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Moving on to this week’s news, in this edition of The Wrap, we’re looking at a landmark rape judgement that rights a major wrong, Tyla’s popstar journey – not to be confused with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un’s musical attempts, and why coalitions + youth votes could be the winning formula that South Africa needs – especially since a cohort of certain Afrikaners have pledged to stay and help fix things. 

So, let’s dive into your weekly update of empowering and easy-to-understand news, brought to you by Verashni Pillay and the explain.co.za team. 😄

Format:

🔈Voice Note version by Verashni

📖 Text: Read on

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▁ ▂ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ █ 1. Our Take: Coalitions Could Be The Inspiration Youth Need To Vote 

Are coalitions always bad?

Not really. 

As SA gears up for the most contested elections since democracy in 1994, exciting change awaits. But the problem, as always, is the politicians.

“You’ll hear most parties saying you should avoid coalitions,” political analyst Tessa Dooms told us in a longer interview. Democratic Alliance leader John Steenhuisen caught flack recently after a rant about opposition parties vying for power in his party’s stronghold in the Western Cape. These politicians are “referencing the worst case scenarios of coalitions in the country, like the city of Joburg or Nelson Mandela Bay, when in fact there are 66 municipalities in SA who are under coalition… It’s actually very rare to find a democracy where there aren’t coalitions.”

And that could be the trick to getting out a crucial demographic: the youth. 

About 13 – 14 million of those registered to vote are younger than 35. 

To put that into perspective, consider that the ANC received just 10 million votes in the 2019 elections. 

Activate the dormant youth vote, and we could substantially sway the election outcome. 

The trick is getting those registered young ‘uns out come voting day. 

In 2019, the country saw its lowest voter turnout in history, with only 65.9% of voters making the effort to show up. Many young people formed part of the group that stayed away.

However, the possibility of change has grabbed their attention. “Young people are more likely to come out in an election that isn’t as seemingly predictable as elections before,” says Dooms. 

Historically, young people in SA have been catalysts for change, from anti-apartheid movements to #FeesMustFall. If they show up at the polls, they can once again assert their influence and demand accountability from political leaders. 💪

▁ ▂ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ █ 2. The Big Story: No Means No: A Victory For Rape Survivors

Should kissing a man be considered tacit consent for sex?

Of course not. Pretty obvious, you’d think. 

But in October 2021, the Eastern Cape High Court effectively found Loyiso Coko innocent of raping his girlfriend, overturning a previous seven-year rape conviction against him. 

The reason? According to the judges, his girlfriend “was an equally active participant; she was not merely passive”. They based this on the fact that the woman “kissed” Coko back and had no objection to him taking off her clothes. This is despite the judgement acknowledging that the woman had tacitly and actively said no at various times. As you can imagine, the decision caused an uproar at the time. 

Thankfully, that wrong has now been righted. 

This week, the Supreme Court of Appeal said the high court made a mistake in acquitting Coko and reinstated his conviction. 

More details of the incident, but please note a trigger warning:

As Daily Maverick summarises it: Coko’s girlfriend, a university student in her early twenties, was a virgin who had, more than once, told him she was not ready to engage in penetrative sex. On the day of the rape, the woman had agreed to spend the night with Coko at his apartment with the stated caveat that this did not mean she would engage in sexual intercourse. 

During the evening, they engaged in foreplay, to which she consented. She told the court that Coko then raped her while she tried to push him off and told him repeatedly that he was hurting her and should stop. Coko acknowledged that the woman said that it was hurting but claimed she did not say anything else or try to push him off. The Eastern Cape judges acknowledged that she had said no.

Disappointingly, legal superstar Acting Judge Tembeka Ngcukaitobi was one of the judges who acquitted Coko. We’re glad that things have been set right… Let’s hope all our judges have now gotten the memo. No means no. 


▁ ▂ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ █ Briefs

Supreme Leader’s Song Of Spin: Kim Jong Un’s Rebrand A Big Tiktok Hit

Ladies and gents, we have a hit on our hands. 🤭 At least, that’s what North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un wants you to think. 

The song is called Friendly Father and showcases Jong Un’s, um, genial side. 👀

It’s a bizarre attempt at propaganda by the third-generation Kim, whose family has long run a totalitarian dictatorship with some of the worst human rights the world has seen, which the UN called unparalleled “in the contemporary world” in a 2014 report. 

The song was released at a ceremony celebrating the opening of 10,000 new homes in the capital, Pyongyang. Its music video features North Koreans singing their hearts out, from public transport to construction sites. It’s big on TikTok, with one video of the song being viewed eight million times and over 500k likes. 

Not featured: the uncompensated hard labour forced on large chunks of the population, policing of the media people consume and how they talk (lingo from their democratic nemesis South Korea is banned), plus extreme poverty and food insecurity, according to HRW’s 2024 World Report. Guess it’s difficult to craft a catchy hook for all that.

Not that they didn’t try, with lines like: “Let’s sing about Kim Jong Un, Our great leader. Let’s boast about Kim Jong Un, Our friendly father. We all trust and follow him with all our hearts, our friendly father”. And we thought Zuma’s Umshini Wami was bad. 

ANC Loses Logo Battle With Mk Party In Election Drama

Sorry, ANC! The Mkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party, a political spin-off under disgraced former leader Jacob Zuma, has won a court battle to use the name and emblem of the liberation party’s former armed wing. 

The ANC tried to stop its new rival’s use of the iconic MK name and emblem, arguing trademark infringement. However, The High Court in Durban dismissed the ANC’s claims in a no-nonsense verdict on Monday,  saying the matter fell within the purview of an electoral court rather than a standard civil court.

This comes amid an ongoing legal tussle between the two political parties. This is the second victory for MK in recent months after the Electoral Court dismissed the ANC’s appeal to deregister the MK Party on 26 March. Sure, it’s opportunistic of the MK to use such a powerful ANC brand, but what isn’t in politics?However, the ANC isn’t conceding defeat yet. Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula said the party would appeal the court’s decision in an attempt “to stop and prohibit the unlawful use of the ANC’s trademarks, symbols, and heritage by Mr Zuma’s party.” Expect more legal battles to play out before the official race at the polls begins.

Tyla: Joburg Superstar On The Rise

She made us sweat, made us hotter, made us lose our collective breath and made us water. 

No, these aren’t just nonsense Dr Suess rhymes; we’re talking about Joburg-born pop sensation Tyla, who has taken the world by storm with her amapiano-infused hits. 

You could not go anywhere without hearing her hit single, Water. The song was so massive that it launched a global dance challenge on TikTok. Even President Cyril Ramaphosa took part. Wooo, Cyril.

Her accomplishments include:

⭐ The first SA artist to grace the US Billboard Hot 100 in over half a century. The last was the late great Bra Hugh Masekela with ‘Grazing In The Grass’ in 1968.

⭐ Winning a Grammy this year for Best African Performance, a new category, plus other major US-based awards

⭐An invitation to perform at THE music festival Coachella

⭐Being interviewed by some of the biggest names in the biz, including MTV, Vogue, Jennifer Hudson on her talk show (yes, this is a thing), and even Trevor Noah interviewed her for, ahem, Interview Magazine.

⭐ Her self-titled debut album quickly broke records just a week after its March release, skyrocketing to over 630 million streams worldwide, making it the fastest streaming album by an African artist in under a week, surpassing Burna Boy’s previous record.

Is there no stopping our “Poppiano” Princess? Well, there might be. 

Tyla sadly had to cancel her North American, UK and European tours AND her Coachella performance due to an injury. “I’ve seen doctors and specialists with high hopes, but the pain has only become more agonising, as has the severity of the situation,” she shared. It’s a little gut-wrenching seeing her star pulled back from its rise. We’re sending her prayers and good thoughts. 

Not to fret, though, as she performed her latest single, Art, two weeks ago on the Colbert Late Show, so our pretty girl from Joburg is well on the mend!

Afrikaner Group Vows To Stay And Fix SA

Maar dis nou lekker! A group of influential Afrikaners has offered its expertise in dealing with some of SA’s most pressing challenges, saying they’re not going anywhere. 

The Afrikaner Leadership Network includes academics, farmers, trade unionists, businesspeople, writers, lawyers, and formations like AfriForum and trade union Solidarity. 

As SA celebrates 30 years of democracy, the group has issued a number of pledges, including: 

🔹Commitment to Stay and Contribute: remaining in South Africa to help solve issues with infrastructure, economic stagnation, corruption and more. 

🔹Preserving the Future Amidst the Past: acknowledging our history of apartheid but calling for a forward-looking approach that prioritises unity and cooperation.

It’s an interesting, if rather overdue, sentiment from this segment – who, it’s important to note, don’t represent ALL Afrikaners, many of whom have long embraced SA’s democratic project. 

Yet minority concerns still form a core part of the pledge. This group also wants the protection of cultural heritage within schools and universities, an ongoing concern about protecting Afrikaans in education. Central to their message, too, is a formalised structure, officially recognised by the government, where the Afrikaner community can express concerns and proposals and ensure the government will take them seriously. 

It’s worth noting that this is hardly an Afrikaans concern. When people in townships block roads, what are they complaining about? A government that doesn’t listen. The ANC tends to engage with minority groups only when it is time to vote. 

In an election year, the initiative is more likely a case of political lobbying. We’d love to see this commitment to solutions and working together extend beyond May—from both the government and the Afrikaans community in question. 

UK Issues Terrorism Warning For South Africa: What It Means

If your British friends and family suddenly seem reluctant to visit, don’t panic. The UK has raised the vague notion that SA is at risk for terrorist attacks… despite no evidence. 

The UK Foreign Office posted an alert on the official UK government website on 4 January, cautioning British citizens either living in or intending to travel to the country that “terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in South Africa”. 

Needless to say, our Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) was not impressed. The DIRCO director general Zane Dangor said “There is no evidence why we would be a target for a terror attack… if you have credible information, give it to us, which they have not done.”

Despite DIRCO’s reaction, international governments often issue these warnings even when the threat level is perceived to be relatively low, according to Ryan Cummings, a political analyst, risk consultant, and director of Signal Risk. 

Terror warnings are even issued for countries in Europe or the US. 

So why the alert? 

The most likely source is SA’s military activities across Africa. “There is always a kind of underlying threat of extremism in South Africa linked to our engagement in Mozambique. We might be withdrawing from Mozambique, but now we’re deploying forces in the DRC,” says Cummings. 

Thankfully, the economic fall-out isn’t bad despite some initial panic. “The actual impact that they’ve had on tourism in previous instances, on our financial systems and everything else, has been negligible,” says Cummings. 

Can’t Buy Me Love, But Savings Are Nice

Mo’ Money, Mo’ problems? It’s more like no money, more problems. Being smart with your money is easier said than done. Electricity prices are up, and according to the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice & Dignity Group, the price of the average household food basket increased by R58.38 (1,1%) from R5,277.93 in March 2024 to R5 336,31 in April 2024. 💀 Cyril’s economy is not a friendly one. 

So, what can you do to save money and stop living paycheck to paycheck? We have four tips on how you can stretch your money further. 

💰 Kill the credit

One tip involves cancelling your overdraft and credit facilities and drawing the cash you’re allowed to spend day-to-day so you can see the real impact of daily spending. 

🍟Curb eating out

When your bank account is hurting, it’s tempting to comfort eat your way to happiness. Besides being bad for your health, it’s also terrible for your bank balance. Tally it up, and you’ll be astonished at how much you spend eating out or ordering in. Plan to eat at home and cook quick meals ahead of time so you don’t spend in a hangry haze. Uninstall the Uber Eats app if you have to. Your body and budget will thank you. 

📝Ask for a discount

Service providers, such as security companies like ADT, fibre service providers, and more, often offer customers discounts or additional services when trying to cancel. It’s worth considering asking your service providers if they can provide a discount, as you may be surprised at what they are willing to do to retain your business. 

🏦Check your bank statements

You’ll be surprised how many costs creep in you weren’t aware of. Make sure you’re not incurring any unwanted costs, from subscriptions you may have signed up and forgotten about to unnecessary bank charges. It all adds up. 

That’s it from us at The Wrap, an award-winning product of explain.co.za – simple news summaries for busy people. 💁🏾‍♀ 

The Wrap is sponsored by explain’s agency division. We specialise in content marketing for purpose-driven organisations, often with a pan-African reach. Mail info@explain.co.za for a quote. 

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_Till next time, goodbye from the team_ ✌🏽