Deputy President Paul Mashatile with former Chief Justice of SA Raymond Zondo. By Mpho Dube | Editor‑in‑Chief, The Azanian 24 December 2025 — Johannesburg As the year draws to a close and the scent of pine and braai smoke fills the air, Deputy President Paul Mashatile stepped before the nation not just to wish us well, but to remind us — gently, powerfully — that the real heartbeat of South Africa doesn’t live in marble halls or ministerial offices. It lives in the grit of ou