The Night of the Wrong Knives

While entertaining, the ANC is distracting [View this email in your browser]( May 6, 2021 [Mail & Guardian]( [Mail & Guardian]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [YouTube]( Hi there, Like a clown car emptying, the hits just kept on coming. The governing party is in the grip of some sort of folie à plusieurs with letters flying everywhere. What did you miss? Nothing really. ANC secretary general Elias “Ace” Magashule has been suspended from the party. In retaliation he has, in turn, announced through a leaked missive that he has suspended the president of the ANC, Cyril Ramaphosa. For some time now, our colleagues in this industry have bolstered the notion that the radical economic transformation faction of the ANC, of whom Magashule is the poster boy, is very powerful and poses a very real danger to South Africa’s democracy. If furiously written correspondence and singing in journalists’ ears is the threat, our only fear at this point is tinnitus. This drama does seem to be helping Ramaphosa’s cause in two ways. He is perceived as fighting rot in the party, with coverage that doesn’t hurt his chances for a second term, as Magashule is painting himself into a more permanent position: ejection from the party. The person who we do feel somewhat sorry for this morning is national spokesperson Pule Mabe, who offered a taste of what it’s like to deal with South African politicians. First Magashule’s suspension of Ramaphosa was fake, then it wasn’t. A word of advice Mr Mabe: don’t trust politicians, they’ll make a fool of you. The ANC’s palace intrigues are entertaining in the same way mild head injuries can be, but this isn’t what’s important. On Saturday, the special Covid-19 grant [was cancelled by the South African Social Security Agency]( leaving more than four million South Africans without the means to feed their families. South Africa shed 648 000 formal sector jobs in the second quarter of 2020, because of the economic effects of Covid-19, and unemployment stood at 32.5% in the fourth quarter of the same year, according to Statistics South Africa’s quarterly employment statistics survey. For those who are employed, Covid-19 and the dire financial state of the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration have them vulnerable to unfair dismissals and con artists who try to exploit them. Because of health safety measures and budget cuts, the CCMA has closed walk-in facilities at its offices and workers say there are also fewer part-time commissioners available to handle disputes. The US on Wednesday threw its support behind waiving intellectual property rights for Covid-19 vaccines, bowing to mounting pressure from more than 100 countries. In [a sharp reversal of the previous US position]( — in remarks to reporters, President Joe Biden backed the waiver, followed swiftly by a statement from his top trade negotiator, Katherine Tai, who will lead negotiations at the World Trade Organisation. Although this is welcome news, South Africa’s vaccine roll-out continues at a glacial pace as all indications point to us hurtling towards a third wave. Why and [when did South Africa stop manufacturing vaccines]( We have also been left to ponder the timing and length of Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng’s sabbatical. His office has announced that [he will be taking “long leave”]( with Justice Sisi Khampepe coming in as acting chief justice. With his 10-year term set to end in five months it’s all a bit odd. It has been seven years since the horrific death of Michael Komape who died after falling inside a pit latrine at Mehlodumela Primary School in Polokwane, Limpopo. There is [no end in sight for the eradication of pit toilets]( in some Limpopo schools and, yet again, NGO Section 27 is relying on the courts to pressure the province’s education department into eradicating the foul and dangerous structures. That’s what’s important. Until tomorrow, Kiri Rupiah & Luke Feltham [Subscribe now]( Enjoy The Ampersand? Share it with your friends [Share]( [Share]( [Tweet]( [Tweet]( [Forward]( [Forward]( [Share]( [Share]( Copyright © 2021 Mail & Guardian Media LTD, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in to receive communications from the Mail & Guardian either at our website or by taking out a print subscription. Our mailing address is: Mail & Guardian Media LTD 25 Owl St BraamfonteinJohannesburg, Gauteng 2001 South Africa [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences or unsubscribe here.]( This email was sent to {EMAIL} [why did I get this?]( [unsubscribe from this list]( [update subscription preferences]( Mail & Guardian Media LTD · 25 Owl St · Braamfontein · Johannesburg, Gauteng 2001 · South Africa