1. Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba has poured scorn on a vote of no confidence against him called by the ANC. It's a smokescreen aimed at diverting attention so ANC cadres can carry on with their "looting" of state coffers, says Mashaba. He's been driving an anti-corruption campaign that has already seen various council employees being arrested. Read here.
2. Finance minister Malusi Gigaba is busy building his empire. In fact, some insiders believe that everything he does at Treasury is with an eventual presidential bid in mind, writes Editor-in-Chief Pieter du Toit. And the victims of his power drive are apparently both experienced civil servants, who have been swept aside in favour of his allies, and potentially the economy. Read here.
3. You just have to see these pictures of EFF chief Julius Malema at his graduation ceremony. He stole the show when he donned flowing robes after obtaining an honours degree in philosophy from Unisa. His subject matter? The role of the Afrikaans language in maintaining white supremacy. Read here.
4. Thando Thabethe is so hot, and she knows it. In a series of stunning pictures the actress and TV presenter works it, telling her minions "that's your competition". Fry us girlfriend, we are your eggs. Read here.
5. Amid the terrible political violence that has engulfed KZN, a video has emerged of ANC bodyguards showing off their AK-47s and making death threats. The men are bodyguards of ANC eThekwini regional secretary, Bheki Ntuli, reported eNCA. The ANC made a bid to distance itself from the men, saying they were the responsibility of the security company. Read here.
6. In an open letter from HuffPost writer Garreth Van Niekerk to Australia, he wants them to know Down Under that voting to allow gay marriage is okay. "You see, South Africa was the first country in the world to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation in 1993, the fifth in the world to legalise same-sex marriage and the first (and only!) country in Africa to do so. And somehow, 26 years later, our country is still standing," he writes. Read here.
7. New presidential hopeful Zweli Mkhize says he has no skeletons in his cupboard. He is fully expecting dirty tricks and smear campaigns in the run-up to the ANC's national conference in December, but he has no fear anyone has anything on him. Read here.
8. Hurricane Irma killed eight people on the Caribbean island of Saint Martin and left Barbuda devastated -- and the death toll is expected to rise. Barbuda was described as a scene of "total carnage" -- and now Florida is waiting for the storm to hit. Read here.
9. Vanessa Burger does an astute job of connecting the dots between Glebelands and the latest political killing in KZN of Sindiso Magaqa. "The bottom line is the ANC is busy eating itself and anyone who disturbs the feeding frenzy will become easy prey to our country's only employment sector that offers real growth -- contract killing," she writes. Read her blog here.