Weekend Thing: Explosions, Implosions and Joburg fires

[Click here for the web version of this email]( [Daily Maverick]( Saturday, 8 September 2018 Shame Game "I am more than ashamed when there are lives lost. Gauteng Premier David Makhura on the 23rd story fire in Joburg's CBD In sum On Wednesday a [massive fire]( engulfed the 23rd floor of the Bank of Lisbon Building. Johannesburg firefighters struggled to contain the blaze for two days. In the end, three had died in the line of duty. Long-dead canaries The building had long been warned as a safety hazard. Gauteng MEC for infrastructure development Jacob Mamabolo stated that the building had a disgustingly low 21% safety rating. Adding to the blame game was Mayor Herman Mashaba, who warned that this building, occupied by the department of health, was [one of many]( that were dangerously below code. Despite warnings to this fact, Mashaba pointed out that very little had been done about it. Why should you care? Many other buildings in Johannesburg's CBD fit the exact same risk profile. As Johannesburg's fire services had to call on other municipalities for assistance and, in the end, the SANDF, this tragic loss of life has a very high chance of repeating itself. Now serving 10 or more single origin coffees and a seasonal blend available at any time. [Click here]( to see our selection [This weekend we're watching]( Before Freddie Mercury was Freddie Mercury, he was a baggage handler at Heathrow International. On the anniversary of the world's greatest singer, his successors at the carousel paid homage to Queen's vocal genius. A billion excuses 3 The number, in billions of rands, held in Steinhoff shares by the Jooste family trust. Anyone but me Either Markus Jooste is one of the country's most inept CEOs, or something stinks. On Wednesday the former Steinhoff chief [denied any responsibility]( on his part for his organisation's colossal, total collapse, costing shareholders billions. Rather, if you believe the Jooste script, it was all Steinhoff's chairperson Christo Wiese's fault. For Jooste, throwing Wiese under the bus raised many questions about just what on earth the CEO's role, if any, was at Steinhoff (if he is to be believed.) Non-sense Jooste faced a tongue-lashing during the joint parliamentary committee grilling but did not waver from his lawyer-supplied script. If not Wiese, then Steinhoff's partners were to blame for the massive hit to pension funds. Despite [sending an SMS in 2017](admitting to making "big mistakes", Jooste has opted for the Zuma school of "I did nothing wrong" when put to the legal fulcrum. — Text Below advert [Crispy dogs]( A new technique utilising CRISPR gene-editing has relieved the symptoms of muscular dystrophy in a set of beagle puppies. This is the first such treatment on a larger mammal. Something, scientists hope, that can one day be utilised on humans suffering from the disease. — Key Reading [Deciding factors in 2019 elections – complex issues in a complicated situation]( By Stephen Grootes It should be obvious to everyone that in our post-Nasrec dispensation, our politics is moving more quickly and even more chaotically than it has in the past. Events swirl around us and it is difficult to make any predictions. At the same time, an election is now possibly less than nine months away. That means, while predictions about margins of victory surely cannot yet be made, certain issues can be identified that could help determine what the results could be in 2019. Blood money Steven Spielberg refused a salary for his work on Schindler's list. He called it "Blood Money" Take a trip to Crazytown This week in Trump-land, a slew of senior aides and advisors revealed through the New York Times their efforts to curb the worst of Donald Trump's '[crazy]('. Adjusting the contrast In addition to the NYT op-ed, a new book entitled "Fear" by Bob Woodward [described a chaotic White House](where senior advisors literally pluck documents from Trump's desk to avoid chaos-inducing signatures. Trump himself was described as once descending into a profanity-laden demand to assassinate Syrian President Bashir al-Assad. At this point, however, nothing should seem surprising from the Trump administration. — Weekend reading [Baxter squabbles a leadership struggle by another name]( [Baxter squabbles a leadership struggle by another name]( BY Antoinette Muller [Vincent Maleka slam dunks Guptas’ request to cross-examine witnesses from their Dubai safe house via video]( [Vincent Maleka slam dunks Guptas’ request to cross-examine witnesses from their Dubai safe house via video]( BY Ferial Haffajee [Justice Delayed: The TRC Recommendations 20 Years Later]( [Justice Delayed: The TRC Recommendations 20 Years Later]( BY Adam Yates Now serving 10 or more single origin coffees and a seasonal blend available at any time. [Click here]( to see our selection [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 Afternoon Thing subscriber list. Want to advertise in this mail? 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