Political hopscotch and remembering Marikana
On the home front, South Africa seems to be in limbo as political parties sort out who’ll coalesce with whom. We’re pleasantly surprised by Julius Malema, who seems to have been on his best behaviour this week. According to eNCA, the Economic Freedom Fighters leader also said his party has pledged R1-million to the Marikana Massacre Amcu Trust Fund. Who are you, and what have you done with Juju?

Speaking of Marikana ... Tuesday was an emotional day for many, as the country commemorated the 34 striking mineworkers who died on 16 August 2012. Thousands flocked to the Marikana koppie in the Nkaneng informal settlement, North West, for the commemoration. The event reminded us of the responsibility that our future leaders have to address the devastating socio-economic conditions in which so many in our country live.

At the same time, our thoughts are with the family and loved ones of previous Minister of Sport and Recreation Makhenkesi Stofile, who passed away on Monday. As Public Protector Advocate Thuli Madonsela said in a tweet, he “was a great soul and patriot”.

Wayde is everybody’s homeboy

Our South African hearts were warmed by Caster Semenya’s performance on Thursday night when she cruised through the women’s 800m semi-final at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. The most die-hard fans among us will be glued to the screen this Sunday morning at 02:15 when she takes on the finals. We also love how she’s not letting her haters get to her on social media. Her Twitter feed is peppered with tweets like “I truly believe my haters are my motivators”. #respect.

What a moment in history it was when Wayde van Niekerk set a new world record time of 43.03 seconds in the 400m. Not soon after his win, #HowAreYouRelatedToWaydeVanNiekerk started trending as people from all corners of country revealed themselves as secret relatives of the athlete. We’re not sure you can all yourself Wayde’s brother just because you carried his mother’s groceries in Pick n Pay once, but okay.

Here are our other favourites:

@KurtMarais: #HowAreYouRelatedToWaydeVanNiekerk My grandma’s maiden name is Van Niekerk and she said the people on the TV look familiar

@Reesiebabygirl: We go to the same church. He calls my mommy “Aunty”. #HowAreYouRelatedToWaydeVanNiekerk

@BonZigBeats: My neighbors pen pall from Australia went to the same school as his cousin.. Basically besties #HowAreYouRelatedToWaydeVanNiekerk

@JeanneMackay: #HowAreYouRelatedToWaydeVanNiekerk his coach and my granny went to farm school together,we're tight like that

Missing the Biebs like…

It wasn’t fun and games on social media for Justin Bieber this week. Fans reacted negatively towards photos he posted on his Instagram account with model Sofia Richie. After threatening to make his account private, he finally pulled the plug on Tuesday. Our hearts are breaking for the millions of Beliebers, who have now been doomed to only follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, Shots and Bkstg. #wewillrebuild.

While Biebs seems to be dressing a lot like Eminem lately, there is only one rap god. Finally, the world can breathe a sigh of relief as it seems Drake and Eminem are back to being #besties. Drake brought the Real Slim Shady on to stage at his concert in Detriot, US, reportedly calling him the “greatest rapper to ever get on a microphone”. Turns out the feud between them might have been a rumour, but just the thought of a potential rap war between these heavyweights left us rocking back and forth in a dark corner …

Anyway, that’s all for this week. Here’s to finger- and toe-holding for Semenya’s run in the 800m final. Stay safe.

*Image courtesy of Babak Fakhamzadeh.