Hi there 🙋🏾♀️
We’ve made it through a crazy and often wonderful 2025!
This is our last wrap for the year. We’ll be back in your inboxes on 22 January 2026, after a good, long rest. We hope you’re taking one too!
So without further ado, this week, we dive into the tragic death of another whistleblower and explore what needs to be done to protect those exposing corruption.
The ANC held its NGC and, surprise surprise, it was all about “renewal” again. We’ll believe it when we see it. Meanwhile, in KZN, the MK Party might be in power come Tuesday, and overseas, we’re side-eyeing Netflix’s bid for Warner Bros and Marco Rubio’s fuss over… a font.
Plus, we wrap up with the three moments that made us go “yoh” in Mzansi this year. 😲
Before we sign off, we wish you a fantastic festive season.
So, let’s dive into these stories and more in this week’s wrap, brought to you by Verashni Pillay and the explain.co.za team. 😄
Format:
▁ ▂ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ █BRIEFS
NATIONAL
- The Madlanga Commission’s “Witness D” was gunned down outside his Brakpan home on Friday. Marius van der Merwe, as he has been revealed, testified a few weeks earlier about a 2022 Brakpan cop operation that ended with a suspect killed and a police cover-up. He was an Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) officer at the time. On Monday, Police confirmed they have identified three suspects in his murder, with one already being taken for questioning. More on this explosive story later.
- Jacob Zuma’s MK Party will table a vote of no confidence against KZN Premier Thami Ntuli on Monday. They say the current IFP–ANC–DA coalition has fumbled governance, claiming financial mismanagement. MK actually won the most votes in the province in 2024 but was shut out by the coalition. With MK holding 37 of 80 seats, the outcome now depends on whether parties like the EFF and NFP back the move. Critics call it a power grab, supporters say it’s democracy in action.
- Home Affairs has blocked the 90-day visa exemption for Palestinians, citing systematic abuse by Israeli-linked actors. It allowed travellers to arrive without a visa. This follows two controversial charter flights from Gaza last month. Minister Leon Schreiber says intelligence points to a depopulation plot, noting South Africa will not support schemes to exploit Palestinians. Schreiber argues this move will close the loophole while allowing legitimate Palestinian visitors. However, the EFF disagrees, saying the decision undermines South Africa’s solidarity with Palestine.
- Ramaphosa called Joburg mayor Dada Morero every day ahead of the G20 summit to keep him “on track”, it emerged this week. 👀 The effort paid off: Joburg’s streets were spruced up, potholes patched, and the city looked presentable for international visitors. But, as Daily Maverick’s Ferial Haffajee pleads: can we please keep those calls coming? Decades of political mismanagement have pushed Joburg into a service delivery crisis. It is troubling that Joburg only gets attention when the president is personally on the line. 😕
- South African Lisa Msiza was crowned Miss Deaf Universe in Italy on Saturday. 🥳 Her victory marks the first time a black woman has won this international title. The pageant aims to champion the rights of people living with disabilities. Oh, and those cheeky online rumours that the pageant CEO skipped her congrats hug? The 25-year-old from Soweto shut them down, saying the rumours don’t reflect the truth and only create unnecessary division. A proud black queen, preaching unity.
INTERNATIONAL
- A new global report says 0.001% of people now hold three times the wealth of the poorest half of humanity. 😱 Released on Wednesday by the World Inequality Lab, the data shows fewer than 60,000 ultra-rich individuals control unprecedented financial power, while the bottom 50% own just 2% of global wealth. Researchers warn this inequality is deepening climate vulnerability and destabilising democracies and economies. They say the world has the tools to fix this — but must act fast.
- Ukraine’s President has again ruled out handing over land to Russia in exchange for peace. This follows Volodymyr Zelensky’s meeting with European leaders on Monday to draft a new peace plan after talks between Ukraine and the US collapsed over the weekend. Donald Trump wanted a cap on Ukraine’s military size, a vow to ditch NATO and major land concessions in Donbas, Luhansk and Crimea. Trump blamed Zelensky, saying Russia was happy with his proposal. Of course they were. 🙄
- Netflix just shook Hollywood with a $72 billion bid to buy Warner Bros Discovery’s studios. The deal, announced Friday, excludes Warner Bros TV networks like CNN, which will spin off next year under Discovery Global. Critics say the move could mean job losses, fewer big-screen movies and higher streaming prices. HBO Max subscribers have filed a class-action lawsuit, arguing Netflix would gain too much power. Meanwhile, Paramount made a $108.4 billion offer Monday for both parts of Warner Bros.
- France’s First Lady is in trouble after being caught on camera calling feminist protesters “stupid bitches”. 😳 The clip filmed on Sunday shows Brigitte Macron consoling comedian Ary Abittan backstage. Feminist group Nous Toutes disrupted Abittan’s show over a 2021 rape allegation previously levelled against him, later dropped for lack of evidence. The internet hasn’t missed the irony: not long ago, many of these same voices defended Macron when American podcaster Candace Owens amplified the ridiculous conspiracy that she was born a man.
- America’s culture wars have now turned to fonts. 😵💫 On Tuesday, the US State Department ordered staff to ditch Calibri and return to Times New Roman after Secretary of State Marco Rubio slammed the Biden-era typeface as part of a bloated “wasteful” woke bureaucracy. Experts noted Calibri is more readable and better for visually impaired users, but the switch is happening anyway. When font choices become a battlefield, it says a lot about how small the politics has become.
▁ ▂ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ █ BIG STORIES
1️⃣How “Witness D’s” assassination exposes the failures in SA’s whistleblower protection system
We’ve told you the short version already: “Witness D”, Marius van der Merwe, was shot dead on Monday. The EMPD officer provided damning evidence of tubing (suffocation with a plastic bag) of a suspect and body-dumping.
Days before his murder, he sent a voice note to eNCA’s Yusuf Abramjee claiming he also had info linking police to the killing of an illegal miner—a possible motive investigators are exploring.
The larger issue here? South Africa has a grim history of whistleblowers paying with their lives. Babita Deokaran, Jimmy Mohlala, and Cloete Murray were all assassinated after exposing corruption. Journalist and author of The Whistleblowers, Mandy Wiener, told explain: “The cost of life is so cheap, and we see these hits being carried out far too often, far too easily and without any consequence.”
South Africa’s laws, including the Protected Disclosures Act and the Witness Protection Act, are supposed to shield whistleblowers, but in practice, they fall short. Dr Liezl Groenewald, CEO of The Ethics Institute, told explain that the systems are fragmented, under-resourced, and compromised by the very networks whistleblowers aim to expose.
Using a pseudonym, like “Witness D,” is also a weak shield. According to Dr Groenewald, “In organised crime or corruption cases, perpetrators often know exactly who testified long before the public does. Thus, a pseudonym protects the record, but definitely not the person, as was the case with Witness D/Mr van der Merwe.”
Both Wiener and Dr Groenewald advocate for a fully independent, rapid-response whistleblower protection agency. Wiener told explain a Chapter 9 organisation would do the trick: “A standalone, one-stop shop for whistleblowers, where they are offered psychological, financial, legal and physical protection.”
Dr Groenewald added, “We have seen that many whistleblowers who report threats are ignored, or are placed into systems compromised by the same networks they are exposing. A standalone, independent agency that is insulated from political influence and corruption networks would allow the actual protection of lives before threats escalate to assassinations.”
Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi recently confirmed that the updated Protected Disclosures Bill, now in cabinet vetting, would extend safeguards beyond court-bound witnesses to all whistleblowers. Wiener summed it up bluntly: “There’s no way that you’re going to encourage witnesses or whistleblowers to come forward if they’re being killed. We need better legislation in place, we need better structures in place. We need a societal revolution in how people talk about whistleblowers.”
2️⃣ What you need to know about the ANC’s National General Council meeting
The ANC kicked off its 5th National General Council (NGC) in Boksburg on Monday, and in true ANC form, it’s been equal parts introspection and political peacocking.
The gathering, which ran from Monday to Thursday, drew close to 2,000 delegates to dissect the National Democratic Revolution amid talks of the ANC’s electoral decline.
What exactly is the NGC? Think of it as the ANC’s halftime huddle. It is held roughly halfway between national elections, and is meant to review the party’s performance, debate policies, and chart a course for the future. The next NGC, which will be an elective one where the party formally chooses its next top leadership, is scheduled for 2027.
Here are the highlights:
🔹Monday kicked off with Fikile Mbalula’s organisational report. “Time is not on our side,” the secretary-general said, tracing the party’s slide from 2016 metro losses to 2024’s “strategic setback”. He predicted the ANC can climb back above 50% national support in future elections (from just above 40% in the 2024 national elections).
🔹Mbalula noted Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal are crucial for the ANC’s recovery. The two provinces together account for roughly 40% of all registered voters. In the 2024 general election, the ANC’s support collapsed in both.
🔹ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa called out his comrades for the lack of implementation of party policies. “ The lack of implementation of our decisions is a disease which we must rid our organisations of,” he said while delivering his political report on Monday.
Historically, this non-elective NGC is a sneak peek into party succession. Rumours about who might succeed Cyril Ramaphosa at the 2027 elective conference were circulating. But many of the biggest names are now publicly opting out.
Among the most notable withdrawals:
- Gwede Mantashe, ANC national chairperson, said he’s not an option because he’s too old. “I’m more than 70 years old, so I’m a retiree.” We’re glad he’s noticed, unlike other leaders!
- Fikile Mbalula, ANC Secretary-General, denied that he was positioning himself for the presidency, saying the NGC is about renewal and that leadership talks should wait until 2027.
- Thoko Didiza, Speaker of the National Assembly, followed Mbalula’s lead (despite rumours she has thrown her name into the ring), saying that media speculation about a potential replacement for Ramaphosa distracts from the party’s real task: rebuilding ahead of the 2026 local elections.
At least for the moment, ANC’s top-ranking leaders appear united in wanting to postpone any leadership showdown amid attempts to rescue their party from terminal decline.
3️⃣Our top 3 ‘Yoh!’ moments of 2025
From jaw-dropping political drama to celebrity chaos, 2025 delivered moments that made us collectively say, “Yoh!” more than once. Here are our top three moments:
🔹The Madlanga Commission: A soap opera unmasking criminal cops
Kicking off mid-year, the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry turned into the ultimate political thriller, revealing how criminal networks had infiltrated South Africa’s police service.
Testimony from senior police (like original whistleblower Lt‑Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi) has painted a disturbing picture: Thugs like the so‑called “Big Five cartel” allegedly colluding with senior officers, enabling drug‑trafficking, tender fraud, assassinations and political meddling.
Launched in June on Uncle Cyril’s command, the probe has exposed a “state capture 2.0” when it comes to law enforcement. But sunlight is the best disinfectant, and we’re just glad the process of accountability can now begin, and hopefully, cleaning up our police service.
🔹2025’s wildest romances 🔥
Most surprising coupling: Katy Perry & Justin Trudeau.
In a year when political drama and celebrity gossip collided, the pop‑star–ex‑Prime Minister pairing of Katy Perry and Canada’s Justin Trudeau took the cake for “Wait, what?!” in the romance department. On Saturday, Perry went Instagram‑official with Trudeau, confirming months of whispers about their whirlwind romance.
Most entertaining split: ColdplayGate’s kiss-cam
ColdplayGate erupted in July when a Boston concert’s kiss-cam caught Astronomer CEO Andy Byron cuddling his colleague and Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot, both married to other people! The video clip went viral within hours, sparking a fallout that led to Byron’s resignation and a messy divorce saga. In a brilliant marketing move, Astronomer contained the chaos by hiring Coldplay frontman Chris Martin’s ex‑wife, Gwyneth Paltrow, as a “very temporary” spokesperson, in a hilariously tongue‑in‑cheek video focusing on the data operations firm’s offerings.
🔹Trump and Musk’s unhinged SA obsession
Throughout 2025, Donald Trump lobbed repeated, baseless attacks at South Africa, from February’s social media threats to slash US aid over claims of mistreatment of white farmers, to November’s dramatic US boycott of the Joburg G20 and exclusion of SA from next year’s summit, hosted by the US. Poland has now been invited by the US to take our place at next year’s G20. But here’s the bright side: the global response. Poland said they won’t participate at SA’s expense. Other member states have agreed to warn Trump’s administration that sidelining SA comes at a great risk to the cohesion of the forum. And the international media has overwhelmingly shut down the myth of a white genocide in SA.
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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