Enoch Godongwana, South Africa's finance ministe (Photo: Dwayne Senior/Bloomberg via Getty Images) 
The Weekend Wrap
South Africa’s Budget crisis; Finkelstein’s take on the ICJ case backlash; and why is there an increase in lung cancer among women who have never smoked?
From confidence to chaos: the implications of South Africa’s unfolding Budget crisis
Budgets and finance and money and our entire economy are about confidence. Now that this has happened, the last remaining genie of stability is out the bottle. This will now happen again and again, and it will cascade into provinces and councils.
By Stephen Grootes
The Weekend Wrap
South Africa’s Budget crisis; Finkelstein’s take on the ICJ case backlash; and why is there an increase in lung cancer among women who have never smoked?
From confidence to chaos: the implications of South Africa’s unfolding Budget crisis
Budgets and finance and money and our entire economy are about confidence. Now that this has happened, the last remaining genie of stability is out the bottle. This will now happen again and again, and it will cascade into provinces and councils.
By Stephen Grootes
Guptas, what Guptas? State Security Agency says it has ‘no records’ concerning the brothers
Considering the Gupta brothers’ deliberate and successful efforts to corrupt and weaken South Africa’s democratic state, it’s hard to believe our intelligence services have not generated even one email, report or meeting minute on their activities or whereabouts.
By Jane Borman
Trump’s backlash has everything to do with SA’s ICJ case — Israel-Palestine expert Norman Finkelstein
According to Norman Finkelstein, a global authority on Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians and one of the most influential political scientists in the world, the backlash against SA from the Trump administration has everything to do with our government’s case against Israel under the 1948 Genocide Convention. For Finkelstein, a Jew and the son of Holocaust survivors, the South African submissions to the ICJ have been beyond reproach — which is why the ‘dirty tricks’ campaign is only going to get worse.
By Kevin Bloom
What a 2 percentage point VAT increase would actually cost SA households
While the Treasury’s mooted 2 percentage point VAT increase is now on hold pending another sitting of Parliament on 12 March, Daily Maverick examined the data. The impact could be devastating, particularly to South Africa’s poorest households.
By Yeshiel Panchia
Guptas, what Guptas? State Security Agency says it has ‘no records’ concerning the brothers
Considering the Gupta brothers’ deliberate and successful efforts to corrupt and weaken South Africa’s democratic state, it’s hard to believe our intelligence services have not generated even one email, report or meeting minute on their activities or whereabouts.
By Jane Borman
Nazaré: the epicenter of big wave surfing and nature’s most formidable ocean challenge
Even if you only have a passing interest in surfing, the name Nazaré might sound familiar. That’s because it’s widely considered the world’s biggest rideable wave, and is certainly the world’s biggest beach break, situated on Portugal’s Atlantic coast.
By Craig Ray
Why is there an increase in lung cancer among women who have never smoked?
Rising air pollution, changes in hormone levels, immune system imbalances and longer life expectancy are increasing the risk of lung cancer in women who have never touched a cigarette.Gogo Maweni has regularly shared with her followers that she is not averse to using her remedies, traditional knowledge and potions to get even or bewitch those who betray or harm her and her family.
By Pinar Uysal-Onganer
Baboons and human fear – a deep history behind the cruel attacks in South Africa
The curious and socially complex baboon, once revered in South African folklore, now finds itself the scapegoat of suburban anxieties, leading to gruesome encounters like the recent hashtag-worthy demise of Raygun, a young baboon who learned the hard way that curiosity can kill - especially when humans are armed with superstition and a penchant for violence.
By Sandra Swart
Local Trump supporters gather at the US Embassy in Pretoria, and more from around the world
Moving, tragic, surprising, inspiring, terrifying, shocking... This is a selection of images from our planet, over the past weekend.
By Maverick Life Editors
How a fire undid decades of conservation and led to the likely extinction of the Brenton blue butterfly
Once saved from extinction, South Africa’s Brenton blue butterfly faces an uncertain fate after the devastating 2017 Knysna fire wiped out its last known habitat. Years of conservation efforts were undone in hours, despite researchers’ warnings of escalating climate dangers – wildfire risk in particular.
By Kristin Engel
Daily Mini Crossword Quickie
One artist sows the seed for Bathurst’s food security
Tori Stowe takes Daily Maverick on a meandering tour of the myriad Nolukhanyo Grows home garden projects in Bathurst, Eastern Cape, to see which have grown roots of their own. At Maynardville, under the stars and under the guiding hand of a sage director, The Tempest is a sui generis Shakespearean oddity that is more than the sum of its parts.
By Lillian Roberts
Five steps to make your fashion choices more sustainable
Shopping sustainably can feel like a maze of ethical trade-offs, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Here are five steps to build more conscious and sustainable style habits.
By Julia Evans
Welcome to the MAGA world of dire-straits farmers and no lamb tjoppies
Ja-nee, kêrels. You might want to think twice before you leap across the pond and land in a country where there’s no rugby, nobody has an indoor braai, and nobody even eats lamb chops. Oh, and you may have to do your own housework.
By Chris Pretorius
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