--- title: "Treason in SA; the Mkhize farm debacle; and do cats and dogs ‘understand’ us?" description: "What qualifies as treason in South Africa? A closer look at the Mkhize farm debacle; plus the tell-tale signs that cats and dogs ‘understand’ us. All in this weekend’s wrap!" type: "NewsArticle" publisher: "Daily Maverick" site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za" section: "THE WEEKEND WRAP" author: "Daily Maverick" author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/dailymaverick/" canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-03-08-treason-in-sa-the-mkhize-farm-debacle-and-do-cats-and-dogs-understand-us/" published: "2025-03-08T09:24:59" updated: "2025-03-08T09:33:13" lang: "en-ZA" word_count: 697 --- # Treason in SA; the Mkhize farm debacle; and do cats and dogs ‘understand’ us? > What qualifies as treason in South Africa? A closer look at the Mkhize farm debacle; plus the tell-tale signs that cats and dogs ‘understand’ us. All in this weekend’s wrap! By Daily Maverick · Published 8 March 2025, 11:24 SAST · Updated 8 March 2025, 11:33 SAST ## Key points - This weekend, we dissect the murky waters of treason in South Africa, unravel the Mkhize farm fiasco, and ponder whether our pets are secretly fluent in human. - Treason discussions heat up in South Africa as legal definitions and past cases come under scrutiny. - The Mkhize farm scandal raises questions about Ithala SOC's financial stability amid calls for liquidation. - Trump's AI-assisted rhetoric escalates tensions over Gaza, while Ramaphosa emphasizes adherence to international law. - Controversy brews over branded McDonald's desks in schools, sparking debates on corporate influence in education. ## Content ## The Weekend Wrap What legally defines treason in South Africa? The Mkhize farm debacle; and how cats and dogs ‘understand’ us. All in your weekend wrap. ## [What constitutes treason (and what doesn’t) in South Africa](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-03-04-what-constitutes-treason-and-what-doesnt-in-south-africa/) Treason is the topic du jour. But what is treason and who has been found guilty of it in South Africa? By Victoria O’Regan ## [Retirement roulette – is a GEPF payment holiday a smart bet?](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-03-03-after-the-bell-retirement-roulette-is-a-gepf-payment-holiday-a-smart-bet/) The level of outperformance of the fund means that its surplus in numerical terms is R187-billion, which means the government could take not a one-year, but a three-year, funding break if it wanted to. By Tim Cohen ## The Weekend Wrap What legally defines treason in South Africa? The Mkhize farm debacle. And how cats and dogs ‘understand’ us. All in your weekend wrap. ![Treason](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Tori-treason-explainer-copy-720x366.jpg) ## [What constitutes treason (and what doesn’t) in South Africa](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-03-04-what-constitutes-treason-and-what-doesnt-in-south-africa/) Treason is the topic du jour. But what is treason and who has been found guilty of it in South Africa? By Victoria O’Regan ![Enoch Godongwana](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/ATB-tim-gepf-720x360.jpg) ## [Retirement roulette – is a GEPF payment holiday a smart bet?](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-03-03-after-the-bell-retirement-roulette-is-a-gepf-payment-holiday-a-smart-bet/) The level of outperformance of the fund means that its surplus in numerical terms is R187-billion, which means the government could take not a one-year, but a three-year, funding break if it wanted to. By Tim Cohen ![Ithala](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Mkhhize-farm-Ithala-loan-copy-720x360.jpg) ## [The Mkhize farm debacle – what else lurks in Ithala’s loan books?](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-03-06-the-mkhize-farm-debacle-what-else-lurks-in-ithalas-loan-books/) The SA Reserve Bank’s Prudential Authority wants to liquidate KZN-based Ithala SOC amid major concerns over the state-owned lender’s finances. In this piece, Scorpio unpacks the recent court application before examining a questionable Ithala loan. By Pieter-Louis Myburgh for Scorpio ## [Deeply distasteful — sex cruises to Antarctica set to hasten degradation of Earth’s last great wilderness](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-03-04-deeply-distasteful-sex-cruises-to-antarctica-set-to-hasten-degradation-of-earths-last-great-wilderness/) A luxury cruise line is offering sex tours to the ice continent to swap partners and learn new coital positions. It seems out of place. By Don Pinnock ![Antarctic](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/LLV-cruise-image-2.jpg) ## [Fixing the woke, stoking the broke? Trump’s speech to Congress was full of self-praise, big promises](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-03-05-trumps-speech-to-congress-fixing-the-woke-stoking-the-broke/) President Donald Trump gave his non-State of the Union speech, promising peace in our time, lower taxes and a return to the mythic golden age of the late 19th century. Meanwhile, Democrats found a new star in the senator they chose to offer their rebuttal: Michigan’s Elissa Slotkin. By J Brooks Spector ![Image](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Brooks-Trump-speech-copy-720x360.jpg) ## [Collapse in Chambishi — tailings failure is a canary in Zambia’s Copperbelt](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-03-04-chambishi-tailings-failure-a-canary-in-zambias-copperbelt/) The underlying conditions that allowed this disaster – weak regulation, limited enforcement capacity and Zambia’s heavy reliance on mining revenues – remain largely intact. By Yeshiel Panchia ## [Branded McDonald’s desks for schoolchildren — government failing or a corporation overstepping?](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-03-03-branded-mcdonalds-desks-for-schoolchildren-government-failing-or-a-corporation-overstepping/) McDonald’s-branded foldable desks in a public school in Cape Town have been slammed by civil society organisations for ‘turning children into walking billboards’. By Lillian Roberts ![Image](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/Marius-Oosthuisen-1.jpg) ## [Ernst Roets on Tucker Carlson: A closer look at Afrikaner claims and misconceptions](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/opinionista/2025-03-04-ernst-roets-on-tucker-carlson-a-closer-look-at-afrikaner-claims-and-misconceptions/) Roets made four bold claims — about South Africa’s collapse, the ANC’s governance, Afrikaner persecution, and societal breakdown. As an Afrikaner myself I see the same reality he does but draw starkly different conclusions. Roets is partly correct, but fundamentally wrong. By Marius Oosthuizen ## [MotoGP master Marc Márquez has a chance to add to his legacy in 2025](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-03-06-motogp-marc-marquez-ready-to-add-to-his-legacy-in-2025/) Ducati is already the most dominant team on the MotoGP circuit at the moment. Now they have six-time champion Marc Márquez, who is hungry to roll back the years after some tumultuous times due to injuries. By Yanga Sibembe ## [A mew perspective: Do cats and dogs ‘understand’ us — here are the tell-tail signs](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-03-06-a-mew-perspective-do-cats-and-dogs-understand-us-here-are-the-tell-tail-signs/) Our pets definitely have an idea of what we are saying to them, but not in the way we think. By Quixi Sonntag [![Image](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/2023_04_24_CROSSWORDS-GIF-TEST3-1.gif)](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/mini-crosswords/) ## [Daily Mini Crossword Quickie](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/mini-crosswords/) [Play here.](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/mini-crosswords/) ## [South Africa’s restaurant ‘Oscars’ — it’s about the substance, not the glitz](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-03-07-south-africas-restaurant-oscars-its-about-the-substance-not-the-glitz/) Hoping to win the top SA restaurant award? Get that tuxedo pressed. Get your elbow greased, you’ll be needing it. And be like Demi Moore — get your speech ready, even if you don’t end up winning. By Tony Jackman [Subscribe to First Thing](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/edit-my-profile/) to receive the Weekend Wrap in your inbox every Sunday morning. If you value the work our journalists do and want to support Daily Maverick, consider becoming a Maverick Insider. 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