The now infamous Zuma painting, Brett Murray’s The Spear, has blown up all over the social networks today. The ANC has instituted legal action against the Goodman Gallery, who received a letter from the ruling party’s lawyers this morning. The Spear will stay up – and City Press has also refused removal of an image of the painting.
Only one in five people support what Julius Malema says and does. A survey among 2 000 metropolitan adults, conducted in April 2012 (before the disgraced ANC Youth League leader was expelled from the ANC), revealed that overall, Juju’s backing from the public – particularly from young people – is nothing to write home about.
Divisive comments on same-sex relationships and homosexuality by ANC MP and Head of the Congress of Traditional Leaders, Patekile Holomisa have drawn criticism from defenders of same-sex equality and caused the ANC caucus in Parliament to issue a statement distancing itself from Holomisa’s words.
For a political party that prides itself on being squeaky clean, it was only a matter of time before something emerged. It’s not the Arms Deal, but having child p0rn on your office computer is probably not the smartest thing to do – especially if the p0rn involves kids.
Troubled former South African Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Sicelo Shiceka, passed away in an Eastern Cape hospital this morning after a long illness, according to an ANC press release.
SABC Radio and The New Age newspaper have reported that Julius Malema’s expulsion from the ANC has been upheld. As from today, 24 April 2012, Julius Malema is no longer a card-carrying member of the ANC, and holds no office in the party, or any of it’s organs.
The ANC centenary motorcade, currently travelling through Kwa-Zulu Natal, features at least three vehicles with the same licence plate. Photos have emerged on Facebook showing multiple vehicles with identical plates – ‘ANC 100 – ZN’ – all honouring the ruling party’s jamboree year. The fact that this is probably totally illegal is not putting a dampener on anyone’s spirit.
The ANC National Disciplinary Committee have announced that Julius Malema has been summarily suspended from the party and all his responsibilities there, following comments he made last week at a lecture where he labelled President Zuma a “dictator”. Except isn’t he already suspended? Join us as we try untie this new craziness, after the jump!
Less than a week after Helen Zille’s latest Twitter-storm about comments she made about the state of education here in the Western Cape versus the same in our neighbours – she called students from the Eastern Cape who attend school here “refugees” – she has gotten all up in the ANC’s grille once more with fresh comments regarding the state of health here versus there.
Despite a lull in tension, all is still not well in sleepy Grabouw. Residents are still at each others throats over the apparent discrimination in the administration of local school facilities. So much so, that the Presidency has taken an unusual step to actually do something about it. More of this alleged good governance after the jump!
Despite his insistence that Pretoria’s name would be history by the end of this year, it seems Tshwane Metro’s mayor, Kgosientso Ramokgopa, has had to concede that while the city name “Pretoria” will stay, a handful of street names will be made over. Details after the jump!
As the ANC’s leadership conference draws ever nearer, it would seem that ol’ Julius is still not able to keep his mouth shut, somehow desperately clinging on to the illusion that he is still relevant. He was speaking at a public rally in Kimberley yesterday.
Recently, the ANC released a wad of discussion documents that will lead the various policy discussions at its upcoming National Electoral Conference this year. One of them outlines a startling plan to reshuffle and re-organise South Africa’s provinces to “ensure more functionality, economic viability and racial/ethnic integration”. So what exactly does that mean?
Julius Malema has responded to his expulsion from the ANC, saying he accepts the decision even though he has done nothing wrong to deserve it. He also wore sunglasses at night, blamed the media for making him look bad in front of the ANC, and pulled off some awesome dance moves! See the video after the jump.
[Update:] Julius Malema has been expelled from the ANC. The National Disciplinary Committee announced its final decision on the fate of the ANC Youth League leader late this evening, declaring that his suspension from the party would be upheld. The decision can still be overturned by the National Disciplinary Committee of Appeal or reviewed by the ANC’s executive committee, but Malema’s political career is on decidedly shaky ground tonight.
Earlier today we told you about the violence that broke out during President Jacob Zuma’s ANC centenary address in Cape Town yesterday. An SABC cameraman even had a chair thrown in his face! See video footage of this incident, along with a full photo gallery of all the action, after the jump.
About 1,35 million condoms are being recalled as we speak. They were handed out at the recent ANC centenary celebrations. The reason? The have been found to break during intercourse and others are “porous”.
Julius Malema is raring to go with his appeal against the five year ANC suspension he received a few weeks ago. He has been quoted today saying he’s prepared to accept any outcome. How diplomatic. (But please note, if you still think Juju is really going to retire to the country to be a farmer, you may have to reconsider.)
Well, well. Cosatu has announced that it would like the ANC to remove the current system of provinces in South Africa, saying that it is an obstacle to job creation. The organisation has said that it will lobby this at the ANC’s policy conference next year. Really, Cosatu? That can’t be the only reason…
The committee which will shepherd the Protection of State Information Bill through to the next stage of its approval process in the National Council of Provinces next year has been announced. Parliament has elected 15 ad hoc committee members, 10 of whom are from the ANC, two from the DA and one each from Cope, the ID and the IFP.
In the wake of Parliament’s majority vote to send the controversial Protection of Information Bill to the National Council of Provinces for consideration, the ANC’s Wikipedia has suffered numerous mischievious revisions, or hacks.The information under the heading “Controversy over corrupt members” appears to have been censored, or redacted, in a style similar to a government-censored document. You need to see what these guys did.
Julius Malema has been suspended from the ANC, and ANC Youth League for FIVE YEARS. Unlike many of the other sentences handed to other core members of the ANCYL, Malema’s sentence is effective immediately.
The ratifying of the Protection of Information bill may be delayed. Opponents of the so-called Secrecy Bill – 3 000 of whom took to the streets of Cape Town on Saturday in support of the Right2Know campaign – may have claimed a minor victory in their battle against the controversial Bill. Further vigils will take place across the country tonight.
The ANC wants to know which ANCYL supporters were so vocal last week around the Julius Malema disciplinary hearing. And it’s not so they can hand out prizes for enthusiasm. Provincial leaders have been instructed to identify the culprits who caused chaos at Luthuli House and surrounds in support of Juju.
Hundreds of people have been gathering this morning outside the ANC Youth League headquarters in Johannesburg, following the league’s promise that supporters would behave well in the lead up to Julius Malema’s disciplinary hearing. Rubber bullets have already been used by police to contain the crowd. Twitter is alive with reports of violence and mayhem going down.
The ANC has given assurances today that it will not back down on the charges brought against Julius Malema and ANCYL spokesperson Floyd Shivambu, in spite of the youth league’s requests for urgent discussions on the matter. It seems the league is still not clear on why Juju and Floyd are actually being charged.
It seems that there truly isn’t a day goes by where some politician is caught on the take, then denies it, then blames the media, and then gets off. Monday was Malema’s turn and Tuesday Was Bheki’s. His mate Nathi got to explain just why the chief needed to spend 1.498 million Rand on plane trips.
Today the DA will ask Sars to investigate the fearless ANC Youth League leader, Julius Malema’s finances. According to the party’s police spokesman, the DA has information that points to Malema building a 16 million Rand mansion, complete with panic room.
I can’t help it. I have to write about this. It’s too good not to write about. Insanity is always funny. In this case the insanity comes once more from the king’s jester, Julius. He said yesterday that he didn’t drive white people away from voting for the ANC, because they never voted for the ANC in the first place.
Long gone are the days where the words you say about things mean the things you’re saying . No, we live in a much more nuanced society where “Shoot the Boer” means “Shoot the System” and “Burn The Herald” doesn’t mean do something, nor does it mean do nothing, but it certainly doesn’t mean, set fire to a newspaper.