Eskom's deep, dark hole, Mars Opportunity mission ended

[Click here for the web version of this email]( [FIRST THING With John Stupart]( Thursday, 14 February 2019 “I've found out so much about electricity that I've reached the point where I understand nothing and can explain nothing." Pieter van Musschenbroek Story of the Day [Eskom is in a deep hole; it will take decades and serious financial wizardry to dig it out]( By Marianne Merten It’ll be a long haul. The need to sort out Eskom’s rot and financial, operational and structural crises is urgent. As Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan said: ‘This is an emergency. We need to understand sooner rather than later what’s the problem. If we don’t understand the problem, we are not going to get anywhere near the solutions.’ AXE YOUR TAX. Every Year you can invest as much as R33,000 tax free....[Click here]( WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING [Nasa ends 15-year Mars rover mission]( After exploring the surface of Mars for over a decade, the Mars Opportunity mission has been officially terminated. A massive dust storm covered the red planet in June last year, effectively shutting off communication with the rover. Attempts to elicit a response by Nasa's team have proved fruitless, leading to the end of one of the Mars Exploration Rovers. In Opportunity's defence, the rover was only designed to last for 90 days. That right there is a good innings in dog years. [Trump inches closer to shutdown agreement]( Despite senators agreeing on a proposed bill days ago, President Donald Trump is waiting until the last minute to sign an agreement avoiding another government shutdown. In the legislation, a small alotment for funding Trump's wall was allowed, something which Trump is likely to expand on by wielding his executive authority. Either that or, in the president's own words, they'll be "looking for landmines". [Manafort is, in fact, a fat liar - judge]( A judge has ruled that Trump adviser Paul Manafort broke his plea deal by lying like a dog. Manafort had intentionally misled and misrepresented with regards to information relating to contacts with a Russian associate. In addition to a potential 10 years imprisonment for these charges, Manafort is also on the hook for bank and tax-fraud convictions. [Monsanto, Bayer charged over weed-killer]( A weed-killer sold by Monsanto, now owned by Bayer, is the focus of a lawsuit claiming that it causes serious destruction to your gut health. Monsanto's Roundup Weed & Grass Killer and other associated products were named. Now might be a good time to check what weed-killer you're using. AXE YOUR TAX. Every Year you can invest as much as R33,000 tax free....[Click here]( [Why bank tax free when you can invest tax free]( [Sponsored Content by Coronation]( If you have R250 or more to put away every month for your future, you may be interested in taking advantage of one of the ultimate tax hacks available at present, says Coronation Fund Managers. To encourage a culture of savings, in 2015 National Treasury passed legislation to allow South Africans to save tax free through either a tax-free savings account or a tax-free investment product...[read more]( Picture of the Day By EPA-EFE/PETER POWELL Britain's Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall poses in front of a mural entitled For All Liverpool's Liver Birds during a visit to Liverpool, Britain, 12 February 2019. [You complete Us]( 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. You could say, you complete us. 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. [DAILY MAVERICK IS HIRING: Night Editor]( As the title suggests, your talents and commitment are needed up to Cinderella hour (sometimes a bit later, sometimes a bit earlier). The Night editor position is a hands-on, multi-faceted job in a tight operation so all-round news editing and meticulous production experience are essential. The night editor will ensure Daily Maverick’s vision is implemented. Think you're up to it? [Please click through to read more details on how to apply here.]( In Numbers 8% The percentage of the world's currency that's in actual physical form. The rest is digital. Facts of the Day Today is Valentine's Day. If you haven't made a reservation yet, finding a Jamie Oliver recipe is the only thing that will save you now. Dogs have bacteria on their paws that smell like corn chips. Featured Articles [ANC’s SNAFU days – right in time for 2019 elections]( [ANC’s SNAFU days – right in time for 2019 elections]( By Stephen Grootes [While electricity hogs headlines, South Africa’s water situation is another unfolding crisis]( [While electricity hogs headlines, South Africa’s water situation is another unfolding crisis]( By Rebecca Davis [Haval H2 City Manual: Playing the catch-up game]( [Haval H2 City Manual: Playing the catch-up game]( By Deon Schoeman [Mr President, innovative sanitation is also a big game changer]( By Jay Bhagwan [Naledi Pandor asks students to provide specific complaints about universities]( By Suné Payne [As Great Whites disappeared off the Western Cape coast, sevengill sharks, ‘living fossils’, moved in]( By Shaun Smillie Opinionistas [Taxpayers should not foot the bill for government’s failure in the Life Esidimeni debacle]( A column by Xhanti Payi [Reconciling Cape Town’s art frenzy in a time of economic strife]( A column by Mary Corrigall [Futures thinking is here to stay]( A column by Saliem Fakir Weather BFN: min: 16° max: 26°, rainy CPT: min: 19° max: 31°, cloudy DBN: min: 22° max: 26°, rainy EL: min: 21° max: 28°, cloudy JHB: min: 14° max: 19°, rainy MHK: min: 18° max: 24°, rainy NLP: min: 18° max: 26°, rainy PE: min: 17° max: 24°, cloudy PMB:min: 17° max: 25°, rainy Financial Data Oil=$63.65 Gold=$1,305.88 R/$=14.03 R/€=15.81 R/£=18.03 JSE All Share=54,543.22 DJIA=25,580.59 BTC$=3 571 AXE YOUR TAX. Every Year you can invest as much as R33,000 tax free....[Click here]( [FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO A FRIEND]( [Fb] [Tweet] [Link] [Yt] Copyright © 2019 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 to sign the pact.](mailto:advertising@dailymaverick.co.za?subject=Advertising%20query%3A%20First%20Thing%20Mailers) [Getting too many emails from us? Manage your preferences]( [Unsubscribe](