Pick of the week's articles

[Daily Maverick] Sunday, 5 November 2017 STORY OF THE WEEK [Analysis: Danny Jordaan’s response to rape allegations insults us all]( By REBECCA DAVIS Two weeks ago, singer and former ANC MP Jennifer Ferguson claimed that she had been raped by South African Football Association boss Danny Jordaan. Since then, there had been no formal comment on the matter by Jordaan – until Wednesday, when Jordaan released a statement of mind-boggling disingenuousness. The statement is such an extraordinary work of literature, in fact, that it should become a prescribed text in schools across the land. Join us on 23rd November at Sandton Convention Centre as we dissect the ANC Elective Conference with the candidates, opposition leaders and other prominent players. [Click here]( for ticket info. [Hear no Evil, See no Evil: Tom Moyane welcomes Jonas Makwakwa back to SARS]( There was nothing to see here – not when SARS head Tom Moyane attempted to smother a damning report by the Financial Intelligence Centre flagging mysterious payments to Chief Officer Jonas Makwakwa. Not even when Makwakwa and his girlfriend, Kelly-Ann Elskie, had made “suspicious and unusual” cash deposits of about R1.3-million into their personal bank accounts between 2010 and 2016. The fact that they stuffed ATMs with money and that some of it appears to have emanated from the Department of Water and Sanitation also doesn’t seem weird. Come to think of it, nothing seems weird any more. By PAULI VAN WYK for SCORPIO. [Finding Art: James Gubb’s stock price protest poetry breaks boundaries. JSE disagrees.]( On 31 March Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, while addressing the media outside of the Treasury offices in Pretoria after he and his deputy Mcebisi Jonas had been fired via SMS the night before, called on South Africans to mobilise and organise against corruption and State Capture. In Cape Town, seasoned equities trader and hedge fund manager James Gubb heeded the call. As a form of protest, Gubb began trading Gupta-owned Oakbay shares in order to create, in the price chart, a work of art depicting a middle finger. By MARIANNE THAMM. [Book Extract: Jacques Pauw’s The President’s Keepers – The gentleman gangster and his donkey]( In this extract of a chapter of his latest book, The President’s Keepers – Those keeping Zuma in Power and out of Prison, JACQUES PAUW deals with the R388-million tax bill of Capeland gangster Mark Lifman and how the “new SARS regime” under the leadership of Tom Moyane let him off the hook. Named Project All Out and started in 2013, the Lifman investigation was driven by the National Projects Unit. This unit resided under Johann van Loggerenberg, but was entirely separate from the High-Risk Investigation Unit, which the media and Moyane branded as the “rogue unit”. This story illustrated the ultimate deceit and dishonesty of Moyane and his henchmen. [Op-Ed: How do we get rid of Jacob Zuma and rebuild democracy?]( The latest revelations of gangster connections with President Jacob Zuma have shocked a South African public that has become accustomed to scandal. The level of criminality that emerges in extracts from Jacques Pauw’s new book nevertheless evokes astonishment. Immediately, members of the public ask why he remains in office. Zuma has, however, demonstrated that he will not be easily dislodged no matter what has been demonstrated about the scale of his misdemeanours. It is important that efforts to remove Zuma and rebuild our democracy recognise that existing constitutional institutions need to be augmented and draw on the popular anger that has been demonstrated. It needs to build an enduring unity between sections of business, the poor and all other concerned citizens. Until now such actions have been sporadic. Efforts need to be made to build unity that is not episodic, but organised in order to have actors reflect on what they have done and plan – with one another -- on a regular basis. Such patient work may seem problematic in the light of the dire situation in the country, but it may be a precondition for building the power that can recover our democratic aspirations. By RAYMOND SUTTNER. — Join us on 23rd November at Sandton Convention Centre as we dissect the ANC Elective Conference with the candidates, opposition leaders and other prominent players. [Click here]( for ticket info. [Newsflash: Lord Hain to deliver evidence of Gupta transfers to Dubai and Hong Kong accounts]( Lord Peter Hain, who has been at the forefront of highlighting the alleged role of international banks and financial institutions in laundering the proceeds of State Capture by the Gupta family, will address the House of Lords on Wednesday and is expected to provide evidence of illegal transactions conducted through Gupta-held accounts in Dubai and Hong Kong. By MARIANNE THAMM. [Analysis: Van Breda axe murder case raises familiar questions in a crime-torn SA]( This week, Henri van Breda is taking the stand in the Western Cape High Court. The 21-year-old stands accused of murdering his mother, father and brother in a case so gruesome that it has attracted international attention. His testimony in his own defence is his last chance to convince the court that he is not guilty of the crimes. With no other suspects in sight, his is an upward climb. But while the details of the case may be exceptionally awful, the trial has played host to some all-too familiar South African themes. By REBECCA DAVIS. [US: Mueller strikes first, with two indictments and a guilty plea for Team Trump]( The charges that the Trump administration was on a string to Russian wiles have now taken a distinctly new and more ominous turn with the indictment of two top campaign figures and the guilty plea by a third aide. J. BROOKS SPECTOR is still shaking his head over all this. [#FeesMustFall: UCT trashed as student protests escalate]( A large amount of faeces was dumped in the computer science building on the University of Cape Town campus and students were arrested. By GROUNDUP reporters, with photos and video by SHAUN SWINGLER. — Join us on 23rd November at Sandton Convention Centre as we dissect the ANC Elective Conference with the candidates, opposition leaders and other prominent players. [Click here]( for ticket info. [FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO A FRIEND]( Copyright © 2017 Daily Maverick, All rights reserved. You are receiving this mail because you are awesome and on the Daily Maverick First Thing subscriber list. [Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe](