Pick of the week's articles

[Daily Maverick] Sunday, 27th November 2016 [Elections aftermath: Why did the ANC ignore its own research?] STORY OF THE WEEK [Op-Ed: Ajay Gupta and the interview that supposedly never happened] By STEPHEN GROOTES On the 16th of February this year, I conducted an interview with Ajay Gupta. I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to do so, only to be completely frustrated and angry that I was then not allowed to talk about it, or publish anything, until now. The reason was that a non-disclosure agreement was attached to the interview. However, Bell-Pottinger, the international PR company contracted by the Gupta family to manage its reputation, did not live up to the assurances provided. Ajay Gupta lied. But now, finally, because a portion of the interview has emerged on YouTube, I am in a position to disclose what happened. [Old Guard Intervention: Have the ANC veterans been neutralised or will they help #SaveSouthAfrica?] When it comes to awkward moments, a group of stalwarts telling President Jacob Zuma and the top leadership of the ANC that they are doing a terrible job and are destroying their organisation must top of the charts. The ANC has scheduled another meeting with the group of ANC veterans later this week after a prickly session on Monday that finally put the leadership crisis firmly on the table. But opinion is now divided, even among the veterans, on whether they have been co-opted into a process they have no control over or whether they have a chance at a successful intervention. By RANJENI MUNUSAMY. [SASSA Grant Switchover: Minister Dlamini fumbles her way through Scopa, displays no clear grasp of issues] A submission by the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) to Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) with regard to a R316-million irregular payment to Cash Paymaster Services turned into a farce on Wednesday as officials fudged tough questions, blamed former officials and generally indulged in a game of Olympics-grade buck passing. Even more alarming was Minister of Social Development Bathabile Dlamini’s presentation. Among other things, she admitted wasting around R1-million after failing to pitch up at a planned event because she had been “redeployed” by President Jacob Zuma at the time. Dlamini seemed to have no clear grasp of the status of the crucial April 1, 2017 handover to SASSA by Cash Paymaster Services of responsibility for the distribution of R10-billion a month in social grants to 17-million recipients. By MARIANNE THAMM. [Save SA lays down the gauntlet: ‘We have the power to remove Zuma’] Wednesday was a historic day, according to leaders of Save South Africa, which launched a “people’s motion” to remove President Jacob Zuma. Others have tried and failed, but Save SA believes it can force the ANC’s hand. By GREG NICOLSON. [Op-Ed: The Arms Deal and State Capture – Stopping a Future Cover-Up] Last week Minister of Communications Faith Muthambi disingenuously announced the vindication of the Seriti Commission’s findings, which have been widely criticised as a cover-up. Minister Muthambi’s statement, despite being couched in confidently florid language, was entirely incorrect in fact. By PAUL HOLDEN. [Can’t kick, can’t catch, can’t tackle, no tactics: The Boks are revolting!] Italy pulled a Japan over the weekend, beating the Springboks in Florence in another nadir for the country’s national rugby team. They might as well go on strike next week because that’s how revolting they have been recently. By ANTOINETTE MULLER. [Op-Ed: People’s Motion of No Confidence – ‘Say no to Zuma, corruption, state capture’] Statement by SIPHO M PITYANA, convenor of the Save South Africa Campaign, delivered at Constitution Hill, Johannesburg, at the launch of the People’s Motion of No Confidence against President Jacob Zuma on Wednesday, November 23. [FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO A FRIEND] Copyright © 2016 Daily Maverick, All rights reserved. You are receiving this mail because you are awesome and on the Daily Maverick First Thing subscriber list. [Preferences] | [Unsubscribe]