The inevitable passage of time, and the relative absence of key witnesses, means President Jacob Zuma may never face a successful prosecution, says City Press.

Former finance minister Pravin Gordhan has called on Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa to sack President Jacob Zuma in January, and warned South Africans to be vigilant against state capture of institutions now under threat, such as the Reserve Bank, Treasury and the Public Investment Corporation.

The Guptas might be on the back foot, but the project to capture the state is proceeding apace. Over the past few weeks, the looters have been emboldened again.

Nedbank has been accused of reckless lending after a Port Elizabeth woman was lent R30,182 - more than 5,5 times her monthly salary - and ended up paying back more than double this over four years at an annual interest rate of 35,4%.

The heartbreak of watching the home that you have lived in for more than 30 years taken away from you is difficult to imagine. Even worse is being sent to prison for “trespassing” in your own home. This is the story of Soweto resident Steven Ngoepe, now 75 years old.

The Foreclosure Machine is engaging in a deliberate strategy of emotional abuse towards desperate homeowners who are looking for an equitable solution (when most simply want an opportunity to meet the terms of their mortgage). The bank representatives may speak professionally, and even appear to be concerned, but their words are meant to deceive and may even kill. The stress created from corporate psychological abuse often culminates in health problems that may result in a silent death or even suicide. The banks do not play fair, and they will do whatever is necessary to take a home - including the destruction of a life if necessary.

We've heard of plenty cases of people lying about their qualifications in order to secure employment. It's not always that straightforward when it comes to firing somone. What about a security guard who hides the fact that he has an oustanding criminal charge against him? Can he be fired? Again, the law is not that clear-cut and the security officer may have solid grounds for challenging any attempt to dismiss him.

Thirteen African countries now rank higher than SA in economic freedom. Two decades ago, SA stood head and shoulders above the rest of the continent, but it's been a backwards march since then.

Here's arguably the most effective tool in the homeowners' arsenal when the bank attempts to foreclose on your house in the High Court - simply insist that the matter is heard in the Magistrates Courts, wher the costs are much lower. Attorneys representing the banks will lose their appetite for the fight because the allowed legal fees they can charge in the Magistrates court in often less than 10% that of the High Court.

An unlikely alliance of white farmers, the SA Communist Party, trade unions and individuals whose homes have been repossessed by the four major banks came together outside the South Gauteng High Court on Friday to call for a freeze on evictions. This is the start of a "mass rolling action" campaign that is now being taken countrywide.

The fall-out from the Guptas continues. The curse of the Guptas has already sent a cruise missile through the hull of UK PR firm Bell Pottinger, which marketed the divisive "White minority capital" and other slogans in service of the Guptas' agenda. Now the axe has fallen at KPMG, one of the world's largest and most prestigious audit firms. KPMG, in an effort to stem the exodus of clients (which include Sasfin and energy group Hulisani), fired most of its executive team last week for dodgy work it did for the Guptas, and SA Revenue Services. Now one of the premier consulting firms in the world, McKinsey, is under fire. The Democratic Alliance says it will lay charges of fraud and racketeering against the firm over its suspect dealings with the Guptas.

Former communist country Bulgaria and SA have swapped places on the economic freedom scales. SA has plunged down the rankings in the last 14 years, while Bulgaria has gone the other way. Bulgaria did it by scaling back the size of government, containing money supply growth and reducing taxes. SA did the exact opposite. Economic freedom is important not just to the general health of the economy, but to life expectancy and political rights.

Air pollution from coal power stations causes disease and kills thousands of South Africans every year, says UK expert Dr Mike Holland. Air pollution from coal-fired power stations kills more than 2,200 South Africans every year, and causes thousands of cases of bronchitis and asthma in adults and children annually. This costs the country more than R30 billion annually, through hospital admissions and lost working days. These are some of the findings of a recent study into SA's air quality by the renowned environmental expert.

The following is an open letter by human rights activist Justin Lewis to Lord Peter Hain, a prominent anti-apartheid activist who fled SA in the 1960s, urging him to rein in PR firms such as Bell Pottinger interfering in the political affairs of a friendly nation. Lewis has asked Lord Hain to bring the matter to the attention of the UK Parliament.

UK-based public relations firm Bell Pottinger could be up for sale as its owners explore "all options" to salvage the floundering business.This follows the earlier dismissal of the account executive who handled the Gupta account and the departure of the company’s CEO and significant shareholder James Henderson, neither of which appears to have stemmed the bleeding.

It has long been argued that South African banks and retailers have engaged in reckless lending, in complete defiance of the National Credit Act. For example, should a bank entice you into a "consolidated debt" account - rolling all your individual debts into one - it is required to do a fresh credit assessment. If you later run into financial difficulty and cannot meet these monthly repayments, you have grounds for claiming reckless lending on the part of the bank. Shoprite has now been found guilty of this practice by the National Credit Regulator. 

The Sunday Independent reported it was in possession of leaked emails that purport to show deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa was involved in multiple extra-marital affairs. But is this part of a campaign to stifle his challenge against President Jacob Zuma and put an end to his presidential ambitions? And if so, who is behind the leaks?

In a recent interview, Standard Bank joint-CEO Sim Tshabalala claimed the bank only sells debtors’ homes in execution “as a last resort”, and that it was eager to develop lifelong relationships with its clients. This ought to be good news for those involved in legal action with the bank, but it certainly is not the experience of the Kudoos family of Glen Marais in Johannesburg, who took out a mortgage loan with the bank in 2001.

It continues to confound South Africans that the Guptas remain relatively untouched by the long hand of the law. Perhaps this will change after Democratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane handed over a dossier detailing how the Guptas and a number of their associates allegedly stole R200m from some 80 community members to pay for a Gupta wedding at Sun City in 2013. Is anyone at the Hawks paying attention?

A security incident report has shed new light on the chaotic events that unfolded as Zimbabwean first lady Grace Mugabe went on a rampage at a luxury hotel in Johannesburg.

Moneyweb recently reported Standard Bank's CEO Sim Tshabalala as saying the bank regarded eviction of clients from their homes as a last resort, and that the bank was eager to develop a "lifelong relationship with its clients. This was in response to the story that the four major lending banks face a R60bn Constitutional Court case for abusive home repossession and eviction tactics. One of the architects of the case, Advocate Douglas Shaw, responds to Tshabalala with the following open letter, questioning whether there is any merit in Tshabalala's claim that the bank uses repossession and eviction as a "last resort".

Zimbabwe's first lady Grace Mugabe bolted back to Harare after somehow gaining diplomatic immunity after assaulting model Gabriella Engels at the Sandton residence of the two sons, Robert Junior and Chatunga. The two spoiled brats are under-achievers and troublemakers of note, but have cultivated a taste for the finer things of life. Afriforum private prosecutor Gerrie Nel - the man who put Oscar Pistorius in prison for shooting his girlfriend - says Grace may have fled the country but justice will be done for Gabriella. It's safe to assume Grace may have made her last visit to SA. 

More than 225 applicants, mostly from Gauteng townships, have launched a suit in the Constitutional Court, claiming damages from the big banks for home repossession abuse. The applicants are claiming R60bn from the banks for unlawful repossession of homes since the Constitution came into effect in 1994. 

Mark Pamensky, who doubled as an Eskom director while serving on the boards of various Gupta family-owned businesses, has had corruption charges laid against him based on leaked e-mails he sent to the brothers and their associates.

An explosive criminal docket opened last week by Sarah-Jane Trent of Forensics for Justice - spearheaded by forensic investigator Paul O'Sullivan - spills the beans on just how deep the corruption in SA runs. It claims the intelligence services are being used to hound political enemies, while the Criminal Justice System is being used to pursue witch-hunts intended to silence those exposing corruption.