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News24
04-07-2025
- Politics
- News24
Kicking sand and throwing tantrums: The DA and ANC's sandpit stalemate
EDITORIAL: Kicking sand and throwing tantrums: The DA and ANC's sandpit stalemate Given their long history of mutual antagonism, no one expected smooth sailing when the ANC and DA joined forces with eight other parties to form a government of national unity (GNU) after the ANC failed to secure a majority in the 2024 national elections. Over the past year, this uneasy alliance has stumbled from one crisis to the next, whether grappling with the BELA Act, NHI, or Budget disagreements, with each debacle escalating in intensity. What began with a minister boycotting a law-signing ceremony has culminated in the DA threatening to file a motion of no confidence in President Cyril Ramaphosa after his contentious decision to sack a deputy minister. Political analysts and journalists have repeatedly highlighted the fragile foundations of this partnership, warning that the mere statement of intent isn't enough to ensure cohesive governance. Yet little has been done to bolster this shaky arrangement. Two key structures within the GNU – the Political Party Leaders' Forum and the Clearing House – remain underutilised, missing opportunities to address disputes and foster collaboration. Instead, the parties act like squabbling children in a sandbox, bickering over 'buckets and spades' while ignoring South Africans' urgent pleas for maturity and decisive action. The call for leadership and governance is growing louder, yet the impasse continues. In this week's Friday Briefing, News24's political editor, Andisiwe Makinana, delves into this tenuous political experiment, writing both parties are waiting for the next local government elections before making their next move. We also hear from Wits' Professor David Everatt, who questions what both parties are getting out of the toxic arrangement, while University of Johannesburg's Professor Mcebisi Ndletyana, reflects on President Cyril Ramaphosa's role in making the GNU shaky, arguing that the brinkmanship between the two parties has reached its limit. We hope you enjoy these thought-provoking contributions, which you'll find below. Mutual dependence, mutual destruction: ANC-DA tensions here to stay The mutually destructive relationship between the ANC and the DA is set to continue until the local government elections, which is the next voter support testing station for both parties, writes Andisiwe Makinana. Read the full submission here. Love lost, yet bound together: The dysfunctional ANC-DA dance The ANC has no policy agenda, little energy and occasionally leans over to swat the DA for political sport. Quite what either side gets out of their toxic liaison is unclear, writes David Everatt. Read the full submission here. With this selective application of his presidential powers, President Cyril Ramaphosa has painted himself into a corner, argues Mcebisi Ndletyana.
Mint
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
An ongoing show looks at the many avatars of artist-poet Adil Jussawalla
On the cover of Missing Person by poet Adil Jussawalla, you see a man wearing a double breasted jacket and tie. His face seems to be a blur. The image portrays the fogged state of mind of the book's narrator—trapped as he is between incomprehensible modernity and redundant traditionalism. The cover was designed by poet Arun Kolatkar, who along with Jussawalla, Arvind Krishna Mehrotra and Gieve Patel founded a poets' cooperative, Clearing House, in Mumbai in 1976. Sometime later, poets Dilip Chitre, H.O. Nazareth and Jayanta Mahapatra too joined in. The cooperative published eight titles in its short lifetime, including Mehrotra's Nine Enclosures, Jussawalla's Missing Person, How Do you Withstand, Body and Jejuri by Kolatkar. Nazareth's Lobo published in 1984 was the imprint's last title. Covers for all the books were designed by Kolatkar, who insisted that not a single line in a poem be broken, thus resulting in the squarish format of the book. These covers, treasured for their imagery and design aesthetic, are now part of the show, Enlightenment from an Unlikely Envelope: Archives of Adil Jussawalla, curated by Deeptha Achar and Chithra KS, on view at The Guild, Alibaug, till 15 July. Through a range of material like manuscripts, letters, magazine articles, scrap books and family albums, we encounter Jussawalla in various avatars: as a photographer, an art writer, a publisher, a magazine editor, and a person fascinated with ships, picnics, Superman and Tarzan. The show is designed thematically in sections like Family, Visual Culture, Bombay, Ships, Cuffe Parade: Milieu, Life and Books. Born in a privileged Parsi family, Jussawalla was gifted a Kodak Baby Brownie by his aunt at the age of 13. The exhibition offers insights into major events such as these, including his early life in Mumbai with picnics to Elephanta caves and Sinhagad Fort, followed by a stint in London in the late 1950s and return to Mumbai in 1970. But more than anything the show documents the history of the Maximum City, thrumming with creative energy, a sense of community and rebellion. Clearing House was a product of this synergy. Also read: Artistic encounters: How animals inspire contemporary artists According to Achar, the setting up of the poets' cooperative ought to be viewed in context of the 'little magazine' movement and the establishment of small and independent presses of the 1960s-70s. Jussawalla's friends, including Kolatkar and Mehrotra, had rallied behind this underground experimental literary scene. In fact,Mehrotra's little magazine, damn you, stood against tired literary strictures. Even Vrischik, the little magazine helmed by artists Bhupen Khakhar and Gulammohammed Sheikh, was meant to sting. Other literary magazines like Bombay Duck, Dionysus, Blunt, Indian Writing Today, Tornado, Opinion Literary Quarterly, Fulcrum and Keynote were part of the zeitgeist. 'It is instructive to see how Jussawalla's works intersected with the poetic and artistic climate of the 1970s," says Achar. 'That was a time of new energy and when newer styles of modernism were getting consolidated. There were intersections between poetry and art, and many practiced both. It was also marked by a spirit of great generosity, with poets supporting one another. Adil's flat came to be a place where many writers converged." Milieu: Cuffe Parade features portraits of leading personalities from the literary and artistic world like Kolatkar, Mehrotra, Nissim Ezekiel, Vijay Nambisan, R. Raja Rao, Farrukh Dhondy and Jayanta Mahapatra. In one striking portrait Mehrotra looks at the viewer with a piercing gaze, and in another you encounter a disheveled Kolatkar. Dom Moraes had once compared Chitre and Kolatkar as young writers 'who look exactly like Rimbaud and Verlaine' because of their tramp-like appearance and itinerant lifestyle. A black-and-white photograph by Horace Ove of Jussawalla sitting in the iconic Wayside Inn, Rampart Row, is part of the archive as well, and reveals the intense and frayed charisma of the cafe as well as the shut, this iconic restaurant has also been immortalised by several of Kolatkar's poems including The Rat-Poison Man's Lunch Hour in which he imagines the cafe's walls recalling its various visitors, from Bal Thackeray sitting alone 'with a pot of tea and scribbling notes / dreaming with an audacious pencil/ of a society undivided by caste and creed" to an obscure poet 'munching on Welsh rabbit, and thinking of rats dying in a wet barrel". Also read: 'A Show of Hands': Celebrating the generous mentorship of artist Gieve Patel A concern for the subaltern—a defining aspect of this milieu—is evident from the Workers section. It comprises photographs of construction workers, or what Jussawalla calls 'the city's newest and worst paid plastic surgeons', who renovated his Cuffe parade-apartment in 1999-2000. In one poignant image that delineates sharp class differences, he juxtaposes the interior of his book-laden room with an image of a worker staring at a scaffolding in his balcony. While The Guild received most of the visual material from Jussawalla, his archive has further been divided among two other institutions, Ashoka University, India, and Cornell University, UK. During the digitisation process, gallerist Shalini Sawhney was quick to gauge the repository's historical import. 'What a rich and layered reflection it was of the times, his literary circles, and an intersection of personal and social histories," says Sawhney. 'Historical narratives should be consciously saved and recorded so that they do not slip through the cracks of time." In 2012 , poet Jerry Pinto was sitting in Jussawalla's house when he pointed to a blue Rexine bag that was lying on the floor. He was informed that it contained all the Clearing House correspondence. In the introduction to Jussawala's Maps to a Mortal Moon (2014), Pinto writes, 'Thus a single blue rexine bag would have a picture of Indian poetry's finest, talking, arguing, and challenging each other as they brought out books, several of which were to be major events in the nation's literary history. That was just one of the many boxes, files, collections of papers and magazines, notebooks, scrapbooks that fill Jussawalla's world with paper." Also read: Zarna Garg's memoir: The super-sad story of an immigrant comedian According to Achar, the poet never threw away even one piece of paper. Jussawalla's obsession for hoarding paper can be glimpsed in Pablo Bartholomew's photograph of his room, especially procured for this show, in which trunks, newspapers, books, stand cheek by jowl in packed shelves. 'Without archives we shall never know the hidden, submerged stories of the past," says co-curator Chithra K.S. ' An archive is an endless process—it is a portal that keeps on opening up new details, new paths and endless possibilities." Moreover the dissemination of archives in a gallery reconfigures the white cube and extends its scope. According to Achar, these repositories unsettle the gallery space, disrupt its emphasis on display for sale and establish new possibilities of narratives and contexts which, in more conventional exhibitions, may not come to view. 'For us as curators, the intersection between history and a life offered by the Adil Jussawalla archives provide the possibility of understanding a little about a time period, a city, and a lifetime." Shweta Upadhyay is an arts journalist and co-author of the photobook 'I'll be looking at the moon, but I'll be seeing you'.
Newsweek
14-05-2025
- Business
- Newsweek
Gen Z Man Charged an Extra $20 Fee Every Time He Pays Rent: 'Violation'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The internet is outraged after a college student revealed that he's charged a $20 transaction fee every time he pays his rent. The Redditor, u/vinniehat, 20, from New York, took to the subreddit "mildly infuriating" to share his frustration over his off-campus apartment's mandatory processing charge. "In order to pay online, I have to use go through their payment processor which supposedly can charge a fee from anywhere of $1 to $20," he told Newsweek. The post quickly struck a chord, receiving 32,000 upvotes as others shared similar experiences and advice. The post read: "I'm about to pay for the first month's rent and no matter how I pay, their payment processor is going to charge me $20 just to pay for rent. Unbelievable." The Hidden Cost of Paying Rent While it might seem outrageous, the practice of charging tenants a convenience fee to pay rent—especially via credit or debit card—is surprisingly common in large apartment complexes. Fees for using a credit card can range from 2.5 percent to 2.95 percent of the rent, according to Greystar, a leading property management company. These fees are typically passed directly to the tenant and are meant to cover transaction costs charged by payment processors. For a $1,000 rent payment, that's an extra $25 to $29 each month. Expert Insight Arvand Sabetian, founder of Ziprent, says this model is becoming more common in large, institutional apartment complexes and student housing. "At Ziprent, we believe renters shouldn't be penalized simply for the act of paying rent," Sabetian told Newsweek. "Unfortunately, these platform, convenience, or processing fees have become increasingly common." He explained that while the legality of such fees varies by state, many renters don't realize there are no-fee payment options available—such as Automated Clearing House (ACH) transfers or mailing checks. A stock image of a woman appearing confused whilst making an online credit card payment. A stock image of a woman appearing confused whilst making an online credit card payment. Pheelings Media/iStock / Getty Images Plus States like California, New York, Oregon, and Washington have enacted regulations to limit or prevent these fees. However, others like Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, and Texas have not. "Ziprent prioritizes transparency in our operations and provide multiple payment options with no added fees. We encourage landlords and operators to do the same because rent should be predictable and not padded with unnecessary hidden platform, convenience, or processing fees," Sabetian said. Jeff Lichtenstein, CEO and Broker at Echo Fine Properties, likened the issue to the rising number of hidden charges in other industries with Newsweek. He explained how he recently dined out a restaurant and was charged a 3 percent charge for a credit card fee. "This occurring in real estate is no different than the server for anything sticking the 20-30 percent tip credit card machine in your face at a restaurant or Starbucks. It's become so successful in that industry that everyone else feels they can try it," he said. He added that such tactics exploded during the pandemic, with additional charges creeping into everything from food delivery to breakfast items. "Consumers and rental agents need to be trained to look for this upfront and negotiate it out of the contract," he emphasized. The Case for Checks Despite the digital age, nearly half of U.S. renters still pay by check, according to Multifamily Dive. Many do so to avoid the mounting processing fees tied to credit card or third-party platform payments. Digital payments may offer convenience, but they often come with added costs. Some landlords even steer tenants toward platforms that benefit the property owner but leave the tenant with extra fees. Since his post, the Redditor found out he can pay the bill via check to avoid paying an online fee each time. Reddit Reacts Unsurprisingly, Redditors had a lot to say. "It may be annoying at first, but I would seriously consider writing paper checks for this. like, I make $20 an hour and I would not want to work an hour of my life for 'the privilege' of paying rent lol," said one user. Another shared: "Oh my god I forgot about that. My HOA fees this year are through a site that wants an extra $20 for the convenience of paying online and I just dug out my old a checkbook from like 15 years and 6 addresses ago cause a 50 cent stamp is a lot better than $20 bull c***. I totally forgot you could bill pay a check from the online site. Thank you!!!" Others offered tips. "I set up my landlord as a bill in online bill pay. The bank mails a check to their home every month. No fee and I don't have to keep checks. I also hated the payment processor fees," one user explained. Another revealed a bit of protest in their own method: "In my last lease the payment methods accepted was included, and it noted that appfolio has a processing fee. It also said I could drop off checks in person, and they hated it but it was worth the % processing fee so I kept annoying them monthly." "The service my landlord uses to collect rent payments started charging $2.50 out of nowhere. Now my landlord sends checks every month for the amount of $2.50 to reimburse since they no longer accept paper checks," said another user. "Seems easier to lower rent by 2 bucks, but it's nice that your landlord is being decent about it," suggested another user. "That would be in violation of the law probably," shared another user. Do you have a monetary dilemma? Let us know via life@ We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
