1. Things went from bad to worse for Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane after she backed off opposing the Reserve Bank's court bid to overturn her recommendation that its mandate should be changed. There are growing calls for her to step down. Read here.
2. State looting started way back in the apartheid era, before Zuma and the Guptas were a stormcloud on the horizon.The author of the explosive "Apartheid Guns and Money" tells HuffPost SA how economic thuggery of a supposedly bygone era permeates the present. Read here.
3. The SACP is (again) talking about going it alone in the 2019 elections, ditching its tripartite alliance daddy ANC. But is it just a pipe dream, and can the organisation really gain credibility as a standalone opposition party? Read here.
4. "This isn't Africa", an AirBnB host in Amsterdam told SA filmmaker Sibahle Nkumbi before pushing her down a flight of stairs when she checked out late. Disturbing footage of the incident emerged, and he now faces a charge of attempted manslaughter. Read here.
5. How on earth have lions escaped from the Kruger Park AGAIN? Online reaction to the lastest four prison breakers is predictably hilarious. Read here.
6. What's the real reason why Eskom cancelled the release of its annual financial results at the 11th hour? Reports say auditors highlighted red flags about reporting irregularities at the parastatal. Read here.
7. No joke -- the UK just broke the record of a football transfer with Everton paying R1.3 billion forRomelu Lukaku. Here's a look at the top 5 transfers of 2017 and how social media is changing the transfer scene. Read here.
8. "The Guptas had pulled off nothing less than a silent coup" writes Themba Mdlalose. "The Guptas contemptuously operate outside the parameters of the rule of law but we still pretend that we have a constitutional democracy." Read here.
9. Donald Trump reckons an "Apprentice" sex case assault case against him should be dropped because he's the pres. A contestant says he groped and kissed her in 2007 after extending to her an invitation to dinner, which Trump has denied. Read here.