Happy Diwaloween!

That’s right, today, two very different events are coinciding for the first time since 2016: Diwali, the Hindu celebration of light overcoming dark vs the more Western spooky thrills of Halloween. 

It’s also the day most of our team are attending Africa’s biggest journalism conference, the AIJC. We’re sharpening our skills to keep bringing you insightful and accessible news.

It means we’re giving you an abridged version of the wrap, with the full edition back from next week.

Below, please find news reports from our site and others we recommend to stay abreast of the news you really do need to know this week. 

South Africa’s ICJ case against Israel: Redefining genocide

On Monday, South Africa submitted a nearly 5,000-page memorial to the ICJ, alleging that Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute genocide. South Africa alleges that Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in Gaza isn’t just violent but amounts to an organised attempt to destroy the Palestinian people. What makes South Africa’s filing particularly groundbreaking is that it’s the first genocide case being pursued at the ICJ while the alleged atrocities are ongoing.

Monday, 28 October, was the deadline given to South Africa to submit evidence before the ICJ supporting the claim that Israel is pursuing a genocide. This is still part of the original case, which is ongoing. Remember, the findings announced in January were preliminary. Israel will now have the opportunity to respond. A final ruling is in all likelihood still years away. 

Read more here. 

I lead a better government than Ramaphosa, says Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi. 

Is Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi living in a different reality to the rest of us? In a recent display of self-congratulation, Lesufi claimed his provincial “government of unity” outshines President Cyril Ramaphosa’s national coalition, painting a picture of perfect harmony among Gauteng’s multiple party representatives. According to him, his team “speaks with one voice,” unlike Ramaphosa’s coalition, which he says often “speaks differently”, he claimed in a hilarious interview with News24. 

This is despite Gauteng’s reality of a water crisis and crumbling infrastructure. 

The government of national unity (GNU) under Ramaphosa have seen clashes on Russia, plus disagreement on the Basic Amendment Laws Act (BELA), particularly between the DA and ANC. Not so in his multiparty coalition, Lesufi claimed, citing his seamless appointment of Rise Mzansi’s Vuyiswa Ramokgopa as acting premier as proof of his superior leadership. He explained that he didn’t even give her a briefing, as if winging it were the gold standard of governance.

The full story is on News24 but is, alas, paywalled.  Lesufi has previously been summoned to the ANC’s headquarters at Luthuli House to respond to allegations of making anti-GNU comments. We’ll update you in the next Wrap on how things unfold this time around. 

Read more here. (Paywalled)

Over 200,000 subscribers flee ‘Washington Post’ after Bezos blocks Harris endorsement

One of the richest men in the world, Jeff Bezos, has plunged the highly regarded newspaper he owns into chaos. Bezos, billionaire owner of Amazon and Washington Post, seemingly swayed the newspaper away from endorsing Kamala Harris ahead of the US presidential high-stake elections on Tuesday. The paper has done so since 1970, as is common with many American papers. Cue 250,000 subscribers – 10% – cancelling their subscriptions. Bezos aerospace company Blue Origin has a multi-billion dollar contract with NASA, and officials met with Trump a few hours after the decision became public.

Read more here on NPR. 

Mozart and Chopin drop new hits, 200 years later 

From our own site, explain.co.za, comes this quirky story of musical past and present colliding. One thing that we bet you didn’t have on your 2024 bingo card is not one but two classical musicians releasing new music almost 200 years after their deaths. If you did, BINGO, because previously unknown works from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Frédéric Francois Chopin have been uncovered this year. That’s right, the long-dead composers have given us new music before Rihanna and Frank Ocean. (For the uninitiated, both RiRi and Frank last gave us albums in 2016, the last great year in music.)

Read more here. 

Godongwana’s GNU budget

In his first GNU budget yesterday, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has committed to doing more of the same. The 2024 Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS), has committed to mainly slashing government spending, reducing smothering public debt levels and accelerating the implementation of pro-growth and investment reforms. 

The formation of a GNU that respects the rule of law and the Constitution has created goodwill around governance in South Africa, the 17-year energy crisis has faded and investor sentiment has improved, as seen in the rand’s bounce and bond yields falling.

Read the full article in the Daily Maverick here. 

That’s it from us for this abridged version of 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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