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.

While South Africa prepares for the no-confidence vote against President Zuma, a troubling development elsewhere in the world is being brushed under the carpet. The US Congress has signed another bout of sanctions against Russia - a war crime in international law - while the US has encircled Russia and China with military bases and nuclear weapons. Veteran journalist and film maker John Pilger outlines the terrible potential of this recklessness.

Fears that the South African Revenue Service (SARS) had fallen prey to state capture were heightened after its chief financial officer of nearly three years abruptly resigned this week. 

Should somebody “using” a creative work have the same right to claim royalties from the work as its creator? Should the state have copyright over creative works that it commissions and funds? These are some of the questions at the heart of hearings taking place in Parliament this week over controversial proposed changes to South Africa’s copyright law.

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) wants the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to instruct the Asset Forfeiture Unit to prevent the Guptas moving assets offshore.

There are reports that President Zuma has been offered R2bn to resign immediately as president. That's the best scenario facing the country. It would kill any hopes of handing the keys to the kleptocracy to his former wife, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. The other scenarios range from a Mugabe-style rule-by-thuggery to a split in the ANC and the possibility the ruling party may not gain 50% of the vote in the next election, writes Theuns Eloff, executive director at the FW de Klerk Foundation.

It’s an all too familiar situation for thousands of South Africans on a daily basis: your phone rings and you nervously look at the number on the screen, instantly your stomach turns with a knot as you recognise the number and once more you are faced with the dreaded choice of answering or blocking the call. You know if you answer you are undoubtedly going have to face a barrage of aggressive interrogation and questions from the person on the other end. If you don’t answer you know it will only be a matter of time before the cycle repeats itself.

As evidence mounts of industrial-scale corruption in South Africa's public sector, aided and abetted, it would seem, by elements within private enterprise, it's good to know it cannot go on forever.

Sometimes you come across a story where one man, standing alone, fights a lone battle against the bank and prevails. This is the story of Joel Makubalo versus Nedbank, which has just been slapped down by the North West High Court for refusing to stop the sale in execution of Joel Makubalo's house after he paid his arrears on auction day. The judge awarded a punitive costs order against the bank.

The fate of every living thing on this planet rests on 1970s IBM computer technology using 8 inch floppy drives, reports The Guardian. That's the technology being used to run the US nuclear arsenal, leading some to speculate that a small mistake on these museum-ready computers could trigger an all-out nuclear holocaust. Alternatively, that when it comes to actually pulling the trigger, the US nuclear arsenal will simply fail. So where exactly is the US spending its $1 trillion annual military budget?

The decomposition of South African state institutions has been blamed on corruption, but we must now recognise that the problem goes well beyond this. While corruption is widespread at all levels and is undermining development, state capture is a far greater, systemic threat. It is akin to a silent coup. The March 2017 Cabinet reshuffle was confirmation of this silent coup; it was the first Cabinet reshuffle that took place without the full prior support of the governing party. This is an extract from the just published report by the State Capacity Research Project entitled: Betrayal of the Promise: How South Africa is being Stolen.

It doesn't get more ridiculous than this. A Welkom man owes Absa Bank R1,4m after borrowing just R52,000 in 2008. Even Absa seems a bit embarrased by this travesty of justice, saying it is willing to accept a variation of the court order (which is certainly in violation of the National Credit Act and minimally one of the most negligent judgments to come to our attention).

Calls to chop and change our Constitution amount to little more than spur-of-the-moment political kneejerks. If those calls are effected, they will be contrary to the rule of law and therefore void. South Africans should respect the Constitution as an inflexible statute meant to endure for generations.

The rise and fall of the Guptas and their capture of a president will be studied in political and PR classes for generations to come. The good news is they are a spent force.