South Africa was brilliant in both Calcutta and Turin. The country’s cricketers pulled off one of the great test victories in India by bundling the home side out for just 93 in the final innings. The night before, the Boks had seen off the Italians despite an outrageous early red card against Franco Mostert – the call was so outrageous that it really justifies an independent investigation into refereeing bias against our team.

The “fallout” from last week’s mini-budget continues. S&P upgraded South Africa’s credit rating. That was the first such move for the country in two decades. The rand briefly broke below 17 to the dollar. The government was praised from all quarters except for the communists and trade unions. The praise for the minister and his government is well justified. And it is important in the sense that nothing builds a team quite like achievement and recognition. Each time the GNU collective is praised, it will get stronger.

The Common Sense broke another exclusive. This time it’s a really big story. The government is set to move away from the ruinous and fundamentally stupid NHI proposal. It was always quite mad. South Africa produces just about the best and cheapest healthcare in the world. It’s a key reason why professional people stay here, invest here, and build businesses here. That many people don’t get good medical care is not because the private sector denies it to them, but because the unemployment rate is 6X the global average and the government has banned low-fee private medical schemes (as it fears these will compete with the corrupt state-run system).

The health minister will fight the move away from NHI. His argument is profiteering. Ours would be the R2 billion stolen from one small regional hospital! How many of those are there, Mr Minister? And why do you wait for the news to break before acting? The truth is that every corner of the system the minister presides over is just as rotten. And he thinks people should trust his colleagues with their health and healthcare savings. No way. If he had sense, he’d fall in behind the idea to expand low-fee medical insurance to millions of people. Start with the employed and make such cover compulsory. Offer rebates to businesses. Or, how about this, earn empowerment credits for providing health coverage to your staff? Much better than paying off a cadre for a seat on the board.

An albatross reports that the Johannesburg municipality has sought to beautify the city for the G20 this week. The idea brings lipstick on a pig to mind – but maybe that’s too harsh. The police are out in force and visible on every highway and major intersection. It all shows what can be done if the politicians care enough – pity it is only to show off to the outside. But, then again, that’s why the ANC is headed to 30% in Gauteng.

There are new polls out. This column has had an early look. OMG. The DA and the ANC both in the 30s a year out from the local government elections. Helen Zille with majority support from ANC supporters to take over in Johannesburg. That, and a lot more, to follow in these pages through the next week.

The dim-witted are cross with the Makin Sense podcast because it argued that hunting tourism is a great driver of rural investment and job creation. Apparently, they don’t want South Africa’s game to be shot – rather for the poor to starve from unemployment. Do they know that if the game in South Africa’s private reserves was not shot, the multiplying bokkies would eat all the grass and bushes and then horribly starve to death themselves? An alternative would be introducing hundreds of lions to every district of the country to eat the bokkies whilst they are still alive (and a great many poor people too). Dimwits.