10. The Mail & Guardian report on the "slow death of the Olifants River in Mpumalanga":

Yolandi Groenewald writes that the deterioration in the river's water quality "is endangering fish, crocodiles and one of South Africa's most important commercial farming regions, Groblersdal. Farmers in the area produce fruit, vegetables, maize, wheat and cotton worth an estimated R150-million a year, of which between R50-million and R100-million is sold to the European Union. But EuroGAP, the quality regulator for all agricultural imports to the EU, has repeatedly warned farmers to attend to the deteriorating quality of water in the Loskop Dam, which is fed by the Olifants River, or risk losing export deals."

9. The Sunday Times report on how the Western Cape cabinet, led by Premier Helen Zille, had appointed Kenny Africa as provincial police chief, despite serious outstanding allegations against him:

Caiphus Kgosana writes that "A damning forensic report detailing serious allegations of misconduct against the new Western Cape traffic police chief has ... Zille seething - because crucial information was withheld from her about the seriousness of the charges before the man was appointed. Kenny Africa, who was appointed last month by community safety MEC Lennit Max as the new provincial traffic police chief, was about to face serious charges of misconduct and even fraud committed while he was chief traffic offer at the George municipality - but he resigned before a hearing could be held."

8. The Mail & Guardian report on how the late Lolly Jackson "built an empire on the back of the strip-club industry and the way he went about it was as unethical as they come, with allegations of trafficking foreign girls, paying off contacts in home affairs and laundering money."

Ilham Rawoot writes that Jackson "hung out with the wrong crowds and corrupted the right ones. Finally, it killed him. On Monday evening he was shot, allegedly by one of the people helping him to launder money between South Africa and the Laiki Bank of Cyprus. But even before the fatal bullets, his past was catching up with him. Two sources have said that police were soon going to arrest Jackson for money-laundering. This first surfaced publicly in a case earlier this year in which Jackson was suing former local Laiki Bank boss Alekos Panayi for stealing money from him. Panayi shot back, saying that he had been helping Jackson to launder foreign currency since 2007."

7. The Sunday Independent report [NL] on how draft legislation will prohibit senior municipal managers from being office bearers in political parties:

Eleanor Momberg and Mpumelelo Mkhabela write that the Municipal Systems Amendment Bill 2010 would also ban part-time employment by municipal employees, including owning businesses. The article quotes Co-Operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Sicelo Shiceka as saying: "We want to professionalise local government and protect it from political interference. There have been situations where officials are suspended for wrongdoing (but) these officials are senior office-bearers in political parties and they would then decide to recall the mayor. These are some of the things that strangle the relation between municipalities and political parties."

6. City Press [NL] report on the murder of Naledi Mayor Motlatsi Motloi

George Matlala reports "Did you hear that we are going to be killed?" Motloi asked an ally o fhis on Monday afternoon. A few hours later the ANC mayor of the Free State municipality was lying dead in a pool of his own blood in the doorway of his home in Wepener, close to the border between South Africa and Lesotho. Five bullets had been pumped into his body by a lone gunman who fled the scene on foot... The article quotes ANCYL leader Puseletso Seleke "This was a hit. This person was hired to kill him", adding that Motloi had been embroiled in a bitter fight with ANC councilors and managers who wanted him out." "A senior ANC leader in the province told City Press that the fights were caused by the fact that locals depended on the municipality for jobs. ‘They fight for the control of the municipality and use it for jobs for their supporters,' the leader said."

5. The Saturday Star report on how six members of the Klerksdorp Organised Crime Unit - including the investigating officer in the Eugene Terre'Blanche murder case - were facing torture charges:

Graham Hosken writes that "The policemen, who appeared in the Klerksdorp Magistrates Court yesterday charged with serious assault, are alleged to have used apartheid-style torture methods on a group of bank robbery suspects. They are Captain Tsietsi Mano, Captain Ishmael Taung, Warrant-Officer Petros Tshi-ponyane, Sergeant Samuel Kutumela, Constable Godfrey Pebane and Constable Lucas Mosala." The charges brought by the ICD relate to the torture of six burglary suspects. Captain Petros Setlaba, one of two policemen arrested in relation to burglaries, allegedly endured nearly five hours of torture. He told the newspaper: "I was dragged from my house and taken to a building where I was beaten, kicked and shocked. They would not stop. They kept on hitting me over and over again and shocking me with live electrical wires. I could hear the others screaming in rooms next door as they were also hit. I thought I was going to die and then I began praying that I would die"

4. The African Eye News Service report on the apparent police raid of the farm of Mpumalanga Premier David Mabuza:

Sydney Masinga writes that "Motorists who drove past the farm in Barberton phoned journalists in Nelspruit to tell them that a large number of police vehicles had been parked at the entrance to the property for about two hours. But the ANC in Mpumalanga and the police denied the reports.... A source close to the investigation of alleged political assassinations in the province, and a self-confessed hit man, known only as Josh, both claimed that SAPS members guarding the premier's farm initially denied a police search party, from Gauteng, entry for about two hours, but the raid eventually took place. Meanwhile, three sources have claimed that national police commissioner General Bheki Cele, who has been personally involved in the hit-list investigation, had advised Mabuza two weeks ago to resign because of ‘overwhelming evidence' against him that would be embarrassing to the ANC."

3. The Sunday Times article on how poor welding and leaks on a 10km fuel pipeline at the new King Shaka International Airport in Durban pose a serious danger:

Buddy Naidu and Simpiwe Piliso write "Senior managers and members of the development team revealed to the Sunday Times that they also feared the possibility of an explosion within the 2000ha airport grounds.  Parts of the steel pipeline pass through and beneath bustling sections of the airport, including the 6500-bay car park, administration offices and taxiways connecting runways with ramps, hangars, and the three-level terminal.  More than 8000 defective welds have been identified and repaired on the pipeline since January. And, the Sunday Times has established, just hours before the opening last week, inspectors uncovered more than 17 additional, serious, leaks.

2. The Mail & Guardian report on how NDPP Menzi Simelane had beheaded and dismembered the Specialised Commercial Crime Unit (SCCU):

Glynnis Underhill writes that "From April 1 the SCCU's name has been changed to the Commercial Crime Component (CCC). Although there used to be a national reporting structure, the unit no longer has a head and its regional offices now report to the provincial directorates of public prosecutions. It has been split into two, one section dealing with complex commercial-crime cases and the other with "run-of-the mill" cases and general litigation. Sources complained that the restructuring was ill-conceived and had placed a heavy burden on those responsible for general litigation because there were too few staff. ‘It's a practical question. Why was the commercial crime unit not left alone? Why has it been split?' said an official close to the developments, who asked not to be named. ‘If it's not broken, why fix it?' [Chris] Jordaan has been moved to the NPA's Pretoria offices and has apparently been unofficially told that he will now be the national coordinator of commercial crime. But sources said he no longer has contact with the unit."

1. The lead article in the Financial Mail on President Jacob Zuma's first year in office:

Carol Paton writes that "Zuma was out of his depth to start with. Now, 12 months into his presidency, he is even further bemused. He fumbles through speeches, shies away from decisions and takes inordinately long to do things. Badly advised, he has played fast and loose with the respect of the public and his own organisation, fathering yet another child out of wedlock and failing to declare his private interests, despite the legal requirement....The drift is felt the most in the economic policy space where Zuma had, due to political pressure, created a series of competing and overlapping ministries when putting together his cabinet. This created confusion and sparked turf wars between the competing economic ministers at a time when the country needed direction and speedy action during the tough times of a global - and local - recession."

Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter