Hi there 🙋🏾♀️
It’s been a week of yohs and yays – and you know we’re here to unpack it all.
First up: Brown Mogotsi, the flashy businessman who keeps getting name-dropped at the Madlanga Commission, says there was an attempt on his life. But the “attempt” is raising eyebrows. Think: more plot holes (or bullet holes) than a low-budget soapie.
Elsewhere, former president Thabo Mbeki wants us to change how we choose presidents. Speaking of presidential legacies: Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, daughter of you-know-who, is finally having her day in court – for allegedly fuelling the 2021 riots.
Globally, we’re sending a big congrats to our one-time homeboy Zohran Mamdani, who just won the New York mayoral race. But we’re also giving Donald Trump a big ol’ side-eye for spreading unverified claims about a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria. Same script, different country.
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 Please Call Me battle is finally over. After 18 years of legal drama, Vodacom and Nkosana Makate hit “send” on an out-of-court settlement yesterday. Makate invented the ultimate broke-person hack back in 2000 as a trainee accountant, and demanded a fair share of the billions the service raked in. The exact payout remains confidential, but News24 estimates it to be between R350m – R700m based on new guidance for Vodacom’s upcoming results, more than the R47m initially offered. Call ended.
- Thabo Mbeki thinks South Africans should rethink how we elect our president. Currently, voters elect parliamentarians via the parties they vote for. The party with the most seats selects a president, typically its leader. Our former president spoke on Saturday at a National Dialogue event in Gqeberha. He noted parliamentary process never addresses whether a candidate is competent at all. Electoral reform would take time, but as political analyst Mpumelelo Mkhabela noted, we need a parly vetting process, at least.
- SA’s biggest private school group is going nonprofit. 🎓Last Friday, shareholders of Curro Holdings voted 99.98% in favour of a R7.2 billion buyout by Capitec co-founder Jannie Mouton’s foundation, paving the way for its delisting from the JSE as a now charitable organisation. The foundation will fund the buy-out with Capitec and PSG shares, calling it one of the largest philanthropic moves in SA’s history. Curro says the deal could lead to thousands more learners accessing quality education.
- Patrice Motsepe’s African Rainbow Minerals is saying so long to new coal. The mining giant says stricter environmental rules – specifically the Climate Change Act – have made backing coal too costly. Instead, it’s pivoting to critical minerals such as copper and nickel – key for the production of batteries, hydrogen technology, and hybrid cars. It’s not just a climate move, it’s smart business. Coal profits are fading, while the real money is now in so-called “transition” metals powering the green economy.
- Proteas Women lost to India in their first ODI World Cup final. 💔 Captain Laura Wolvaardt led with a superb 101 off 98 balls, but we fell short by 52 runs. Still, Sunday’s match marked a huge first-time win for India. The roaring home crowd in Navi Mumbai included cricketing legends like Sachin Tendulkar. Not so for the SA women. It looked like Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie didn’t attend, a repeat of last year’s T20 World Cup women’s final.
INTERNATIONAL
- Donald Trump is punting another right-wing genocide myth. He vowed over the weekend to go “guns-a-blazing” into Nigeria to stop what he called Islamist persecution of Christians, adding he’d cut all US aid to the country. Groups monitoring violence say there’s no evidence that Christians are being killed more than Muslims in Nigeria, the BBC reports. Presidential adviser Daniel Bwala said the country would accept help against Islamic insurgents but noted there is no Christian genocide. Sounds familiar. 🙄
- COP30 kicks off Monday in Brazil. World leaders are jetting in for a pre-summit pow-wow today. It’s a big milestone – 10 years since the Paris Agreement, when nearly every country pledged to limit global warming to 1.5 °C. But a new report says current fossil fuel plans would see countries extracting 120% more than what’s safe by 2030. Leaders will now wrangle over negotiations for new commitments on fossil fuels, climate finance and renewable energy to accelerate the clean-energy transition.
- Former US Vice President Dick Cheney died on Monday at 84. Cheney, who served under George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009, was one of the key architects of the 2003 invasion of Iraq – a decision that reshaped global politics and cost hundreds of thousands of lives. In later years, Cheney broke party rank, condemning Donald Trump over the January 6 Capitol attack in 2021. So long to a towering – and deeply controversial – figure in modern US history.
- Justin Baldoni’s blockbuster $400 million lawsuit against Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds has fizzled out. 🎬 A US judge officially tossed out the case on Friday after Baldoni missed a key filing deadline — only Lively’s team bothered to respond. The messy feud began last year when Lively accused her It Ends With Us co-star and director of sexual harassment, which he denied before countersuing for defamation and extortion. Lively’s own case heads to trial in March 2026. Pass the popcorn.
- Killer Orcas are back in the news! Footage by a marine biologist shows a pod of orcas hunting three great white sharks in the Gulf of California, flipping the sharks to “induce tonic immobility” before munching on their nutrient-packed livers. This phenomenon was first spotted in SA (remember Port and Starboard?), and is likely due to rising ocean temperatures, bringing more sharks into typical orca territory. Nature, it seems, has no chill.
▁ ▂ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ █ BIG STORIES
1️⃣ Brown Mogotsi’s assassination attempt: real hit or staged drama?
A key witness in the Madlanga Commission was nearly gunned down earlier this week, hours after discussing his testimony. Self-styled political fixer Brown Mogotsi nearly became the victim of an alleged assassination attempt on Monday night in Vosloorus, Ekurhuleni. Or did he?
Mogotsi and the Madlanga Commission’s team, including spokesperson Jeremy Michaels, were deep in talks earlier on Monday about getting him safely on the stand, even floating the idea of witness protection.
The commission, which kicked off in September, has been digging into allegations of criminal and political interference in our justice system, following KZN top cop Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s explosive allegations in July this year.
Later on Monday, a white bakkie reportedly tailed Mogotsi’s red Chevrolet, opened fire and left. Mogotsi emerged unharmed, without any injuries.
Things then got… weird.
When the police arrived at the scene, they tried to open an attempted murder docket on the spot, but they found no Mogotsi, just his bullet-riddled car. By Tuesday, Mogotsi had ghosted the police, earning him the label “uncooperative complainant.”
Fast forward to Wednesday, and Mogotsi resurfaced at his lawyers’ offices, finally giving his statement. Police questioned him about the shooting, along with allegations of fraud and corruption, while seizing several digital devices as part of the Madlanga Commission investigation.
But here’s the big question: was it a genuine hit, or a clever stage job?
🔹 When police arrived there was no blood and no ambulance. Mogotsi later told police he left as he was too “traumatised” to provide a formal statement at the time.
🔹 When witnesses near the site of the shooting offered to call the police, he refused help allegedly stating that the police would “finish him off.”
🔹 A witness at the scene has alleged that Mogotsi shot his own car.
If the shooting was staged, SAPS has said charges will follow.
Mogotsi has been fingered in everything from bankrolling Police Minister Senzo Mchunu to meddling in SAPS rot. He is due for a grilling later this month at Parliament’s ad hoc committee looking at the same allegations, scheduled between 18-20 November. There is no fixed date yet for his appearance at the Madlanga commission.
The police scandal gripping our country gets wilder every week. We’ll keep updating you. Be sure to check out our series of explainers on what’s emerging at the various inquiries, and how far back this all goes.
2️⃣ Zohran Mamdani’s bold vision wins over New Yorkers – and the world
New York has a new mayor — and he’s not your typical establishment figure.
The 34-year-old South African school pupil turned Brooklyn assemblyman has been elected mayor of New York City, smashing former governor Andrew Cuomo by eight percentage points and becoming the Big Apple’s first millennial, first Muslim, first openly socialist leader.
And honestly? It’s hard to overstate how big a deal this is. According to The Guardian, Mamdani’s victory cements a generational and ideological shift in New York politics. With 50.4 % of the vote, Mamdani buried Cuomo’s comeback dreams and handed Democrats their loudest win of 2025.
Mamdani’s campaign found traction with working-class New Yorkers priced out of their own neighbourhoods. The typical rent in NYC has rocketed about 30% over the last five years.
His bold promises include:
🔹 Zero fares on city-wide buses by 2027.
🔹 No increases for four years on the city’s one million rent-stabilised apartments.
🔹 Increasing minimum wage from the current $16.50 per hour to $30.
🔹 Universal public childcare for every New Yorker from 6 weeks to 5 years old, while also boosting child care workers’ wages.
🔹 Hiking the city tax by 2 percentage points for incomes over $1 million.
🔹 Redirecting $3 billion from the police budget into a new Department of Community Safety, including mental-health first-responders, youth jobs, and community safety hubs.
It’s the kind of left-wing wish list that’s usually laughed out of City Hall, but Mamdani made it sound not just possible, but urgent.
Mandani’s victory over Independent candidate Cuomo — a seasoned political heavyweight backed by Trump, despite being a former democrat — signals something bigger: New Yorkers are tired of polished centrism. They wanted someone who doesn’t just promise stability, but transformation.
His win comes amid a big night for Democrats across the US. The party notched key victories in gubernatorial races (state governor elections) in New Jersey and Virginia. Separately, in California, voters passed Proposition 50, giving the state Legislature power to redraw congressional districts, which adds up to five additional Democrat seats in Congress. It’s kind of like adding a few more MPs to your side in Parliament — which could tip the balance of power away from Trump.
This matters beyond New York. A South African-schooled kid just became mayor of America’s biggest city. The future of US politics possibly looks a lot more global, a lot more radical, and a lot more millennial than anyone expected.
3️⃣ Dudu Zuma finally heads to court over 2021 July unrest
Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla is about to swap Parliament benches for the Durban High Court dock. Starting Monday 10 November, the uMkhonto weSizwe Party MP and Jacob Zuma’s daughter will face terrorism charges over tweets she fired off during the July 2021 riots that torched KZN and Gauteng.
The charges? Incitement to commit terrorism and public violence. Specifically, prosecutors say Zuma-Sambudla used social media to fan the flames, posting videos of looting captioned “We see you” and other content they claim encouraged rioters.
Sparked by Zuma’s imprisonment for contempt of court, July 2021 riots quickly escalated into widespread looting and destruction, leaving over 350 dead, thousands arrested, and billions in economic losses. It was a moment when the country teetered dangerously close to collapse.
So why has it taken over four years to go to trial? KZN National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson, Advocate Mthunzi Mhaga, said the matter involved complex social‑media forensics and carefully verifying every piece of evidence, which takes time. SAPS also had to outsource some of the investigation to social media experts as they lacked the necessary skills, Mhaga said.
Add to that the enormous political dimension. When you have someone from the country’s most prominent political family, the questions of fairness, public scrutiny and potential appeals skyrocket.
State prosecutor Yuri Gangai noted that more than 12 senior state prosecutors were involved in the decision to charge Zuma‑Sambudla, and he believes the State has a strong case. There was no political motive in the charges, he said, adding that the State had successfully prosecuted other people involved in public violence linked to the 2021 riots.
The trial will scrutinise social media posts, witness testimony, and expert analysis to see whether her online activity directly stoked violence. If she’s convicted, there will probably be appeals, in true Zuma style.
Zuma-Sambudla formally entered her not-guilty plea at her initial court appearance in August, striding into court in a T-shirt blazoned “Modern Day Terrorist” and flashing a smile for the cameras. Her earlier court appearances turned into full-blown Zuma family roadshows, with dad, Jacob, and brother, Duduzane showing support alongside a crowd of MK party loyalists.
How Zuma-Sambudla’s trial plays out will send a clear signal: social media isn’t a free pass when posts spark real-world violence, and it’s a crucial moment to see whether justice can finally catch up with the chaos of July 2021.
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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