Greg Nicolson
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Articles by Greg Nicolson
Ramaphosa to act on ‘illegal immigration’ as anti-foreigner protests spread across SA
As anti-foreigner protests have spread across the country in recent days, with flare-ups in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape, President Cyril Ramaphosa has pledged a tougher government response to migration issues while cautioning against xenophobia and vigilantism. On Tuesday, 2 June, protesters in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, targeted foreigners’ homes in Cloverdene and Chief Albert Luthuli, reported News24.
Phala Phala impeachment committee revealed, a Kruger Park tragedy and bold local flavours
Phala Phala impeachment committee revealed, a Kruger Park tragedy and bold local flavours Daily Maverick | 30.05.2026 01:08 By Greg Nicolson. The 31 MPs who will decide President Cyril Ramaphosa’s fate were announced on Monday. The President could be in for a rocky ride. Read more. Soccer Soccer Food & Drinks Food & Drinks Business Food & Drinks Soccer Food & Drinks Food & Drinks Soccer Soccer Food & Drinks
Here’s who’s serving on the Phala Phala Impeachment Committee
BUCKLE UP The 31 MPs who will decide President Cyril Ramaphosa’s fate were announced on Monday. The President could be in for a rocky ride. President Cyril Ramaphosa faces an Impeachment Committee over the Phala Phala saga. The 31 MPs who will decide President Cyril Ramaphosa’s fate were announced on Monday.
Watch: Julius Malema — Conviction, sentencing, and the battle for the JSC
Can a man sentenced to five years’ imprisonment fairly participate in the appointment of the nation’s judges? Despite his recent stadium-shooting conviction, Julius Malema retains his seat on the Judicial Service Commission, sparking a legal firestorm. In this episode, Greg Nicolson and Nonkuleko Njilo unpack the Helen Suzman Foundation’s high-stakes court bid to remove Malema and explore the fallout of having a convicted leader vetting the Bench. Read more here.
An exceptional educator and activist
PEOPLE OF THE YEAR 2025 The Artist of the Year is thecreator whose cultural or social influence towered above others, qualities embodied by Ms Rachel, who teaches children while fighting injustice. Honoree Rachel Griffin Accurso attends Glamour Women of the Year at The Plaza in New York City on 4 November 2025. (Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images for Glamour) There are two reasons you might know Ms Rachel. If, like me, you have young children, she’s probably a constant presence in your home.
DA wins Mpumalanga ward from ANC
OCTOBER BY-ELECTIONS A voter in Kliptown, Soweto, during the local municipal elections on 3 August 2016. (Phoot: EPA / Cornell Tukiri) The ANC retained a key ward in Mamelodi East, Tshwane with just over half of the vote, while MK and the DA made some inroads. The DA took a ward off the ANC in the small town of Ga-Nala (formerly Kriel) in the Emalahleni Municipality in Mpumalanga, while the ANC put in a dominant performance in the Elundini Municipality in rural Eastern Cape.
Political posturing – parties scramble to take credit for VAT reversal
POLITICAL POSTURING Illustrative image. From left: Velenkosini Hlabisa, Pieter Groenewald, Cyril Ramaphosa, John Steenhuisen and Gayton McKenzie. (Characters designed by Bernard Kotze. Some AI was used in the production.) Even those that had supported Budget’s fiscal framework were quick to pat themselves on the back.
CoGTA to launch new programme to improve entrepreneurship skills Original
Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) Deputy Minister, Parks Tau, will launch the reimagined Community Work Programme (CWP), focusing on forging smart partnerships for greater impact. The programme is scheduled to be launched on 26 April 2024 in West Rand District Municipality, Gauteng, and on 30 April 2024 in Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, Eastern Cape.
Africa: Ramaphosa - African Peace Initiative On Russia-Ukraine Conflict 'Bearing Fruit'
Following a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, President Cyril Ramaphosa said South Africa's peace efforts regarding Russia's invasion of Ukraine were bearing fruit. President Cyril Ramaphosa met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday and they discussed the African Peace Initiative and the Black Sea Grain Initiative amid Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Ramaphosa: African Peace Initiative on Russia-Ukraine conflict ‘bearing fruit’ Original
NEWSFLASH Following a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, President Cyril Ramaphosa said South Africa’s peace efforts regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine were bearing fruit. President Cyril Ramaphosa met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday and they discussed the African Peace Initiative and the Black Sea Grain Initiative amid Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
South Africa: André De Ruyter Released From Eskom 'With Immediate Effect' Following Explosive Interview
Eskom CEO André De Ruyter has left his job a month earlier than planned after reaching an agreement with the board. His early exit follows a candid interview on political interference and corruption at the embattled power utility. In an interview with e.tv aired on Tuesday, 21 February, outgoing Eskom CEO André De Ruyter said it appeared Cabinet members were aware of and accepted widespread corruption at the embattled power utility.
POLITICS & POWER: André de Ruyter released from Eskom ‘with immediate effect’ following explosive interview
POLITICS & POWER Eskom CEO André De Ruyter has left his job a month earlier than planned after reaching an agreement with the board. His early exit follows a candid interview on political interference and corruption at the embattled power utility. In an interview with e.tv aired on Tuesday, 21 February, outgoing Eskom CEO André De Ruyter said it appeared Cabinet members were aware of and accepted widespread corruption at the embattled power utility.
sanctimonious con artist and mascot to corruption
DM MOEGOE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 2022 The former ANC spokesperson and Jacob Zuma’s number-one cheerleader is synonymous with unashamed hypocrisy and venal dishonesty, and is deserving of Daily Maverick's Moegoe Lifetime Achievement award 2022. Six months ago, Carl Niehaus led a march to Luthuli House and gave the President 48 hours to resign over the Phala Phala scandal. ANC members demanded accountability and the march was “the first of many protests to come”, he said.
DM ARTIST OF THE YEAR 2022: Trevor Noah – South Africa’s funnyman marks the end of an era… on his own terms
Trevor Noah was almost set up to fail at The Daily Show. He started as a correspondent on Comedy Central’s late-night programme in 2014 and became the host within a year. Jon Stewart, the icon, sat at the desk for 16 years and was a permanent feature of American political satire. No one could fill Stewart’s shoes, let alone a relative unknown from South Africa. But Noah had his own plans. He hosted The Daily Show for seven years before calling it quits and shooting his last episode in December.
PERSON OF THE YEAR: A champion of justice – for Andrea Johnson, it’s all about an intense belief in right and wrong
Advocate Andrea Johnson thrives under pressure and expects the same from her team. She tells them not to work according to their own expectations but to meet the demands of their oath and their allegiance to the Republic. Johnson took over the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA’s) Investigating Directorate (ID) in March 2022 and was immediately under intense pressure to prosecute State Capture cases.
HAZARDS OF WORK: Blood and gold – zama zamas dice with death in daily underground hell
HAZARDS OF WORK This month, the bodies of 21 miners were found in a mineshaft in Krugersdorp. They are believed to be among tens of thousands of vulnerable and desperate men who risk going underground to make a living in some of the most perilous working conditions in the world. ‘I once prayed underground in Crown Mines,” said Tankiso, a “zama zama” from Lesotho who didn’t want his surname published.
AGE OF ACCOUNTABILITY: Brian Molefe, Anoj Singh arrest: Five stories to bring you up to speed
We'd like our readers to start paying for Daily Maverick More specifically, we'd like those who can afford to pay to start paying. What it comes down to is whether or not you value Daily Maverick. Think of us in terms of your daily cappuccino from your favourite coffee shop. It costs around R35. That’s R1,050 per month on frothy milk. Don’t get us wrong, we’re almost exclusively fuelled by coffee. BUT maybe R200 of that R1,050 could go to the journalism that’s fighting for the country?
Marikana massacre: 10 years later
“He was one of the survivors of the shooting – probably Scene Two – which is where he killed himself eventually. He had been arrested on 16 August, along with some 200 other survivors, and most likely charged with murder. All survivors were, as far as I know. The tree he hanged himself from was alongside the tree where Mr Nkosiyabo Xalabile’s body was found [body O, according to forensic evidence].
MARIKANA MASSACRE REMEMBERED: Mine workers symbolising SA’s tragic day: ‘We’ll fight another 10 years to taste justice’
MARIKANA MASSACRE REMEMBERED Victims are still fighting for justice a decade after Marikana and have vowed to continue trying to hold President Cyril Ramaphosa and others accountable for the massacre as so much, but so little, seems to have changed. Marikana has never curbed President Ramaphosa’s political ambitions, but he’s never been able to escape the fallout from that tragic day either.
ROE V WADE: ‘Don’t say we didn’t warn you’ – abortion rights activists vow to fight back, but it’s a battle on many fronts
The 1973 Roe v Wade pro-abortion ruling in the US was never adequate. Religious conservatives spent decades trying to undermine and overturn the judgment. Democrats failed to pass federal legislation on the issue and dropped the ball as Republicans targeted state legislatures, flipping more than a dozen in 2010 and passing hundreds of laws that chipped away at abortion access.
POST-PANDEMIC?: Government ditches Covid rules on masks, gatherings and travel Original
The minister of health, Joe Phaahla, has scrapped some of South Africa’s last remaining Covid-19 regulations, ending the mask mandate, limitations on gatherings and checks on travellers coming into the country. On Wednesday, Phaahla signed a document repealing sections 16A, 16B and 16C of the Regulations Relating to the Surveillance and the Control of Notifiable Medical Conditions made under the National Health Act.
DAYS OF ZONDO, PART SIX: Law enforcement should investigate Magashule, Zwane and Thabethe over Estina Dairy
DAYS OF ZONDO, PART SIX The Free State government unlawfully paid the Gupta family’s Estina Dairy more than R280m for a project that sidelined intended beneficiaries — black farmers. In the State Capture commission’s final report, Chief Justice Raymond Zondo blamed three officials: Peter Thabethe, Mosebenzi Zwane and Ace Magashule.
TEXAS MASSACRE: Stuck to their guns – another school shooting, but US no closer to firearms reform
TEXAS MASSACRE As the US reels after yet another school shooting, this time in Texas – in which 21 people, 19 of them fourth-grade children, were killed – the country’s irresponsible gun laws are once again in the spotlight. There’s a familiar story in the US. It differs each time but there are enough commonalities to draw comparisons, search for patterns and map outcomes. A young man enters a school with a high-powered firearm. Terrified children and their teachers cower.
PERMIT PREDICAMENT: Top Home Affairs official dismissed over ‘prophet’ Shepherd Bushiri’s permanent residency
PERMIT PREDICAMENT The chief director for permitting at Home Affairs has been dismissed over the permanent residency permits issued to Shepherd Bushiri and his family. The self-proclaimed prophet fled fraud charges in 2020 and is living in Malawi as a fugitive. Despite a pending extradition case to face fraud charges in South Africa, life appears to be continuing as normal for self-proclaimed prophet Shepherd Bushiri, the leader of the Enlightened Christian Gathering Church.
LEST WE FORGET: Marikana – a massacre still without any criminal consequences
LEST WE FORGET Not a single SAPS member has been charged for the killing of 34 people in Marikana on 16 August 2012. In the latest in our Lest We Forget series, which revisits issues that demand accountability, we look at the ongoing fight for justice for the Marikana victims. In under three months, thousands of mineworkers will gather near the koppie in Marikana to mark 10 years since police killed 34 of their colleagues on the afternoon of 16 August 2012.
ABORTION: US braces for a Roe blow on female reproductive and human rights
A leaked draft opinion suggests the US Supreme Court is likely to overturn the landmark Roe v Wade judgment, paving the way for an estimated 26 states to impose abortion bans. Women who are young, poor, black, Latina or undocumented migrants will suffer the most from the bans. The 1973 Roe decision found women had a constitutional right to have an abortion up to the point of foetal viability, at about 24 weeks, which couldn’t be limited by state legislators.
DAYS OF ZONDO, PART FOUR: Zizi Kodwa’s deputy minister job ‘untenable’ while beholden to corruption-accused
When Zizi Kodwa testified at the State Capture Commission in June 2021, he said his job as deputy state security minister, with a salary of almost R2-million a year, could not be categorised as secure employment as he could be removed at any time. That moment has likely come.
RENEW & REBUILD: ANC to review step-aside decisions at least once a year
The ANC will review the cases of members affected by the step-aside rule at least once a year, or at the request of the member, to decide whether the rule should still apply, party Treasurer-General Paul Mashatile announced on Thursday following a special meeting of the ANC’s National Executive Committee (NEC) earlier in the week. The step-aside rule compels members facing corruption or serious criminal charges to voluntarily step down from leadership positions or face potential suspension.
ANC RENEWAL: Ramaphosa to rehash ANC’s 2002 Letsema social compact campaign to mobilise communities
President Cyril Ramaphosa will get his hands dirty this weekend in Bloemfontein, leading a cleanup drive at a primary school in Turflaagte, before helping to fix potholes in the city where the ANC was founded 110 years ago. He expects party members and community volunteers to do the same and to keep it up until the 2024 elections. Ramaphosa will launch the ANC’s Letsema Campaign in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
OBITUARY: Thabo Masebe, an exemplary communicator who bridged the trust deficit
During the Life Esidimeni arbitration, Thabo Masebe was the voice of the Gauteng government. The province had admitted liability for the deaths of 144 users of provincial mental healthcare and Masebe had to speak on its behalf as officials from the Gauteng Department of Health repeatedly denied culpability. Masebe, the head of communications in Gauteng at the time, found himself at the centre of one of the province’s most painful moments.
South Africa: Cabinet Declares National State of Disaster in Response to KZN Devastation
The national government will lead the response to the floods that have devastated parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Monday after the Cabinet declared a National State of Disaster. The Cabinet has declared a National State of Disaster in response to the floods that devastated KwaZulu-Natal and left at least 443 people dead, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced in a televised address on Monday night.
FLOOD RELIEF: Cabinet declares National State of Disaster in response to KZN devastation
The Cabinet has declared a National State of Disaster in response to the floods that devastated KwaZulu-Natal and left at least 443 people dead, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced in a televised address on Monday night. “This is to ensure an effective response across all spheres of government to the extreme weather events and conditions that have occurred in several parts of the country,” said the President.
South Africa: Tragedy in KZN As Floods Cause Devastation, Mostly for the Poor in Informal Settlements
Civil society and humanitarian groups have called for urgent interventions in areas affected by flooding in KwaZulu-Natal, particularly informal settlements. While residents prepare for a potential further deluge, many have been left without access to water and electricity.
PROVINCIAL DISASTER: Tragedy in KZN as floods cause devastation, mostly for the poor in informal settlements
As KwaZulu-Natal continues to count the cost of the floods that have ravaged the province, poor residents who have lost their homes are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance, said the shack dwellers’ movement Abahlali baseMjondolo.
ANALYSIS: Zuma resorts to veiled threat of repeated July violence as his Stalingrad defence drags on
According to News24, former president Jacob Zuma’s legal team asked the Pietermaritzburg High Court to be “aware” of the July 2021 riots in considering whether to postpone his Arms Deal-related corruption case.
South Africa: National State of Disaster Ends After 750 Days, but Some Regulations Remain
In an address on Monday evening, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the National State of Disaster would be lifted from midnight. A number of restrictions will continue for 30 days before the government consults other legislation to guide its response to the pandemic.
CORONAVIRUS: National State of Disaster ends after 750 days, but some regulations remain
The Cabinet has decided to lift the National State of Disaster, effective from midnight on Monday, 5 April, but will maintain aspects of the regulations enacted to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Monday evening.
PARTY POLITICS: Ramaphosa gets ANC leadership re-election boost as ally wins Mpumalanga
Speaking at the closing of Mpumalanga’s long-awaited provincial ANC conference in Emalahleni on Sunday, newly elected chairperson Mandla Ndlovu described President Cyril Ramaphosa as the most popular politician in the country, one whom he would back for a second term as party leader should he accept the nomination. Ndlovu’s “focus” faction took Mpumalanga’s top five positions over the weekend, strengthening Ramaphosa’s standing ahead of the ANC’s December conference.
CORONAVIRUS REGULATIONS: South Africa aims to lift State of Disaster by 5 April amid regulatory confusion
The government wants to lift the State of Disaster by 5 April following the gazetting of new regulations aimed at guiding the country’s ongoing response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma announced in a press conference on Tuesday.
LOCKDOWN REGULATIONS: SA’s gathering restrictions eased, but showdown over State of Disaster looms
Addressing the nation on Tuesday evening, President Cyril Ramaphosa further reduced lockdown restrictions as severe coronavirus symptoms and hospital admissions remain low, but he resisted calls for an immediate end to the National State of Disaster. “For two years, our lives have been shaped by this pandemic,” said Ramaphosa.
DAILY MAVERICK WEBINAR: How a Zimbabwean tycoon used food security funds to buy mines
Former Zimbabwean finance minister Tendai Biti describes Kudakwashe Tagwirei as a mogul who has worked with President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s faction of Zanu-PF to control an ever-increasing share of the country’s battered economy, while half of Zimbabwe’s citizens are categorised as food insecure. According to Biti, Tagwirei controls the country’s fuel industry, 60% of its gold mines, two of its largest banks and Zimbabwe’s sole gold refinery. “He’s now owning everything,” said Biti.
LABOUR PAINS: Zwelinzima Vavi slams Saftu’s ‘political’ suspension letter
The South African Federation of Trade Unions’ (Saftu’s) general secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi, has described an attempt to suspend him on misconduct charges as unlawful, deliberately vague and politically motivated.
South Africa: Zuma Backs Russia Once Again, Calling Putin 'A Man of Peace'
As debate rages over South Africa's position on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Jacob Zuma has backed Vladimir Putin, an ally who shares common conspiracy theories. As Russian forces continued their shelling of Ukrainian cities on Sunday, former president Jacob Zuma described Russian President Vladimir Putin as "a man of peace" whose actions were justified in response to the threats posed by the US, and Nato's eastward expansion.
BROTHERS IN ARMS: Zuma backs Russia once again, calling Putin ‘a man of peace’
As Russian forces continued their shelling of Ukrainian cities on Sunday, former president Jacob Zuma described Russian President Vladimir Putin as “a man of peace” whose actions were justified in response to the threats posed by the US, and Nato’s eastward expansion.
JUDGING THE JUDGES: JSC must adopt a code of conduct and interview criteria before continuing its work – civil society groups
The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has made various attempts at grappling with the criteria it uses to recommend the appointment of judges. The JSC is bound by the Constitution to pursue the goal of appointing “appropriately qualified” and “fit and proper” judges while also pursuing gender and racial transformation.
South Africa: Charge Zuma, Mokonyane and Mantashe for Bosasa Graft, State Capture Report Recommends
Law enforcement authorities should investigate senior ANC leaders including Jacob Zuma, Gwede Mantashe and Nomvula Mokonyane on corruption charges related to the inherently corrupt company Bosasa, found acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo in Part 3 of his report from the State Capture Inquiry.
DAYS OF ZONDO, PART THREE: Charge Zuma, Mokonyane and Mantashe for Bosasa graft, State Capture report recommends
Evidence before the State Capture Inquiry shows that former president Jacob Zuma accepted unjustified gratification from a party that was benefitting from state contracts and hoped to benefit further, found acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo in Part 3 of his report from the State Capture Inquiry, which focused exclusively on allegations of corruption against the late Gavin Watson’s company, Bosasa.
BARE NAKED RAGE: Fed-up SA citizens take to the streets, blaming foreigners for crime and the unemployment crisis
Nhlanhla Lux Dlamini, known as Nhlanhla Lux, is credited for saving Maponya Mall when violence and looting flared across KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng after former president Jacob Zuma’s arrest in July 2021. Maponya Mall is the biggest mall in Soweto. Lux and a group of armed Soweto residents in military fatigues camped outside the mall for days, facing and returning gunfire until army and police reinforcements eventually arrived.
COVID-19: Vaccination protection continues to be safest option compared to dependence on antibodies alone
A recent study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that people who had previously contracted Covid-19 were better protected against the Delta variant than those who had been vaccinated without prior infection, but experts have warned against using the data, which comes with many caveats, to cast doubt on the need to get vaccinated and question vaccine mandates.
PANDEMIC CORRUPTION: Gauteng officials suspended over R588m refurbishment of AngloGold Ashanti Covid hospital
The fallout from irregular contracts awarded during the Covid-19 pandemic continues as the Gauteng health department suspended three senior managers and the department of infrastructure six senior managers on Sunday following recommendations from the Special Investigating Unit (SIU).
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