Weekend Thing: SONA's Eskom bombshell, Peering inside two different E.Cape schools

[Click here for the web version of this email]( [Daily Maverick]( Saturday, 9 February 2019 [Blips on the SONA]( "If he continues to do that he’ll arrest half the Cabinet and half the executive committee of the ANC.” Julius Malema on the problems of Ramaphosa's follow-through. In sum 2019's [State of the Nation Address]( went off without a hitch, at least on the face of it. A much-muted ceremony from last year in terms of pomp and pageantry [hit the right tones]( of a new ANC leadership eager to distance itself from the Zuma-Gupta years. Not EFF-ing it up Watching comments from those viewing the SONA address on streaming video, it appeared as though many were disappointed that the EFF did not throw its toys out the parliamentary cot. Indeed, President Ramaphosa showed his ability to defang Julius Malema's rambunctiousness from the get-go, offering to "sing" should the EFF win the elections. This elicited a chuckle from Malema and served well to set the tone straight. Electrifying On the address itself: Ramaphosa vowed to [radically restructure a crisis-saturated Eskom,]( something that drew immediate protest from unions, no doubt setting a time and venue for actual protests as you read this. The intelligence services will be spread in a saner, less Mahlobo-centric manner, and a date for elections. 8 May, in case you were wondering. Why should you care? Ramaphosa's gallery of ANC cabinet ministers and MPs still included a host of dubious characters neck-deep in state capture allegations and general incompetence. Nomvula Mokonyane, Bathabile Dlamini and a bevy of big names still had a cushioned parliamentary chair. While Dudu Myeni herself was not flying in one of the Gripen jets overhead, the collective presence of very obviously off-message ANC members at SONA soured Ramaphosa's rather earnest delivery. The willingness for Ramaphosa to scourge corruption from the country and ANC is sure to be tempered by his own internal holdouts. With just three months until the elections, you would do well to watch this space. (Or at the least keep reading First Thing in the mornings.) — A choice of the finest coffee is roasted at Origin and we focus on ensuring we have the widest selection of single origin coffees in South Africa. [Visit our website for more information.]( [This weekend we're watching]( From single cell to salamander. Watch a time-lapse clip of how this creature is "made". By Jan van Ijken [Life Lesson]( 682 The number of learners at Gwebityala Senior Secondary School. Chalk and Cheese Two schools in the Eastern Cape were the focus of [Ziyada Zweni's incredible piece.]( Zweni discusses how the one, Gwebityala Senior Secondary School, defied poor infrastructure to harness both passionate teachers and engaged students in raising good matriculants and attain a high pass rate, while the other, LM Malgas Secondary School, faces many similar problems, but protest violence, drug abuse, and a lack of maths teachers has hobbled its curricula and demotivated the students. Get Your Coffee This is not your average inner-city school by any measure. Indeed, both Gwebityala Secondary and LM Malgas' common issues would make any number of Johannesburg high schools quake in their mortarboards. The story is both an excellent journalistic analysis of an important issue, and an instruction manual on the keys to good educational success. Sip your coffee, [read up,]( and pass on to an educator you know. — A choice of the finest coffee is roasted at Origin and we focus on ensuring we have the widest selection of single origin coffees in South Africa. [Visit our website for more information.]( [Heavy Petting]( A recent report by the New York Times has revealed that Veterinarians encounter overweight pets in at least fifty percent of their consultations. More numerically-speaking, only 17 percent of those owners with rotund furry companions are willing to admit that they are such. The global pet obesity epidemic is hot on the heels of the human one. — Key Reading [Guptas drop millions on double wedding in Abu Dhabi]( By amaBhungane While the Guptas’ former mine workers go unpaid, the family – sitting safely in Dubai – is defiantly going ahead with another over-the-top wedding. By Tabelo Timse and Susan Comrie for amaBhungane Cookies and Firepower The Girl Scouts of the USA are sponsored by weapons giant Raytheon. [Watch This Space]( We’ve been watching this space for nearly 10 years. With an editorial team of 35 people and a network of hundreds of contributors Daily Maverick and Scorpio shine a light into the darkest corners for the benefit of the people. Maverick Insiders help make this possible. [Find out how you can help here.]( Weekend reading [After the kleptocrat, South Africa gets a statesman and a nerd]( [After the kleptocrat, South Africa gets a statesman and a nerd]( BY Ferial Haffajee [Nina Simone production brings out the activist’s voice]( [Nina Simone production brings out the activist’s voice]( BY Lesley Stones [Green New Deal: When politics was trumped by the weather]( [Green New Deal: When politics was trumped by the weather]( BY Kevin Bloom A choice of the finest coffee is roasted at Origin and we focus on ensuring we have the widest selection of single origin coffees in South Africa. 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