Inaction is a weapon of mass destruction

[Rawson 17 July]( [Mail & Guardian Newsletter logo](#) [mg.co.za]( [The Ampersand Daily Newsletter from the M&G team](#) [Divider Strip] July 17 2020 | [View in browser]( [Divider Strip] [Facebook icon]( [Twitter icon]( [Instagram icon]( [LinkedIn icon]( Hi there, [Mass Destruction]( is the name of the first single from Faithless's fourth album, No Roots. The refrain: "Inaction is a weapon of mass destruction" is a twist on the famous National Rifle Association of America line about guns: weapons of mass destruction don't kill people, people kill people -- especially if they have weapons like misinformation, power and greed at their disposal. We agree. The ANC is facing internal dissent after a decision to reinstate two Limpopo officials linked to the looting of VBS bank. With the scars of plunder still visible in the province, the controversial move, seemingly motivated by factional politics, threatens to further disrupt the notion of unity in the ruling party. Thanduxolo Jika reports that a number of alliance partners and civil society organisations in Limpopo -- under the banner of the Vhembe Fraternal Organisation -- have written to the ANC top six to [express their displeasure]( at the decision to reinstate Limpopo treasurer Danny Msiza and deputy chairperson Florence Radzilani. "With the 2021 local government elections on the horizon, it will be an impossible task for the ANC and its alliance to campaign within our constituencies," reads the letter, dated July 13. "This is because our people will demand answers on this issue since the arguments advanced so far are condescending, offensive and irrational." The governing party has attempted to arrange a meeting to explain the decision but it was postponed after alliance partners protested about the short notice. VBS Mutual Bank began in the Vhembe district of Limpopo, of which Radzilani is a former mayor. Most of its investors were poor villagers who live in the area. In a digital placard welcoming Radzilani and Msiza "back home", the ANC quoted Julius Caesar in the eponymous William Shakespeare play: "Cowards die many times before their actual death. The Valiant never tastes death but once." Meanwhile, the civil service is edging dangerously close to the Covid-19 cliff. Lester Kiewit reports that [more than 21 000 civil servants]( have been infected with the virus. With frontline staff increasingly at risk, the danger is that the peak of the outbreak may leave key public service institutions -- particularly state hospitals, the prisons and police -- scrambling for staff. Tshegofatso Mathe writes that the opening of restaurants at lockdown level three did not bring the salvation the industry craved. With high overheads, expensive safety protocols and already thin margins, for some it makes more sense to [simply stay closed](. To read these stories and more, get your copy of this week's issue, in print and online. Until Monday, Kiri Rupiah & Luke Feltham [Divider Strip] [Old Mutual]( [Divider Strip] [Sanlam]( [Divider Strip] [Facebook icon]( [Twitter icon]( [Instagram icon]( [LinkedIn icon]( You are receiving this email on {EMAIL} because 1.) You're a member of "Mail & Guardian" or 2.) previously subscribed [M&G logo] 25 Owl St, Braamfontein Werf, Johannesburg, 2092 Want to be removed? No problem! [UNSUBSCRIBE]( Email support: help@media-connect.co.za - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -