HOGARTH | Xenophobia in black and white

In one of his mobilisation campaigns — what they call “activations” in the new language of marketing — Ngizwe Mchunu, the former maskandi music DJ and co-leader of the anti-immigrant movement March and March, met a German woman.

In a video of the encounter, he asks her how long she has been in the country. “Since 2007, almost 20 years,” she responds. Judging by Mchunu’s reactions when meeting other foreign-born people on South African streets, Hogarth half-expected him to ask: “Uhamba nini wena?" (When are you leaving?)

Instead, the xenophobe wears the widest grin as he says: “Oh, you are part of us now. You are no longer a German.”

If she had been a black Mozambican woman, Hogarth doubts Mchunu would have welcomed her with such warmth.

A mayor addresses the nation

Hogarth nearly fell off his chair the other day when he received a press alert that Geordin Hill-Lewis was going to “address the nation”. Had Hogarth missed an overnight cabinet reshuffle in which President Cyril Ramaphosa fired himself?

It turned out that there was no such thing, and the Cape Town mayor was to “address the nation” in his capacity as leader of the DA.

The speech was pretty good. But it did leave Hogarth wondering what all of this said about Cupcake’s leadership when even his partner in government feels the need to act all presidential and convene a “family meeting” on a subject the president has already spoken on.

Is Hill-Lewis sensing a leadership vacuum at the Union Buildings?

... and shuffles the cabinet

Of course a hung parliament means that McBuffalo and his party are no longer able to govern on their own. Everything has to be negotiated with partners in the GNU. But it would seem that under Hill-Lewis the blue party now runs a cabinet within a cabinet.

Last week the DA leader announced that he had written to the president with a list of changes the party wanted made among its ministers and deputy ministers. But before the president, who has the sole prerogative to appoint and remove members of the executive, could even make the changes, DA MPL Jack Bloom was saying his goodbyes in the Gauteng legislature and announcing himself as the new deputy minister of water & sanitation.

At this rate, we could soon be calling Hill-Lewis Mr Co-President.

The curious case of Zuma v Zuma

Hogarth hears that the no-longer-favourite daughter of the Nkandla Crooner has kept her promise and is now suing her father’s party for expelling her. Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla and her friend Nhlamulo Ndhlela say the party did not follow procedure when expelling them.

If the court case proceeds, it would be the first time that father and daughter — who have seen the inside of many courtrooms together since 2005 — are on opposite sides.

Given that Dudu has watched her father at close range over the years applying his infamous Stalingrad approach to court matters, are we about to see the student challenge the master?

Taking on the Teletubbies

Now that she is out in the wilderness, the former favourite daughter is having fun mocking her father’s new friends in the MKP. Taking her cue from Ndhlela, who first used the term at a press conference, she now refers to the rotund current MKP secretary-general, Sibonelo Nomvalo, and fellow leaders as Teletubbies.

Won’t answer, can’t answer

Since the Sunday Times is currently gagged from reporting on National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) chair Sunshine Myende, Hogarth has not been able to follow her story closely — save for some anecdotes from colleagues. Hence, he was excited to hear that she would be in parliament this week, as he hoped to understand what makes her think she is so precious that journalists can’t ask her questions without being accused of stalking her.

But, judging by her responses to the MPs, the good doctor is simply not capable of providing straight answers. Asked about the legal firm she had used to sue the newspaper, all she could remember was that its name “starts with Ph”. When an MP asked why the NYDA was footing her legal bill if she had taken the action in her “personal capacity”, she gave a convoluted response: “Yes, it is in my personal capacity; the matter is in relation to my being the chair of the NYDA.” Pushed further, she said: “Maybe it is a technicality I didn’t see at that particular moment in time.”