When global consulting firm McKinsey “came clean” last Tuesday about its work at Eskom, it admitted it was not careful enough about associating with Trillian, its de facto local partner. But it claimed not to have known that Gupta lieutenant Salim Essa owned most of Trillian. Now we show that at least R30-million flowed from Regiments, McKinsey’s longstanding local partner at Transnet, into companies associated with a notorious Gupta-Essa money laundering channel. McKinsey refuses to comment on the payments, styled as fees to “business development partners”. Once again, it was the major beneficiary of the resultant contracts. By Susan Comrie for AMABHUNGANE.

The company’s global strategy boss says regulation to limit the online business's negative impacts was welcome. But why hasn’t government done so? By Steve Kretzmann for GROUNDUP.

Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa at the weekend continued his recent streak of venturing into party-political no-go provinces by addressing meetings at North West University in Potchefstroom and a cadres’ forum in Mahikeng. Luthuli House sent out an official press release about his activities, but the party leadership in the province was fuming. What exactly is going on here? By CARIEN DU PLESSIS.

In 2015 when Mthandazo Berning Ntlemeza was irrationally and irregularly appointed as acting head of the DPCI by former Minister of Police, Nathi Nhleko, The Bern found himself scuttling up the ranks, promoted almost immediately to Lieutenant-General and earning a cool R1.6-million a year. Put out to pasture in September by new Minster of Police Fikile Mbalula, Ntlemeza exited SAPS at the lower rank of Major-General which he had held before his appointment. Ntlemeza has now approached the Constitutional Court seeking leave to appeal the SCA ruling setting aside his appointment. He would also like the bigger pension package he thinks he is entitled to. By MARIANNE THAMM.

It is now beyond trite to say that tensions are rising within the ANC, and that the stakes – money, power, lives, an entire country – are huge. In the past, it has been easy to smack down the more outlandish speculation. But President Jacob Zuma’s latest Cabinet reshuffle, in which he failed to consult the ANC’s top leadership, and his apparent reasons for it, show that we are now at a stage where almost anything, including the removal of Cyril Ramaphosa as Deputy President, can indeed happen. By STEPHEN GROOTES.

In their most recent letter to the editor, the family of former defence minister at the time of the Arms Deal, Joe Modise, stated that they were chagrined at the need to fill up the pages of Daily Maverick with a tedious back and forth. It is too bad, then, that they have decided to write a letter that adds little of value to the discussion beyond both lengthily claiming I am a liar and proceeding to repeat myths, half-truths and outright lies to defend their position. For those, like me, who have worked on the Arms Deal for over a decade, it is freshly frustrating to have to set the record straight regarding shibboleths that have been repeatedly and consistently disproven. By ANDREW FEINSTEIN.

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 113. By PIETER-DIRK UYS.

For children with suspected tuberculosis (TB), diagnosis is difficult and can often be painful and complicated. In a vulnerable population where many kids are being missed new diagnostics are critical. Preliminary results from a South African trial have given experts in the field, and patients, a glimmer of hope, reports Amy Green for HEALTH-E NEWS.

From across southern Africa, KRISTEN VAN SCHIE brings you a weekly round-up of news making regional waves.

Paul Hoffman in an opinion piece on 19 October thinks that the Catholic Bishops’ call for a new TRC is a bad idea. But is it? Let’s consider a fresh version – a Truth and Restitution Commission which would offer people amnesty only on condition that they told the whole truth, showed adequate remorse and made restitution in some form. By DIANE SALTERS.

Perhaps here on Nevsky Prospect, around the corner from the Winter Palace, on a day when Vladimir Putin’s police are bashing protesters in its shadow, is not the best place to be looking for the signs – but what happened to the revolution? By YVES VANDERHAEGHEN.

The Lesotho government insists a four-nation regional peacekeeping force will be deployed in the country by the 1 November deadline despite hiccups and disagreements. By PETER FABRICIUS.

Is this finally the time for Africa’s agricultural boom? Yes, if women are given a seat at the table, writes MANKA ANGWAFO.

Last week, two colleagues and I attended a tour of South Africa’s Parliament with nearly 100 students from Stellenbosch University. When we left campus on Tuesday morning, President Jacob Zuma’s most recent Cabinet shuffle hadn’t been announced. Nevertheless, the reshuffle was an interesting backdrop for an engaging experience that provided a snapshot of South African politics at the moment. By DAVID REIERSGORD.

It’s been seven years since Evita last played in Johannesburg, and that was a bonsai production pared down to fit a smaller stage. Now a full-blown version is sprawling across the giant stage of the Teatro at Montecasino, with a live orchestra, a massive screen projecting historical film clips, and plenty of space for Argentina’s military juntas to drill. By LESLEY STONES.

Robert Mugabe had his ‘Des van Rooyen moment’ last week when he was briefly appointed as a WHO Goodwill Ambassador, then had the position rescinded on Sunday after a huge international outcry. But was the WHO thinking when it appointed him, asks HEALTH-E’s Kerry Cullinan.

McKinsey's latest misadventure revealed, Catalan braces for intervention, and Spurs clobber Liverpool.

Staff numbers have dwindled from 80-odd in its heyday to just a handful of mainly support staff sparking concern of reduced commercial activity that could impact on the company's ability to pay back Eskom. By Jessica Bezuidenhout for SCORPIO.

Former Eskom Chief Executive Brian Molefe “retired” with a pension of around R95,000 a month, and approximately R7.9-million cash, on the back of a letter by then board chairperson Ben Ngubane. That’s because Eskom bought its chief executive another 13 years of theoretical service – Molefe had worked at Eskom for 16 months – and paid the penalties normally applicable. What emerged before Parliament’s Eskom inquiry on Friday highlighted the manipulation of rules of the power utility’s pension fund whose managers simply crunched the numbers following Ngubane’s instruction. But questions emerged as to whether Molefe ever was entitled to an Eskom pension in the first place. By MARIANNE MERTEN.

Lesotho Prime Minister Tom Thabane is facing a motion of no confidence less than four months after being sworn in amidst rumours that he has been hospitalised due to ill health. Officially, however, he’s well and attending an event in Dubai. By CARIEN DU PLESSIS.

Miners are being assassinated in Marikana, again. The truth as to who’s to blame has also become a victim as the bodies and accusations pile up. By GREG NICOLSON.

Skhumbuzo Dube was shot dead by another child who was playing with a gun. By Julia Chaskalson for GROUNDUP.

Counter-terrorism fails when it alienates the very communities it is meant to help. By Denys Reva for ISS TODAY.

White supremacist leader shouted out, terror threat for Senegal, and nine million killed from pollution.

Developing countries are increasingly pushing back against the intellectual property regime foisted on them by advanced economies over the last 30 years. They are right to do so, because what matters is not only the production of knowledge, but also that it is used in ways that put the health and well-being of people ahead of corporate profits. By JOSEPH E. STIGLITZ, DEAN BAKER and ARJUN JAYADEV.

Rumour has it that SAPS crime statistics will be released next week. For the first time in 15 years this is later than the usual September release. However, when it is released the reader and user of the crime statistics should beware of the following suspicious methods that are used, especially since the 2011/2012 crime statistics releases. In March 2017 the last quarterly crime statistics in the form of a Trimester Presentation were released on the SAPS website. This will be used to illustrate the methods. By CHRIS DE KOCK.

You don’t have to be religious, thank God, to find yourself enjoying this play about Jesus. Not when the script of The Man Jesus is more of a cleverly constructed whodunnit, or whydunnit, than a paean to Christianity. By LESLEY STONES.

The Durban council’s repeated failure to award a R50-million a month security contract over more than a decade has suffered yet another setback, with the latest tender process foundering amid court action and the axing of a senior official on allegations of corruption. By Zanele Mji for AMABHUNGANE.

Pura Vida! Costa Rica’s cry of “Pure Life” booms a greeting from locals to visitors from abroad. Best known for its rich biodiversity and ecotourism, Costa Rica is also ranked as one of the happiest countries in the world. It boasts some of the finest coffee money can buy and is the investment destination of choice for services in Central America. For South Africans, Costa Rica offers one of the more interesting models for African countries seeking a workable balance between development and the environment. By LYAL WHITE.

Democratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane says he’s confident that Cape Town won’t run out of water. In an interview with Daily Maverick on Thursday, however, Maimane admitted that the Western Cape’s water crisis should have been handled better. But he also said the situation has been exacerbated by factors ranging from the national government’s lack of support to alleged collusion among those providing new water technology to drive up prices. By REBECCA DAVIS.

The deployment of a regional peacekeeping force to Lesotho has been further delayed, even as the need for it seems to be growing after the arrest and detention on a murder charge of former military commander Tlali Kamoli. Kamoli, who is widely suspected to be behind much of the instability in the country, appeared in the Maseru magistrates’ court this week where he was charged with the murder of Police Sub-Inspector Mokheseng Ramahloko. By PETER FABRICIUS.

Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Thursday morning started with rumours doing the rounds that he’d be axed and replaced by ANC MP Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma before the week is out. His performance in the National Assembly later in the day, however, showed why it would be a bad idea for President Jacob Zuma to touch him. For now, Ramaphosa appears to be sitting pretty. By CARIEN DU PLESSIS.

Despite the troubled time that South Africa is going through, it is not on the verge of becoming “just another failed African post-colonial experiment”. Far from it. This it the climate for optimism. By SIPHO PITYANA.

As annual government audits show increases in irregular and wasteful expenditure, an alarming phenomenon has emerged known as “contestation” in which departments or their projects or entities that are at risk of a questionable audit outcome challenge and even clash with the teams from the office of the Auditor General, threatening litigation or even personal intimidation. Scopa Chairperson Themba Godi insists strong action must be taken to halt this. By MOIRA LEVY.

Cape Town is well into Phase One of its Water Resilience Plan with dam levels at 35% and usable, safe drinking dam water sitting at around 25%. By comparison, dam levels were 62% this time in 2016. Despite critical dam levels, collective consumption is still over 600-million litres of water per day. Water-wise domestic users are turning their attention to groundwater to reduce some of the pressure on municipal water sources – but what are the options and how deep into their pockets do consumers have to dig for boreholes and well points? By Leila Dougan for CHRONICLE.

If the Pan African Parliament has a role, governments must give it the teeth to be effective. By Peter Fabricius for ISS TODAY.

After some initial delays, the disciplinary hearing of suspended head of generation and former acting CEO at Eskom, Matshela Koko, got off to a rocky start at about 5pm on Wednesday 18 October 2017 in the Franklin Auditorium at Eskom Megawatt Park, Johannesburg. By CHRIS YELLAND, investigative editor, EE Publishers.

The African National Congress (ANC) had to defend six safe seats in an October 18 by-election. These included three seats in southern KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), and one each in the “Premier League” provinces of Mpumalanga, Free State and the North West. The ANC lost a seat in Mpumalanga to a former ANC councillor who ran as an independent. The ANC also lost some ground in the only Metro by-election of the night in Mangaung. It was still a very good night for them in KZN and the North West. By WAYNE SUSSMAN.

On Thursday, Labour peer Lord Peter Hain of Neath tabled a question in the British House of Lords asking Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, to ensure that UK law enforcement agencies, including the Serious Fraud Office, investigate HBSC, Standard Chartered and Baroda Banks for possibly acting as conduits for the allegedly corrupt proceeds amassed by the Gupta family in their business dealings in South Africa. Hain has listed 27 individuals including 11 members of the Gupta family and their associates as well as President Jacob Zuma and 11 members of his family. By MARIANNE THAMM.

Myeni shown the emergency exit from SAA, Trump disrespect scandal over deceased soldier, and flowers give off halos for bees.

Newlands Cricket Ground has made progress in becoming more water efficient with its facilities, but it’s at club cricket level where the impact of the drought will hit the hardest. By ANTOINETTE MULLER.

In the wake of the renewed disarray caused by President Jacob Zuma’s Cabinet reshuffle, that may have major impacts on investor confidence and impact further on the country’s investment status, it is clear that the President has no concern for the interests of the country. He acts in a manner that will benefit himself. This raises broader questions of what we require from leadership and especially, the much-used concept of “ethical leadership”. By RAYMOND SUTTNER.

Now that #BladeHasFallen, it is time that #FeesMustFall. By OLIVER METH and BUSISIWE SEABE.

While much of the political intrigue of the last few days after President Jacob Zuma’s Cabinet reshuffle has focused on the removal of the SACP’s Blade Nzimande, the focus now moves to David Mahlobo’s new job. He is the new Minister of Energy, a portfolio that appears tasked with pushing through a deal that would see us spending around a trillion rand we don't have (that is R1,000,000,000,000) on nuclear power stations we don’t need. If ever there was an appointment that suggests the ANC is about to fall over through the sheer weight of corruption, this is it. By STEPHEN GROOTES.

The City of Cape Town is looking for alternative sources of water to get through the current drought. They’re desperate to find as much as 500 megalitres of water per day from alternative sources including groundwater, desalination and the use of waste water. The Ground Water Division of the Geological Society of South Africa is hosting a conference in Stellenbosch looking particularly at water supply in times of water scarcity. And although the conference is packed with underground water specialists, it seems the City has been slow to tap into this precious resource. By Leila Dougan for CHRONICLE.

In which J. BROOKS SPECTOR notes Donald Trump’s slithering around the truth in the self-made controversy over his condolence call to a widow of a US soldier killed in an ambush in Niger. In this case, Spector finds that the president has failed a test first set out by Abraham Lincoln in 1864. (And in discussing this first controversy, we’ll just have to postpone a planned exploration of a White House document circulated by the president and prepared by senior trade adviser Peter Navarro that alleged a weakened manufacturing sector leads to an increase in abortion, spousal abuse, divorce and infertility. Too many stories, so little time.)

Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane on Wednesday made it clear he took exception to facing questions on State Capture, rather than “real issues that affect our people” and his department’s “many positives… nobody knows about because we are seized with this (State Capture) matter”. He expressed surprised at MPs’ invitation as State Capture was before the courts – the legal review of the public protector’s commission of inquiry brought by President Jacob Zuma starts next week – and “legal platforms” like the public protector, police and Parliament’s registrar of interests. By MARIANNE MERTEN.

It’s Wednesday night’s breaking news headline, but that’s the thing with Dudu Myeni – many will need convincing that the powers-that-be have finally been cornered into letting go of uBaba’s favourite chairperson. So we’ll say it again: Dudu Myeni is OUT. By Jessica Bezuidenhout for SCORPIO.

Inspired by a social media campaign encouraging women to share their experiences of sexual assault, singer and former ANC MP Jennifer Ferguson came forward on Wednesday to claim that she was raped by current South African Football Association boss Danny Jordaan in 1993. Ferguson says she can no longer keep silent about the abuses of power by influential men. By REBECCA DAVIS.