Hi there. 🙋🏽♀️
It’s looking a bit grim for our justice minister, who’s now implicated in the looting of the VBS cookie jar. Meanwhile, two South African-born women are about to strut their stuff for the Miss Universe crown. Maybe the real contest should be who handles the spotlight better: our pageant queens or politicians?
On the sports front, our Paralympians are bagging medals, while the Boks are gearing up to face New Zealand again—because we love a good rematch.
But in not-so-glorious news, our men and women in blue are under attack – not from budget cuts this time, but actual danger. In addition, the 2022 Census is leaving us with more questions than answers. To wrap it up (see what we did there?) African youth are tired of corrupt governments.
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:
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▁ ▂ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ █ 1. OUR TAKE: Boks ready for all blacks rematch with big guns back in action
In a nail-biting Rugby Championship match at Ellis Park on Saturday, the Springboks pulled off one of the all-time great late comebacks to beat the All Blacks 31-27.
Plus, they did it at an iconic venue: Ellis Park Stadium.
The Stadium, located in Johannesburg’s dense and ramshackle CBD, was the site of the historic 1995 World Cup final. With SA’s first democratic president, Nelson Mandela, in the stands, the boys in green and gold were tasked with uniting the nation following our return to international rugby after apartheid.
Nearly thirty years later, they did it again—as has become their wont. In an otherwise troubled nation, the Boks seem to repeatedly provide the glue that binds our fractious hearts.
But the venue was also a little jinxed. Before tonight, the Boks had failed to beat the All Blacks at Ellis Park for a decade. Their last win against their famed and biggest competitor was back in 2014.
Saturday night’s Bok win was, therefore, history-making – and they’ll have a chance to do it again this coming Saturday in Cape Town as part of the local leg of The Rugby Championship. The Championship is an annual showdown between the four superpowers of rugby in the Southern Hemisphere: Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina. (It was previously called the Tri Nations before adding Argentina).
Springbok captain Siya Kolisi has been declared fit to start in Saturday’s game, News24 reported. He broke his nose at Ellis Park, and had the option of having it reset in a week or immediately – but that would entail him missing the upcoming game. So he’s chosen to play with a broken nose, hero that he is. His face was swollen at the press conference after the Ellis Park game, leading to Coach Rassie Erasmus joking he’d never looked better. 😝
Will lightning strike twice for the Boks, or will the All Blacks find a way to break South Africa’s momentum? One thing’s for sure – Saturday’s clash is shaping up to be another classic. Win this one, and the Rugby Championship trophy is all but guaranteed.
▁ ▂ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ █ 2. BIG STORY: Our justice minister is implicated in the VBS scandal. Here’s what you need to know.
SA’s Justice Minister Thembi Simelane is in hot water over her alleged involvement in the VBS Mutual Bank scandal. The scheme, dating back to 2018, saw around R2 billion looted from various accounts and diverted into the pockets of corrupt executives, politicians, and businesspeople.
VBS executives embezzled deposits made into the bank, many of which belonged to municipalities and even pensioners. Third-party individuals who helped secure these lucrative municipal investments received huge kickbacks.
One such person is Ralliom Razwinane, owner of Gundo Wealth Solutions. The company helped secure nearly R350 million worth of questionable investments into VBS Mutual Bank on behalf of the Polokwane Municipality. For his trouble, Razwinane received over R24 million in bribes. He is now on trial for fraud, corruption, and money laundering related to this matter.
What does all this have to do with our justice minister? Around the same time Razwinane was paid his millions in exchange for misdirecting Polokwane’s cash, Simelane accepted a “commercial loan” of over half a million rand from Razwinane’s company. It’s worth noting that Simelane served as Mayor of Polokwane until 2021 when the city’s funds were deposited with VBS Bank.
Simelane says the loan was used to purchase Silvanas Coffee Shop in Sandton, Johannesburg, and denies wrongdoing. But the timing of the loan is suspicious, and pressure is mounting. She will appear before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Justice on Friday to address these allegations. Meanwhile, President Cyril Ramaphosa has requested a “detailed report and briefing from the Minister on the matter.”
There’s another complication. As Justice Minister, a job she was chosen to do by Ramaphosa back in June, Simelane oversees the National Prosecuting Authority and law enforcement agencies. These entities are still investigating VBS, not to mention prosecuting Razwinane. Simelane insists there’s no conflict of interest. 👀
We’re glad Simelane’s suspicious past transactions have come to light, but our president needs to do a better job of background checks on his ministers!
▁ ▂ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ █ BRIEFS
3. Two South Africans head to Miss Universe 2024 finals
Talk about a comeback! Former Miss South Africa hopeful Chidimma Vanessa Onwe Adetshina won the Miss Nigeria Universe pageant over the weekend – the equivalent to our Miss SA pageant.
Adetshina, who was forced to withdraw from the Miss SA pageant in August due to allegations that her mother had committed identity fraud, received and accepted an invitation to compete in the pageant last month.
Speaking to the BBC, Adetshina, 23, discussed the xenophobic backlash against her participation in the Miss SA pageant. “It’s something I will work on and see a therapist because I feel like I have been suppressing my emotions… it wasn’t a minor thing, it was actually really major,” she said
While there has been a backlash in Nigeria over her entering the pageant in its final stages, many were happy to see her win. Adetshina has also decided to stay in Nigeria indefinitely, saying she wants to explore her father’s country. “I’m not even looking forward to going back… I want to stay longer and see what happens next,” she said.
Miss Nigeria Universe also introduced the world to Ufa Dania, the first plus-size contestant to enter the pageant, who quickly became a fan favourite.
Adetshina will compete against beauty queens worldwide, including our Mia le Roux, who won this year’s Miss South Africa contest.
While xenophobes in South Africa might have bullied Adetshina into quitting, she has triumphed. It’s quite a rare feat and such a South African thing to have two South African queens heading to Miss Universe in November, which will be held in Mexico City. We have two contestants to root for this year!
4. 2022 Census: What went wrong, and how do we fix it?
The accuracy of South Africa’s 2022 Census is under serious scrutiny, with Stats SA facing mounting questions since the data was released in October 2023. One of the biggest issues? A record-breaking undercount of 31%—a new international record. 😲
A quick refresher: a census estimates a country’s population from interviews with a sample and provides crucial data for planning housing, schools, and more. Undercounts are expected, but this one was bad. Professor David Everatt, who was involved in the survey, says the national figures are “robust.” However, he notes that local-level data is less reliable.
Professors Tom Moultrie and Rob Dorrington from UCT pointed out key reasons for the problematic count, starting with the pandemic. COVID-19 delayed Census 2022, yet the national treasury refused to carry over the budget to the next year. This rushed timing led to staffing issues, delayed training, and a scramble to conduct in-person data collection after plans for online data gathering fell short. The Western Cape had a particularly bad census, with counting extending four months beyond schedule.
Further complications arose with the Post Enumeration Survey, designed to adjust population estimates after missed counts. Delays in matching households and other issues made it hard to correct the numbers accurately.
So, what now? Professor Everatt suggests we embrace technology. He recommends using government data and partnering with private companies to refine population estimates. Stats SA could also fully digitise future counts, tapping into the hours South Africans spend online.
He also advocates using big data from sources like social media and transactions to improve future estimates, though this approach hasn’t been fully adopted elsewhere yet.
Moultrie and Dorrington agree that alternative population estimates are urgently needed to ensure better resource allocation. They also stress that the census data should be used cautiously until further investigations are conducted.
Will there be another census soon? Highly unlikely—the next one’s in 2032. Let’s hope lessons are learned by then!
5. Team SA athletes dominate on two fronts
Geen DNA net RSA! 🇿🇦 Team South Africa turned up the heat at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games AND the World Athletics U20 Championships, from jaw-dropping victories to nail-biting finishes.
🔹Paralympics
South Africa doubled its medal haul on day seven, reaching four medals.
Six-time world champion para-cyclist and Tokyo gold medalist Pieter du Preez finished third in the men’s H1 individual time trial, clocking in at 36 minutes and 7.05 seconds. Du Preez, affectionately known as “Supa Piet,” finished a minute and 16 seconds behind the gold medalist.
Meanwhile, the wheelchair tennis pair Lucas Sithole and Donald Ramphadi battled against Brazil in their bronze medal match. This historic win marks a significant milestone — the first-ever medal for South Africa, and indeed Africa, in wheelchair tennis at the Paralympics.
Of course, we can’t forget the electrifying Mpumelelo Mhlongo, who clinched South Africa’s first medal at the Games — a gold in the men’s 100m sprint (T44 classification). Mhlongo, a Paralympic and world record holder, left his competition in the dust, finishing the race in 11.12 seconds.
South Africa’s medal tally didn’t stop there. Louzanne Coetzee, with her guide runner Erasmus Badenhorst, took bronze in the women’s 1,500m T11 final, setting a personal best of 4:35.49.
With more events lined up, Team SA is poised to bring home even more medals.
🔹World Athletics U20 Championships
Our young people secured multiple medals, including two golds at the World Athletics U20 Championships held in Lima, Peru, in the last week of August. They competed against over 1,700 athletes from 134 teams.
Bayanda Walaza, 18, stole the show in the men’s 100m final, winning gold with a time of 10.19 seconds, fresh off a silver in the 4x100m relay at the Paris 2024 Olympics. His teammate, Bradley Nkoana, also part of the Olympic relay team, secured bronze in the 100m with a time of 10.26 seconds.
Walaza returned on the final day to claim another gold in the men’s 200m, completing a stunning sprint double with a time of 20.52 seconds. Walaza’s achievement makes him the first man since 1998 to win both the 100m and 200m titles at the World U20 Championships.
In related news: Walaza recently announced that he’s turned down offers to study overseas. He will attend the University of Pretoria and continue with his coach, Thabo Matebedi. It’s a great vote of confidence for SA!
South Africa’s medal haul continued with another gold in the men’s 400m, courtesy of Udeme Okon. The 18-year-old, who has Nigerian roots, clinched the gold with a time of 45.69 seconds.
JL van Rensburg took silver in the men’s shot put with a personal best throw of 20.74 metres.
The nation’s talent pool looks stronger than ever. 🙌🏾
6. Mashatile calls for tougher policing, but can fighting fire with fire succeed?
Police killings are on the rise in South Africa. We lost 39 men and women in blue in the 2023/2024 financial year, up from 34 the previous year, according to the latest police statistics.
The revelation prompted Deputy President Paul Mashatile to urge police to show criminals they are “in charge,” while speaking at the National Police Commemoration Day event on Sunday in Pretoria.
He urged the national police commissioner to let the police fight fire with fire, saying, “Police officers must not die with their service firearms on their holsters when criminals refuse to surrender and start firing at police. When a shootout ensues between police and criminals, police have a duty to protect their lives, as well as those of their colleagues and all community members.”
South Africa has one of the highest crime rates in the world, with 70 people being killed daily.
But should the police shoot to kill? Law Professor Pierre de Vos doesn’t think so. He noted that police in KwaZulu Natal had killed at least 40 alleged criminal suspects in shootouts over just a four month period this year. The problem? De Vos said that there was little evidence publicly available about who the suspects were, the crimes they were accused of committing or even what evidence the police had to conclude that these suspects were dangerous criminals
Meanwhile, the chair of the parliamentary portfolio committee on police, Ian Cameron, has rubbished the claims that the police are trigger-happy. “The SAPS already has a credibility deficit challenge, something the new police minister and all SAPS personnel must tackle head-on. But a blanket accusation that our women and men in blue are guilty of random killings is needless and destructive,” said Cameron.
7. The story of the great Lego spill
In 1997, the ocean decided to spark a unique treasure hunt—except instead of gold doubloons, it was LEGO! After a cargo ship hit rough seas off the coast of Cornwall, 5 million pieces of LEGO spilled into the ocean, and they’ve been washing up on beaches ever since. The best part? These weren’t just any LEGO bits—they were nautical-themed! Think sea creatures, pirate gear, and diving kits—basically, the perfect LEGO set for the ocean to claim.
For over 25 years, beachcombers have been discovering these colourful pieces scattered along the shores of Cornwall, Devon, and even further afield, the New York TImes reports. Some of the rarest finds include tiny LEGO octopuses, pirate cutlasses, and the ultra-rare dragon wings. It’s become a quirky scavenger hunt that’s captivated both locals and visitors.
One of those hunters is Tracey Williams, a beachcomber turned environmentalist who’s been collecting and documenting these LEGO pieces for over a decade. Her finds have gone viral, bringing attention to both the playful side of these discoveries and the more serious issue of plastic pollution. Because while finding a LEGO octopus on the beach is fun, the truth is, these pieces—and countless other plastic debris—are still floating around the ocean, showing us just how long plastic sticks around.
Despite countless cleanups, the ocean keeps coughing up LEGO treasures, reminding us that while this story might be playful, plastic pollution is a problem that’s not going away any time soon.
So, next time you’re wandering the beach, keep an eye out for a piece of LEGO history—just know that it’s more than just a cute find, it’s a caution around the lasting impact of our plastic footprint.
8. Corruption and unemployment are the main drivers of African youth discontent, survey finds
South African youth have had enough, and a recent survey confirms it. Conducted by the Ichikowitz Family Foundation, the 2024 Africa Youth Survey interviewed over 5,600 young people across 16 African countries. It reveals that 85% of South African youth are worried about job prospects, second only to Cameroon. Meanwhile, 94% see corruption as the main barrier to progress, reflecting a broader trend across the continent.
With the world’s youngest population, Africa’s youth are not just the future but the present. By 2050, African youth will comprise over a third of the world’s youth population. The continent’s median age is 19, and a staggering 70% of sub-Saharan Africa’s population is under 30. In short, if Africa’s youth are unhappy, the world should pay attention.
Corruption is the biggest elephant in the room. Almost 60% are so frustrated that they’re considering emigrating within three years, aiming for destinations like North America or Europe. These young people want stricter measures, like banning corrupt officials from office. Hear, hear!
Job scarcity was also a hot topic, and it’s no wonder. South Africa’s jobless rate climbed to 33.5%, with youth unemployment even higher at 35.2% during the second quarter of this year. The problem isn’t just the lack of jobs, but a mismatch between education and labour market demands. Finding employment is tough for 73% of African youth, with half describing it as “very difficult.” In South Africa, it’s 95%.
Despite these challenges, there is hope. “Afro-optimism”—the belief that Africa is moving in the right direction—has increased from 31% in 2022 to 37% this year. Yet, this optimism varies between countries: 91% of Rwandan youth feel hopeful, compared to just 16% in South Africa.
This isn’t just about jobs or corruption—it’s about the future of an entire continent. Leaders, both at home and abroad, should be paying attention.
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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