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NEWS ANALYSIS The election results have reshaped South Africa’s political landscape. How did it happen? And what happens next? MK. That’s what happened. Like in the movie Jaws. Just when you thought it was safe to get back into the water, Jacob Zuma has returned to centre stage. The uMkhonto weSizwe party’s sensational surge to almost 15% of the national vote put paid to any chance of the ANC retaining its majority.  Populism sells well in the modern age of politics, especially the ethno-nationalist sort. Europe has witnessed a return of it in recent years, and the same in the…

Reading Time: Four MinutesConflict advisor and former politician Roelf Meyer says there are some experiences and lessons that can be learned from South Africa's 1994 Government of National Unity. The ANC announced on Thursday it would call on other parties to form a government of national unity, after failing to secure a majority in the recent general election. Meyer says political parties need to work together in the best interest of the country. “We've never been in this situation before, because you can't really compare what's happening now to the situation in 1994 when we had a government of national…

Beyoncé and the bubbly woman: Duduzile Zuma's lavish lifestyle, showcased on her TikTok account, has caught the attention of many. Duduzile Zuma Sambudla was previously dubbed the “Ivanka Trump of Nkandla” because of her billionaire lifestyle and fervent support for her father, Jacob Zuma. The 42-year-old twin sister of President Duduzane Zuma, who has played an integral role in the election slogans of Zuma's Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) party, is no longer just the leader of her father's social media activities. Jacob Zuma's daughter and MK member Duduzile Zuma Sambudla. Photo: Michelle Vega The six-month-old party won a landslide victory in…

Reading Time: 3 MinutesUDM speaker Bantu Holomisa has called on the Chief Justice to convene a meeting with all political parties represented in parliament, following the ANC's announcement of its intention to form a government of national unity. He said the announcement will have significant implications for the future governance and direction of our country. Holomisa said the ANC needed to explain its proposals to all parties in parliament. “People must remember that over nine million voters are against the status quo, so the ANC should have at least had the courtesy to call everyone. We wrote to the Chief…

Why do major sporting events partner with those who harm people and the planet? The Africa Cup of Nations is partnered with Total Energies, a company notorious for human rights violations on the African continent, and the last FIFA World Cup was held in Qatar, a country with well-documented human rights abuses. The latest example of this unwelcome trend is the Olympics' partnership with Toyota: The Olympics maintained a sponsorship deal with the car manufacturer after promising to be “the most sustainable Games in history,” but the deal is likely to end after this year's spectacle. Organizers have pledged to…

Reading Time: 2 MinutesPolitical analyst Levy Ndu says the ANC can't seem to decide which party to form a coalition with. This comes after the party announced it would seek to form a national unity government with opposition groups. Discussions to form the seventh government based on this proposal are continuing this weekend. The DA is one of the parties that has voiced support for the proposal. This is despite the ideological differences between the DA and the ANC. Ndu said political parties should set aside their differences and go ahead with the proposal. “The reference to 1994 probably means…

Reading Time: 2 MinutesDemocratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhausen said the DA would continue to engage with all parties in negotiations over the country's future. Steenhuisen was reacting to an SABC News article which said the DA was not ready to work with Umkhonto weSizwe (MK), the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the Patriotic Alliance (PA). These comments do not reflect the DA's stance on important negotiations about our country's future, which are based on protecting the Constitution, ensuring stability and growing the economy. We will continue to negotiate with all parties who are committed to upholding these principles. https://t.co/fgZdsz3Q2P…

Reading Time: 3 MinutesThe Ahmed Kathrada Foundation expressed optimism that the Government of National Unity (GNU) proposed by the African National Congress (ANC) would lead to political stability in the country. Talks to form a seventh government based on the proposal continued this weekend, with some parties voicing their support for it, while others have rejected it. The foundation's executive director, Neeshan Barton, said the results of last week's election showed South African voters want their preferred parties to work together to govern the country. “To form a government you need several people coming together. I think what the ANC…

Hardship: Drought-hit Zimbabwe has seen crop failures and limited water supplies. Letwin Mande (right) enlists the help of his neighbour (left) to carry a bucket of water from a community-run well in Epworth, an informal settlement east of the capital, Harare, where each family is allocated four buckets of water per day. Photo: Jekesai Nzikizana/AFP MaAnother of the four, Laiwa Musenza, is already relying on aid from local NGOs to feed her family as Zimbabwe's drought only gets worse. At a farm outside the capital, Harare, a line of children as young as three and a small group of older…

Innocent Masque hails from the same region as the world-famous opera singer Pretty Yende Ying Mkondo (formerly Piet Retief). South African opera singer Innocent Masuku may not have won Britain's Got Talent (BGT) But she is pleased that the opera genre has reached people who wouldn't have been able to see it if she hadn't taken part in the TV competition. “I think opera is a really powerful genre. A lot of people don't like it because they don't know about it. Some people may not relate to opera, but it's not necessarily because they don't like it, it's because…