Chief Whip

Is hypocrisy and bias among South Africa's mainstream journalists getting out of hand? Who watches the watchers? reprobate.co.za/smug-hypocrite…

While everyone is clutching their pearls about AI disrupting white collar jobs, industrial robotics is progressing at lightning speed. Entry-level manual labour will only be available for humans if they remain cheaper than robots. Minimum wage zealots like Zwelinzima Vavi and Cosatu have already stolen hundreds of thousands of jobs from unemployed South Africans. Now they want to starve them too. calcalistech.com/ctechnews/arti…

Africans are masters of the art of scoring own goals and then blaming everyone but themselves.

Such a bizarre disinformation campaign by Daily Maverick. Are their journalists really too ignorant to distinguish between a politician's religion (which is nobody's business) and aggressive ideological posturing (with links to severe human rights abuses)?

Richard Nixon's brutal truth on happiness that hits harder in 2026: "The unhappiest people in the world are those in the watering places—south coast of France, Newport, Palm Springs, Palm Beach—parties every night, golf every afternoon, bridge, too much drinking, too much talking, too little thinking. Retired, no purpose." He saw it decades ago: Endless leisure without struggle isn't paradise—it's a slow death of meaning. "What makes life mean something is purpose, a goal, the battle, the struggle—even if you don't win it." In an age of quiet quitting, early retirement dreams, and infinite scrolling... Nixon reminds us: The fight is what keeps the soul alive. What keeps you in the "battle" right now—even when it's exhausting?

My name is Wyan. Uncle Tony is my bestest fwiend. I love sitting on his lap while he and Helen feed me sweeties in blue wappers, even when I destwoyed the Wibewal Democwats and caused Bwexit. I will shout and stamp my footsies at the people that say howwible tings about my uncle Tony even though it has zewo effect. I just want my blue sweeties.

This piece reads like a journalist trying to justify being part of a moral panic. It boils down to an acknowledgement that the only difference between lobbying in SA and lobbying in Western democracies is that in those countries there is some transparency legislation/regulation. And indeed there should be here too. But it is not Resolve’s job to impose on itself requirements that legislators have not seen fit to make, unless you think the right thing to do is to start taxing yourselves, by way of analogy. There is also a slightly amusing misunderstanding of how things work in those Western countries, which are *awash* in lobbying. Let me explain how it works in the UK: every agency hires people who have been in government or politics from every party of any significance precisely because they know people on the inside. Some even hire civil servants who have worked in a specific area of public policy when big reforms in that area are being contemplated. Obviously. The oddest bit is the insistence of outsiders that Tony Leon has some special hold over people inside the DA. Part of me just wants to say, listen, you just have no idea how things work internally. But they would just say that I would say that. So look at the evidence instead: despite all this “weight” we hear about, in the two years since the formation of the GNU Resolve has managed to get just one client to meet with just one Minister - John Steenhuisen. An inconvenient fact, repeatedly glossed over. So look, let’s have some legislation/regulation to provide greater transparency. But the truth here is not merely that there has been no legal breach; there has been no ethical breach either. They set up a meeting with John Steenhuisen, and made some calls to Solly Malatsi. That’s it. Now on the subject of ethics I suppose we could start a discussion about the state of South African journalism and what the journos say about it and about each other, but I am sure they won’t appreciate me providing anonymous quotes about their views on one another.

Here is hard proof that commentators who keep on defending BEE are lying through their teeth. The PIC is often used as an example of a successful 'transformation' vehicle. We now know that is a lie. Pro-BEE commentators are consuming way too much oxygen. Especially the obsequious ones in business media.

The Common Sense, a front for the libertarian Free Market Foundation (which has longstanding ties with Tony Leon) has now published 9 propaganda pieces trying to excuse his slimy behaviour. There is clearly an orchestrated counter-campaign by reactionary media platforms and commentators to obfuscate on behalf of a highly-networked and very cynical lobbyist who faces a litany of accusations about unethical behaviour. So far Leon has refused to properly answer those accusations, preferring to wage an obfuscation campaign in the media, hoping that it will all blow over. When Iqbal Surve uses Independent Media platforms to attack those who accuse him of corporate malfeasance, he is rightly called out for making himself look even guiltier. But when a right-wing ex-politician does exactly the same, we should just naively assume it is an organic groundswell of protest? Please.

Van Onselen and Coetzee, both of whom have close personal and professional relationships with Tony Leon, have been running foaming-at-the-mouth interference campaigns on his behalf. The problem for Leon is that their interference, which mostly comprises of juvenile insults and obfuscation, is actually making matters worse. Everyone can finally see what a slimy, self-serving cabal ole Tony has been running. The DA desperately needs to rid itself of these toxic losers.

@Maphilela45 @jackson_rem 👆It was today, 14 July 2026, that bongoloid #3 learnt about synonyms.

@jackson_rem Carpentry

Dr. Groenewald says technical schools and trade schools that were closed by Thabo Mbeki should be reopened. Woodwork, Agriculture, Home Economics, Plumbing, and Electrical Wiring should be restored in public schools, similar to how they were offered before 1994.

@HelenZille4Jozi As much conviction as this kiss? 😂

Before I was a politician, I was a journalist chasing the truth in a regime that wanted to silence anyone who stood against apartheid. That’s the same conviction I will bring to Joburg if you elect me your mayor on 4 November. #BelieveInJoburg #Zille4Mayor

@RediTlhabi Chow that NGO mula! Another circle jerk that accomplishes nothing except fill the pockets of a few talking heads.

I am looking forward to this! Also featuring Richard Stengel, the man who spent HOURS with Mandela, helping him craft Long Walk To Freedom. We will talk about Mandela's leadership philosophy. It is much easier to embrace him as a symbol of comfortable consensus yet ignore the disruptive force of his leadership. Let's go!

Pepstores CAs are more common among white folk than you think.

Why is rugby not more popular in countries like Germany and Sweden, whose populations' physical attributes and competitive sports cultures are eminently suited to the game? Too many effeminate peasants who prefer soccer? stuff.co.nz/sport/36100563…

Almost every argument about energy comes down to one number: energy density. How much energy is stored per kilogram of fuel or material. The numbers in MJ/kg: • Wood: 15 • Coal: 24 • Crude oil: 44 • Natural gas: 54 • Hydrogen (compressed): 120 • Lithium-ion battery: 0.7 • Uranium (fission): 80,000,000 • Hydrogen (fusion): 690,000,000 Read those last two again. A kilogram of uranium contains more energy than 3,000 tonnes of coal. A kilogram of hydrogen fusion fuel contains 45 million times more energy than a kilogram of oil. This is why: • Batteries struggle to replace liquid fuels in aviation and shipping. Energy density is 60x lower. • Nuclear submarines can run for 25 years without refuelling. • Fusion, if cracked, ends energy scarcity permanently – not just for decades, but for the lifetime of the Sun. The energy transition debate isn't about ideology. It's about physics. Every energy source is competing against millions of years of chemistry packed into fossil fuels – and, eventually, against the nucleus itself. Know the numbers. The debate becomes clearer.

@MbalulaFikile Many of those shack dwellers are fleeing unemployment, hunger and violence in the ANC-run Eastern Cape. Internal refugees due to your human rights abusing corruption and stupidity.

When a picture speaks a thousand words. Separate and unequal. The sad story of our people in Cape Town.

@dailymaverick You got to love SA's multicultural approach to dodgy business dealings. A white Jewish lobbyist working for Muslim/Indian clients using a black politician to push a commercial narrative in parliament. Rainbow nation indeed. 😂

Some have been asking why Daily Maverick is not reporting on the Resolve issue. We are not into simply reporting on the obvious; we go deeper and further, offering you intelligent reporting that takes time and resources. Here you go: dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-0…

Premium Ideas is a subsidiary of Morvest Business Group, a delisted JSE holding company. Morvest has several subsidiaries involved in public sector BEE contracts. And of course, the usual suspects run the holding company. Looks like Tony ' The Javelin' Leon is a massive fan of BEE!

@dailymaverick Why does Van Damme not name the Resolve client in her tweet? Devalues her accusations a bit.

@CilliersB If true, does this constitute criminal malfeasance by Mncedi Ndzwanana? Would there be grounds to criminally prosecute him if your High Court application is successful?

Let me tell you exactly what happened in the Tshwane Council chamber on 9 July 2026🚨 Councillors voted not to suspend Johann Mettler. The Speaker deducted 13 votes and suspended him anyway. Councillors voted to treat allegations against CFO Gareth Mnisi as serious misconduct. The Speaker deducted 13 votes and let him off lightly anyway. The same number. 13. On both votes. Coincidence is not a word that applies here. Today the DA took this to the Gauteng High Court on an urgent basis. Democracy was rigged in plain sight. We will not let it stand. ⚖️