Melusi Ncala

The problem with keyboard antics is that you can tweet until the cows come home, because that’s what passes for intelligence in the social-media age. But the reality is that tens of millions living in poverty don’t feel part of this façade we call a country. They’ve been systematically excluded for generations. That’s how the middle class and the wealthy think, right? Whenever adversity shows up, they invoke the patriot act. It’s your duty to protect your country. Some even tweet about how heart-warming it is to see South Africans “getting along.” Meanwhile, their version of getting along is thrill-seeking through poverty porn. They lay claim to things they’ve culturally appropriated and financialised like music, dance and ritualistic symbols. It’s easy to talk about South African pride when you go home at night to a house cleaned and cared for by someone who lives in a shack, someone whose forced politeness is deliberately misread as happiness to suit a sordid narrative. That is what disgusts me most about the South African story. Principles are scarce, values are performative, and the most vulnerable are constantly asked to perform for the well-off. Look closely at the people telling you to be a patriot. Examine their actions during your darkest hours. To them, your life should be about charity, about gratefully accepting scraps whenever they feel like tossing you a slice of bread. But the moment you speak about systemic injustice, they prevaricate, deflect, or coordinate a counter-attack: ridicule through news articles, talk shows, and entertainment. After all this time, colonialism, apartheid, and everything since,the prevailing mindset of those at the top, including those who are perceptively better off, remains the same: protect the status quo. Those at the bottom should grovel and be satisfied with crumbs. That’s why it’s so hard to buy into their campaigns. Their default position is that their interests must be protected, and the vulnerable be damned. How does anyone cosign that nonsense? No self-respecting person can.

JULIAN ASSANGE FILES CRIMINAL COMPLAINT AGAINST NOBEL FOUNDATION OVER “INSTRUMENT OF WAR” PEACE PRIZE WikiLeaks Founder Alleges 2025 Award to María Corina Machado Constitutes Misappropriation, Facilitation of War Crimes Under Swedish Law, Seeks Freeze of 11 million SEK ($1.18 million USD) of Pending Transfers to Machado STOCKHOLM — 11:00am CET December 17, 2025 Julian Assange today filed a criminal complaint in Sweden accusing 30 individuals associated with the Nobel Foundation, including its leadership, of committing serious suspected crimes, including the crime of gross misappropriation of funds, facilitation of war crimes and crimes against humanity, and the financing of the crime of aggression. The complaint shows that Alfred Nobel's 1895 will explicitly mandates that the peace prize go to the individual who during the proceeding year “conferred the greatest benefit to humankind” by doing “the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.” Assange argues that “The political decision of the Norwegian selection committee does not suspend the fiduciary duty of Swedish funds administrators”. “Any disbursement contradicting this mandate constitutes misappropriation from the endowment”. The complaint, submitted simultaneously to the Swedish Economic Crime Authority (Ekobrottsmyndigheten) and the Swedish War Crimes Unit (Krigsbrottsenheten), states that the suspects, including Nobel Foundation Chair Astrid Söderbergh Widding and Executive Director Hanna Stjärne, converted “an instrument of peace into an instrument of war,” through suspected “serious criminality” including: 1) Breach of trust, gross misappropriation and conspiracy in relation to the pending 11 million SEK ($1.18 million) disbursement of the Peace prize monies to Maria Corina Machado, whose prior and ongoing actions categorically exclude her from the criteria set out in Alfred Nobel's will; 2) Facilitation of war crimes, including the crime of aggression and crimes against humanity, breaching Sweden's obligations under Article 25(3)(c) of the Rome Statute, because the accused are aware of Machado's incitement and endorsement of the U.S. commission of international crimes, and knew or ought to have known that the disbursement of Nobel monies would contribute to extrajudicial killings of civilians and shipwrecked survivors at sea and are in breach of their obligation to cease disbursements. Assange notes that the members of the Nobel Foundation have previously exercised their supervisory authority over the prizes and their disbursements by withholding Literature Prize disbursements in 2018. “Failure to intervene here, despite U.S. war crimes off the Venezuelan coast and Machado’s key role in furthering aggression” incurs criminal liability. “Alfred Nobel's endowment for peace cannot be spent on the promotion of war,” Assange states. The accused have concrete legal obligations because they are tasked with “ensuring the fulfillment of the intended purpose of Alfred Nobel’s will, that is, to end wars and war crimes, and not to enable them.” MACHADO'S INCITEMENT OF THE LARGEST U.S. MILITARY BUILDUP SINCE THE IRAQ WAR MAKE HER CATEGORICALLY INELIGIBLE The complaint notes how the Nobel announcement and ceremony have occurred in what military analysts describe as “the largest U.S. military deployment in the Caribbean since the Cuban Missile Crisis”—now exceeding 15,000 personnel, including the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford. The escalation continues as President Trump announced on December 10, two days after the Nobel ceremony, that U.S. strikes would be “starting by land.” The Venezuela strategy is part of what Trump’s Secretary for War, Peter Hegseth, calls a shift toward “maximum lethality, not tepid legality” and “going on the offence”. Against this backdrop, Assange states that “Machado has continued to incite the Trump Administration to pursue its escalatory path”, including by entering into a conspiracy to give the U.S. administration access to $1.7 trillion in oil reserves and other natural resources through privatization once Maduro is ousted. “Using her elevated position as the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, Machado may well have tipped the balance in favour of war, facilitated by the named suspects.” Assange states in the criminal complaint. The complaint lists evidence of this incitement of U.S. military intervention, as well as praising Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's conduct in Gaza. Her statements include: - “Military escalation may be the only way... the United States may need to intervene directly” (30 October 2025) - Machado called U.S. military strikes on civilian vessels, which have killed at least 95 people to date, “justified” and “visionary”. - Machado dedicated the prize to U.S. President Trump, because he “finally has put Venezuela... in terms of a priority for the United States national security” - Historical statements including 2014 testimony before U.S. Congress where she said: “The only path left is the use of force” The filing cites extensive third-party expert and institutional opposition to Machado receiving the award: - 21 Norwegian peace organizations declared: “Machado is the opposite of a peace laureate.” - Nobel Peace Prize laureate Adolfo Pérez Esquivel stated: “Giving the prize to someone who calls for foreign invasion is a mockery of Alfred Nobel's will.” - The Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) confirmed Machado “has called for military intervention in Venezuela.” REQUESTED ACTION The complaint notes that “There is a real risk that the funds derived from Nobel’s endowment have been or will be intentionally or negligently diverted from their charitable purpose to facilitate aggression, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.” Assange requests that Swedish authorities: 1. Immediately freeze of the pending SEK 11,000,000 monetary prize transfer and any remaining related budget and secure return of the medal. 2. Investigate the named persons and Foundation officers and associated entities for breach of trust, facilitation of war crimes and crimes against humanity, and conspiracy. 3. Seize of board minutes, emails, group chats, financial records. 4. Interrogate Widding, Stjärne and other suspects. 5. Fully investigate domestically or refer the matter to the ICC (Rome Statute Art. 25(3)(c)). “This complaint seeks the immediate freezing of all remaining funds and a full criminal investigation lest the Nobel Peace Prize be permanently converted from an instrument of peace into an instrument of war,” Assange concludes.

It’s time for me to be a groupie. 😏 I want to show love, respect and appreciation to my grootman @TshweuMoleme. He is a man driven by virtue… his calm intellect is inspiring… his wisdom is humbling… and it doesn’t hurt that he’s savvy, attentive, and engaging … brightening these sometimes dreary, hollow, filthy streets with nothing but a handful of grateful folk. ✨ Whatever he does out here, best believe it’s driven by care, consideration, and a deep love for the community he comes from, despite how disappointing people can be. He’s a passionate brother. His humour is infectious. His candour is refreshing. But what I appreciate most are his sturdiness, his fortitude and his unwavering dedication. There’s little personal benefit for him in sharing information out here and showing what accountability looks like on a social media platform. It takes hours, days, sometimes even weeks of work, yet he makes it look seamless. After all, this is social media. It’s an inauthentic space. Relationships are phony because people are fickle. While some come to bring good, many others are grifters, thrill-seeking opportunists craving popularity without offering anything meaningful to ordinary people. My grootman recognises the responsibility that comes with the influence of his account. He accepts that he is fallible… and that fallibility keeps him grounded and true to his cause. Ultimately, power to him is about nurturing and being of service. That’s not to say he even sees himself as someone holding authority. Big ups to you, my brother! 🙌

What??? Really??? What happened here?

It’s #TTBIAChallenge time, good people! 🔥 Think you can conquer the tongue twister from S3 Ep2 “Running His Mouth”? Say it 5 times FAST and ACCURATELY for a chance to win some merch. 👀 They tried… now it’s YOUR turn. 😄👇 “The 2025 G20 Johannesburg Summit was the twentieth meeting of the Group of 20, a head of state and government meeting held at the Johannesburg Expo Centre.”

The people’s podcast is back with an introspective, hard-hitting second episode. 🙌🏿This one isn’t for the faint-hearted.💔 We unpack the global media narrative around the G20, explore diplomatic tensions, and examine how international outlets reported on South Africa’s role as host.🗞️ There’s a breakdown of social media reactions, insights from policy experts, and sober analysis on whether coverage matches reality on the ground.😆 We go into the history of the G20, compare it with other global blocs, and dig beneath the headlines with a sharp critique of a major international article.🪏 Plus, our field reporter hits the streets to find out what everyday people actually understand about the G20 — and yes, there’s a surprise call.☎️ A jam-packed episode that pushes boundaries and asks the questions many avoid. Don’t miss it.🎧

BREAKING NEWS Chief of the South African Navy, Vice Admiral Monde Lobese, Warns Unpatriotic Government Leaders and Sellouts Who Are Turning a Blind Eye to Maritime Crime and Endangering the Navy and SANDF, While Pushing for Privatization “As the Navy, we rejected this sellout and unpatriotic decision.” “Attempts have been made by certain government departments to bring a foreign company to come patrol our waters.” “The unpatriotic and what appears to be a sellout posture of defunding the SA Navy and the SANDF in general…” “…these consistent underfunding and incapacitating of the South African Navy and the defence force in general is to ensure the success of the operations that undermine our nation…” “I often find myself questioning whether those responsible… may be directly or indirectly influenced by these drug cartels, illegal traders, maritime criminals, and human traffickers.” “…whether the people behind what I would like to call nonsense, if they are not busy with a mission to privatize the SA Navy and the SANDF…” “…private security is a lucrative business in our country and it is replacing the state security machinery.” “Should the SA Navy’s roles fall into private hands… the same government that today tells us there is no money to fund the Navy will use government reserves to fund those private security forces.”