Ace Magashule: The ANC's Artful Dodger

[Click here for the web version of this email]( [Daily Maverick] Monday, 22 October 2018 “I have fought and kicked and fasted and prayed and cursed and cried myself to the point of existing.” Alice Walker Story of the Day [The Great Art Heist: ANC Secretary-General Ace Magashule in ‘stolen’ Pierneef painting debacle]( By Pieter-Louis Myburgh for Scorpio ANC Secretary-General Ace Magashule is at the centre of a criminal investigation into the disappearance of a valuable Pierneef painting from the premier’s office in Bloemfontein. [Exclusive Books Top Ten.]( While You Were Sleeping [Transnet CEO chopped amid probe]( Transnet's CEO Siyabonga Gama was fired on Sunday following a decision by the rail organisation's board. In his dismissal letter, Gama's firing was justified on the basis of his actions, most of them idiotic, relating to the move from Japanese locomotives to Chinese ones. He will probably not be missed in the cleansing anti-corruption atmosphere of the Ramapresidency. [Trump accuses Saudis of lying]( Donald Trump has done a Trumpish about-face on his perception of the Saudi explanations of slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Saudi officials initially stated that Khashoggi left the consulate "unharmed" before claiming that he had died in an altercation, before finally settling on a "rogue operation". Speaking in an interview with the Washington Post, Trump offered that the Saudi story was "all over the place". [US investigation into dead infants launched]( The discovery of 63 foetuses in a Detroit funeral home has sparked a widespread investigation into malpractice. After a random inspection discovered the bodies, the home has been charged with failing to file death certificates, handle the remains correctly, and billing clients for services not actually rendered. [Germany suspends military trade with Saudi Arabia]( While South Africa appeared to rush into trade deals with the Saudi military-industrial complex, the rest of the world is inching away. The latest such case is Germany. Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that all German exports to Saudi Arabia would be suspended pending investigations into the Khashoggi murder. When even the Germans won't give you weapons, that might be the real indicator that a state might be a little ethically-challenged. — [Exclusive Books Top Ten.]( Maverick Insider is more than just about financially supporting quality, independent journalism and keeping Zapiro accessible for all readers. It’s also about building a community with our loyal readers who want to share in unique experiences and help us write this new chapter of Daily Maverick. [Click here]( to get a closer look at the Truth. Picture of the Day By EPA-EFE/Fernando Bizerra Jr. A hand painted in rainbow colours is held up during a protest against far-right-wing presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 20 October 2018. In Numbers 2014 The year in which Taylor Swift pulled her music from Spotify. This was because music, in her words, "should not be free". Facts of the Day Today in 1946 the United Nations General Assembly holds its first session. That satisfying noise of a car door closing is a deliberate, engineered sound. Featured Articles [Ace Magashule’s unstoppable oncoming train, now a few metres closer]( [Ace Magashule’s unstoppable oncoming train, now a few metres closer]( BY Stephen Grootes [The great R497m Telkom/SAPS switcheroo]( [The great R497m Telkom/SAPS switcheroo]( BY Marianne Thamm [DA to march against VBS municipalities, sells party as the only clean option in 2019]( [DA to march against VBS municipalities, sells party as the only clean option in 2019]( BY Greg Nicolson [Ep. 165: Evita is 165 and counting! (Video)]( BY Pieter-Dirk Uys [There are alternatives to permanent economic depression]( BY Dick Forslund [Is the award-winning Competition Commission starting to smell bad?]( BY Moira Levy [Kanarie – the redemptive power of music and finding solace in a violent white world]( BY Marianne Thamm [Twin elections threaten to push Western hemisphere into a period of far-right populism]( BY J Brooks Spector Opinionistas [‘Connecting the dots’ behind the parallel state]( BY Floyd Shivambu [Electoral hate speech is a dangerous game]( BY Andrew Ihsaan Gasnolar [Succession and resilience in the non-profit sector]( BY Shelagh Gastrow [What does the future hold for work?]( BY Bongani Ngqulunga [Exclusive Books Top Ten.]( Weather BFN: min: 11° max: 24, sunny CPT: min: 20° max: 32°, cloudy DBN: min: 13° max: 20°, sunny EL: min: 14° max: 23°, cloudy JHB: min: 8° max: 21°, sunny MHK min: 12° max: 22°, sunny NLP: min: 10° max: 22°, sunny PE: min: 14° max: 21°, cloudy PMB: min: 7° max: 22°, cloudy Financial Data Oil=$79.78 Gold=$1,226.48 R/$=14.41 R/€=16.62 R/£=18.84 JSE All Share= 52,092.98 DJIA= 25,444.34 BTC$=6,435 [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. Interested in advertising with us? [Click here](mailto:advertise@dailymaverick.co.za?subject=Advertising%20Query%3A%20First%20Thing%20mailers) to sign the pact. [Getting too many emails from us? Manage your preferences]( | [Unsubscribe](