Nationwide Protests Strikes Hobble Ramaphosa Spring

[Daily Maverick]( Saturday, 5 May 2018 ‘We cannot disengage, otherwise, there will be no country left.’ Redi Tlhabi PICTURE OF THE WEEK By EPA-EFE/BRUCE OMORI A highly anticipated, but feared, volcanic eruption occurs within the Leilani Estates subdivision, threatening a home lying directly in its path after the Kilauea Volcano eruption in Hawaii, USA, 04 May 2018. THIS WEEK'S WRAP-UP [North West leaders call for Supra Mahumapelo's head]( A group of ANC leaders dubbed the Revolutionary Council have demanded North West Premier Supra Mahumapelo's resignation. ANC members Thato wa Magogodi and Lucky Kgabi's put it succinctly: fail to remove Mahumapelo and lose votes. The ANC's National Working Council resolved this week to dismiss him, and President Ramaphosa has asked for his resignation. Whether he needs a not-so-gentle, no-confidence vote-inducing shove, however, remains to be seen. [Riots across South Africa mark Labour Day week]( Residents in Eldorado Park and Freedom Park [took to the streets]( to protest empty government promises. Residents in Siqalo and [Mitchell's Plain]( closed rosed to protest service delivery, and bus drivers continued to not transport anyone anywhere over wage disputes. It's been a volatile week to say the least. As the sun begins to set on the Ramaphoria in South Africa, citizens are angry, and they aren't waiting to see what happens. [Makhosi Khoza joins OUTA]( Former ANC MP and one of the few party leaders to stand up to Jacob Zuma while he was actually in power, Makhosi Khoza has found a new home. Khoza has joined the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse as an executive director, it was revealed today by CEO Wayne Duvenage. OUTA's chairperson commented on the appointment, saying "Dr Khosa’s appointment will add a new and welcomed dimension to the organisation’s board." [USA turns its back on SA appeal for tariff exemption]( South Africa is getting a hard lesson in international relations this week. The United States announced that South Africa would not be on the list of exempted countries for a raft of hefty steel and aluminium tariffs. Reasons for this rejection could be numerous, or it could just be down to Trump ticking off another shithole country from his box. But with South Africa ranking in the ten least supportive nations for US motions in the UN General Assembly, it is not hard to imagine why the USA would not see our trade interests favourably at all. FACT OF THE DAY Michael Jackson skipped a meeting scheduled at the Twin Towers on 9/11. EDITOR'S PICKS [Leaving a department that has completely collapsed – the case against Nomvula Mokonyane]( By Marianne Merten [The Price of Gold]( By Thom Pierce [IAAF testosterone policy: Damned dishonesty and contradictions]( By Antoinette Muller [Ingredients to realising Ramaphosa’s audacious $100bn FDI target]( By Sizwe Mbele — [Video of the week]( VIDEO OF THE WEEK [The Reasons]( By Floyd Russ IN OTHER NEWS While the nationwide bus strikes strands commuters for a third week, Japanese bus drivers with a grievance took a different approach. Drivers in Okayama manned their buses and transported passengers throughout their routes. Only, they refused to receive a single fare, costing the bus companies money in fuel and maintenance. If SATAWU does not read Japanese news, now might be the time to do so. [FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO A FRIEND]( Copyright © 2018 Daily Maverick, All rights reserved. You are receiving this mail because you are awesome and on the Daily Maverick First Thing subscriber list. Keep up to date on all DM activities by [clicking here](. [Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe](