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While you were sleeping: 18 May 2017

While you were sleeping: 18 May 2017
John Stupart
By John Stupart
18 May 2017
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Wits achieve football history, Brazil's president in fresh scandal, and thousands of plants medically underutilised.





Thursday, 18 May 2017


“Those who will not reason, are bigots, those who cannot, are fools, and those who dare not, are slaves.”
George Gordon Byron




 



 














After discovering how it was dangerous to throw around the term “radical economic transformation”, Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba told Parliament the ANC has not yet defined what radical economic transformation would entail. Well, it has only been under discussion for five years and it is used more as a crutch than a possible policy umbrella. Delivering the fifth annual Mapungubwe lecture on Tuesday, former Deputy Finance Minister Mcebisi Jonas warned that as the ANC’s 54th national conference approaches, it would become more difficult to subject the radical economic transformation discussion to “democratic public reasoning”. Policy positions are once again bound to become proxies for factions – particularly the one sponsored by that powerful family running the state. 





 



 



 









Wits win PSL title



The Clever Boys have won the 2016/2017 PSL title, a first in their 96-year history. Wits defeated Polokwane City 2-0 in the league's penultimate round, handing them an unassailable lead. Coach Gavin Hunt gave a tearful statement, saying: "A tremendous amount of hard work has finally paid off." With a R1-million first prize, this will be one hell of a weekend for the club.





 





Brazil's president recorded discussing hush money



Brazil's President Michel Temer has apparently been recorded discussing hush money for a corrupt politician. A media group in Brazil announced their possession of the recording, which elicited calls for Temer's removal from office. Considering Brazil impeaches at least half a dozen presidents before breakfast, Temer's name added to the list could be nothing more than business as usual.





 









Ex-FBI director to head Trump-Russia investigation



Former FBI director Robert Mueller will lead an investigation into alleged ties between President Donald Trump and Russia during the 2016 election race. Mueller was nominated by the Deputy Attorney-General. Trump immediately repeated his denial of any wrongdoing. Mueller, a widely-respected former director for 10 years after 9/11, will hopefully investigate unhindered.





 





Survey names over 28,000 medicinal plants



A survey released from the United Kingdom has revealed that 28,187 species of plant life have medicinal value but are drastically under-utilised due to poor documentation. The study by Britain's Royal Botanic Gardens also noted that some 340 hectares of land are burned each year. While alarming, this is not necessarily a bad thing. Unless you're in Cape Town and it hasn't rained for half a year.





 









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IN NUMBERS


741



The weeks which “The Dark Side of the Moon” remained on the Billboard Top 200. From 1973-1988





 









FACTS OF THE DAY



Today is International Museum Day.


Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is an ordained minister.





 









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