Siyahleba: McKenzie fears illness JZ will always be JZee MKP chaos saved KZN
Tebogo Letsie
McKenzie fears illness from economy class flights
Our Sport, Arts and Culture Minister, Gayton McKenzie, forgets that he is working for government and the people and not for himself.
This week, he threw a fit, complaining that being on too many economy class flights would make him sick. He even disclosed that he was not the type to use Uber as transport, but that government requirements were forcing him to downgrade to that level! Poor Gayton.
He was replying to a question about his spending on travel since he became a minister a year ago, which amounts to R4.8 million. The loquacious McKenzie said:
Official trips are not holidays or joyrides. I am personally no stranger to international travel as a successful businessman. I was well travelled long before I became a minister. To expect ministers to [take long flights in economy class] in relentless working conditions would simply be impractical and even sadistic.
Ag shame!
JZ will always be JZee
Umkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) members were left surprised when they saw pictures of their Jacob Zuma frolicking and playing with former Mpumalanga MKP convener, Mary Phadi, who was allegedly suspended from the party's activities.
Phadi has been running parallel structures in Mpumalanga when the party officially endorsed Busisiwe Mkhwebane to lead the province. Members have been expecting the party to take a hard line against her.
But, lo and behold, she is being entertained in Nkandla by a smiling Zuma. But anyone who knows Zuma, who had five wives at some point, will know that he was always going to fold in front of the rather pretty Phadi!
Gallo Images / Darren Stewart
MKP chaos saved KZN
Talking of the MKP, the party pulled another shocker – Floyd Shivambu was booted out as secretary-general and moved to Parliament, all thanks to his Easter visit to Shepherd Bushiri's church in Malawi.
Word is that the holy trip didn't sit well with the MKP's top brass.
The party scored a hefty 45% of the vote in KwaZulu-Natal, just a few seats short of taking full control of the province, only needing 5% plus one to govern outright.
With reshuffles happening more often than load shedding in the party, it's clear that if negotiations hadn't dragged on and they had taken control of KwaZulu-Natal, we would probably be on premier number six by now. Prayers might still be needed.
HOT
Our wheelchair tennis star Kgothatso Montjane and her Japanese team-mate Yui Kamiji displayed an incredible come-from-behind 4-6 7-5 (10-7) victory to seal the 2025 Wheelchair Tennis Doubles title at the French Open in Paris on Friday – their second title win in the French capital.
The pair have made reaching finals a habit, having participated in the last four finals and taken their first title in 2023.
The duo also won the US Open title together in 2023, as well as the Wimbledon crown last year. Despite falling short in the semifinals of the singles competition, Montjane can be proud of the fact that she's bringing home another title.
NOT
Power is a drug. And, like most drugs, it is addictive and dangerous to both the user and those close to them. Higher Education Minister Nobuhle Nkabane clearly does not understand this.
In recent months, she has found herself at the receiving end of criticism for behaviour that is unbecoming of a person in her position. Like a person typically drunk on power, she has been dismissive of criticism.
The latest incident relates to a viral video showing her chewing gum while taking questions in a portfolio committee meeting in Parliament. In addition to chewing gum like a typical tart at a brothel, she was rude and dismissive of a question that had been asked.
Even after social media denizens attacked her for her behaviour, she refused to apologise.
It was only after President Cyril Ramaphosa requested a report from her regarding her lack of decorum that she released a statement clarifying her behaviour.
The 'apology' is insincere and comes from a dishonest heart. Bad behaviour by our MPs is becoming endemic. The president must deal with Nkabane sternly, to send a message to the rest that rudeness and Trumpish antics shall not be tolerated.
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(But) if all your profits have to be driven into carbon capture, you're just not going to get any investment. All of this is cost, none of this is profit and they still have to have a certain level of return from the investors or the investors will just take off.' Moving east across Canada,, Exner-Pirot has been skeptical about Arctic ports being commercially viable. She noted that the feds and the province of Manitoba have spent more than half a billion dollars on the port of Churchill and it's still not attracting shippers and investors, while the Northwest Territories is trying to push the idea of an 'Arctic Security Corridor' that runs between Alberta and Gray's Bay in Nunavut, via Yellowknife. Both ports are impacted by a short shipping season because of sea ice. 'It's a terrible idea for oil and a very bad idea for liquefied natural gas,' she said. 'You will never get a return on your investment. We do want northern development. 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'If we return to our complacency after what we've seen and what we've gone through, then God help this country. The conversation right now, again, is focusing on a few projects. I'll be tolerant of this, maybe for a handful of projects and for a handful of months. But (we must) improve our regulatory systems, especially at the federal level. That is where we need to see movement. You can't bring in new people at the rate we bring in new people, and you can't be dependent on China at the rate that we're dependent on China. That cannot keep going on,' she said. John Ivison: Premiers seem delighted just to finally be meeting with a grown-up PM John Ivison: The first Carney spending numbers are as bad as Trudeau's Get more deep-dive National Post political coverage and analysis in your inbox with the Political Hack newsletter, where Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson and political analyst Tasha Kheiriddin get at what's really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill every Wednesday and Friday, exclusively for subscribers. Sign up here.
