Insurrection or insurgence?

What’s in the M&G this week [View this email in your browser]( July 23, 2021 [Mail & Guardian]( [Mail & Guardian]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [YouTube]( Hi there, Members of the security cluster play the name game as Ramaphosa ponders cabinet reshuffle over lax response to violence. Also, get the details of Rwanda's role in the spyphone saga. This and more in this week’s M&G. Calls are mounting for President Cyril Ramaphosa to sack some of his ministers after last week’s wave of violence in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. With the nation caught unaware, its people want answers and for someone to take responsibility for the ill-preparedness. Those believed to be in the firing line include Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, State Security Minister Ayanda Dlodlo and Health Minister Zweli Mkhize. Lizeka Tandwa, however, cautions against expecting [an immediate Cabinet reshuffle](. ANC sources say the decision to remove the three ministers is unlikely to happen without the approval of the party’s top officials. And they are not budging yet. Meanwhile, racial anxieties continue in Phoenix, northwest of Durban, and supporters of former president Jacob Zuma are staging a series of marches and motorcades protesting against the alleged killing of black residents and calling for his release. Paddy Harpy reports on the [simmering tensions in a township where the bodies of 35 people]( at the local mortuary had not been identified by their next of kin. Police and prosecutors will continue their [hunt for the planners and instigators of the violence](. Although none of the 12 alleged “masterminds’’ behind the attacks, now classified as an attempted insurrection by government, have been arrested, writes Harper, at least three people are facing charges of inciting public violence and are in custody. For the rest of us it is time to confront the immeasurable cost of the unrest. Our unemployment crisis, Tunicia Phillips writes, is [expected to deepen in the aftermath of last week’s looting and destruction](. Thousands of employees in affected sectors face the prospect of unemployment or reduced income even while retailers and other businesses promise to rebuild. Some might suggest there could be no time more suitable for a basic income grant. Sarah Smit has more on [cabinet mulling its introduction](. In this week’s other big story, Ramaphosa’s name was found on a spyware database, suggesting he might have been selected for surveillance by Rwanda. Emsie Ferreira breaks down [what the revelation means for the already strained relations]( between Kigali and Pretoria. Or perhaps you would like to know what a puppet thinks. Chester Missing is known as one of the country’s most exacting political analysts. He can soften up the toughest politician, but in 2014 he became the first puppet in history to be sued (by Steve Hofmeyr, who lost the case). Conrad Koch, the award-winning performer and the human voice behind the outspoken puppet, tells Nicolene de Wee [what it’s like to share his life with Chester]( and how anthropology shaped his view of the world. In the same breath, Chester shares his views on Zuma’s incarceration and the 2021 elections. Finally, with the troubled Olympics beginning in earnest tonight, we have you covered with [a guide to Team SA](. We have made it to the end of another week, dear reader. Please stay safe and warm this weekend. Until Tuesday, 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