Inside Ramaphosa's R400-million campaign budget

[It's Monday, Carpe DM]( [FIRST THING With John Stupart] Monday, 26 August 2019 “Forecasts may tell you a great deal about the forecaster; they tell you nothing about the future.” Warren Buffet Story of the Day [How Ramaphosa’s campaign spent R400-million — and why it matters]( By Ferial Haffajee It’s a fairly standard cost, says an official, explaining that the ANC now runs big-bucks American-style campaigns for internal elections. ‘The reason people are shocked is that this is the first time it’s been into the light of day,’ a campaigner told Daily Maverick. Others say it is an insight into how to buy a president in South Africa. Financing that back entrepeneurs... [Click here for more]( WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING [Macron throwns Iranian minister into G7 pigeon-loft]( French President Emmanuel Macron pulled a real surprise move at the G7 summit, bringing Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif into the mix. Zarif's visit lasted six hours, with little indication of what Donald Trump thought or did about it. Macron and Germany's Angela Merkel both defended the move as an inter-ministerial meeting rather than something on the official G7 agenda. [Brazilian military begins fighting Amazon fire]( Brazil's defence force has finally been deployed to fight devastating fires in the Amazon. Widespread cries for assistance resulted in President Jair Bolsonaro making the decision on Sunday, many days since the fires first became a serious problem. [Hong Kong police arrest 36]( Hong Kong's police force arrested at least 36 demonstrators over the weekend. The youngest detained person was aged 12. Police fought running battles against protesters, some of whom began throwing Molotov cocktails and bricks. Six police officers drew their pistols, but just one warning shot was fired. [Van Rooyen clinches European Tour win]( Erik van Rooyen managed to win his first European Tour on Sunday. Van Rooyen defeated Matthew Fitzpatrick by sinking a 12-foot putt on the final hole of the Hills Golf & Sports Club in Gothenburg. Picture of the Day By EPA-EFE/ROGERIO FLORENTINO A wrestler dives on to 'The Jackal' during their fight during a wrestling match at the Laerskool Morewag school in Johannesburg, South Africa, 24 August 2019. In Numbers [2060]( The year in which the ozone layer is expected to have reached a full recovery. Facts of the Day Today in 1966 the South African Border War begins. The 1990s craze of 'Pogs' was started single-handedly by a 5th-grade teacher in Hawaii. Financing that back entrepeneurs... [Click here for more]( [A female driving force to be reckoned with]( [Sponsored Content by Uber]( In honour of women’s month, Uber takes the opportunity to celebrate the women in the industry that are breaking boundaries, moving mountains and proving that women really are a force to be reckoned with. Featured Articles [Removing public protector — a long and slow road, never before travelled]( [Removing public protector — a long and slow road, never before travelled]( By Marianne Merten [This is the way the world ends: Not with a bang, but a whimper]( [This is the way the world ends: Not with a bang, but a whimper]( By Greg Mills and Emily van Der Merwe [Give us safe trains, protesters demand]( [Give us safe trains, protesters demand]( By Suné Payne [Hard truths about soft drinks]( By Health-e News [The calumny before the storm: As political battles escalate, expect attacks on judges to intensify]( By Stephen Grootes [NHI: In search of common ground]( By Marcus Low Opinionistas [For Prasa top brass, that gravy train is always right on time]( A column by Sikonathi Mantshantsha [Should the SA government incentivise farmers to control the spread of African swine fever?]( A column by Wandile Sihlobo [Market Theatre yet another victim of State Capture]( A column by Mike van Graan Weather BFN: min: 4° max: 26°, cloudy CPT: min: 10° max: 22°, cloudy DBN: min: 12° max: 26°, cloudy EL: min: 12° max: 23°, cloudy JHB: min: 10° max: 23°, sunny MHK: min: 9° max: 28°, sunny NLP: min: 16° max: 33°, cloudy PE: min: 10° max: 18°, cloudy PMB: min: 8° max: 31°, cloudy Financial Data R/$ = 15.27 0% R/£ = 18.75 0% R/€ = 17.01 0% R/BTC = 158,892.44 +2.75% [Courtesy of Business Maverick.]( Financing that back entrepeneurs... [Click here for more]( [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](