Politics is not exactly about manifestos. So when the DA, the EFF, Agang and the ACDP all launch their manifestos on the same weekend, it is not difficult to see that actually it is more about the pomp than the actual document, particularly for Julius Malema. That said, manifestos are important in their own way. Not only do they outline a different version of the future, they also give us an indication of what the party in question is trying to do. Thus the DA's and the ANC's documents reveal quite a bit. By STEPHEN GROOTES.

On Sunday Polokwane turned blue for the DA Manifesto day. Thousands of DA supporters filled the Polokwane Showgrounds to watch the party’s leadership put on a rousing display of political theatre. The crowd’s T-shirts were a sea of blue. Blue confetti showered down from the heavens. The sky, as Helen Zille pointed out, was playing along, providing an azure umbrella to proceedings. The blue was one of the only aesthetic giveaways that this was not, in fact, an ANC rally. It was the DA’s opportunity to display their new image to a national TV audience, and they seized it with both hands. By REBECCA DAVIS.

President Jacob Zuma did three things this week that showed he could go back to being the leader he had wanted to be. He went to the Khayelitsha taxi rank on Monday morning to interact with commuters and listen to their grievances. On Tuesday morning he held a live radio interview in which more than 60 community radio stations participated and listeners were able to call in and tell him their problems. On Thursday, he reached out to a terminally ill man in the opposition benches in Parliament and gave him hope that his plea for alternate treatment for cancer would receive attention from government. Where has this president been and why doesn’t he show himself more often? By RANJENI MUNUSAMY.

There were ten by-elections on Wednesday and it was unambiguously the ANC’s day. The party won two wards (one DA, one independent) and successfully defended a marginal ward from the DA’s advances. By PAUL BERKOWITZ and WAYNE SUSSMAN.

On Thursday Hlaudi Motsoeneng, through his lawyers, made it abundantly clear that he is not going to go down without a fight. That he is going to do everything he can to stay on as Chief Operating Officer at the SABC. This means he is now directly challenging the Public Protector, if not in court just yet, then certainly in the court of public opinion. At the same time, on Friday, the Mail & Guardian quoted SABC board Chair Ellen Tshabalala as saying she was perfectly happy with his work. Everything seems to indicate that this entire is about more than just Motsoeneng's personal future. By STEPHEN GROOTES.

On the day that Gauteng Democratic Alliance Premier hopeful Mmusi Maimane gave what may be the defining speech of his career, he also visited a community of supporters in Alexandra township. RICHARD POPLAK went along for the ride.

News that the Chinese army is facing its biggest crisis ever has been greeted with not a few guffaws and smiles. No, it is not coming from a powerful enemy on one of its long borders with fractious neighbours or from the threat of an invasion by sea from some far off naval power. Instead, it is the new and weighty problem that its soldiers are getting too big to squeeze into the army’s tanks and their arms are now so long they can’t use their rifles properly. J. BROOKS SPECTOR tries to make a meal out of this weighty question.

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich said late on Wednesday that he had agreed a "truce" with opposition leaders after 26 people were killed in street clashes, ahead of meetings with EU foreign ministers who are threatening to impose sanctions for the violence. By Richard Balmforth and Natalia Zinets.

Russia fell to Finland in the big men's hockey clash at the Winter Olympics on Wednesday, robbing the hosts of a shot at the gold they covet most, while athletes and officials reacted with shock to the deaths of protesters in neighbouring Ukraine. By Mike Collett-White.

How we name something, a relationship or a person, is an exercise of power. In South Africa today, we mark 20 years of democracy. The way we make sense of this period and its character varies, according to where we are located. Are we part of the spectacle on the red carpet Richard Pithouse describes in the opening of Parliament, or are we ‘offstage’, located amongst the wretched of the earth, physically or in terms of our sympathies? By RAYMOND SUTTNER.

As another initiation season looms, a website is trying to improve education around the topic, warning about the risks associated with traditional circumcision practices. The site’s been criticised for flouting tradition with its graphic pictures of injured genitals. But until traditional leaders make a plan, it’s here to stay. By GREG NICOLSON.

South Africa and Australia are ready to roll in the second Test starting at St. George’s Park in Port Elizabeth on Thursday. With the Proteas 1-0 down, it’s a must-win for the hosts if they hope to salvage that elusive series-victory over Australia. ANTOINETTE MULLER picks five key battles for the second Test.

On Wednesday, various media groups approached the court for permission to broadcast aspects of the murder trial of Oscar Pistorius live on television and radio. The application raises important constitutional questions about the manner in which the court should deal with the intense public interest (not necessarily to be conflated with the public interest) in the Pistorius case while jealously guarding the right of the accused to receive a fair trial. By PIERRE DE VOS.

Ukrainian riot police charged protesters occupying a central Kiev square early on Wednesday after the bloodiest day since the former Soviet republic, caught in a geopolitical struggle between Russia and the West, won its independence. By Pavel Polityuk and Marcin Goettig.

Members of Russian protest group Pussy Riot crashed the Sochi Olympic party on Tuesday when they were detained at a police station, briefly diverting the world's gaze from snowboarders and skiers who braved thick fog, rain and snow to race. By Mike Collett-White.

The ANC has introduced a new catchphrase into political parlance: “We have a good story to tell”. It began at the ANC’s manifesto launch in January and echoed through President Jacob Zuma’s State of the Nation address last week to flag the ANC’s record of achievements. It was also the thread running through Tuesday's debate on the State of the Nation address, but upended by the opposition to hammer the ANC for its failures. The evidence was piled on both sides of the House on Tuesday to support the ANC’s version of a good story or to argue why South Africa was heading for catastrophe. Somewhere in the middle is South Africa’s real story. By RANJENI MUNUSAMY.

A reported 200 miners have been trapped underground since Saturday at a closed Gold One International shaft in Benoni. As police and mine security continue their standoff with the miners, the death rate from illegal mining continues to rise, with two men reported dead at a nearby mine. By THAPELO LEKGOWA & GREG NICOLSON.

As we creep, rush and shout our way towards those elections in May, the speculation about how parties will do is going to increase. Those predictions do seem to change from time to time but as a general rule, this is nowhere nearly as interesting as trying to work out how certain individuals will do. There’s nothing like a big cabinet post to get you back in the cut and thrust of things. At the same time some people are considering retiring from certain aspects of our politics. A man with the wonderful title of “Reserve Bank Governor Emeritus” may be making a play, while a certain Professor Ben Turok is retiring. Not from active politics, mind, but Parliament. Our political roundabout is beginning to turn slightly faster. By STEPHEN GROOTES.

It is difficult to believe that this year marks the fortieth anniversary of the apex of the Watergate scandal and the resignation of Richard M. Nixon, the only American president effectively forced to resign while in office. Watergate was a watershed moment in American politics and American life. It helped prove to even congenital optimists that senior officials could lie, cheat and prevaricate, channel gouts of cash to dubious characters for nefarious purposes, and to pervert heretofore trusted organs of state in an attempt to cover it all up and keep their crimes undiscovered. J. BROOKS SPECTOR looks back at this astonishing political crisis. Perhaps we can all learn something from it.

After being obliterated by Australia in the first Test at Centurion, South Africa will have to respond convincingly at Centurion. Much has been said about the pitch and the conditions, but Morne Morkel hopes the side can shift focus away from outside factors. By ANTOINETTE MULLER.

With Ryan McLaren ruled out of South Africa’s second Test against Australia due to a concussion, ANTOINETTE MULLER looks at a company making helmets which challenge the conventional design, but all for the good of players’ safety.

Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White skated into the history books at the Sochi Winter Olympics on Monday when they won the ice dance gold, but thick fog in the mountains forced organisers to postpone two events and warn of more delays to come. By Mike Collett-White.

The current Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, has encouraged J. BROOKS SPECTOR to contemplate the larger meaning of the Olympics. From an effort to transfer aggression from the battlefield and on into healthy competition in athletic events, the Olympics are now a gigantic exercise in national prestige, aggrandisement and national infrastructure building.

Public Protector Thuli Madonsela has slammed the SABC and, in particular, its acting Chief Operations Officer, Hlaudi Motsoeneng. Her latest report “When Governance and Ethics Fail” describes a system gone wrong, from the ANC’s political deployees to the bosses that govern them. GREG NICOLSON decodes the report.

Teams striving for medals from the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi are turning to video analysis apps to help them fine-tune their performance and give them a competitive edge.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger continued the war of words with Jose Mourinho on Sunday, calling the Chelsea coach's criticism of him 48 hours earlier "silly disrespectful remarks".

Heather Moyse is pushing a bobsled faster than ever following hip surgery - so much so that the Canadian 'Road Runner' could leave her rivals seeking help from the Acme Corporation in Sochi.

Bowing to popular pressure, Uganda’s president has said he will sign into law a bill that specifies harsh new punishments for the “abnormality” of homosexuality and those who “promote” it. It’s a huge step backwards for gay rights in Africa. But for President Museveni, that’s not really the issue. He’s just trying to keep himself in power. By SIMON ALLISON.

South Africa have announced their 15-man squad to travel to Bangladesh for the ICC World T20 in March. The same squad will also play against Australia in a three-match T20 series following the Test matches. Most of the side was expected, but there were one or two surprises. By ANTOINETTE MULLER.

Think you’re safe from the future of South Africa’s radical left, Mr. and Mrs. Mittel-Klass? Think your high walls, electric fencing, and liberal pieties will insulate you from Commander-in-Chief Julius Sello Malema? Think again. RICHARD POPLAK spends some time among the Fighters.

Jorien ter Mors led a Dutch clean sweep in the women's 1,500 metres speed skating on Sunday as the Netherlands' medal tally shot up to 17, more than any other nation at the Winter Olympics in Russia. By Mark Trevelyan.

On the surface, Eshowe, a former colonial military garrison cradled in the embrace of the thick Dlinza coastal scarp forest, does not appear to be the usual tourist honey trap. This small KwaZulu-Natal town of weathered low-rises and utility shopping centres is about a 45-minute drive (25 minutes if you have blue lights) from President Zuma’s home at Nxamalala. It has no malls with high-end shops and restaurants, no beaches, no movie houses. Yet business at almost all of the town’s mostly white-owned 17-odd bed and breakfasts is booming thanks to President Zuma, his family, his extended family, their friends, visits by various officials and the president’s rather large security entourage. Oh, you thought they stayed over at the R66 million complex specially built for his guards and that we all paid for at his private home? Well, they don’t. By MARIANNE THAMM.

By the way President Jacob Zuma’s State of the Nation address last week was scripted and managed, it seems evident that there was no attempt to reach out to detractors. It appears as if Zuma, the Presidency and the ANC have given up on trying to win over the critics – and the president certainly has many. The approach seems to be to keep their loyal supporters onside and write off those who demand answers and accountability from Zuma and the ANC. This must be difficult for a person who traded on mass popularity. It is also quite a gamble in a turbulent election year. By RANJENI MUNUSAMY.

Ahead of an election in South Africa you would expect that the question dominating discussion among the chattering classes would be what kind of a percentage the ANC will get and whether it will be the magical two-thirds. The next question would be how much the DA might grow followed by what on earth will happen to Cope. But instead media darling Julius Malema, and questions about how well his Economic Freedom Fighters will do, have dominated headlines. Will the party change the game? What will happen in Parliament? (Can you imagine Malema’s maiden speech?) Yes, the EFF is gaining traction but we may still be asking the wrong questions about the meaning of the party. By STEPHEN GROOTES.

For as long as South Africa has been around, it has tempted soothsayers, journalists - and, now, increasingly, scenario planners to give us a glimpse of what will happen. J. BROOKS SPECTOR takes a look at the work of the newest scenario planners - this time from the Institue for Security Studies.

In May, just a few weeks after South Africa, Malawi will go to the polls. Despite never having won an election before, President Joyce Banda is hoping to remain in charge – this time with a real mandate from the people. But it won’t be easy. Although her presidency began brightly, she’s falling into some of the same traps as her notoriously corrupt predecessor, and people are beginning to notice. By SIMON ALLISON.

It’s been a while since South Africa suffered such a mammoth defeat at the hands of the old enemy, but thanks to a freakish player in freakish form they find themselves on the back foot after the start of the series once again. There are some glaring weak links in the side and a positive response from South Africa has never been more crucial. By ANTOINETTE MULLER.

South Africa's president, Jacob Zuma, celebrated is government's achievements in his fifth State of the Nation address, the last of his current term. But in country struggling with crime, corruption, poverty and unemployment, how did he fare? We fact-checked some of the key claims. Researched by Kate Wilkinson, Nechama Brodie, Sintha Chiumia and Julian Rademeyer, for AFRICA CHECK.

It was never going to the speech that stopped traffic. The 2014 State of the Nation address was to be President Jacob Zuma’s brag sheet at the end of his first term, and the ANC’s testimonial of achievements for the past 20 years. It was the rose-tinted view from the top – meant to counter the avalanche of critical commentary and reverberation from the burning streets of South Africa’s townships. On paper, it sounded like a country at the top of its game, with a few minor problems. Between the lines, it was a plea from a besieged leader trying to convince his nation that his troubled presidency had in fact been a great success and five more years of him as Number One would keep the “good story” going. By RANJENI MUNUSAMY.

This year State of the Nation Address was anything but surprising: the President’s speech had its usual “good stories” and the red carpet was crowded with dangling hats, shimmering sequins and shocking pink ball gowns: in the world of fashion politics, the revolution will have to wait. By EMILIE GAMBADE. Photos by GREG NICOLSON.

South Africa have their backs against the wall after day two of the first Test against Australia at Centurion. Shaun Marsh and Steve Smith did the job with the batting, while Mitchell Johnson orchestrated the Australian pace attack. There’s a long way to go, but Australia have their foot on the Proteas’ necks. ANTOINETTE MULLER picks five talking points for day two at Centurion.

Parliament was officially opened for 2014 on Thursday evening. It was President Jacob Zuma’s last State of the Nation address of his first term and the final Kgalema Motlanthe will attend as Deputy President. GREG NICOLSON was there to see the glitz, gaffes, and gall.

The image of Nelson Mandela is arguably one of the most reproduced, painted, muralled and t-shirted in the world. As numerous commentators have said recently in the wake of his illness and death, in an increasingly secular local society, Mandela has undergone a kind of apotheosis, passing into contemporary sainthood, with all that that station implies. Yet, despite Mandela’s history as a challenger of hegemonies, and despite South Africa’s own rich history of resistance and protest art, the art world has participated in a process of dismantling critical debate around his history, career and legacy. Despite their talk, it would seem the local art scene and the people in it have a very different walk. By MICHAEL SMITH.

Maybe when you know that time is running out, everything you do needs to be done much quicker. Perhaps that’s partly why the exchanges between a dying man and his visitor in Volunteer Man are delivered at such a death-defying pace. By LESLEY STONES.

As President Jacob Zuma delivered the final State of the Nation address of his current term, J. BROOKS SPECTOR was watching this speech and comparing it in his mind with American President Barack Obama's most recent State of the Union speech, delivered a few weeks ago. Aside from all the other ways to compare these two efforts, there was also the point that international affairs issues have clearly taken a back seat in public policy statements like these two speeches.

On Thursday night, President Jacob Zuma stood before Parliament to deliver the last State of the Nation address of this government. Tactfully leaving most forward planning to the “next administration” (as if there’s any doubt about who that might be), Zuma instead reeled off a highlights package of what has been achieved since the dawn of democracy, and in the past five years in particular. In short: you are better off than you used to be, and if you’re not…well, maybe your expectations are just too high. By SIMON ALLISON.

Text of the speech given by President Jacob G Zuma, President of the Republic of South Africa, on the occasion of the Joint Sitting Of Parliament, 13 February 2014.

Mitchell Johnson led the Australian pace attack in superb fashion taking four wickets to help reduce South Africa to 140-6 at stumps on day two. Below are the events as they happened.

Toyota’s Corolla has been South Africa’s quintessential, middle-of-the-road compact sedan for decades – the car you buy not because it’s sexy, or fast, or exciting, but because it’s a safe and reliable purchase that commands decent resale values. More than four decades later, the 11th generation Corolla is finally shedding its everyday image for something a little sharper. By DEON SCHOEMAN.

As the dust slowly clears from the area around Luthuli House after the brief fracas between the ANC and the DA on the streets of Jo’burg, the usual questions about these marches and public violence in the streets will be asked. Why did it have to happen? Why did the DA feel it had to march in the first place? Why did the ANC gather its supporters en masse, knowing full well what would happen? And is there really no better way to resolve differences on policy about jobs? Or is it just politics as usual? By STEPHEN GROOTES.