Trump unrivalled for 2020, Slack goes public, PPA's committee hymn sheet

[Click here for the web version of this email]( [FIRST THING With John Stupart]( Tuesday, 5 February 2019 “If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to.” Dorothy Parker Story of the Day [The Investors’ Memo: Anatomy of self-inflicted damage]( By Marianne Merten It might be election crazy. But President Ramaphosa’s investment drive isn’t benefiting when International Relations issues a diplomatic summons to the representatives of five countries that seven months ago prepped a discussion document as part of wide-ranging consultations on getting money to South Africa. And then the governing ANC steps in claiming ‘interference by the Western imperialist forces’, and ‘latterday colonialists’, to undermine SA’s sovereignty with their bullying. It’s the anatomy of political self-sabotage. WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING [Trump unlikely to face 2020 Republican rivals]( Donald Trump's ally and former governor Chris Christie has revealed that he does not expect an internal rivalry to emerge within the Republican party to challenge their leader. Despite Incredibly low ratings, Trump's slash and burn method of leadership remained popular with the GOP, with one poll showing an 80% popularity with his hardcore base. The Democrats, by comparison, currently have over a dozen aspirants to the 2020 throne. [Slack plans to go public]( Everyone's favourite not-favourite messaging platform for work, Slack, has announced it would be listing. Slack Inc revealed that it was working with Goldman Sachs and other finance houses to co-ordinate the share sale. Although filed confidentially, analysts estimate that Slack's value could hit $7-billion with a successful enough listing. [Committee sceptical of city & PPA representations]( An inquiry into the PPA sweep of Clifton beach in December has left the chairperson with at least one raised eyebrow. Portfolio Committee on Environmental Affairs chairperson Philemon Mapulane remarked on the "coincidences" between the City of Cape Town and PPA's presentations, as both appeared to make virtually the same arguments. A representative for the mayor denied any co-operation with PPA. Earlier on Monday, regulatory body PSIRA had announced the suspension of several PPA security guards. [Super Bowl viewership, revenue declined]( This year's Super Bowl dropped 5% to 98.2-million viewers. With the worst ratings in over a decade, the NFL Championship game was still the world's most-watched event, but the lowest-scoring match in history discouraged widespread viewership. Happily, an increase in online streaming viewers provided some encouragement, as football fans evidently abandoned traditional TV for other means of watching the game. That, or the younger generations are simply less interested in paying to watch the highly-violent sportsball. Picture of the Day By EPA-EFE/LARRY W. SMITH A New England Patriots cheerleader lays on the field surrounded by graffiti after the New England Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, US, 3 February 2019. [Bellville, Building a Leading African City]( [Sponsored Content by The Greater Tygerberg Partnership]( Gridlocked megalopolises—their time has come. The new city breaks distance into increments: work, home and play are nestled in tight proximity. Think of it as “logical density”. Also think of it as spatial justice. And this proximity instantly changes the character of urban space—it renders the old suburban models all but obsolete; it transforms the central business district; it turns old industrial areas into mixed-use playgrounds. [Maverick Insider membership pays for our investigations.]( Those ministers that resigned? That President that resigned? Those commissions into State Capture and SARS? That Tom Moyane who was fired? Those #GuptaLeaks? Maverick Insiders helped fund the investigations that helped make all of that happen. We can’t do our jobs without your support. If you want to see what we can do next, [consider signing up and becoming a Maverick Insider.]( For R150pm you’ll get all the member benefits plus R100 back in UBER vouchers every month until October 2019. In Numbers 21.3-million The number of passengers who went through OR Tambo Airport in 2017. It is the busiest airport in Africa. Facts of the Day Today in 1958 the US Air Force loses a hydrogen bomb. It has never been recovered. Quirkyalone is the term for people who are single and feel no need to find a partner for the sake of it. Featured Articles [Sanity Check: EFF’s Election Manifesto, a fundamentally dishonest document]( [Sanity Check: EFF’s Election Manifesto, a fundamentally dishonest document]( By Rebecca Davis [One year later: Cyril Ramaphosa and the State of the Nation]( [One year later: Cyril Ramaphosa and the State of the Nation]( By Ferial Haffajee [Mantashe said SA is open for mining business — but it’s not yet quite Nirvana, says mining industry]( [Mantashe said SA is open for mining business — but it’s not yet quite Nirvana, says mining industry]( By Peter Fabricius [R4.8bn for a prestige eSwatini project — for a summit unlikely to happen]( By amaBhungane Reporters [Diplomacy: The Art of the Impossible]( By J Brooks Spector [Managing expectations and opposition to the restructuring of Eskom]( By Chris Yelland [Towards a politics for soil restitution]( By Lesley Green Opinionistas [Radical transformation — we have no other choice]( [Radical transformation — we have no other choice]( A column by Jay Naidoo [No room for optimism, given the real expropriation risks]( [No room for optimism, given the real expropriation risks]( A column by Anthea Jeffery [The struggle to socialise Eskom]( [The struggle to socialise Eskom]( A column by Jeff Rudin [Coalition of corruption has again led to killings in Nelson Mandela Bay]( [Coalition of corruption has again led to killings in Nelson Mandela Bay]( A column by Athol Trollip [Radical transformation — we have no other choice]( A column by Jay Naidoo [No room for optimism, given the real expropriation risks]( A column by Anthea Jeffery [The struggle to socialise Eskom]( A column by Jeff Rudin Weather BFN: min: 16° max: 30°, cloudy CPT: min: 17° max: 24°, cloudy DBN: min: 22° max: 26°, cloudy EL: min: 18° max: 27°, sunny JHB: min: 14° max: 23°, rainy MHK: min: 18° max: 29°, cloudy NLP: min: 18° max: 28°, cloudy PE: min: 17° max: 24°, sunny PMB:min: 17° max: 27°, rainy Financial Data Oil=$62.46 Gold=$1,313.49 R/$=13.43 R/€=15.36 R/£=17.52 JSE All Share=53,391.83 DJIA=25,150.91 BTC$=3 418 [FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO A FRIEND]( [Fb] [Tweet] [Link] [Yt] Copyright © 2019 Daily Maverick, All rights reserved. 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