Des Erasmus
- Journalist, Freelance
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Christian; wife to the brilliant @JonathanErasmus; journalist; sea lover. Frequent abuser of semi colons. Tea can never be too strong - Pliny The Elder
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Articles by Des Erasmus
Heavy police presence remains in Durban as March and March prepares for biker convoy
By Des Erasmus A strong police contingent, including dozens of officers, at least four police buses, several tactical vehicles and what appeared to be a mobile prisoner trailer, remained stationed outside the Home Affairs offices on Che Guevara Road in Durban’s Berea on Thursday, ahead of a biker’s convoy by anti-illegal immigration group March and March.
Nie tyd vir teedrink nie
Sê maar net 30 jaar gelede 45 Minute Gelede - - 2026-05-29 00:05:00 “Dis die merk van Kain,” sê James Broadley. “En dis weer die tyd.”Met dié druk hy sy stompvinger so beurtelings onder die neus van Slabbie, Sol en Oerie. “Ek ... If you are an active subscriber and the article is not showing, please log out and back in. Free access to articles from 10:00.
Masemola took R5m to block my return, says Manamela
By Des Erasmus and Lebone Rodah Mosima Suspended Mpumalanga police commissioner Lieutenant-General Daphney Manamela alleged on Sunday that national police chief Fannie Masemola and retired Major-General Botsotso Moukangwe took a R5 million “payment” to block her return to office.
Malema denied appeal on firearm conviction, granted leave to challenge sentence
By Des Erasmus Senior advocates for Julius Malema secured only a partial court victory on Thursday after East London magistrate Twanet Olivier refused the EFF leader leave to appeal his conviction on firearm charges, but granted him leave to appeal the five-year prison sentence imposed earlier in the day. “With regards to the … conviction, this court abides by its decision, as stated on record. This court has not had a change of heart and clearly stands firm on its decision to convict.
Malema sentenced to five years for firearm conviction
By Des Erasmus East London Magistrate Twanet Olivier on Thursday sentenced EFF leader Julius Malema to five years in prison for firing a semi-automatic rifle into the air at the party’s 2018 anniversary rally in Mdantsane. Malema was convicted last year of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, unlawful discharge of a firearm in a built-up area, failure to take reasonable precautions and reckless endangerment.
OPINION| Malema’s martyrdom act to meet the law in sentencing showdown
By Des Erasmus When Julius Malema appears in court on Wednesday for the first day of sentencing proceedings in his firearm discharge conviction, we will find out if a demagogue can still dress up criminal conduct as politics, or if the law will cut through the bluster. The NPA has said that it will ask for a custodial sentence, opposing the idea that Malema can simply pay his way out with a fine. Malema has, characteristically, amplified the drama.
Xolani Khumalo will not be Ekurhuleni MMC, says ActionSA
By Des Erasmus ActionSA mayoral candidate for the city of Ekurhuleni, Xolani Khumalo, will not be taking up the position of MMC for community services, the party’s interim national chairperson, Michael Beaumont, told Inside Politics on Wednesday. “We were as shocked as everyone else when we saw the announcement,” he said.
KZN police take up ‘invitation’ to investigate Durban security tycoon
By Des Erasmus Police in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) said on Monday night they would investigate Durban businessman Calvin Mathibeli after he posted “malicious and baseless” allegations on social media and challenged them to probe his empire.
Small publishers seek clarity as first Google-acked grants roll out
By Des Erasmus The Association of Independent Publishers (AIP) has raised procedural concerns over a Google-backed R114-million fund for small media outlets, even as the first grantees move closer to receiving support for digital transformation. In a statement issued on Thursday, the AIP board said the Digital News Transformation Fund (DNTF) remained “an essential intervention” for a sector facing severe sustainability pressures.
Column: If you can fix Johannesburg for the G20, you can fix it for its residents
By Des Erasmus Johannesburg has just proved an embarrassing point: the city can work, it simply chooses when, and for whom. In the weeks prior to the G20 Leaders’ Summit, ratepayers were privy to a miracle of extreme municipal competence. Potholes were filled, flowers planted, streetlights repaired, billboards erected, and a phalanx of workers deployed to scrub away the grime. Too, security was suddenly not a problem.
He is a whistleblower, police committee chair says of Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi
KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has effectively become a whistleblower after his allegations of political interference in police work and links to organised crime, the head of parliament’s police committee said on Tuesday. “In this case, the way it was done, would certainly fit into whistleblower status,” Ian Cameron said.
Mchunu denies sabotaging political killings task team to shield politicians
Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has denied allegations of interfering in police operations and misleading parliament. Mchunu’s denials come after KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi said on Sunday at an explosive “special briefing” that the high profile political killings task team was disbanded because it was closing in on politicians and others who had been linked to a criminal syndicate in Gauteng.
The Real Prince reigns supreme at Durban July
A record breaking crowd of fashion enthusiasts, punters and revellers converged at Greyville Racecourse for the 2025 Hollywoodbets Durban July, the largest horseracing event in Africa, on Saturday. The event showcased a mix of high-stakes horse racing, bold fashion statements and vibrant cultural expression under the theme “Marvels of Mzansi”. In the main event, The Real Prince delivered a decisive performance to claim victory in the Grade One R5 million race.
Correctional services cuts consultant costs, pushes to build internal capacity
The department of correctional services is working to significantly reduce its reliance on consultants, using them “only when necessary” to improve governance and cut irregular expenditure, it said on Tuesday. According to a presentation delivered to parliament’s portfolio committee on correctional services, the department’s consultant-related spending dropped to R29.2 million in the 2025-26 financial year, down from R119.3 million the previous year.
Sbusiso Jaxa’s Tuneroyalty and the fight for independent artistry
There’s something deeply spiritual about the way sound travels through the South African landscape. You hear it in the hum of taxi radios, the spontaneous harmonies at train stations, the Sunday gospel flooding township streets. Ours is a country where music isn’t background noise, it’s testimony. It tells of struggle, joy, survival and, above all, resilience. But somewhere between the studio and the spotlight, too many South African artists get lost.
SA poultry industry slams US bird flu import concessions as risk to food security
South Africa’s poultry producers have criticised a government decision over highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), which is rampant in the United States and Europe, that would harm the local industry.
Critical minerals strategy crucial for clean energy
Securing future supply of critical minerals is increasingly important in the world’s quest for a lower carbon future. The global economy requires cleaner energy to reduce the adverse effects of our ecological and climate crisis. This crisis is primarily driven by greenhouse gas emissions from human activities. These emissions are a function of burning fossil fuels and deforestation, which themselves have differentiated drivers.
From groceries to bonds: How a 3% inflation target will affect you
South Africa is on the cusp of a quiet, but profound, policy revolution, one that will probably not dominate headlines, but could change the cost of living, investment climate and policy credibility for years to come. The South African Reserve Bank is preparing to reset the country’s inflation target, narrowing it from the traditional 3% to 6% band to a firm 3% anchor. In May 2025, inflation fell to 2.8%, its fourth consecutive month below the lower bound of the current target.
Moravian Church legal battle at heart of indigenous land rights
The rural town of Goedverwacht, 145km west of Cape Town and home to about 2 000 people, is not like any other town in the area — it is a Moravian mission station, one of 11 in the Western Cape. It is also one of a number of mission stations where the residents are in the middle of a legal battle with the church over land, and the meaning of “ownership” in the context of a history of slavery and apartheid.
From code to cooperation: How the G20 and Unesco can shape ethical AI
Imagine a world where technology helps cure diseases, close learning gaps and expand access to public services. Now imagine one where digital tools deepen inequality, automate discrimination and erode democratic values. Both futures are possible. Which one prevails depends on the choices we make today. Advancing at remarkable speed, artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer just a technical debate, it’s a societal one.
The privatisation agenda will not save South Africa
The World Bank has approved a $1.5 billion loan to South Africa. The Infrastructure Modernisation for South Africa Development Policy Loan aims to provide funds for the country to “enhance energy security, increase port and rail volumes and support the transition to a low-carbon economy”. Does this new loan not contradict and undermine the government’s stated efforts to practice fiscal responsibility and restrained government spending?
Diplomacy is not dead, the world has just forgotten how to use it
Last week, the United States launched a large-scale aerial attack on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, dropping 30 000-pound “bunker buster” bombs on enrichment sites at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. This followed Israeli strikes the week before and was met with heavy Iranian retaliation. Over 400 people in Iran, mostly civilians, have reportedly died. At least 24 Israelis have been killed in . The Strait of Hormuz has been with closure. The United Nations Security Council is in emergency session.
G20 youth confront challenges of multilateral cooperation, national sovereignty
National sovereignty has been a key undercurrent from delegates representing the Global South. A recent youth summit tied to this year’s G20 programme under South Africa’s presidency revealed a divergence between the ambitions of the Global South and the priorities of the Global North on issues such as on net-zero commitments on climate change, gender matters, debt, finance and intellectual property.
The ‘weight of heavy logs’: Masculinity and memory in Matabeleland
Directed by the talented Nyasha Kadandara, Matabeleland is set to captivate audiences with its African premiere at the prestigious Encounters South African International Documentary Festival, which runs until the 29 June in Johannesburg and Cape Town. This feature-length debut provides a deeply personal lens into a chapter of Zimbabwe’s history that continues to ripple through generations.
Acts of resistance: The Market Theatre’s enduring power 49 years on
Johannesburg is a city where the pavements speak, if you listen close enough — stories beneath tar, between bricks and rising in spaces that have defied silence. Among these sacred spaces is a building that once bustled with the rhythms of trade: fruit piled high, hands exchanging change, spices scenting the air.
We need to upgrade to Development Finance 4.0 - business as usual won’t get us there
Development finance has long served as the quiet scaffolding behind the social and economic progress of emerging markets. Today, we stand at a pivotal moment. As the global development landscape evolves, so too must the models that guide our financial strategies and instruments in delivering the development mandate. By building on past gains and embracing new forms of collaboration, we can design a more aligned and impactful financial ecosystem for the future.
Alexander Appolis on space, race and the pastoral imagination
Alexander Appolis sounds like a name one would find among historical figures in art history books. It has that “ring to it”. I was given a brief history lesson when I shared this impression with Alex himself. “I found out that Appolis is a slave name as slave owners would give slaves classical names like Apollo or Zeus,” he said. The 31-year-old artist says he fell in and out of love with art until he discovered the powerful potential of fine arts through Mmakgabo Helen Sebidi’s art in high school.
Who benefits from the musical chairs in Joburg Council?
Wednesday’s dramatic council sitting in Johannesburg offered no redemption for a city in crisis — only more politics as usual. As the rubble of coalition squabbles settled, mayor Dada Morero, of the ANC, survived a motion of no confidence. While his mediocre leadership endures, the city continues to decay beneath him. The ANC in the province hailed the outcome as a “resounding defeat” of a “baseless” Democratic Alliance-sponsored motion.
Morero may be safe, but battle over Jozi council continues
The ANC regional task team will meet on Sunday to decide who will fill the vacant Johannesburg council speaker position, after the removal of ActionSA’s Nobuhle Mthembu on Wednesday. A source in the regional task team said the party may consider former speaker and MMC for finance Margaret Arnolds, of the African Independent Congress, for the position.
Tasting the continent: a pan-African journey at Épicure
On a sunny yet cold Friday afternoon, I found myself in a gorgeous space on the seventh floor of the One Rosebank apartment building with panoramic views. I was visiting Épicure, a pan-African fine dining restaurant, which I soon discovered is not just a new addition to Joburg’s culinary scene but the revival of a dream its proprietor has held sacred for years.
How short-term loans could cost you your dream home
Frequent short-term borrowing could be a black mark against you when applying for a home loan. This is because the number of short-term loans you burn through could warn banks or other lenders that you’re having trouble managing your finances. That can make them reluctant to fund your dream of owning your own property.
‘It’s heartbreaking’: bad cancer drugs shipped to more than 100 countries
Vital chemotherapy drugs used around the world have failed quality tests, leaving cancer patients in more than 100 countries at risk of ineffective treatments and potentially fatal side effects, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) can reveal. The drugs in question form the backbone of treatment plans for numerous common cancers — including breast, ovarian and leukemia.
School sampling tests find storage tanks contain unsafe water
A national water testing campaign involving learners has found that water storage tanks at schools are a source of unsafe drinking water. Of 19 tank water samples tested in eight provinces, 14 (about 74%) were found to contain bacterial contamination, including E coli, rendering the water unfit for human consumption. Of the 53 schools that upload valid data, 23 returned results showing water was unsafe to drink. In total, 43% of the 53 samples tested showed bacterial contamination.
Race and politics distract us from the issue of inequality
In a recent conversation on the Born Free podcast with Gauteng MEC of agriculture and rural development Vuyiswa Ramokgopa, she highlighted a quote by Toni Morrison: “The very serious function of racism is distraction. It keeps you from doing your work. It keeps you explaining, over and over again, your reason for being.” It sparked the question of whether South Africa is having a class struggle framed as a race one.
Joburg speaker ‘is going’ but Dada Morero likely to survive motion of no confidence
City of Johannesburg speaker Nobuhle Mthembu, of ActionSA, is set to be removed as council speaker after discussions by the ANC. Highly placed sources said Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero and ANC council chief whip Sithembiso Zungu will survive the motion of no confidence against them on Wednesday, given their numbers in the council, while Mthembu is likely to be replaced by a speaker from a minority party.
Africa’s G20 moment: A moral call for justice and global solidarity
This year, as South Africa assumes the presidency of the G20 for the first time, the nation carries not only a geopolitical responsibility — but a profound moral opportunity. The G20, a grouping that represents 85% of the global GDP, must not remain a platform for the wealthy and powerful to reinforce the status quo. It must become a vehicle for transformation, for solidarity, and for hope. For Africa, this is not merely a policy agenda — it is a call to conscience.
DA allegedly promises Al Jamah-ah Joburg mayoral seat if motion of no confidence in Morero succeeds
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has allegedly promised the Al Jamah-ah party that if it votes in favour of Wednesday’s motion of no confidence to remove Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero, its candidate, former mayor Kabelo Gwamanda, will take over the position. Sources said Al Jamah-ah approached the DA, saying that if it could lobby other parties in the council to support Morero’s removal, they would demand a mayoral position — a demand the DA allegedly considered.
Ukubekezela: Mapping a fractured terrain
Earlier this month, the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture (FADA) Gallery at the University of Johannesburg inaugurated a dual exhibition that featured Senzeni Marasela’s Waiting and Remembering, from 7 to 22 June. The exhibition expanded Marasela’s commitment to art as public memory work. As a VIAD Research Associate and Thami Mnyele Foundation fellow, Marasela’s practice resonates far beyond local geographies — a transnational dialogue that bridges past, present and speculative futures.
Why 100% fruit juice should come with a sugar warning label
Apples, oranges and grapes are healthy fruits. But when they are turned into juice they pack as much, or more, sugar than some sodas or energy drinks. Under South Africa’s proposed food labelling regulations 100% fruit juiceswon’t be required to show a high sugar warning on their packaging because their sugars are “naturally occurring”.
India’s ancient art of yoga captures Durban
The International Day of Yoga was born from an address by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the UN General Assembly in 2014. Within three months, on 11 December that year, 193 member states and 173 co-sponsor countries voted unanimously to enshrine 21 June as a global day to honour the ancient Indian discipline of yoga.
Holding the powerful to account: War crimes and the new global reckoning
The world is on the brink of war again. War crimes and massacres, genocides are coming to characterise our modern world. Humanity is in the deepest crisis it has ever seen. German critic Walter Benjamin, who died in 1940, once said: “There is no document of civilisation which is not at the same time a document of barbarism.” These words predicted the scale of atrocity during the Nazi invasion of Europe. Benjamin believed that barbarism was being transmitted from one hand to another.
Water and sanitation department ramping up reforms, interventions to avoid water crisis
The department of water and sanitation (DWS) is intensifying infrastructure development, municipal support and institutional reform to avert a worsening national water crisis, it told parliament’s standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) on Tuesday.
At least three officials must collude to create one ghost worker, says public service chairperson
Creating one ghost employee on the public payroll requires the collusion of at least three officials, the chairperson of parliament’s portfolio committee on public service and administration said on Monday. Jan de Villiers also said that the era of treating ghost workers as a clerical irregularity was over. “This is not merely a payroll anomaly.
MK party’s power problem: The fragility of proximity politics
Floyd Shivambu’s redeployment from the position of secretary general of the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party to a seat in parliament is not simply a procedural shift. It is a symbolic moment that pulls back the curtain on the inner workings of a party still constructing its identity — and, more crucially, its power logic. What this moment makes increasingly difficult to ignore is that the party’s internal architecture does not yet rest on collective governance or principled leadership.
Reimagining SA-US relations in the aftermath of the Oval Office spectacle
The Oval Office encounter between South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and US President Donald Trump was no ordinary diplomatic engagement. It was a geopolitical theatre — a collision of clashing narratives, one anchored in misinformation, the other focused on sustaining economic opportunities. Yet beneath the theatrics lay deep tectonic shifts in the global order. If we reframe from spectacle to substance, this moment is not an anomaly, but a strong signal of change.
Ask Ash | Johannesburg’s housing crisis is like a movie on loop
I decided to rewatch the movie Gangster’s Paradise: Jerusalema. Besides being an excellent film directed by Ralph Ziman, I started examining the fictional protagonist Lucky Kunene. He is a symbol of struggle and represents individuals who were involved with the hijacking of buildings in Jozi’s suburb of Hillbrow during the 1990s. The character Lucky is not a real person, but the movie is based on real-life events, and it got me thinking. How much has changed since then? Well, basically nothing.
It’s time to talk about weaponising visas against Africans
The anti-migration regulations in Europe and the US against Africans continue to affect the sociopolitical and economic development of Africa. Thousands of Africans who apply for visas continue to have their applications rejected. Moreover, most Africans are charged exorbitant non-refundable fees when applying for visas. Millions in foreign and local currencies are accumulated by European and US embassies in various African countries from visa applications annually.
‘Msholozi finally heard us’: MK leaders welcome Shivambu’s axing as secretary general
Senior officials in uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party have welcomed secretary general Floyd Shivambu’s dismissal from the party’s top administrative post and his redeployment to parliament this week. Although they expressed “relief” that the party’s leader, Jacob Zuma, has responded to their concerns about Shivambu’s alleged divisive conduct, several insiders warned that his difficult relationship with senior party members could limit his effectiveness in parliament.
EDITORIAL | We must all reclaim our information space
More South Africans arrived in the United States this week. But it is an old resident who made the most headlines. Elon has left the Doge office. He did so in bizarre pomp and ceremony, with Donald Trump looking to save both their faces with a predictably awkward golden key award ceremony. Musk and his Javier Milei-inspired chainsaw are no longer a factor in Washington. The same cannot be said for public life. Musk owns X/Twitter, one of the biggest social media platforms on the planet.
Let’s fall back in love with journalism
We do what we do because of you. I desperately needed to hear those words when they were written by Sipho Kings after being appointed Mail & Guardian editor in 2020. The world had turned upside down a few months earlier. In March, we turned off the office lights as the Covid-19 lockdown set in, uncertain of what was to become of our society, let alone our publication. Not long after that we lost key staff, including our editors.
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