A good week
It might go down as the longest DRS (decision review system) verdict in cricket history, but Graeme Smith was finally given “not out” this week. SA’s most successful Test cricket captain had been accused of racism while leading the national team and afterwards as director of cricket. Those charges, presented in what often seemed like a kangaroo court, were dismissed with costs this week by two arbitrators. Cricket SA, which drove the process, offered platitudes after the decision but there was no apology from an organisation Smith has served for 32 years.
A bad week
It is not yet clear whether the French electorate voted so much for Emmanuel Macron as against his opponent, Marine le Pen. Whatever the case, the outcome of France’s election this week again reflects that most French people still consider Le Pen to be a danger to democracy. Even though she drew more than 40% for the first time (out of three attempts), her rejection by the voters has delivered a bloody nose not only to populists, xenophobes and anti-Semites but also to her political buddy, the warmonger Vladimir Putin.