Geopolitics

Zuma brings Stalingrad tactics to elections

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Wednesday, 17 April 2024

“Well, I must endure the presence of a few caterpillars if I wish to become acquainted with the butterflies.”

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

STORY OF THE DAY

Zuma all the way — 2024 elections, meet Stalingrad

By Stephen Grootes
While the Constitutional Court has not yet said whether it will hear an application from the Electoral Commission challenging former president Jacob Zuma’s eligibility to stand in next month’s general election, the stage is set for tensions to rise between Zuma and the IEC — and Zuma may now make this about the judiciary itself, and in particular Chief Justice Raymond Zondo.

WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING
🇮🇱🇵🇸 Israeli tanks have moved back into parts of the northern Gaza Strip, while Israel Defense Forces aircraft hit targets in Rafah. Current ceasefire talks in Qatar appear to be entirely stagnant.
🏴󠁵󠁳󠁫󠁳󠁿🛠️ While many US states are hopping on the MAGA anti-immigrant bandwagon, Kansas is going the other way. Kansas City’s mayor has openly invited migrants to come to his city to work. A construction and manufacturing boom has created thousands of jobs.
🇲🇲😶 Aung San Suu Kyi has been relocated to house arrest, apparently due to extreme hot weather. Suu Kyi, 78, has been imprisoned since the Myanmar coup overthrew her government in 2021.
🔭🌑 Astronomers have detected the second-largest known black hole in the Milky Way. Sporting a mass 33 times greater than the sun, the unnamed black hole sits a comfy 2,000 light years from Earth.

PICTURE OF THE DAY

📷 Martin Fennell

“Massive waves crashing over fishing boats in Kalk Bay Harbour.”
Cape Town.
Have a picture for us? Send it our way.
Click here for last week’s pictures.

IN NUMBERS

$76,535

College basketball superstar Caitlin Clark’s first-year salary in the WNBA. Thankfully she ought to make considerably more in endorsements.

FACTS OF THE DAY

Today is Malbec World Day. You know what’s needed to celebrate.

The late David Bowie has an orange-haired spider named after him.

SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS
⚽ A brace by French striker Kylian Mbappé helped Paris Saint-Germain beat Barcelona 4-1 (and 6-4 on aggregate) to reach the Uefa Champions League semifinals.

⛳ Henrik Stenson says he’s still waiting for clarity regarding his involvement in this year’s Ryder Cup. In 2023, the Swede was stripped of Team Europe captaincy due to his affiliation with Saudi Arabia’s LIV Golf.

🏏 English batter Jos Buttler struck an unbeaten 107 off 60 balls to help the Rajasthan Royals see off the Kolkata Knight Riders by two wickets, and consolidate first place in the Indian Premier League log standings.

SPONSORED CONTENT

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By Gordon Institute of Business Science

DAILY MAVERICK TODAY

Through thick bush, up hills and across rivers – Eastern Cape learners’ long trek to school

By Estelle Ellis

Desperation dehorning under way to curb runaway KwaZulu-Natal rhino poaching

By Tony Carnie

‘Jobs, jobs, jobs’ — DA’s Winde makes employment promise to young people in Western Cape

By Suné Payne

IEC ‘95% ready’ for polls despite candidate list challenges delaying finalisation of ballot papers

By Lerato Mutsila

SA to push for financial support in internationally binding plastic pollution treaty

By Onke Ngcuka

OPINIONISTAS

What has happened nine months after the ‘CEO pledge’? Turns out, a lot

By Steuart Pennington

Collapse of Ellies points to much larger issue in SA’s world of business development

By Jon Cherry
 

John Stupart

Newsletters Editor
 
 

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