James “Stompie” Sepei was 14. In 1997, the TRC concluded that the abduction was carried out on Winnie Mandela’s instructions and that she participated in the assaults and was negligent in failing to prevent his death. Liberation struggles do not erase moral responsibility.

Notably, there has been little public comment from the MK Party on the reported repatriation efforts following President Ramaphosa’s engagement with President Putin. On matters involving South Africans abroad, clarity from all political actors would strengthen public confidence.

Protocol is clear. The salute is rendered to the highest authorised office present. Institution first; personalities second. In seniority and protocol terms, this is the Minister's salute, not CSANDF's.

22 February 1788: Arthur Schopenhauer is born. Philosopher of compassion and suffering; yet capable of racial contempt typical of his age. Intellectual brilliance does not inoculate against moral failure.

When a tender probe stretches across provinces and lands on HODs, CFOs and chief directors, we are no longer talking about procurement irregularities. We are talking about capture at administrative nerve-centre level. Accountability must not stop at the operational tier.

Two lifers. Donovan Moodley completed an LLB and pursued further legal studies behind bars. Moses Sithole completed a theology degree and is studying law. SA prisons allow distance learning as part of rehabilitation. Qualification is not freedom. Education is not erased sentence.

23 February 1998: Osama bin Laden and allied militants issued a fatwa declaring jihad against “Jews and Crusaders,” calling for attacks on U.S. interests worldwide. It marked a formal escalation from regional militancy to declared global terrorism. Results endure to this day.

No “VIP” fantasy here. Without tight protection, prison is no sanctuary for Mr Chatunga Mugabe. Prisons amplify old political and social grievances. Inside those walls, history doesn’t fade; it festers.

One looks stunned by the weight of it. The other looks trained to carry it. In court, the accused wears the moment. The lawyer wears the strategy.

24 February 2008: After nearly five decades in power, Fidel Castro steps down due to ill health. A revolution that began in fatigues ends in infirmary white. Few leaders shape a nation for half a century. Fewer leave without reshaping it beyond recognition.

The internet remembers. The docket waits. And blocking is not a defence. If you've seen it with your "own eyes," the next step is the police station; not the block button. If not, history will file it under histrionics.

The Mugabe name once defined a state. Now one brother answers to attempted murder allegations in SA, while the other faces drug charges in Zimbabwe. Power fades. Process remains. The rule of law is indifferent to pedigree.

3 a.m. strike. North Kivu. M23 spokesperson Willy Ngoma reportedly eliminated. Drones change the tempo of insurgency conflicts; leadership is no longer insulated by terrain. The eastern DRC theatre is entering a new phase.

On this day in 1964, Muhammad Ali; then known as Cassius Clay, shocked the world by defeating Sonny Liston to become heavyweight champion. It wasn’t just a title win. It was the arrival of a global icon; in sport, politics, and culture.

Admiration of Lt-Gen Mkhwanazi aside, the Sikhakhane SC brief is a signal. You don’t retain polarising, hard-edged senior counsel for routine paperwork. You brief him when the stakes are institutional, adversarial, and potentially precedent-setting.

On this day, Imelda Marcos fled the Philippines as the regime fell. Billions were allegedly looted; properties, art, jewels; with much of the wealth still untraced decades later. A stark reminder: unchecked power can hollow out a nation.

26 Feb 1802: Victor Hugo was born. Poet, dramatist and titan of the Romantic movement, he gave the world Les Misérables and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame; stories that fused justice, love and rebellion. His pen still echoes wherever conscience confronts power.

27 February 1978 Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe; founder and first President of the PAC, passed away at just 54. Banned. Imprisoned. Isolated under a clause crafted for one man alone. History remembers him not as a footnote, but as a mind too formidable for his jailers. Azania lives.

On this day in 1953 at The Eagle in Cambridge, Watson & Crick declared they’d found “the secret of life.” The double helix. From a pub to posterity; proof that science sometimes declares history over a pint.