Third Umpire
DA MP Dianne Kohler Barnard made a mistake for which she has apologised. Expelling her implies that the party either believes she is lying, or is too lily-livered to stand its ground against politically inspired criticism.
All Blacks captain Richie McCaw, the man Springbok rugby fans love to hate yet can’t help but respect. Kudos to the All Blacks, they were the best team by far and deserved winners of the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
Secretary of Parliament Gengezi Mgidlana. Could the paranoid security crackdown he has initiated have anything to do with the fact that a “whistleblower” staff member accused him of abusing state resources? Surely not.
Energy Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson now has the rare distinction of being the first minister in the democratic era to be labelled by the auditor-general as unwilling to commit to addressing problems in her department
British-born Angus Deaton, winner of the 2015 Nobel prize for economics, whose research on consumption, poverty and welfare is to the inequality debate what classic music is to Thomas Picketty’s hard rock.
Former ANC treasurer-general Mathews Phosa, another voice in the wilderness at the national general council. He was ignored when he warned the party was conflicted over the Hitachi deal, and look where that has led.
Communications Minister Faith Muthambi, whose puzzling decision to go for nonencrypted set-top boxes for the digital migration of television has apparently puzzled her party too. Please explain, madam minister.
Public Protector Thuli Madonsela. The appeal court ruling against Hlaudi Motsoeneng not only means the SABC must hold a disciplinary hearing, but reinforces the argument that her findings have teeth.
Fifa president Sepp Blatter, whose bid to control an internal corruption probe has been thwarted after he and his possible successor, Michel Platini, were provisionally suspended for 90 days by Fifa’s ethics committee.
Mediclinic International CEO Danie Meintjes, whose move to list the group on the LSE through a reverse takeover of the UAE-based Al Noor Hospital Group will give it access to capital for further international expansion.
Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant, who has egg all over her face after a court ruled she failed to apply her mind fairly when opting to remove registrar Johan Crouse from his position. Political expedience at its worst.
Justice Minister Michael Masutha, whose decision to delay Oscar Pistorius’s release has been upheld by the parole review board on the basis that he had not served a sixth of his sentence when parole was considered.
US President Barack Obama. Calling it “collateral damage” won’t change the fact that a US jet fighter attack caused the horrific deaths of 19 people in a field hospital operated by Doctors Without Borders in Afghanistan.
Energy Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson. Another state-owned entity, the Nuclear Energy Corporation of SA, falls into disarray on her watch. She has the reverse Midas touch, as has been apparent for a while now.
Suspended PetroSA CEO Nosizwe Nokwe-Macamo. After reporting an astounding R14.5bn loss, she says “radical and urgent interventions are required to ensure (the) survival of PetroSA”. Who says it should survive?
Home-grown comedian Trevor Noah, for what was by all accounts a solid premiere as host of US late night television chat show The Daily Show — and for doing his bit to make the once reviled Saffa accent sexy to foreigners.
NUM general secretary David Sipunzi, who is surely not so naïve as to believe the mining pact was equivalent to a moratorium on retrenchments. All parties must stick to the actual terms if job losses are to be minimised.
Glencore CEO Ivan Glasenberg. As the holder of an 8.4% stake in the company, Monday’s 29% share crash, which wiped about £3.5bn off its London market value in the blink of an eye, will have hurt him big time.
Kalagadi Manganese chairwoman Daphne Mashile-Nkosi, who was named Most Successful Woman in Business at African Business magazine’s 2015 African Business Awards, which were held in New York last week.
VW group CEO Martin Winterkorn, who was running the brand during the period in which some of its models were apparently deliberately violating US clean-air rules by rigging emissions tests. He probably won’t survive this.
British Prime Minister David Cameron’s office has denied he did unspeakable things to a dead pig’s head as a student, but withheld comment on an allegation that he smoked pot. A student in the ’80s? Smoking grass? Surely not!
Hiccup on the path to glory or the bitter taste of things to come? Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer can apologise until he is green in the face, but the only thing that will satisfy fans now is convincing World Cup victories.
Black Business Council deputy president Sandile Zungu. Affirmative procurement is all very well, but lobbying for an ever greater advantage for black business crosses the line between “fighting chance” and entitlement.
Gauteng ANC chairman Paul Mashatile. The party’s 10-point plan to transform, modernise and reindustrialise the region sounds great, although implementation is an issue, and it may prove too little, too late politically.
Naspers chairman Koos Bekker. Phuthuma Nathi, subsidiary MultiChoice’s BEE scheme, has delivered a return of 20 times the initial investment over nine years. Not bad for a group that was spawned under apartheid.
Energy Minister Tina Joemat- Pettersson. It is about time the government came clean on its nuclear intentions. Does it, or does it not, intend to procure 9.6GW of nuclear generation capacity? If so, based on what research?
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South African Qualifications Authority CEO Joe Samuels, who is entirely correct to reject the suggestion that people who have lied about their qualifications be granted amnesty. How could they ever be trusted in future?
South African referee Craig Joubert, whose controversial decision to award a penalty to Australia in the dying seconds of their World Cup quarterfinal denied Scotland an historic win. Who would be a rugby referee these days?
When President Jacob Zuma says “it’s not a short journey to prosperity,” presumably he is excluding politicians who are fortunate enough to go from not having two cents to rub together to becoming millionaire property owners?
You have to hand it to Vanuatu parliamentary speaker Marcellino Pipite — he knows how to take a gap when he sees one. Pardoning himself on corruption charges while standing in for the president is a stroke of evil genius
Business Unity SA CEO Khanyisile Kweyama, for speaking up loud and clear on behalf of business at the ANC national general council. Whether anyone there was listening is unfortunately by no means guaranteed.
ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe, who still insists the public protector’s recommendations are not binding despite a Supreme Court of Appeal ruling that they are, unless successfully challenged in court.
Japanese rugby coach Eddie Jones. His charges may not have made it through to the World Cup semifinals, but their third win of the knockout stages at the weekend makes them hot contenders for team of the tournament.
Public Investment Corporation CEO Daniel Matjila, for keeping his options open concerning AB InBev’s bid for SABMiller. His main responsibility is to beneficiaries, and a 44% premium on the price is not to be sneezed at.
Sibanye Gold CEO Neal Froneman. With the outlook for the mining sector appearing bleak, bold moves are needed, including a comprehensive consolidation of domestic assets. Cometh the hour, cometh the man.
Austrian student Max Schrems, whose successful lawsuit against Facebook has shown how little protection the personal information of non-US citizens is afforded when data is transferred to US-based servers.
Former finance minister Trevor Manuel, whose call for a “Chinese-style” crackdown on corruption in SA is right on the money, even if the chances of the country’s current leadership following his advice are slim to none.
DA leader Mmusi Maimane, who first insisted — rightly — that Dianne Kohler Barnard’s faux pas was an issue for the party’s federal legal commission, then removed her from her post. So which is it? Let’s have some leadership.
England rugby coach Stuart Lancaster. The host team’s early exit from the World Cup is expected to cost British broadcasters and publicans billions in lost revenue as local fans turn their backs on the sporting code.
National police commissioner Riah Phiyega. Announcing the promotion of 14,000 police officers the day after official crime stats showed an increase in violent crime sends the wrong message to them and us.
Former Fifa vice-president Jack Warner, who has been banned for life from any involvement in football. Not that he is going to have much time for anything other than defending himself on corruption charges anyway.
Nazir Alli, who is set to retire at a low point after 17 years at the helm, with the Gauteng e-toll boycott still going strong and now a court ruling setting aside his decision to toll highways in the Western Cape.
Co-operative Governance Minister Pravin Gordhan, for putting party politics aside to work with his Western Cape counterpart to restore order in Oudtshoorn, which has been crippled by a two-year political power struggle.
NPA head Shaun Abrahams, who is still “studying” the Farlam commission’s Marikana report three months after it was released and has yet to set up a team to investigate the police’s role, as it recommended.
University of Fort Hare registrar Mike Somniso, who was caught on tape plotting to unleash MK veterans on campus to disrupt the DA Student Organisation, which won SRC elections in March.
ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe. The internal overhaul that is being implemented ahead of the party’s national general council at last focuses on the right things: economy, corruption and implementation.
Naspers nonexecutive chairman Koos Bekker, for selling most of his stake in the company after retiring as CEO. The new management deserve the space to implement their own vision, and he has a right to cash out.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, whose Syriza party defied pre-election polls to emerge a clear winner at the weekend, despite having agreed to stringent austerity measures the electorate rejected just months ago.
Billionaire businessman Patrice Motsepe, whose new energy company, headed by former Eskom CEO Brian Dames, holds the promise of benefiting SA from both the renewable energy and BEE perspectives.
European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, whose failure to get EU interior ministers to agree to share the burden of the refugee influx is indicative of the severe flaws in the union’s governance system.
Hawks head Berning Ntlemeza, whose first move after his controversial appointment was to suspend KwaZulu-Natal Hawks head Johan Booysen on the basis of allegations that have already been dismissed by Ipid.
Comair CEO Erik Venter. The share may have taken a knock after he declared a drop in annual profits, but given the obstacles private airlines face in SA, it’s something of a miracle that Comair has never had to declare a loss.
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