Elon walks it back with regret posting about  president Trump

by Phishego Mathipa In the increasingly heated world of internet politics, Elon Musk is doing uncommon things, publicly apologizing. President Donald J. Trump was the target of a barrage of social media remarks last week that included scathing criticisms and, in some cases, offensive language.  The messages were part of a broader online backlash against Trump’s recent public…

South Africa’s illicit alcohol values more than R20 Billion

by Mathipa Phishego The South African Liquor Brandowners Association (SALBA) commissioned a 2021 Euromonitor study that found that the country is currently dealing with a growing illegal alcohol sector worth over R20 billion. One in every 4.54 liters of alcohol sold is illicit, according to this concerning statistic. Illicit alcohol includes unbranded spirits, smuggled commodities,…

Joburg defends nearly R1 Billion in tenders to officials’ families despite Auditor-General’s warning

Mathipa Phishego  Following disclosures that approximately R1 billion in transport contracts were given to businesses connected to the families of city officials and council members, the City of Johannesburg has come under fire, drawing criticism from watchdog organisations and public indignation. The city, however, insists it has done nothing improper. Six contracts totalling R972 million…

Amapanyaza (Gauteng Traffic Wardens) Disrupt Cable Theft Operation an R25 Near Reitvlei River

The Gauteng Traffic Wardens (Infrastructure Unit) were dispatched to patrol the R25 Spookheis Bush area as part of ongoing efforts to safeguard public infrastructure from criminal activities. The unit, trained to monitor and respond to threats against infrastructure, was conducting routine surveillance when they encountered two individuals engaged in illegal activity. While patrolling near the…

Joburg Mayor deploys ‘Bomb Squad’ to rescue city before G20 summit

by Phishego Mathipa With just months to go before Johannesburg hosts the prestigious G20 Summit, the city’s mayor, Dada Morero, has launched an urgent and symbolically charged initiative to address long-standing service delivery failures. On Wednesday, 5 June 2025, at a press briefing held in Soweto, Morero introduced a high-level intervention team dramatically dubbed the…

Tensions rise as Elon Musk and President Trump clash on X

by Phishego Mathipa A public dispute between President Donald Trump and tech entrepreneur Elon Musk has drawn widespread attention following a series of sharp exchanges on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter). The conflict began after Musk publicly criticized the administration’s latest economic policy proposal. In June 2025, Musk resigned from his advisory role…

South Africa’s digital sovereignty is under siege: a critique and a call for action against the proposed policy direction to the independent communications authority of South Africa (ICASA) on broad-based black economic empowerment (BBBEE).

Introduction.“At this hour of destiny, the future of South Africa is in your hands, and it will be whatyou make of it” – Moses Kotane. In the current epoch, a time rife with the relentless expansion of global capitalism, we witness the emergence of yet another insidious attempt to undermine hard-fought gains of the liberation…

The Numbers Game: How a Constitutional “Imperative” Became a Tool for Convenience at the Peter Mokaba 10th Regional Conference.

As delegates prepare for the 10th Regional Conference, a cloud of procedural ambiguity andpotential manipulation hangs heavy in the air. A recent directive from the Regional Task Team (RTT),dated May 18, 2025, aimed at bolstering the count of branch voting delegates, has raised seriousquestions about the adherence to both the letter and, more critically, the…