are notorious for their poor treatment of workers, hopefully got the message. People are increasingly awake to the damage wrought by the world’s one percenters. And they’re not having it anymore.
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Jeff Bezos. Credit: Seattle City Council/Flickr
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