Illustrative image | DA supporters march to Parliament to protest against the Employment Equity Act draft regulations. (Photo: Brenton Geach / Gallo Images) | DA chairperson Helen Zille. (Photo: Fani Mahuntsi / Gallo Images) | Labour Minister Nomakhosazana Meth. (Photo: Lulama Zenzile / Gallo Images / Die Burger) 
The Weekend Wrap
The DA dares the ANC, inside the papal conclave, and where our recycling is going — all in this weekend’s wrap.
A new pope is chosen: A look back on the jostling for the papacy and the conclave’s history
Becoming pope was a big deal for a cardinal and his family. Leading candidates known as papabili (pope-ables) began strategising and negotiating even before a pontiff died.Budget 3.0 is in the works — more than two months after Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s first attempt at a Budget was supposed to have been tabled.
By Colin Rose
Employment Equity — the DA’s dare to the ANC
The latest court application by the DA against an action by the government, of which it is a part, appears to be part of a long-running campaign to ensure it maintains a distinct identity. But this move, in challenging provisions of the Employment Equity Amendment Act, suggests the DA believes it can push the ANC very far indeed.
By Stephen Grootes
Why Bitcoin’s growing pains are exactly what it needs
Bitcoin breaking free of traditional finance gravity is supposed to be hard, but Donald Trump trying to hitch a ride on the crypto rocket to the moon is adding unnecessary drag.
By Lindsey Schutters
The Weekend Wrap
The DA dares the ANC, inside the papal conclave, and where our recycling is going — all in this weekend’s wrap.
A new pope is chosen: A look back on the jostling for the papacy and the conclave’s history
Becoming pope was a big deal for a cardinal and his family. Leading candidates known as papabili (pope-ables) began strategising and negotiating even before a pontiff died.
By Colin Rose
Employment Equity — the DA’s dare to the ANC
The latest court application by the DA against an action by the government, of which it is a part, appears to be part of a long-running campaign to ensure it maintains a distinct identity. But this move, in challenging provisions of the Employment Equity Amendment Act, suggests the DA believes it can push the ANC very far indeed.
By Stephen Grootes
Why Bitcoin’s growing pains are exactly what it needs
Bitcoin breaking free of traditional finance gravity is supposed to be hard, but Donald Trump trying to hitch a ride on the crypto rocket to the moon is adding unnecessary drag.
By Lindsey Schutters
Marco Rubio’s rearranging of the deck chairs on the USS Trump — does it matter?
Most of America’s foreign aid programme has been gutted. Now there is a major proposed reorganisation and cutting down of the State Department in pursuit of those elusive ‘America First’ plans. Will this churn make American foreign policy more cogent, effective and focused — or will it just be smoke and mirrors?
By Mark Tomlinson
Dumpster Dive: Where is our recycling going?
As South Africa grapples with mounting waste and a struggling recycling system, tough questions are being asked about what really happens to the materials we toss in the bin. In this Daily Maverick webinar, Dumpster Dive: Where is our recycling going?, environmental journalist Kristin Engel leads a conversation with Candice Mostert, founder and co-director of Waste-Ed, and Masopha Moshoeshoe, acting CEO of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE). Together, they’ll unpack the state of recycling in South Africa — from community-level education to national policy — and what needs to change for the system to actually work.
Louis Massyn — how to run a life that works
What does it take to run the Comrades Marathon 50 times? Guts.
By Sulette Ferreira
We’re in the F**k Around and Find Out phase of democracy
But the Find Out phase, though tough in many ways, is also a crucible. It is where illusions shatter. It is where false gods are exposed. It is where the hard, necessary work of rebuilding must begin.
By Kavisha Pillay
In the face of death amid a failing system — a student on what they don’t teach in medical school
Plenty of people told Sarah Stein that practising medicine would be difficult. Now, as a fifth-year medical student at the University of Cape Town, she wishes she would have listened more carefully.
By Sarah Stein
Israel has denied children the right to education and human rights, says Dr Noam Peleg
The war waged by Israel against Palestine has denied children the right to education after schools have been closed and many children killed, said Dr Noam Peleg at Equal Education’s third annual Yoliswa Dwane Lecture.
By Siyabonga Goni
How to brew a cup of South African business inspiration — with rooibos, espresso and a splash of hope
What do you get when you grind rooibos tea and put it through an espresso machine? Red Espresso, a proudly South African company that’s been making a splash in markets locally and internationally.
By Nick Dall
From recovery to resilience – acting electricity DG Pillay charts a bold vision to 2050
In an address that signalled a significant and welcome shift in tone and substance in South Africa’s energy discourse, acting Director-General at the Ministry of Energy and Electricity Subesh Pillay called for structural transformation in the country’s electricity and energy planning regime.
By Chris Yelland
From firesides to farm graveyards: A journey through Cradock’s enigmatic winter landscape
Prepping for a hard Karoo winter means hauling out the warm stuff – and getting ready for backroad adventures in the snow.
By Chris Marais
Daily Mini Crossword Quickie
Will you still love your air fryer tomorrow?
It’s the question I’m asked most often: ‘If I buy an air fryer, will I find it indispensable in the kitchen?’ Is the air fryer a lasting treasure, or just a moment’s pleasure? Let’s take stock.
By Tony Jackman
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