EDITOR’S NOTE

DONALD Trump spoke the truth when he described dearly departed Soul Queen Aretha

Franklin as “terrific” and leaving an “extraordinary legacy”, but that she worked for him and he knew her “well” made his statement sound like fake news.

I wonder whether he’ll claim any bond with Nelson Mandela Elders’ member Kofi Annan, who also died this week. See page 4 for an article on this terrific elder.

Here’s another truth. Conserving our environment is not just up to conservationists. I agree 100%. This is the view of this week’s Game Changers profile candidate, Nicola Gerrard (page 13).

Dr JC van der Walt takes us down memory lane to the nascent years of South African railway development (see page 14).

On page 15 is a piece that tries to describe what Franklin did for women’s rights by simply doing what she did best (when she wasn’t busy working for Trump – lol).

If you’ve been struggling to understand the Turkish contagion that’s afflicted the rand and other similar currencies, don’t skip Professor Siphamandla Zondi’s column (page 16). I don’t know if it’ll make you feel better to know that this has less to do with economic issues than evangelical pastors, “external enemies” and, of course, Trump. He’s everywhere.

We remember the Marikana tragedy – or should it be massacre? Professor Tinyiko Maluleke gives us his take on our Big Issue page (17). Also on that page a former director of the Community Tourism Association of SA sounds a warning that the industry is going “downhill fast” and has the provincial ANC government to blame.

And while everyone applauded the ruling removing former NPA chief Shaun Abrahams from office, Zelna Jansen decries what she saw as an encroachment of the Constitutional Court into Parliament’s space.

It’s hard not to agree.