Only one charge of the original six brought against the ANC Youth League was set aside by the ANC’s national disciplinary committee of appeals. Julius Malema’s days in the wilderness are that much closer now – all that remains is for the original disciplinary committee to hear evidence in mitigation of sentence. The ANC has signalled that it wants to present evidence in aggravation of sentence at that hearing. So it isn’t quite over yet. But the letters on the wall are large and clear. By SIPHO HLONGWANE.

With autumn around the corner, Juju has awarded the tender for his new killer fashion line to an up and coming designer. Will that help him find money to pay his ANC membership? And other African countries feel we’re arrogant like Americans. Why, are they jealous? And... what’s that smell?

It sometimes feels as if the debate around mine nationalisation has always been with us. In a way it has – the Nats had it in their manifesto in 1948, Nelson Mandela included it in his first speech out of Pollsmoor in 1990, and  Julius Malema seemed to take it over. The two phrases 'Julius Malema' and 'nationalisation' have become intertwined in our political lexicon. We're now at the sharp end of this debate. The ANC's national executive committee is locked (and we mean behind closed doors) in a policy discussion for the next four days. Officially, it's preparations for the ANC's policy conference later this year. Unofficially, it's working out the playing field for what will be discussed. By STEPHEN GROOTES.

Mistakes and bad judgement calls happen. But as Judge Nkola Motata, Robert McBride, and Jackson Mthembu have shown us, it is what comes next that really counts. With more than enough enemies out to get her, Public Protector Thuli Madonsela has shown that, in the face of calamity, she can be a model of accountability. By MANDY DE WAAL.

They are calling them 'vigil-aunties', and two events in different corners of the world this week have brought them into the spotlight. By REBECCA DAVIS.

In this instalment of Street Life, Susan, a 28-year-old former prostitute and local drug mule living on the streets of Hillbrow shares her story. “It’s getting really lame,” she says. By GREG NICOLSON.

What now for rugby now that PdeV has gone? What of our plans to lead the AU? And why does Julius want a street battle with President Zuma?

South Africa’s press landscape is untransformed. The Press Code needs work. The Ombudsman should be tougher, more independent, and pro-active. There’s a lot wrong with the local print news sector, but the public protector in her submission to the Press Freedom Commission reminded us all of that is right, and why a free, independent and self-regulating press is the only way forward. By MANDY DE WAAL.

It has become increasingly clear that Syria will have no magic 'Tahrir Square' moment. Bashar Al-Assad will not fade away innocuously into the twilight, no matter how loudly the Arab League shouts at him. The reports of violence have grown more serious in recent days and it’s not just Al-Assad’s troops on a merry shooting spree. The Free Syrian Army, modelled on the rebel movement in Libya, is taking the fight to Al-Assad, with catastrophic consequences. By KHADIJA PATEL.

On Wednesday, the DA Leader in Parliament Lindiwe Mazibuko announced the party’s new shadow cabinet. The 'generational mix' that Julius Malema and Fikile Mbalula have been calling for? It doesn’t get much better than the roster of individuals Mazibuko put in her kitchen cabinet. By SIPHO HLONGWANE.

If this isn’t a sign of how far the USA has fallen, I don’t know what is. Twenty years ago it would have been American workers targeted by rebel groups. But the times they are a-changing, and two kidnappings in the last week suggest China’s increasingly dominant role in the world – and especially Africa – is being recognised. And not in a good way. By SIMON ALLISON.

Ultimately the polls were right. Mitt Romney trounced Newt Gingrich in Florida. Now there are only 46 more states to contest in this grinding battle for the affections of the Republican Party. By J BROOKS SPECTOR.

Pigs, dogs, hyenas, vultures and crocodiles all come home to roost as Cosatu introduces its Corruption Watch. The president’s in the air. With several planes. And just what the heck is going on in the US, why is the Donald angry?

A South African-styled truth and reconciliation commission in Sri Lanka was meant to piece together a fragmented population. It was meant to uncover whether any person, group or institution directly or indirectly bears responsibility for alleged human rights abuses. But the commission’s report is being rejected for failing to hold those responsible for human rights violations to account. By KHADIJA PATEL.

Another of our southern African neighbours is embarking on a round of nationalisation. Don’t be afraid, at least not yet. Unlike Zimbabwe, Zambia’s plan is well thought through and designed to correct the rampant corruption that accompanied the previous administration’s privatisation deals. By SIMON ALLISON.

The South African Transport and Allied Workers Union will go on strike this Friday, demanding a forensic investigation into corruption and nepotism at the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa. Prasa’s group CEO, says the union, is ignoring the allegations and must be suspended. But until details are revealed, the strike will be a fruitless and costly exercise. By GREG NICOLSON.

Many NGOs are on the brink of financial collapse and they’ve laid the blame squarely at the feet of the department of social development and the new Lottery Board. Now they’re turning to the media and public at large, hoping somebody will finally pay attention. By SIPHO HLONGWANE.

We all know the ANC and the Press (the capital is deliberate) have had a rough ride together over the years. And we know that there are parts of the ANC that seem to be hell-bent on using its power as the majority in Parliament to make sure the press is brought to heel. Some see it as a deliberate campaign to stop freedom of speech, and to get rid of those pesky front-page exclusives featuring the word "corruption". Others think the ANC has a point. On Tuesday, in front of the Press Freedom Commission's members, the ANC had its say. By STEPHEN GROOTES.

Over the years, a three-word phrase came to symbolise virtually the entire foreign policy framework of the Bush administration. The “Axis of Evil” and similar derivations has become shorthand for international bad behaviour, writes J BROOKS SPECTOR.

As Dlamini-Zuma and Ping slugged it out to head the African Union Commission, Benin’s President Thomas Yayi Boni was quietly chosen as chairman of the AU itself. He’s a decent choice to take on the largely ceremonial role – certainly better than the dictators and autocrats that preceded him. By SIMON ALLISON.

South Africa has almost 3.7-million orphans, more than half as a result of Aids-related deaths. Local NGO Noah is trying to offer them an opportunity to grow into healthy adults but, like many others across the sector, it’s hustling for funding. By GREG NICOLSON.

The message that the AfriForum Youth delivered to the department of higher education and training was erudite enough: make more space available at the veterinary faculty of the University of Pretoria so that academically gifted white students aren’t left out in favour of black students. What wasn’t as clear is why they chose to protest using “blackface”. By SIPHO HLONGWANE.

A highly anticipated election for the position of African Union Commission chairperson petered out into a stalemate after four rounds of voting failed to conclusively reveal a winner. But it wasn’t quite a damp squib. Quite the contrary, actually: the election served up all the drama of a World Cup semi-final. By KHADIJA PATEL and SIMON ALLISON.

‘Tis been the season for ANC politicians in general, and those of a younger (but not Malema persuasion) in particular to have been quiet about internal ANC politics. It's also been a season of silence on policy issues from our Cabinet ministers – particularly those in charge of the ministries with the most problems. But one impeccably dressed man has been consistently bucking the trend. Wherever there's been a controversy, particularly around those hot button issues such as mine nationalisation and parastatals, Malusi Gigaba has been wading in, where many fear to tread. And it seems, he's surviving very well thank you. How? And what does the future hold for him? By STEPHEN GROOTES.

Americans will soon begin to groan under the weight and information overload of politically-charged advertising, broadcast media commercials, Internet-based messages and targeted, automated phone calling in favour of candidates and policies. The superPACs are taking the presidential campaign trail by storm. By J BROOKS SPECTOR.

Rumours wafting out of African Union HQ in Addis Ababa have given Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma a slight edge over Jean Ping going into the secret ballot on Monday morning.  South Africa has reportedly had pledges of support from 35 of the 51 countries eligible to vote. But many leaders have derided South Africa’s ambitions for the AU’s top job as an attempt to reinforce its hegemony over the rest of the continent. By KHADIJA PATEL.

AfriForum Youth is planning to protest before the headquarters of the department of higher education to highlight its disapproval of racial quotas imposed at the Veterinary Science faculty of the University of Pretoria. By painting themselves black. By SIPHO HLONGWANE.

Less than a month before Senegal’s elections, the country’s top court decided who was and wasn’t allowed to run for president. In was incumbent Abdoulaye Wade, term limits be damned; out was singer Youssou N’Dour. Senegalese opposition reacted furiously, but it’s going take a much more coordinated response to unseat Wade. By SIMON ALLISON.

To run through the big debates within our politics is to look at issues around our past, our possible futures and our very different presents. To look at the headlines, you will see and hear issues around leadership (which seems to get the bigger fonts) and internal dissent and public spats. It's all good normal politics. But take a slightly wider view, and it's becoming apparent that both our major political parties are sometimes grappling with very much the same issues. By STEPHEN GROOTES.