The Weekend Wrap The gangsterisation of SA's politics, and a new era for higher education — all in the week's wrap.

Daily Maverick

3 days ago

Kenny Kunene and the growing gangsterisation of our politics
The discovery of Johannesburg councillor and deputy Patriotic Alliance leader Kenny Kunene in the company of the person wanted for paying for DJ Sumbody demonstrates the growing criminalisation, or some might call 'gangsterisation', of our politics.
By Stephen Grootes
Many of my staff can't work because they are starving, says Gaza City hospital director
The director of Gaza's largest hospital says that many of his colleagues had been admitted to hospital in the past 48 hours because of severe malnutrition, as starvation grips the region.
By Victoria O'Regan
Joining the dots — SAPS infighting casts a long shadow
The lid seems to have been blown open on an intricate web of criminality in both the SAPS and among those with links to law enforcement.
By Yeshiel Panchia
When the trucks stop: How a broken fleet is fuelling Emfuleni's waste problem
Garbage is piling up next to schools, homes, and clinics in Emfuleni because some of the municipality's waste collection trucks and equipment are broken and idle. This photo essay captures the mounting crisis, and the communities left to live in its aftermath.
By Felix Dlangmandla
The Promise — how a hardened Cape Flats gangster beat the recidivism trap
South Africa has one of the world's highest recidivism rates, but some offenders manage to break free of the spiral of release and rearrest.
By Vincent Cruywagen
New era for higher education as Buti Manamela takes charge
Buti Manamela takes over as the new minister of higher education and training after serving for years in government departments. Manamela is set to drive the Post-School Education and Training sector after allegations against Nobuhle Nkabane of corrupt appointments to Seta boards.
By Siyabonga Goni
'Choose your own adventure' – Cape Town Silent Book Club brings novel twist to age-old pastime
The Cape Town Silent Book Club is part of a movement that's re-writing the rules of reading groups. Since its inception in mid-2024, it has held gatherings for large groups of readers in public spaces across the city, including beaches, parks and the Southern Line train.
By Tamsin Metelerkamp
ZEP rejections expose legal uncertainty in SA's general work visa regime
For Zimbabwean Exemption Permit holders who have lived in uncertainty for years, this is just the latest wrinkle in their plight.
By Luke Oosthuizen
The optics of Jannik Sinner reappointing the fitness trainer he fired after doping scandal are not good
World No 1 Jannik Sinner has rehired a coach he fired after a doping offence.
By Craig Ray
Garden of hope: Pensioners transform dumping site into thriving community hub
In Khayamnandi, Despatch, a group of women has transformed a former illegal dumping site into a thriving community garden and daycare centre. Without electricity or running water, they grow vegetables to feed children.
By Nkosazana Ngwadla
Watch – Artificial Intelligence: Progress or peril?
From soaring water and energy demands to cognitive overload, job disruption, and the erosion of shared truth, the hidden tolls of artificial intelligence are mounting.
By Rebecca Davis
Daily Mini Crossword Quickie
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Dine like Madiba: Culture and cuisine in the shoes of two great men
Two great men? The other man is my dad, my hero, but of course the shoes we are talking about in this story were worn by one great man: Nelson Mandela, with whom my dad happens to share a birthday. Last Sunday, we dined like Madiba on a very special day in our lives.
By Naomi Campbell
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