DM Weekly Wrap - Malema's election challenge, the rise of Ace

[Click here for the web version of this email]( [Daily Maverick]( Sunday, 31 March 2019 STORY OF THE WEEK [Structure and Culture: A building that divided people even before apartheid laws were enforced]( By Malibongwe Tyilo When the original Rex Trueform building was erected in 1938 in Salt River as one of the leading manufacturing factories in Cape Town, its modernist style stood out among the neoclassical buildings of the time in the city. In our new series, Structure and Culture, we chat to leading African architects about buildings they consider significant; we explore how these structures shape and influence human interactions, perceptions and behaviours. [Julius Malema, a forever ten percent man?]( Predictions may vary for what the outcome of the May elections will be but there are one or two trends on which some pollsters agree. From the polls so far, it appears that the ANC will lose some support from its 2014 showing, the DA is likely to stay roughly where it is, while the EFF appears likely to make some gains. The main EFF-related issue is whether or not the EFF will get above or below 10% of the vote and what that means for SA politics. By Stephen Grootes [McBride a moving target as Mkhwebane zones in on two fronts]( Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane has turned her sights on former IPID head Robert McBride, opting to forge ahead with two complaints lodged by a former employee. A volley of letters that have shot between IPID and the Public Protector’s office highlight alarming peculiarities. By Marianne Thamm [Top eight culprits in biggest corporate fraud named, including Jooste and La Grange; Hawks still badly behind]( Former Steinhoff CEO Markus Jooste and former CFO Ben la Grange, who had told MPs they knew nothing of accounting irregularities that led to the company’s share value collapsing, are named in the PwC forensic audit among eight individuals implicated in fictitious and irregular transactions of over €6-billion. By Marianne Merten [China, the Pondo king and Namaqualand: In pursuit of the ‘Disney playground’ deal]( The king of Western Pondoland’s contracts with a Chinese company could see an untouched stretch of the Wild Coast undergo massive development. The same company has plans to dam the Orange River in the Northern Cape and put up gas-to-power plants. Is any of it likely to happen? Even if not this time, the paper trail speaks of the intentions at the core of Operation Phakisa and China’s Belt and Road Initiative – enormous development projects that are driving our changing climate. By Kevin Bloom — [Fearful foreign nationals hide indoors after two looters shot dead during xenophobic attacks in Durban]( Xenophobic attacks flared up in the Springfield, Kenville area in Durban on Monday 25 March, when a mob of protesters burst into the homes of foreign nationals, moving door to door and seizing belongings, from beds and TV sets to pots and baskets, before targeting foreign-operated shops. The violence left several people injured and at least two people dead. And while police patrols have brought calm to the area, foreign nationals are still too afraid to venture outside. By Lelethu Tonisi — [Revealed: At least 20 percent of party leaders have a shady past]( One in five of the leaders of the political parties registered to contest the 2019 elections nationally has a chequered past: Criminal charges or court orders brought against them, professional sanctions, or compelling evidence of wrongdoing for which they have yet to be prosecuted. Yet, in terms of the Constitution, all are eligible for election to the National Assembly. By Rebecca Davis [DRC President Tshisekedi confronts Kabila’s establishment]( The newly elected president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, appears to be attempting to consign Joseph Kabila to history — with a bit of help from the US. By Peter Fabricius — [FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO A FRIEND]( 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. [Getting too many emails from us? Manage your preferences]( | [Unsubscribe](