South Africa's day of action dawns

[Daily Maverick] FIRST THING with JOHN STUPART Wednesday, 12 April 2017 "Havoc and ruin had been around him all of his days, either impending on himself or dealt by him to others." Winston Churchill STORY OF THE DAY [Zuma’s undercover state and South Africa’s multiple accountability failure]( The mass protest action and pending motion of no confidence against a democratically elected president are occurring because South Africa has a crisis of accountability. President Jacob Zuma has shielded himself in a super presidency and believes that his constitutional powers indemnify him from having to account to the people he took an oath to serve. But the contagion has gone far beyond Zuma – Parliament cannot hold him or his ministers to account and the electorate cannot hold Members of Parliament to account. The ANC in its state of paralysis cannot hold any of its deployees in the state to account. Save for matters dragged to court, the state is operating under the cover of darkness. By RANJENI MUNUSAMY. [Blasts target Borussia Dortmund football team]( The bus carrying Borussia Dortmund's football team was hit by three explosions last night, shattering the bus windows, Dortmund defender and Spanish international player Marc Bartra suffered a broken wrist. Dortmund police have not labelled this a terrorist attack, however, believing instead that it was a targeted act against Dortmund only. [Zuma's loudest birthday present awaits]( Today sees President Jacob Zuma, on his and Pravin Gordhan's birthday, bear witness to major protest action in the Capital. Organised by a coalition of major opposition parties, thousands of South Africans are expected to descend upon Pretoria today. It's unlikely anyone brought cake. ['No doubt' Syria behind chemical attack - Mattis]( Pentagon chief Jim Mattis has reiterated that there is absolutely zero doubt that the Syrian regime was behind last week's fatal chemical attack. Hitting back at deliberate attempts by Russia to insinuate that Syrian rebels had been holding a chemical weapon stockpile that was hit by an airstrike, Pentagon officials argued that there was overwhelming and compelling evidence Bashar al-Assad was behind the attack. [Fleetwood Mac to drop new album]( Hold your dentures, Fleetwood Mac has returned with a new album announcement. Entitled simply Lindsey Buckingham/Christine McVie, the 10-track album was written by the duo and is expected to be released in June. The album should involve all members of Fleetwood Mac, barring Stevie Nicks. — PICTURE OF THE DAY BY EPA/ALAA BADARNEH Members of the ancient Samaritan community insert their skewered Passover sacrifices into the oven during the ritual of Sacrifice, part of a Samaritan Passover ceremony, at their most sacred site at Mount Gerizim in Nablus, West Bank, 10 April 2017. According to tradition, the Samaritans are descendants of the Jews who were not deported when the Assyrians conquered Israel in 722 BC. The small community numbers about 780 people and half of them live in a village at Mount Gerizim, near the Palestinian city of Nablus, and the rest in Holon near Tel Aviv in Israel. IN NUMBERS 2285 The year in which Easter will fall on 22 March, its earliest since 1818. FACTS OF THE DAY Today sees an unprecedented march against President Jacob Zuma by most opposition parties in South Africa. Last week's protest should be good practice for today. British Columbia had a women's hockey team called the Fernie Swastikas. The team was formed in 1922, when the swastika held religious, rather than hate-based, significance. FEATURED ARTICLES [Zuma’s undercover state and South Africa’s multiple accountability failure]( [Zuma’s undercover state and South Africa’s multiple accountability failure]( BY Ranjeni Munusamy [Open Letter to ANC MPs: Use the Power of Your Vote]( [Open Letter to ANC MPs: Use the Power of Your Vote]( BY SIPHO PITYANA [Op-Ed: Where is the FICA Bill, Mr President?]( [Op-Ed: Where is the FICA Bill, Mr President?]( BY Magda Wierzycka [Concourt's Secret Ballot directives may spark a new battle over Zuma no-confidence vote]( [Concourt's Secret Ballot directives may spark a new battle over Zuma no-confidence vote]( BY Marianne Merten [Op-Ed: Now or never for the international community in Zambia]( [Op-Ed: Now or never for the international community in Zambia]( BY Greg Mills [ANC Western Cape: Marius Fransman still dividing while not ruling]( [ANC Western Cape: Marius Fransman still dividing while not ruling]( BY Marianne Thamm [Analysis: When did the ANC’s radical rhetoric on economy escalate?]( [Analysis: When did the ANC’s radical rhetoric on economy escalate?]( BY Rebecca Davis [ICC: At hearings, South Africa seeks clarity on Rome Statute]( [ICC: At hearings, South Africa seeks clarity on Rome Statute]( BY Carien du Plessis [#OccupyLuthuliHouse takes the fight to remove Zuma to internal ANC structures]( [#OccupyLuthuliHouse takes the fight to remove Zuma to internal ANC structures]( BY BHEKI C. SIMELANE [Op-Ed: Away from Rising and Falling, we need a new grammar to define SA’s future]( [Op-Ed: Away from Rising and Falling, we need a new grammar to define SA’s future]( BY David Reiersgord OPINIONISTAS [Speaker Baleka Mbete vs the Secret Ballot – what the law says]( [Speaker Baleka Mbete vs the Secret Ballot – what the law says]( A column by Pierre de Vos [Uncle Kathy Memorials: Why I accept criticism from SACP, Cosatu and Gordhan, but reject it from SaveSA]( [Uncle Kathy Memorials: Why I accept criticism from SACP, Cosatu and Gordhan, but reject it from SaveSA]( A column by Yonela Diko [The SuperSport Rugby Festivals are a good idea, but miss the boat on holistic transformation]( [The SuperSport Rugby Festivals are a good idea, but miss the boat on holistic transformation]( A column by Murray Ingram [Malusi Gigaba – Zuma’s Pawn or Future King?]( [Malusi Gigaba – Zuma’s Pawn or Future King?]( A column by Nel Marais — Weather BFN: min: 14° max: 27°, cloudy CPT: min: 16° max: 21°, PM rain DBN: min: 22° max: 32°, rainy EL: min: 23° max: 33°, AM rain JHB: min: 15° max: 26°, sunny KIM: min: 16° max: 27°, rainy NLP: min: 15° max: 29°, rainy PMB: min: 15° max: 29°, rainy PE: min: 19° max: 31°, cloudy PTA: min: 15° max: 27°, sunny Financial Data Oil=$55.99 Gold=$1,274.12 Platinum=$968.10 R/$=13.82 R/€=14.66 R/£=17.26 $/€=0.94 JSE All Share=53,535.16 DJIA=20,605.19 FTSE 100=7,365.50 [FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO A FRIEND]( Copyright © 2017 Daily Maverick, All rights reserved. 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