Afternoon Drive with John Maytham

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A Grand Constance wine from 1821, thought to be one of one only 12 bottles still to exist, reached a record-breaking R420 000 at the Cape Fine & Rare Wine Auction over the weekend.

It was bought by a UK-based client.

Not much is known about this particular bottle's history over the past 200 years, although we do know that it was one of three bought by Distell at a sale in London in the early 1980s.

The hand-blown black glass bottles were recorked in 2019 by sommelier Jean-Vincent Ridon when experts were able to confirm that the wine still appeared to be in pristine condition. 

We speak to wine journalist, Joanne Gibson.

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There has been a backlash in Japan and more calls for the Olympics to be cancelled after the International Olympic Committee’s insistence that “sacrifices” must be made to ensure the Games go ahead in Tokyo.

IOC vice-president, John Coates, drew criticism after saying the event would proceed even if the host city was still under a state of emergency due to the coronavirus. 

We speak to the Daily Maverick's sports editor, Craig Ray.

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United States president Joe Biden is sending an envoy to the Middle East to meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders following a ceasefire that came into effect in the early hours of Friday morning. It brought to an end 11 days of hostilities, which saw Hamas militants fire 4,000 rockets towards Israel and the Israeli military strike 1,500 targets in Gaza.

 At least 243 people, including more than 100 women and children, were killed in Gaza, while in Israel, 12 people, including two children, died.

The US administration hopes the Secretary of State, Antony Blinken's visit will lay the groundwork for the resumption of the long-stalled peace process.

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South African cycling team, Qhubeka Assos, raced to its third stage victory in the 15th stage of the Giro d'Italia on Sunday. Belgian rider, Victor Campenaerts finished ahead of his Dutch breakaway companion Oscar Riesebeek of Alpecin-Fenix on the 147km stage which crossed over into neighbouring Slovenia.

It was good news for the team after the uncertainty of ending last year's season with no sponsor for 2021. Team Qhubeka ASSOS races for something bigger than wins. It supports a charity of the same name which helps

people in Africa to move forward with bicycles. We speak to Cycle Lab's Andrew McLean.

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Professor of Sustainable Development, Mark Swilling, writing in the Daily Maverick says our Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe, has got it all wrong.

During his budget vote speech to Parliament, Mantashe said South Africa was going to “be a major player in gas and oil”.

Swilling says he made the statement on the day that the International Energy Agency brought out a report on how to achieve the global consensus target of “net zero” carbon emissions by 2050. The agency said this could be achieved by ensuring that no more fossil fuel infrastructures get built. Swilling is Stellenbosch University's Centre for Sustainability Transitions.

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At a virtual rally on the weekend, the Democratic Alliance said the party was ready to take on the ANC in the local government elections due to talk place in October.

 

Its leader, John Steenhuisen told the “Time For Change” gathering that the DA had started its preparations and was ready to sell its message to South Africans.

This despite the fact that the DA has lost several senior members over the past few years and continued its downward trajectory during the recent by-elections, where it shed more voters to the FF Plus and the Patriotic Alliance.

We speak to Daniel Silke, director of the Political Futures Consultancy.

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Two close associates of Health Minister Zweli Mkhize and other third parties are allegedly at the centre of a questionable communications deal from the department of health.

 Digital Vibes is an obscure firm controlled by his former personal spokesperson, Tahera Mather, and Naadhira Mitha, his former personal assistant.

It received an R150 million for services linked to the department's National Health Insurance programme and government’s fight against Covid-19.

In February, the Special Investigating Unit confirmed that it was investigating Mather and Mitha on allegations of benefiting from Covid-19 contracts issued by the department. 

We speak to Pieter-Louis Myburgh who writes about the scandal in today's Daily Maverick.

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We speak to British journalist and author, Michela Wrong, about her new book "Do Not Disturb: The Story of a Political Murder and an African Regime Gone Bad".

It focuses on the assassination of Rwandan defector, Patrick Karegeya, in a hotel room in South Africa in 2014, for which the Rwandan government denied responsibility.

The killers left a "do not disturb" sign on the door. 

She says Karegeya was one of a number of people who fell out with the Rwandan government and met unnatural deaths.

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Under a newly revived proposed law, South Africans will not be allowed to own guns for self-defence purposes.

The draft Firearms Amendment Bill of 2021 was released on Friday and proposes tighter controls and management of firearms, and the establishment of a national firearms register.

It aims to reduce the number of guns own privately in the hope that this will result in a reduction in levels of violent crime.

Hunters applying for firearm licences will have to prove that they are engaged in the activity.

We speak to Dr. Simon Howell, a senior researcher at UCT's Centre of Criminology.

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