A bad week for Panyaza Lesufi

A bad week for Panyaza Lesufi

Panyaza Lesufi, Gauteng’s ambitious premier who is said to have his sights on the ANC’s presidency, had to soak it up last week as the incumbent chided him for the poor state of the province and especially Joburg (“I’m not the mayor,” he might have protested). President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed his shock — yes, shock — at the state of the province: governance failures, financial mismanagement, crumbling infrastructure, crime and poor service delivery. And Lesufi just had to sit there and smile.

A good week for Phyllis Vorster and Obed Tongoane

Phyllis Vorster and Obed Tongoane, advocates in private practice, took on a prosecution that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) would not — and won. They were briefed by AfriForum in a case of common assault against Irvin Thabo Ngobeni, who was found guilty in November. He had punched and kicked his neighbour and torn her clothes after confronting her before sunrise. Last week in the Mamelodi magistrate’s court, the NPA was ordered to pay the costs of the private prosecution after it had declined to prosecute Ngobeni. Vorster said the NPA failed to monitor the prosecution and missed the chance to mitigate the costs.