The New York Times on Saturday published an article headlined, "South Africa vows to end corruption. Are its new leaders part of the problem?" detailing David Mabuza’s rise within the ANC and how under the ruling party the education system has "been in shambles". Written by Norimitsu Onishi and Selam Gebrekidan, the article starts off by detailing how a six-year-old fell into a pit toilet in Middleplaas, a town in Mpumalanga, where Mabuza was premier.

The article details Mabuza’s chequered history involving claims of siphoning cash from schools for his personal benefit and states that despite promises by Mabuza at the helm of the province to transform schools, nearly a quarter of primary schools in Mpumalanga still have pit toilets. The lengthy article was retweeted more than 250 times and drew hundreds of comments. Among those to share it were Joburg mayor Herman Mashaba, while journalist and author Mandy Wiener called it "a reality check for us all"...

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