Corrupt practices are legitimised, slowly but surely drawing ordinary government officials into the web of illegitimate criminal practices and procedures, thereby structurally consolidating it at all social levels, and deeply entrenching the power of this new predatory capitalist class within the governing ANC and the society at large. By MIKE MORRIS.

Since we published “How South Africa Works” two years ago, the country’s economic environment has deteriorated, a consequence of the imperative of staying in power trumping policies that could promote investment and employment. So what to do? By GREG MILLS and JEFFREY HERBST.

In the factional politicking towards the ANC December national elective conference, some circles are now pushing for the ANC MPs who broke the party line and voted for, or abstained in, last week’s no confidence motion in President Jacob Zuma to be disciplined. The vote was secret, and the ballot papers neither carried serial numbers nor MPs’ names. So unless someone confesses, how votes were cast remains speculation. But that’s not really the point. It is the silencing of those critical of the current state of ANC affairs. By MARIANNE MERTEN.

Steenvilla in Cape Town is seen as a model development. Much will depend on its success or failure. By Ashleigh Furlong for GROUNDUP.

South Africa must trim its excesses, and make work more accessible for more people. By Jakkie Cilliers for ISS TODAY.

The #GuptaLeaks have finally solved the mystery of the blue light vehicles that illegally ferried hundreds of guests to the infamous Sun City wedding extravaganza in April 2013. By NEWS24.

For South Africans who have become so cynical over the last few years that they have lost faith in the criminal justice system, or justice whatsoever, the last week has served as mere confirmation of their view. The case around Deputy Higher Education Minister Mduduzi Manana, who has admitted to assaulting a woman at a nightclub, appears to prove that a class of people have been created who are able to act as if they are above the law because they are in fact de facto above the law. He is not the only person who behaves this way, but the first to get caught on camera in such a way that journalists can drop the word “allegedly” from their reports. The reaction to his non-arrest, and then the gestures of support for him, reveal exactly how our political system has created a legally connected upper class, the people who assume they really are above the rest of us. By STEPHEN GROOTES.

Fear is a default measure for most South African women in everyday life. Peace cannot co-exist with fear. It is possible to push back paralysis and build a society without fear. By RIKKY MINYUKU.

Evita Bezuidenhout celebrates 20 years of her Darling venue Evita se Perron with a weekly episode of 'Evita's Free Speech'. Here's the Episode 103. By PIETER-DIRK UYS.

ANC MP Makhosi Khoza has been one of her party’s most outspoken members against President Jacob Zuma. She was clear she planned to vote against the president in the recent no confidence vote. As her opponents in the ANC prepare to pounce, GREG NICOLSON spoke to Khoza on Sunday.

Mistakes have been made, KPMG acknowledged on Friday – 42 days after Scorpio and amaBhungane revealed how the audit firm saw no evil in client Gupta Inc. In reaction to extreme public pressure, KPMG has announced action against three partners pending a review into the firm’s work for the Guptas. But as yet, the firm has not taken public accountability for any concrete wrongdoing other than its partners’ attendance of the 2013 Gupta wedding, and a failure to cut ties with the Guptas earlier than it did. By SCORPIO

Until we say enough is enough, courts will continue to mete out partial justice in the service of patriarchy and to reinforce the status quo. By LUVO NELANI.

The refusal of large numbers of health workers to perform abortions is driving women to seek unsafe backstreet procedures. Professor EDDIE MHLANGA for HEALTH-E NEWS calls on medical schools to address students’ bias against abortion and teach them how to remedy botched procedures.

Caster Semenya became the 800m World Champion in London on Sunday night. She cruised home with a personal best, adding to her bronze medal in the 1500m, and her Olympic gold. At a time where the sport is desperate for an entertainer, it needs to look no further than South Africa’s golden girl. By ANTOINETTE MULLER

Far too many people are trapped in poverty in middle-income countries like South Africa. Over the next few weeks ANN BERNSTEIN will argue that instead of programmes that ameliorate poverty, we should focus more attention on eradicating it; focus less on inequality and far more on how to expand dramatically the opportunities available to poor people. In the past few decades, global poverty has fallen for an expanding population. The key cause of this stunning advance was economic growth. Too often governments in India, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa focus on increasing grants and other redistributive programmes, rather than on growing their economies. Today’s article spells out the implications of the fact that in the past few decades more people have moved out of poverty – and more quickly than ever before in human history.

Anglo American and Gold Fields may settle with miners and their families. By Pete Lewis for GROUNDUP.

KPMG has been implicated in the wake of #Guptaleaks revelations. The CEO of KPMG South Africa, Trevor Hoole, released a statement today admitting it had made mistakes. Here is the statement:

When it comes to media freedom – which is everyone's freedom, we should never again have to use the fig leaf of “I didn’t know”. BY JOE THLOLOE, who addressed the recent event, The Gathering – Media Edition.

The Yalu River – the boundary between North Korea and China – was where American and Chinese troops met and engaged in combat in the midst of the Korean conflict back in 1950-51. The Chinese had taken the defeat of their North Korean allies by UN forces rather badly and so they massively intervened. But, even more than North Korea’s defeat, the Chinese were much more discomfited by the possibility that the US would have its ground forces perched right on the Chinese border. J. BROOKS SPECTOR looks at the newest Korean crisis in light of that history and the psychology of crisis management, and is not particularly amused or comforted so far by reassurances from US officials.

From the time of the notorious 2013 Sun City wedding, the Guptas’ activities in South Africa have attracted a great deal of negative international media attention. Indeed, the reputational damage caused by the Guptas’ state capture to the global image of South Africa is probably incalculable. But one man might be able to help calculate it: Ajay Gupta, who for a full decade – until 2016 – sat on the board of Brand South Africa. That’s the body responsible for crafting a positive image of South Africa overseas. By SCORPIO, AMABHUNGANE and NEWS24.

Communities in South Africa, traumatised by relentless gang violence, rape, murder and general criminality, know that the so-called underworld exists in full view of the upperworld, as academic, researcher and author Mark Shaw has revealed in his new book Hitmen for Hire – Exposing South Africa’s Underworld. Shaw’s book attempts to unpack the dark nexus between organised crime, politics and law enforcement, a coalition of sociopaths that poses the biggest threat to South Africa’s democracy. If he could take time out from tweeting, our Minister of Police, Fikile Mbalula, would benefit from a deep plunge into Shaw’s cesspit. By MARIANNE THAMM.

Police Minister Fikile Mbalula on Thursday said the SAPS “neglected” many cases of violence against women by failing to accept cases of gender violence, not investigating reported cases, or losing dockets. Speaking around the same time as Deputy Higher Education Minister Mduduzi Manana appeared in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court – he was released on R5,000 bail on two charges of grievous assault – Mbalula said the police needed to do the right thing, and that no woman should be turned away from a police station. By MARIANNE MERTEN.

Mduduzi Manana, deputy minister of higher education, was let out on bail on Thursday for allegedly violently attacking two women. His court appearance was weird. Whether anyone will hold him to account is unknown. By GREG NICOLSON.

One of the reasons that this political era is generally named after President Jacob Zuma is that it appears everything is tied up with him in some way or another. The rise of corruption, goes the belief, is about Zuma because he came into power already corrupt, and then that contagion spread through government. In many ways he is seen as the root cause of our situation and our problems. But, there is strong evidence to suggest that he has succeeded not just because of his political strength, but also because the very structure of our society has allowed him to. Events that occurred a full decade ago are a good illustration of this. By STEPHEN GROOTES.

Parliament’s Motion of No Confidence to remove President Jacob Zuma may have failed, but that doesn’t mean the opposition doesn’t have a few tricks up its collective sleeve yet. Before the ANC even gets to its electoral congress in December, President Zuma will have to face at least two substantial legal matters coming up in September – as well as a few more parliamentary stunts, no doubt. By REBECCA DAVIS.

The City of Cape Town responds to Marianne Mertens’ criticism of the electricity tariff system as stunting social integration in the Cape Town CBD and surrounding area (Daily Maverick, 30 July 2017). By JOHAN VAN DER MERWE.

The ANC had a mandate to act 10 years ago, and at last, in 2017, an Ad Hoc Committee on the Funding of Political Parties is in place. By MOIRA LEVY for NOTES FROM THE HOUSE.

After six years in the desert, former South African hostage in Mali, Stephen McGown, is ready to live. KRISTEN VAN SCHIE reports.

The free flow of traffic was restored this morning on one of the busiest roads in Gauteng following the collapse of an unused overhead pedestrian bridge, but questions have once again been asked regarding the standard of infrastructure inspections. By BHEKI C SIMELANE.

Welcome to the second instalment of Open Secrets’ series, Declassified: Apartheid Profits. While researching the recently published book Apartheid Guns and Money: A Tale of Profit, Open Secrets collected approximately 40,000 archival documents from 25 archives in seven countries. This treasure trove contains damning details of the individuals and corporations that propped up apartheid and profited in return. Many of these documents were kept secret until now. Most remain hidden despite South Africa’s transition to democracy. OPEN SECRETS believes that it is vital to allow the public to scrutinise the primary evidence. Here we invite you behind the scenes to look at the documents that informed the book. Last week we detailed a few of the corporations which bankrolled the National Party. This week we zoom in on Naspers – the media giant whose top management described it as the “tap root of the National Party”.

Through leaks, whistle-blowers and damning reports we have come to understand the degree to which the state has been captured. During Women’s Month, we profile one courageous professional who helped make it happen. By Susan Comrie for AMABHUNGANE.

This week’s major general elections in Kenya are barely behind them, but Kenyans are awaiting the formal results in fear that this calm might precede a storm. By PETER FABRICIUS.

America’s many missions in Africa aren’t all about warfare – many provide training, education and aid. By Peter Fabricius for ISS TODAY

If a new law passes, Ghana will become the first Sub-Saharan country to decriminalise personal drug use and possession. By LEANDRE BANON.

In the game of motions, the DA on Thursday files its parliamentary papers for an early election in terms of Section 50(1) of the Constitution. DA leader Mmusi Maimane said the ANC may have won the no confidence vote in Parliament, but it has lost the confidence of South Africans, who must now have the opportunity to have their say at the ballot box. “Bring it on!” he said on Women’s Day. By MARIANNE MERTEN.

Minutes after contender for Kenya’s presidency Raila Odinga held another televised press briefing on Wednesday alleging serious vote-rigging by President Uhuru Kenyatta, protests and clashes were reported in hotspots like Nairobi’s Mathare, where two people have been shot dead and another five were wounded by police, and Kibera slums, as well as in Kisumu in the west. By CARIEN DU PLESSIS.

After years of being a thorn in the opposition’s side, Speaker Baleka Mbete became an unlikely hero this week after ruling that the Motion of No Confidence in President Jacob Zuma should be decided via secret ballot. There are suggestions that this decision was made in defiance of the wishes of ANC officials. If so, what could this mean for the future of Mbete within the ruling party? By REBECCA DAVIS.

During a wide-ranging interview with Energy Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi on Friday 4 August 2017, investigative editor at EE Publishers, CHRIS YELLAND took the opportunity to get an update from her on the state of the proposed nuclear new-build programme in South Africa.

A day after surviving the motion of no confidence, President Jacob Zuma was praised by his ally Bathabile Dlamini on Wednesday. The president, who addressed the official Women’s Day event in Kimberley, did not speak on the no confidence motion, nor did he mention Mduduzi Manana, who remains at large. By GREG NICOLSON.

There are practical steps government should take if it is serious. By Sanja Bornman for GROUNDUP.

In Africa, better gender representation in government hasn’t led to a decrease in abuse of women. By Liesl Louw-Vaudran for ISS TODAY.

Evita Bezuidenhout celebrates 20 years of her Darling venue Evita se Perron with a weekly episode of 'Evita's Free Speech'. Here's the Episode 102. By PIETER-DIRK UYS.

This was the eighth no confidence motion tabled against President Jacob Zuma, and the only one by secret ballot. There was talk of something called a “conscience”. And the man in the High Castle stood by, waiting, getting weaker with every vote cast. Enjoy this complimentary Phillip K. Dick pic from the other side of political reality. By RICHARD POPLAK.

Afghanistan may be evolving into the newest territory for the fighting among those vicious, unruly tribes in the Trump White House. Given all the years in which Americans have been engaged in fighting in that unhappy mountainous nation, as well as Afghanistan’s long history of ultimately defeating foreigners intent on ruling them, the Trump administration may just become the presidency that ends up holding the bag when things go south there for Americans. J. BROOKS SPECTOR looks to history as a guide for the Trumpians’ struggles over who controls policy.

In the midst of all the doom and foreboding news we read every day around the overwhelming violence we as women face, it can be quite hard to see a parting in the clouds revealing optimism. It is however important that we find this optimism in order for us to continue the business of inspiring, empowering and just generally living our best lives. In doing so we need to look to the positive and admirable advances that women around us are contributing to our society daily; in fact, we affirm that we too need to aspire to being such formidable women. By THABANG POOE and ZUKISWA PIKOLO.

Immediately after the #zumavote in the National Assembly, politicians and analysts had their sound bites at the ready for the inevitable bombardment from journalists on the precinct – even before their own number-crunching analysts had tallied up the implications of the vote. By JANET HEARD.

Tuesday was a long day for the supporters of political parties who descended on central Cape Town in their thousands to follow Parliament’s motion of no confidence in President Jacob Zuma. Bar a few minor incidents, the violence many had feared might erupt between opposing parties failed to transpire. In the end, the EFF’s Julius Malema said it best: “Whether you liked or hated the vote’s outcome, peaceful democracy won the day.” By REBECCA DAVIS.

On Tuesday afternoon President Jacob Zuma survived another vote of no confidence in Parliament. Despite the massed forces of the opposition to his rule, both outside and inside the ANC, he is still the President of the Republic of South Africa. On the face of it, he has reason to swagger. There was a secret ballot, and he survived. But beneath that, the story is much more complicated. The group of ANC MPs, who owe their political allegiance, their salaries and their careers to the African National Congress, rebelled against party discipline. In some ways, Tuesday’s vote looks like just the start of a much more turbulent phase in our politics. By STEPHEN GROOTES.

The ANC on Tuesday evening celebrated the defeat of the constitutional motion of no confidence in President Jacob Zuma despite the narrowing margin of 198 against, 177 for, and nine abstentions, in a secret ballot. But in clinching this victory in the political battles, both inside and outside the governing party, has the ANC lost the war as the 2019 election looms? By MARIANNE MERTEN.

In a show of support to opposition party leaders who participated in the no confidence vote in the National Assembly, members of the Economic Freedom Fighters marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to await the results of the motion of no confidence while in Soweto streets were blocked with burning tyres and stones as pupils protested. By ORATENG LEPODISE and BHEKI C. SIMELANE.