---
title: "Tolashe’s SUV saga, petrol price fears and a KZN power play"
description: "The Weekend Wrap covers a mix of political manoeuvring, economic strain and shifting urban dynamics. From the ANC Women’s League’s car controversy to the rising threat of populism and the immense energy demands of the tech sector, South Africa faces a series of systemic challenges that test both its infrastructure and democracy."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "THE WEEKEND WRAP"
author: "Daily Maverick Editorial Team"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/dailymaverickeditorialteam/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-04-30-tolashes-suv-saga-petrol-price-fears-and-zumas-kzn-power-play/"
published: "2026-04-30T16:25:26"
updated: "2026-04-30T16:27:36"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 712
---

# Tolashe’s SUV saga, petrol price fears and a KZN power play

> The Weekend Wrap covers a mix of political manoeuvring, economic strain and shifting urban dynamics. From the ANC Women’s League’s car controversy to the rising threat of populism and the immense energy demands of the tech sector, South Africa faces a series of systemic challenges that test both its infrastructure and democracy.

By Daily Maverick Editorial Team · Published 30 April 2026, 18:25 SAST · Updated 30 April 2026, 18:27 SAST

## Key points
- Minister Tolashe has returned a Chinese SUV to the ANC Women’s League, though questions remain as the vehicle returned appears to be a different model than the one originally involved in the controversy.
- New data centers in Cape Town are projected to consume a staggering 34% of the city’s current electricity supply, highlighting the growing tension between digital expansion and energy security.
- South Africans are bracing for further petrol price hikes as global oil volatility continues to impact local costs, while experts warn that extreme inequality has transitioned from a social issue to a systemic threat to democracy.
- A new populist movement is gaining traction through anti-migration marches, signaling a shift in the political climate as parties struggle for control in key regions like KwaZulu-Natal.

## Content

### [Minister Tolashe ‘returns’ different Chinese SUV to ANC Women’s League](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-04-28-minister-tolashe-returns-different-chinese-suv-to-anc-womens-league/)

![RIP-tolashe](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/nNVGnLQsJ6F374gKNXyNLFnuk_4=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/2991/tolashe_Pinoochio_Cars_550473_152996.jpg)

*Illustrative image: Social Development Minister Sisisi Tolashe (Photo: Gallo Images / Sharon Seretlo) | BAIC Beijing X55s (Photos: baic.co.za)*

***By Rebecca Davis****.* Minister Sisisi Tolashe had two Chinese SUVs delivered to Luthuli House ahead of the ANC Women’s League weekend meeting. One was not the same car that she originally accepted as a donation. **[Read more.](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-04-28-minister-tolashe-returns-different-chinese-suv-to-anc-womens-league/)**

### [How high will petrol prices soar this time?](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-04-29-riding-the-oil-roller-coaster-how-high-will-petrol-prices-soar-this-time/)

![The World Bank forecasts two possible scenarios for Brent oil prices in 2026, ranging from $86 to $115 per barrel. (Image: Dado Ruvic / Reuters)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/Ldy-_4b67BZ5eiVe_ILxhpEY7WY=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/2991/dmmideastinvestments2_149479_423457.jpg)

*The World Bank forecasts two possible scenarios for Brent oil prices in 2026, ranging from $86 to $115 per barrel. (Image: Dado Ruvic / Reuters)*

***By Lindsey Schutters****.* With crude oil prices potentially reaching historical highs due to unprecedented market shocks, analysts forecast demand destruction as a response to soaring costs and dwindling supplies. [Read more.](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-04-29-riding-the-oil-roller-coaster-how-high-will-petrol-prices-soar-this-time/)

### [The party that can’t decide — but could hand KZN to Zuma](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-04-27-the-party-that-cant-decide-but-could-hand-kzn-to-zuma/)

![Illustrative Image: MEC for Social Development in KwaZulu-Natal Cynthia Mbali Shinga has been sacked by the NFP. (Photo: Facebook / @Hon. Cynthia Mbali Shinga) | Building with flags at the oficial opening of the 7th KwaZulu-Natal legislature (KZN) on 30 July 2024. (Photo by Gallo Images / Darren Stewart) | (By Daniella Lee Ming Yesca)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/yYzucO47snBZnxPPGBzVzz4HG-k=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/2991/Greg-mbali-mk_374259_896114.jpg)

*Illustrative Image: MEC for Social Development in KwaZulu-Natal Cynthia Mbali Shinga has been sacked by the NFP. (Photo: Facebook / @Hon. Cynthia Mbali Shinga) | Building with flags at the oficial opening of the 7th KwaZulu-Natal legislature (KZN) on 30 July 2024. (Photo by Gallo Images / Darren Stewart) | (By Daniella Lee Ming Yesca)*

***By Greg Ardé****.* NFP councillors in different towns are in a host of different coalitions, some with the IFP, others with the ANC, and one cohort rules a municipality with the Economic Freedom Fighters. [Read more.](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-04-27-the-party-that-cant-decide-but-could-hand-kzn-to-zuma/)

### [Marching against migration: The rise of a new populist player](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-04-29-marching-against-migration-the-rise-of-a-new-populist-player/)

![March and March protesters against illegal immigration at Mary Fitzgerald Square in Johannesburg on 29 April 2026. (Photo: Gallo Images / Luba Lesolle)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/K44b-H4Ch4_N4Qz0FEroaPggXRU=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/2991/ED_606569_219428_923125.jpg)

*March and March protesters against illegal immigration at Mary Fitzgerald Square in Johannesburg on 29 April 2026. (Photo: Gallo Images / Luba Lesolle)*

***By Ferial Haffajee****.*Draped in civic language and national symbols, March and March is reshaping anti-foreigner politics – with carefully staged activism and a leader-centric movement at its core. [Read more.](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-04-29-marching-against-migration-the-rise-of-a-new-populist-player/)

### [Inequality crisis ‘no longer just a social issue but a systemic threat to democracy’](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-04-28-inequality-crisis-no-longer-just-a-social-issue-but-a-systemic-threat-to-democracy-/)

![amaB-Fazel](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/81esgF_5kVvcEVkhYV1KmwqgcDw=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/2991/138164242_956039_417441.jpg)

*South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa. (Photo: EPA / Andre Borges)*

***By Takudzwa Pongweni****.* President Cyril Ramaphosa has hailed the International Panel on Inequality as the most consequential outcome of South Africa’s G20 Presidency, warning that systemic disparity is no longer just a hardship, but a structural brake on human progress. [Read more.](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-04-28-inequality-crisis-no-longer-just-a-social-issue-but-a-systemic-threat-to-democracy-/)

### [New data centres set to swallow 34% of Cape Town’s current electricity supply](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-04-28-new-data-centres-set-to-swallow-34-of-cape-towns-current-electricity-supply/)

![Image](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/YlWEQCTtmp2Y8rZNSKGmIaVfsvU=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/2991/tony-data-entre_771681_488581.jpg)

***By Tony Carnie****.*Four new major data centres are set to gobble up the equivalent of 34% of current electricity supply in Cape Town, and unknown volumes of cooling water, raising questions about the sustainability of power and water to other sectors in the city. [Read more.](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-04-28-new-data-centres-set-to-swallow-34-of-cape-towns-current-electricity-supply/)

### [Watch — Is your money really safe?](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-04-29-watch-is-your-money-really-safe-south-africas-invisible-crime-wave/)

![Illustrative image: Daily Maverick/ Multimedia](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/RKyYU9byLoUGUGI_haVnxJRTc7k=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/2991/BankingFraudheader_282658_979044.jpg)

*Illustrative image: Daily Maverick/ Multimedia*

***By Rebecca Davis****.* South Africa’s latest crime statistics suggest a country getting safer, but that’s only part of the story. Commercial crime – fraud, scams, and financial exploitation – is rising, with cases doubling over the past decade. It’s a quieter crime, but one that targets ordinary South Africans directly, often through the very systems they rely on. Why has this surge escaped national attention? And what happens when victims try to fight back? Rebecca Davis, senior journalist at Daily Maverick, reports. [Read more.](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-04-29-watch-is-your-money-really-safe-south-africas-invisible-crime-wave/)

### [Rabbi Goldstein’s attack on Pope Leo is theologically confused and inaccurate](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/opinionista/2026-04-27-rabbi-goldsteins-attack-on-pope-leo-is-theologically-confused-and-inaccurate/)

***By Russell Pollitt****.* To suggest that a call for peace makes one complicit in bloodshed must be denounced by any person of faith who values the truth, and while Goldstein is entitled to disagree with the pope’s approach, he should be cautious not to misrepresent it.[Read more.](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/opinionista/2026-04-27-rabbi-goldsteins-attack-on-pope-leo-is-theologically-confused-and-inaccurate/)

### [SA runner sets record in brutal last-man-standing race](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-04-29-sa-runner-goes-the-distance-to-set-record-in-brutal-last-man-standing-race/)

![Early on 27 April, Donovan Shirley completed 43 laps (288km) at the Potchefstroom Backyard Ultra to set a new South African soil record. (Photo: Nashreen Arnachellam)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/JP6l1nGnM1CFEaEuvWPs9qTE6KI=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/2991/Image_01_Backyard_676437_547717.jpg)

*Early on 27 April, Donovan Shirley completed 43 laps (288km) at the Potchefstroom Backyard Ultra to set a new South African soil record. (Photo: Nashreen Arnachellam)*

***By Annemieke Thomaidis****.* Johannesburg ultra-runner Donovan Shirley recently set a new South African soil backyard ultra record after completing 43 laps. He now has his sights set on an ambitious double Comrades attempt in June. [Read more.](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-04-29-sa-runner-goes-the-distance-to-set-record-in-brutal-last-man-standing-race/)

### [A hip night out in the heart of the revitalised inner city of Joburg](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-04-28-a-hip-night-out-in-the-heart-of-the-revitalised-inner-city-of-joburg/)

![Image](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/s6x-5zcXUrjNX4aFDJ-O2_iatJ4=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/2991/skyloungereefhotel_298266_762383.jpg)

***By Bridget Hilton-Barber****.*The centre of Johannesburg is coming alive and a night in Marshalltown – with rooftop cocktails, pavement cafés and a growing arts scene – reveals a district becoming a vibey place to hang out. [Read more.](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-04-28-a-hip-night-out-in-the-heart-of-the-revitalised-inner-city-of-joburg/)