How Mining Companies Steal Africa's Wealth

Tactical Response Team's brutal reign in Wesselton, Mpumalanga

Community violence and police brutality have returned to the Mpumalanga township of Wesselton, just outside Ermelo, where it is alleged that the feared Tactical Response Team has become a law unto itself. Residents claim that beatings and humiliating rituals are the order of the day for the people of Wesselton, adding that the local SAPS office refuses to hear their cries for help. As the situation escalates, they are striking matches. By MANDY DE WAAL. The Daily Maverick

Today's loan shark feeding frenzy, tomorrow's revolution

In Grahamstown, there’s a woman who only gets R120 from her monthly social grant of R1,200, because the rest is 'eaten up' by loan sharks. In a country where close on half of all credit-active people are impaired, the rampant growth in unsecured lending and illegal lenders is creating a real context for insurrection. By MANDY DE WAAL, The Daily Maverick