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In case you missed it, these are some of the best-read stories from City Press on Sunday, 20 May.
Supra Mahumapelo death threat claims 'fake'
Hawks officers investigating the case laid by Supra Mahumapelo – who claimed a hitman was paid R250 000 to kill him – now believe the allegation is fake.
Although the Hawks are officially investigating a case of conspiracy to commit murder, two sources close to the investigation told City Press this week that they "are not buying" the version given by the North West premier’s source.
Mahumapelo has come under increasing pressure to leave office. Last week, he took indefinite leave instead of resigning as he had promised.
Pravin's Transnet board battle
After Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan sacked him on Monday, former Transnet board member Seth Radebe is dragging him to court, claiming that he is "racially biased" and "abusing his powers".
Radebe was the board member Gordhan flayed at a standing committee on public accounts meeting in Parliament earlier this month for failing to act on a report by law firm Werksmans and not suspending senior officials. On Tuesday Radebe is launching an application at the Pretoria High Court to get his job back.
Gupta link in R647m train deal
A confidential report on Transnet’s R50bn deal to buy 1 064 locomotives implicates a second Chinese supplier in paying what appear to be kickbacks to a Gupta-linked firm.
The 108-page report by law firm Werksmans shows that China North Rail (CNR) paid a middleman to extract R647m from Transnet for a project that, by one internal estimate, should have cost just R9m.
Other documents obtained by amaBhungane suggest the middleman was a front for Gupta associate Salim Essa.
Rassie faces his first big test in charge
On Saturday, Johan "Rassie" Erasmus takes the first step out of the honeymoon period by naming his first squad as Springbok coach.
Maiden Bok squads can be things that either get players, fellow coaches and supporters in your corner or very much against you. The fact that he aims at selecting 45 players means there should be no problems initially, but there are still a few things he needs to take into consideration.
SEE WHAT SIMNIKIWE XABANISA SAYS
OPINION: Let's cry for Palestine
Writing in The Guardian newspaper this week, Arab-American author Moustafa Bayoumi decried the language used in his country’s press to describe the killings of Palestinians by Israeli forces this week.
Moustafa cited the use of passive phrases such as "dozens of Palestinians have died in protests", "Gaza buries its dead", "leave dozens dead" and "clashes" among those that give the impression that there is no perpetrator.
"It’s almost as if bullets just hang in the air, waiting for Palestinians to walk deliberately into them ... Such language works not only to buffer Israel from criticism, but also, and more fundamentally, to shield Israel from accountability," wrote Moustafa.
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