Hi there. 🙋🏾‍♀️

We’re still high from the budget speech delivered by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana on Wednesday. Our economy’s finally turning a corner – and we’re here for it. We unpack what it means and whether the optimism is justified.

Meanwhile, the Madlanga Commission delivered its weekly episode of top cop drama. This time, suspended national police commissioner Shadrack Sibiya took centre stage. Let’s just say: it was not a quiet appearance.

On the sports front, the Proteas just beat the West Indies at the T20 cricket World Cup. We break down how they’ve been performing.

Globally, the UK is tightening the screws on people linked to Jeffrey Epstein, with a fresh high-profile arrest. At the same time, we’re giving the BBC a very public side-eye for that Baftas blunder.

In science, we look at whether your menstrual products could be making you sick. We also introduce you to a genius who has figured out how to turn air into water. Yes, actual drinking water. Where do we sign up?

So, let’s dive into these stories and more in this week’s wrap, brought to you by the explain.co.za team. 😄

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Format: 

💬 WhatsApp msg: Keep scrolling

🔊 Voice note by Verashni

📰 Newsletter with pics

▁ ▂ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ █BRIEFS


Illustrative Image, from left to right: Vibrant Cricket Match at Melbourne Cricket Ground Credit: Harshil Suthar/ Pexels; Peter Mandelson. Credit: World Economic Forum via Wikimedia Commons; Omar Yaghi. Credit: Christopher Michel via Wikimedia Commons; Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga. Credit: Themba Hadebe/ AP Photo; President Cyril Ramaphosa. Credit: GovernmentZA/ Flickr; Donald Trump. Credit: Gage Skidmore/ Flickr.

NATIONAL

  1. In a quiet win for President Cyril Ramaphosa, South Africans recruited to fight for Russia in Ukraine are finally heading home. The Sunday Times reported in December that MK Party leader Jacob Zuma tried – and failed – to secure their return, despite his party allegedly sending the men there in the first place. Even a September trip to Moscow did not land Zuma a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. It took a direct call from Ramaphosa on 10 February to unlock things. Four of the 17 men are back home, with 11 more expected soon.
  2. SA’s new US ambassador has arrived and, plot twist, he’s all smiles. 🇺🇸 In his first public message since touching down in Mzansi, Leo Brent Bozell III talked up “shared values”, which “strengthen the ties between our peoples”. It’s a noticeable shift from his confirmation hearing in October, when he leaned hard into Trumpian obsessions over white South African victimhood and the country’s genocide case against Israel. Bozell notoriously labelled the ANC and Nelson Mandela terrorists during the fight against apartheid. Great choice, then. 🙄
  3. Herman Mashaba is officially ActionSA’s pick for Johannesburg mayor. He ran the city from 2016 to 2019 under the DA, touting job creation, investment and anti-corruption drives, although critics say it was not all smooth sailing. After forming ActionSA in 2020, he led the party into the 2021 local elections. It performed well but never took the top job, opting instead for shaky, DA-led coalitions. Now, Mashaba wants a comeback. With ANC support sliding, Joburg 2026 looks like Mashaba vs Helen Zille. Get the popcorn ready. 🍿  
  4. It was suspended top cop Shadrack Sibiya’s turn to be grilled at the Madlanga Commission this week. He conceded he knew dodgy figures, invited Vusi “Cat” Matlala to his son’s engagement party, and admitted a confidential police document he shared could’ve ended up in Matlala’s hands… yikes. 🫣 Then Wednesday’s hearings collapsed after a key Crime Intelligence witness called in sick, with evidence leaders unimpressed by a barely legible medical note. Part two of these hearings resumed just a month ago, but we’re already exhausted.
  5. The Proteas have just about secured their semi-final spot today, after extending their unbeaten run at the ICC T20 World Cup. They gave the West Indies a hiding, winning by nine wickets with almost four overs to spare. Captain Aiden Markram led from the front, with an unbeaten 82. On Sunday, the Proteas defeated favourites India by 76 runs in their Super 8 opener: sweet revenge, considering India broke the Proteas’ hearts by seven runs in the 2024 final. It was India’s second-largest T20 defeat ever. But that’s history: right now we’re wishing the boys all the best in their quest to bring the trophy home for the first time! Next: Zimbabwe on Sunday. 🏏 

INTERNATIONAL

  1. Former UK ambassador Peter Mandelson was arrested on Monday over ties to Jeffrey Epstein. This comes after emails released by the US Department of Justice showed Mandelson and convicted sex offender Epstein were closer than disclosed. His arrest follows that of former prince, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who was also detained last week over the files – on his birthday, nogal. 😆 Emails appeared to show the former prince forwarding sensitive government and commercial information to Epstein. The UK is moving fast. The US? Not so much.
  2. Talks might be on the go between the US and Iran, but the possibility of war looms large. The beef? Trump claims Tehran is rebuilding its nuclear programme and developing missiles that could hit the US. He also claimed 32,000 protesters were killed in recent unrest – a difficult-to-confirm figure Tehran slammed as “big lies”. American aircraft and warships are gathered to force Iran to concede, while Iran is ready to attack US military bases and America’s ally, Israel. Trump insists he prefers diplomacy, but the battleships say otherwise.
  3. The Mugabe name can’t seem to stay away from the headlines. 👀 Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, the youngest son of the late Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, was charged on Monday with attempted murder after a gardener was shot at his Johannesburg home last week. The victim is hospitalised and in a critical condition. Police found a spent cartridge, but the gun has not been found, adding a charge for defeating the ends of justice. The youngest Mugabe had legal troubles before and may finally be facing the music.
  4. SA could benefit from a recent US Supreme Court ruling. On Friday, the court said Trump overstepped when imposing his infamous Liberation Day global tariffs, including a sky-high 30% on Mzansi, despite repeated attempts at negotiation. It’s a snotklap of note, as the Daily Maverick brilliantly put it. 🤭 Trump is predictably furious, and as of Tuesday, we’re looking at being subject to a 10% to 15% global surcharge. Still, this lowers SA’s tariffs, making goods more competitive and helping the automotive and agricultural sectors to recover. 🙌🏾
  5. A Nobel Prize-winning chemist has unveiled an invention that can harvest clean drinking water from the air. 💧Professor Omar Yaghi’s shipping container-sized unit uses molecularly engineered materials and thermal energy to extract moisture, generating up to 1,000 litres a day, even in arid conditions. Environmentalists say it could strengthen water resilience for storm-prone islands recovering from natural disasters. Yaghi believes the technology could reshape how vulnerable communities secure this basic yet much-needed resource. Send us Joburgers one, doc! 😅

▁ ▂ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ █ BIG STORIES

1️⃣ICYMI: Budget strikes a more hopeful note for the economy 

After all the drama of last year’s budget (remember how it was delayed for weeks after the coalition partners couldn’t reach an agreement?), this one took place without any mishaps. And the best thing? Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana had some good news for us. 🎉

It’s the economy, stupid, and it’s looking good. Or better than it has been, anyway. For the first time since the 2008 financial crisis, the country’s debt is stabilising. This means debt will not grow as a percentage of South Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP). 

The budget deficit – the difference between government revenue and spending – has also narrowed, though the government will still have to spend R432.4-billion on debt repayments and interest in 2026. 

But in short, the country’s economy is finally turning a corner. It’s a lot of economist talk, but there’s a laundry list of good signs – continued momentum on structural reforms, improving confidence, lower interest rates, and higher investment – all of them leading to economic growth. 

And that economic growth is looking good: 1.6% in the 2026 financial year, with real GDP growth predicted to reach 1.8% in 2027 and 2% the next year. 🙌🏾

In another bit of good news, the plan to increase income taxes to collect an extra R20-billion has been scrapped. This is due to the higher-than-expected revenue (hello, mining royalties) in 2025. 

Of course, it can’t be all rainbows: the increases in fuel levies and “sin tax” is reason to pause your celebrations… especially since a fun night out will now cost you more. 😆

The bigger picture is that the government plans to spend R2.67 trillion in 2026/27. About 70.3% of that will be spent on what the government calls the “social wage”, referring to basic education, health, and social protection. All social grants have been increased, with the exception of the social relief of distress grant, which stays flat. 

After a messy budget last year, this year’s speech was safe and conservative. It was all about celebrating the wins, while keeping things tidy. 

It’s now up to the rest of government to actually carry out the mandate Godongwana gave them, so South Africans “can live with dignity and prosperity”. 

Read our full takeaway on the budget here. 

2️⃣ A first-of-its-kind SA study reveals pads may contain hormone-disrupting chemicals 

Menstruators in South Africa are panicking after researchers at the University of Free State (UFS) released a study earlier this month on sanitary pads and pantyliners. All the products they tested contained hormone-disrupting chemicals – even when marketed as “free from harmful chemicals”. 👀

This study is the first comprehensive data on endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in menstrual products sold in South Africa.  

A total of 16 brands of sanitary pads and seven types of pantyliners were examined. If you’re wondering if your preferred brand was among them, those tested include Always, Anna Organics, Kotex, My Time, Libresse, Lil-lets, Stay-free and Flo. 

The chemicals detected in a single product aren’t at high levels, but the cumulative exposure to these toxins over many years is linked to all kinds of medical problems. 

It’s important to note that these chemicals are not necessarily added on purpose. They can migrate into products during the manufacturing process or leak from plastics and adhesives. 

But with the companies at fault yet to respond, there’s no way to know for sure. 

One major concern is that the chemical composition of menstrual products is not clearly labelled. This means consumers are unable to make informed choices about their menstrual-health management.

This is something menstrual-rights activists have been arguing for. Nokuzola Ndwandwe, a menstrual-health-rights activist and founder of the Team Free Sanitary Pads, even told parliament that menstrual products being sold in South Africa did not meet regulatory standards. 

The new study has provided us with more information, but it leaves menstruators with many questions about products they’ve probably been using for years.

If you’re worried, activist Candice Chirwa, dubbed the “minister of menstruation”, told explain menstruators should try reusable options, if they’re affordable, and ask others for advice. Importantly, Chirwa said, listen to your body and talk to a doctor if something doesn’t feel right. 

The National Consumer Commission has also stepped in and will investigate nine of the suppliers listed in the study. If their products don’t meet the required standard, they could be removed from shelves. 

The good news is that this is a massive step towards protecting menstruators’ rights. Now we wait for the outcome of the tests. Until then, we’ll be busy with our own tests – trying out menstrual cups and period panties. 

Read our full explainer here. 

3️⃣ How not to respond: The Bafta N-word scandal explained 

What was meant to be a glitzy night on Sunday at the British Academy Film Awards (Baftas) quickly spiralled into controversy when Tourette Syndrome activist John Davidson hurled the N-word at Sinners stars Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo, both black. 

But the real storm that followed was about what the BBC chose not to do.

The Baftas are not broadcast live. There is a delay. Which means someone, somewhere, has an edit button.

The BBC didn’t edit out the slur in the delayed broadcast,  even though they reportedly knew about Davidson’s participation in the show and had been preparing for it. But other inappropriate language, including homophobic slurs, was caught and removed before the Baftas aired. The BBC also removed part of filmmaker Akinola Davies Jr’s speech in which he said: “Free Palestine”.

Deadline previously reported the BBC would be “monitoring the Baftas closely for politically charged speeches” after last year’s Glastonbury Festival, when punk rap duo Bob Vylan chanted “Death to the IDF!” Seems like a selective kind of monitoring. 🤐

Host Alan Cumming too, caught flack, for ending the evening by saying: “We apologise if you are offended tonight.” This didn’t land with the Sinners’ production designer, Hannah Beachler. “What made the situation worse was the throwaway apology of ‘if you were offended’ at the end of the show,” she wrote on X.

Davidson later told Variety  “I want people to understand that my tics have absolutely nothing to do with what I think, feel, or believe.” He lives with Tourette Syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by involuntary movements and sounds known as tics. In some cases – about 10% to 30% – people experience coprolalia: involuntary swearing or uttering taboo words. It is rare – and often misunderstood. Actor Jamie Foxx commented on Instagram: “Nah, he meant that shit.” The comment has since been deleted. 

Nuance matters… But so does context.

Critics argue the BBC failed on three fronts:

🔸 Not editing out the slur in a pre-recorded broadcast

🔸 Offering what many people saw as a non-apology. The Wire actor Wendell Pierce wrote on X it was infuriating that the first reaction “wasn’t full-throated apologies to Lindo and Jordan. The insult to them takes priority. It doesn’t matter the reasoning for the racist slur.”

🔸 Being inconsistent about what counts as “offensive” enough to cut

Outgoing BBC director-general, Tim Davie has instructed the corporation’s complaints unit to investigate what the broadcaster is now calling a “serious mistake”, a spokesperson said. 

Our take? You can hold two truths at once: Tourette’s is real and involuntary. And broadcasters have editorial responsibility.

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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, Verashni, Kajal, Tshego, Fatima, and Kamogelo.✌🏽

Staff Reporter
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