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Category: Acumen News

#VacciNation Over Politics

Date: 02.17.2025

Written By

Tonya Khoury

It’s been a strange week, however, let me start with my personal favourite #StateCaptureInquiry. The #ZondoCommission shone its light on two big names this week. The first shining star was #BalekeMbete. Her testimony was both appalling and infuriating. She basically said that she had ignored the entire #ArmsDeal report, because no-one had put their name on the bottom of it. Who on earth would put their name on it? She also told us how very “busy” MP’s are, and that they have no time for unsigned paperwork. If that wasn’t bad enough, she said that the allegations and rumours of #StateCapture had only become corridor gossip very late in the day; when there were already many cadres  “caught” in it. Why are you here #Mbete? Why aren’t you behind bars? There were several other witnesses, some of them anonymous – and then in walked #NomaGigaba – and she brought a bakkie load of files with her and dumped them all over the commission’s floor. She told the court: how #Malusi hated #DuduMyeni, and that the #Guptas were his #SpecialAdvisors. Of course #Gigabyte  denied all these allegations, but hell hath no fury like a woman scorned and #Noma didn’t stop to take a breath while she batted every denial,  with eyerolls.  Midway through telling us how Malusi had counted his cash and transported it from bag to bag, the Advocate interrupted the proceedings to mention that there had been a serious security threat and requested a motion to adjourn. Within five minutes, the #DCJ adjourned the session. I took to social to see what the real story was, “dololo”.  What’s going on? Is Noma/Norma safe?

There’s politics everywhere, there’s protests everywhere and that’s not news because, well, #Elections2021. The By-Elections left the EFF with egg on their face as the hashtag #EFFIsFinished started to trend.-  The EFF has had quite a week, as they had to #PayBackTheMoney for the damage at #Brackenfell too. Phumzile van Damme resigned from the DA, she’s too good for politics, and definitely too good for Zille. The IFP slammed the ANC about #Buthelezi. I seriously can’t keep up.

You’ll know that the #ZumaTrial was postponed for the eleventeenth time, but when Zuma and his cronies started addressing the crowd outside, there was a heckling and a booing (heaven forbid) for #Zikalala and #Ntuli. This is bad everyone, very bad, so bad that there will be an enquiry launched into the “booing”. Why?  Well, it must be because the crowd were paid, or is that just cynical me?  Zuma also wants Advocate Downer out (probably because he was involved in putting Schabir Shaik away). Ace #Magashule never apologised; in fact he laughed at the journalist that asked the question. And then? Well, he said he’ll bring the whole of the #FreeState to the #ZumaTrial, as if the #FreeState is some sacred place, a place where he is regarded as king. Have you seen the looted mess you left Ace?  I’m not sure that you’ll need many buses.

#IEC launched a commission to assess our readiness as a nation to hold elections: we’ve never been ready, we always do it, it’s the South African thing, it’s impossible and then it’s done.   Enforce the 2 m apart social distancing rule and mandatory mask wearing – we’ll be fine. We do have a massive problem with these elections though, we don’t have anyone to vote for.

I was encouraged by the #VaccineRollOut and #PhaseTwo this week. I heard many ground reports about the ease of access and the organised roll out here in rural KZN. Well done guys. The Vaccine and the #ThirdWave are probably this week’s biggest story. It feels good to see corporate and government working hand- in- hand to get our country vaccinated.  We saw the president in France, talking about #VaccineApartheid and the limitations of local production because of “intellectual property rights”. Tthere are rumours that a harder Lockdown is on the cards.

 

#MangaungShutDown leaving behind a body of a child, allegedly a victim of a foreign national while igilantism took over #Zandspruit, as nine men were corralled into a sports field and set alight. Six bodies, my eyes won’t compute what I’m seeing.

In other news #FindSimphiweManzini was a hoax. A Cape Town bully sets a pupil’s hair alight. The school rapist that was on the run handed himself in, Redhill tries and fails to silence its students and alumni on #Palestine. Bonang is suing Rea because of his comments on AKA’s drug abuse Rea called out Bonang as the one who “introduced AKA to cocaine”. Modjadji, the Rain Queen, is apparently not ready for the throne (it was a man that said that), the rand is performing better than ever,  the Repo rate is on hold and Heineken buys Hunters and Savanna.

Across our borders: I watched again, with horror, children being killed in the war between Palestine and Israel, their bodies filling up my timeline like the tears in my eyes. Rumours of a cease- fire are making headlines this morning Humanitarian aid for the Palestinians was stopped by Netanyahu, so I pray that the ceasefire statement is true.

After an horrific two weeks in media, my mental state needs a break, so I’m taking next week off. Please don’t send me any headlines, just register for the Vaccine (it’s the right thing to do). I’ll be sure to tell the Potato Bass (18 m under) that you send your best wishes; there is no signal underwater so sadly, you can’t tell him yourself.

 

Vaccination over politics

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