Daily Maverick

CRIMINALISING SURVIVAL OP-ED: Blunt-force justice — new bill proposes excessive punishment for artisanal mining

The General (Mining) Laws Amendment Bill proposes penalties of up to 30 years’ imprisonment and a R100-million fine for…

WILD OMISSION: South Africa’s lion bone trade — the consequences the government never considered

South Africa exported thousands of captive-bred lion skeletons to Asian markets – but never studied whether the trade…

Why I’ll wear black, not pink, for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

This October, I will wear black, not as a symbol of despair, but as an act of reflection and, frankly, of grief. To…

Freedom Front Plus’ apartheid killers should not be elected councillors nor mayoral candidates

The Freedom Front plus should withdraw William Harrington’s mayoral candidature in Nelson Mandela Bay.

POLLUTION LEGACY: State refinery ‘renaissance’ plan raises fresh questions over pollution, health and taxpayer risk

News that the country’s largest fuel refinery is to be reopened – and expanded considerably – has stirred Durban…

HELL IN HAVANA: Struggling SA medical students endure Cuba misery — US embargo blamed

One toilet for 13 students. Days without water. No oversight visit since 2022. Inside the SA health department’s…

False white genocide claims divide us and obscure the wider crime crisis

South Africa’s violent crime crisis must be understood within the country’s enduring inequalities and divided history,…

POWER TO THE PEOPLE: South Africans find voice in data centre dialogue, demand more transparency

A civic engagement hosted in Cape Town’s St George’s Cathedral brought all the known data about data centres under one…

SHARE WITH US: Baboons on your radar: What do you really know?

A deep-dive series examines Cape Town’s escalating baboon conflict from the perspectives of authorities, scientists,…

MOTORSPORT REVIVAL: Kyalami’s racing heritage helps secure world-renowned endurance race for SA

The Michelin 24H Series will be relocated from Dubai to South Africa in 2027 due to the ongoing conflict in the Gulf…

Watch — Debating AI’s existential risk

BHEKISISA: How Kwanele Asante’s 20-year fight for patients’ voices reached the UN

You may not know her name, but South African lawyer and bioethicist Kwanele Asante has spent two decades pushing health…

Communications authority ordered to fast-track political broadcast complaints

Last week’s victory against Icasa provides clarity to parties and broadcasters and commits the regulator to deal with…

Take shelter! The wave of AI mania is about to break

The AI investment boom is showing classic signs of a late-stage mania: record borrowing, circular earnings, soaring…

We know who donates to SA’s political parties — but who really pays?

The Political Funding Act has failed to provide transparency as to who is donating money to the various political…

FUGITIVES VS ENFORCEMENT: SA’s Gupta extradition flop now dulls UAE’s shiny approach to catching global fugitives

The United Arab Emirates once seemed to attract global crooks. Now its justice minister has detailed tightened…

FOUL PLAY: Manchester City’s ‘sham’ deals leave Premier League in uncharted territory

The scale of Manchester City’s financial chicanery, which has been called a “sham”, was laid bare by the English…

CRÉATION AFRICA: Bad Influencer creator builds IP studio after Netflix success

Kudakwashe Maradzika wants her company Lincoln Green Media to develop African stories across countries and creative…

Tennessee set to execute a woman for the first time in two centuries

Death row inmate Christa Pike, convicted of murdering a schoolmate three decades ago, is due to be executed by lethal…

Somali pirates kill 5 crew members before tanker rescue, state authorities say

Somali pirates killed five crew members of the hijacked MT Honour 25 petroleum products tanker before it was rescued by…

US forces exit Iraq, emboldening Iran’s proxies and Islamic State

US forces ended their mission in Iraq on Wednesday, raising fears they will leave behind a security vacuum, further…

Israel-bound flight diverted to Saudi Arabia after brawl between pilots, Israeli official says

A flight bound for Israel from the United Arab Emirates diverted to Saudi Arabia after transmitting emergency signals…

ROVING REPORTERS: Inside the Gauteng caves where rocks reveal the mysteries of Homo naledi

Dr Tebogo Makhubela’s ongoing research into hominid fossil-bearing deposits from the Cradle of Humankind Unesco World…

Watch – Cape Town Planning Tribunal agreed with officials almost every time

WHAT’S COOKING: Pork belly and crackling with red grapes and fennel

Roast a slab of pork belly in an air fryer oven with red grapes and grape juice, fennel seeds and fronds, mustard seeds…

POLITICALLY AWEH: Inside the Gathering 2026 — South Africa’s cities crisis collides with chaotic election preparation

This week’s Politically Aweh surveys a chaotic run-up to the 4 November local elections with a governing party that…

GROUNDUP: Eastern Cape rail theft case — accused changes lawyers for 7th time

Lawyers approached by Nadir Mohiudeen say he ‘appears unable to honour his financial undertaking to us’.

CHANGE MAKER: Health and hope thrive in a hydroponic garden on a rooftop in Hillbrow

A lush vegetable garden at the top of a high-rise in inner-city Johannesburg is bringing the building’s residents joy…

Mexico’s National Guard debuts tiny Chihuahua recruit

MEXICO CITY, Sept 29 - Comando may be tiny, but Mexico's National Guard is giving him a very big role.

Qatari mediators press peace deal between US and Iran

WASHINGTON/CAIRO, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Qatar said on Tuesday it hopes that shuttle diplomacy between Iran and the US can…

AMABHUNGANE: Peresec — trusted JSE captain, or feared corporate pirate?

How the JSE’s biggest broker captured billion-rand companies ‘on the cheap’.

RANKINGS UP: Cape Town hosts world’s higher education elite while SA universities rise

South African universities are climbing the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027, and leaders at the…

EKURHULENI KILLINGS: Ramaphosa admits government has failed women, promises four interventions

In a heartfelt address acknowledging the impact of gender-based violence on women, President Cyril Ramaphosa has…

ENVOY SCOLDED: US ambassador Bozell démarched by SA government

South Africa summoned US Ambassador Leo Brent Bozell after his criticism of Pretoria, as Washington repeated demands on…

SHORE THING: Durban’s latest port crisis fuels doubt in Transnet tie-up with private sector

Switching to a new operating system last month sparked a series of delays at Durban harbour. So far, Transnet’s…

Between candour and coercion — why SA won’t bend to Washington’s dictates

ANC rebuts US envoy Brent Bozell’s ‘Five Asks’, defending South Africa’s courts, land reform and BEE while rejecting…