Weekend Thing: ANC cleans house while EFF muddies its own carpet

[Click here for the web version of this email]( [Daily Maverick]( Saturday, 13 October 2018 Don't Bank On It "I trust that, in this case, arrests will be made." Advocate Terry Motau In sum On Wednesday an explosive report on the rampant looting of VBS Bank was released. A [139-page tome]( detailed deliberate pillaging of a bank by both VBS employees, their nearest and dearest, and pretty much anyone wanting an unlimited overdraft with no repayments. Comrades in harm One detail stuck out like a sore thumb, however: a R16 million benefit for Brian Shivambu, brother of Floyd. More worryingly, [all indications]( point towards the latter receiving a good portion of VBS' looted funds. The EFF has remained largely silent on the Shivambacle, opting instead to issue a toothless press release encouraging 'action' against those implicated and promising a conference on Tuesday. Why should you care? The EFF has built its entire political redoubt on the bones of other parties' indiscretions. Corruption, nepotism and the looting of resources has historically been a theme the EFF aimed outward. Now, with its deputy president firmly compromised, [the stones are coming back](to the glass EFF house. [This weekend we're watching]( Ever wonder how giant sporting franchises manage the labyrinth of equipment, logistics, player needs and playing away? Take a peek with the New England Patriots. Tenth Time's the Charm 10 The number of finance ministers appointed in South Africa since the end of apartheid. Sword-Falling Speculation had been rife over Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene's fate. Having been [not-very-truthful]( about a series of meetings with the Gupta clan, Ramaphosa had been put up against the wall to decide his fate. This week Tuesday, the president acted. Nene had requested to resign, and it was granted, thereby paving the morally-clean way for Ramaphosa's cabinet. Woe Betide the Tainted Former Reserve Bank Governor Tito Mboweni was [swiftly brought in]( to replace Nene, much to the relief of South Africa's beleaguered Rand. With a new, presumably 'clean' finance minister, the presidency can begin sharpening the knives for the rest of the Zuma-era detritus. Malusi Gigaba and Bathabile Dlamini are but two of a host of names that could soon be out of a job. After all, if Nene, in one of the country's most important ministerial positions, is not safe, the crosshairs should logically now rest upon those who have a [real arm stuck in the Gupta drainpipe.]( Watch, as it were, this space. — [Round is a shape]( An Alaskan National Park has finished voting on its annual "fattest bear" competition. This year, Bear 409, or "Beadnose" beat all other rotund competitors to the winning post. The Katmai National Park and Reserve described Beadnose as having "radiant rolls" during its "Fat Bear Week". [Yes, there are pictures.]( — Key Reading [The Shivambu Brothers and the Great VBS Heist]( By Pauli Van Wyk The EFF and its Deputy President Floyd Shivambu have benefited financially from the VBS Mutual Bank scandal, sources claim. Shivambu, who is said to have received about 10 million VBS-rand through his younger brother Brian, has for months tried to suppress the investigation into VBS by casting shadows over the integrity of officials in National Treasury and the Reserve Bank. Since the VBS report, titled ‘The Great Bank Heist’, was released on Wednesday, the EFF has retracted into a stony silence. A tame media statement on Wednesday evening, released just before 21:00, reiterated the party’s position ‘that all who are responsible and illegally benefited from the fraud must be criminally prosecuted immediately’. While details are still somewhat sketchy, this is what we know so far: Arse About Face The scientific term for one's posterior crack is 'intergluteal cleft.' Tell your plumber today. The best of times While everyone and their dog were busy pillaging the coffers of VBS, one unlikely heroine stood out. Prasa is a pretty horrid organisation these days, and it [came as no surprise]( that many of it members wanted in on the bank bonanza. Satawu-linked members of Prasa had arranged for a staggering R1 billion deposit into VBS from the rail service operator. Indeed, everyone had thought it a grand idea, including Prasa's CEO Cromet Molepo. Enter Prasa's CFO Yvonne Page, who flatly refused to allow the deposit. So much so that she went above the piggies in their VBS trough and notified Treasury, ultimately causing such a furore that the deposit never happened, thereby [effectively saving Prasa]( R1 billion from the financial wolves. The worst of times Not one to miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity, Prasa was in the news again this week, but for far less positive news. A [high-level meeting]( to discuss Prasa's ongoing arson problem was rudely interrupted. By a burning train. Eight of them. Quite literally as Prasa's suits fiddled, Cape Town Station burned. One might say with the flames of discontent passengers furious with a long-failed rail system, but just much with [actual flames]( licking the platform sides. That R1 billion saved by Page will come in handy when the time comes for post-arson refurbishment. — Weekend reading [Apartheid’s global defender who saw the writing on the wall]( [Apartheid’s global defender who saw the writing on the wall]( BY Greg Nicolson [Gigaba denies any Gupta wrongdoing – but squirms under questioning]( [Gigaba denies any Gupta wrongdoing – but squirms under questioning]( BY Rebecca Davis [Land question at the heart of Solms-Delta as liquidation looms again]( [Land question at the heart of Solms-Delta as liquidation looms again]( BY Marianne Merten [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? [Talk to us.](mailto:advertise@dailymaverick.co.za?subject=Advertising%20query%3A%20Afternoon%20Thing) [Getting too many emails from us? Manage your preferences]( | [Unsubscribe](