'Decisively and harshly'

[Sibanye Stillwater]( [Mail & Guardian Newsletter logo](#) [mg.co.za]( [The Ampersand Daily Newsletter from the M&G team](#) [Divider Strip] August 04 2020 | [View in browser]( [Divider Strip] [Facebook icon]( [Twitter icon]( [Instagram icon]( [LinkedIn icon]( Hi there, In the canon of feminine rage in film, Angela Bassett's remarkable performance in Waiting to Exhale (1995) is one of the most iconic. If you haven't watched it, Bassett plays Bernadine "Bernie" Harris, who abandons her own dreams of owning a catering business to raise a family and support her husband. He eventually leaves her for another woman. In turn, Bernie does what many of us have fantasised about but for legal and professional reasons, among others, could never do: she braais his car and sells his personal belongings at a dollar apiece. A similar drama is playing out in South Africa in the form of former minister Malusi Gigaba and his wife, Norma. Mrs Gigaba is alleged to have defaced a car in spectacular fashion, but now there appears to be more to her arrest than was initially reported. The 40-year-old mother of two spent Friday night cooling off in police custody, accused of assault and malicious damage to property. Over the weekend, the Hawks -- which is a unit mandated to probe priority crimes like organised crime and corruption -- clarified why its officers had arrested her for allegedly defacing a Mercedes Benz G Wagon belonging to her husband's friend, trade unionist Peterson Siyaya. If the name sounds familiar, Siyaya is one 13 men accused of being part of a conspiracy to kill Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) leaders in the North West in 2017, a plot the state alleged was driven by the group's expulsion from the union. The case against Siyaya was withdrawn in October 2018. Hangwani Mulaudzi, the national spokesperson for the crime investigation unit, told News24: "There was an element of threat to his life [Gigaba's] in the nature of the offence; we had to get involved and deal with it. We have done what we had to do. That case now will be referred to the SAPS [South African Police Service] detective for further investigation." A number of commentators and groups have criticised the Hawks' involvement in the arrest, especially after numerous high-profile cases of malfeasance have not produced a single arrest. In April, President Cyril Ramaphosa condemned Covid-19 food parcel graft stating: "We will deal with the individuals concerned harshly." Earlier this month, the president, speaking about fraud in the procurement of personal protective equipment, said, "Perpetrators are going to be dealt with decisively and harshly." In his last address to the nation, Ramaphosa made a number of announcements about corruption related to the Covid-19 pandemic. We are yet to see any form of accountability for those actions. Domestic disputes rather than criminal action on a grand scale by the politically connected appear to be the priority. Perhaps this is also an opportunity to look into our gutted security cluster and whom it ultimately serves. Long story, short Bolt of faith: As sport returned, our need to voraciously chug down nostalgia naturally began to wane. But in the retired Usain Bolt, we have a highlight reel that will always feel fresh and offer a jolt of hope in dark times. Jonathan Liew of the Guardian articulates why the Jamaican -- who stood alone and untarnished in elite sprinting's cesspool of doping; almost as if he were too good to be true -- inspired us to [believe in the improbable](. Tick-tock: The multibillion-dollar technology tug-of-war for TikTok is only getting messier. With a Microsoft purchase of the Chinese-owned platform imminent, United States President Donald Trump has reiterated that the sale must be completed by the middle of next month if it is to escape a ban in the country. Oh, and [he also wants a cut](. This is the latest of weeks of back and forth, which were preceded by a nine-month national security investigation, for what is globally the most downloaded app this year. Trust and obey: The Ingonyama Trust Board this week continued to push ahead with [retrenching its employees]( in response to the withholding of about R22-million in its annual funding by the department of land reform and rural development, Paddy Harper reports. Staff have been given until Tuesday to accept voluntary severance packages offered to them earlier this month. Press freedom: After a 55-year struggle, journalists in Sierra Leone have secured a major victory. President Maada Bio has fulfilled his campaign promise and repealed an[infamous criminal libel law](. Since 1965, libel has been a criminal offence in the country, punishable by prison time, and has ensured a press culture where the freedoms of speech and expression are replaced by fear. Journalism is not a crime: The alleged mastermind and two accomplices in the murder of Slovak investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova will [learn their fate on Wednesday]( when a court in Slovenia hands down a verdict. Do you value loyalty? Do you expect others to stick to commitments they've made? Help us with a donation or subscription and we vow to protect your interests 'til death do us part. Our [coronavirus hub]( contains vital information on Covid-19 and those profiting off it. Check it out. If you have any thoughts on the proper use of feminine rage and film allegories, drop us an email on EditorOnline@mg.co.za. Yours in solidarity, Kiri Rupiah & Luke Feltham [Divider Strip] [Gems]( [Divider Strip] [Facebook icon]( [Twitter icon]( [Instagram icon]( [LinkedIn icon]( You are receiving this email on {EMAIL} because 1.) You're a member of "Mail & Guardian" or 2.) previously subscribed [M&G logo] 25 Owl St, Braamfontein Werf, Johannesburg, 2092 Want to be removed? No problem! [UNSUBSCRIBE]( Email support: help@media-connect.co.za - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -