Here are the top stories from Sunday's City Press newspaper,
in case you missed them.
End of the road as Zuma faces attack on all sides
The ANC’s top leadership will formally ask President Jacob
Zuma to step down, just days before he is due to deliver the state of the
nation address (Sona), which he insists on doing.
It is expected that he will agree to leave soon, but only
after delivering Sona, which he believes he is constitutionally bound to.
Zuma’s insistence on delivering Sona could cause a
constitutional crisis, as opposition parties have told National Assembly
Speaker Baleka Mbete that they will approach a court to ask for an interdict
stopping the opening of Parliament, the first such action in the country’s
history.
- See the full story.
SA's land audit makes case for land tax
Black South Africans may constitute 79% of the population
but, as individuals, they only directly own 1.2% of the country’s rural land
and 7% of formally registered property in towns and cities.
Meanwhile, white South Africans, who constitute 9% of the
country’s population, directly own 23.6% of the country’s rural land and 11.4%
of land in towns and cities.
This is according to the highly anticipated Land Audit
report, which has taken years for the department of rural development and land
reform to compile.
- Read more.
Mkhize fights kickback allegation
Former ANC treasurer-general Zweli Mkhize is taking legal
advice on what action he can take against former Passenger Rail Agency of SA
(Prasa) chief executive Lucky Montana for “defaming” him.
In a letter obtained by City Press, Mkhize tells Zukiswa
Rantho, the acting chairperson of the public enterprises portfolio committee,
that he is exploring his options following allegations levelled against him by
Montana this week during Parliament’s Eskom inquiry.
In his 65-page statement, Montana says Mkhize solicited 10%
of R465m due to Swifambo Rail Leasing, which provided Prasa with controversial
Afro 4 000 locomotives.
- Read the full story.
SABC's straight up honest nice guy
You get to work and Chris is already there. He’ll leave
late, but in time to be with his family and his dogs.” This is how a former
colleague describes Chris Maroleng’s work ethic, an account confirmed by
colleagues I contact wherever the 41-year-old Africa and broadcast expert has
worked.
True to form, his social media networks are revamped and
ready on Thursday morning, the day he starts work in the hot seat that was
previously Hlaudi Motsoeneng’s throne. The SABC’s rainbow logo has replaced
MTN’s yellow on his Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts, listing his new
position as chief operating officer.
- Read more.
Opinion: A modern cautionary tale
Romania's corrupt and despotic former president was just one
of a string of leaders in modern history who got wrapped up in a delusional
bubble, and believed the people loved and needed them, writes Mondli Makhanya.
Sound familiar?
- Read the column here.
From destitution to international opera stardom
He was a poor 16-year-old with no plans to travel overseas,
but Musa Ngqungwana applied for a passport anyway.
The now world-famous operatic bass-baritone was inspired to
travel by pictures of places in magazines that he read, particularly New York
City in the US.
The man who started singing in high school after joining a
choir to get closer to a girl he liked has sung in New York and around the
world.
He has received praise from The New York Times for his
“rich, glowing voice and elegant legato”, and The Wall Street Journal called
him “a powerful bass-baritone”.
Born into poverty in Zwide township in Port Elizabeth,
Eastern Cape, Ngqungwana is launching his memoir, Odyssey of an African Opera
Singer.
- Read the full story here.
