There may be few greater contributions we can make to democracy in this country right now than to explain the difference between a democratic government and a business. Comparing government to a business has become popular among supporters of President Thabo Mbeki. They repeatedly dismiss criticism of both the firing of deputy health minister Nozizwe […]
2007
Posted inBusiness, Media, Sport
No sporting chance
South Africa’s newly licensed pay-TV operators are going to find themselves playing catch-up in the sporting arena, because MultiChoice has all but taken them out of the game. Sport equals big money and with three pay-TV broadcasters set to enter the market, the stakes are going to get much higher. Most pay-TV players or analysts […]
Posted inSport
Perfection. The story of one set of tennis
I have never been one for team sports. I prefer the lack of ambiguity associated with individual sports. Mediocre players can still make a living by hanging on to the coat-tails of superior teammates. I feel I must mention Michael Vaughn at this point. Enough said. I love the idea of two competitors locked in […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Dear Mr Zuma: So what’s your next move?
Dear Mr Zuma My excitement has gone beyond fever pitch and well into the realms of renal failure in anticipation of just how you are going to steal the limelight back from the Pres. You must admit he’s been pretty darn shrewd firing old “prosecute-and-be-damned-Pikoli” so soon after getting at that attention from firing the […]
Posted inLifestyle
South Africa: The First World, with slavery!
Where else but in South Africa can one have all the benefits of First World living, with the equivalent of slave labour to clean up after us? If this sounds like either an oversimplification or merely a provocation, think again. Having recently travelled down to Port Elizabeth — perhaps the most awful city in the […]
Posted inMedia, Tech
SA’s poor-quality and pixellated picture sites
We can all agree that due to increased bandwidth availability over the past years, online media quality and quantity have grown substantially. So why the hell are local online publishers dragging their feet and being so schnoep with their bits and bytes?! Gone are the days of 800×600 resolution! And gone are the days where […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Vlok and the poisoning of history
There’s been an injustice to history. It’s in the plea bargain that helped former police minister Adriaan Vlok and four cohorts avoid jail last June. The rewriting of the record was spotted recently by a colleague who checked out the legal agreement that allowed the five would-be murderers to walk away with mere suspended sentences. […]
Posted inBusiness
WC + people = SA prosperity: Bruggemans
By 2020 real national income will have doubled, extended unemployment fallen from to about 27%. South Africa will see a shift from a minority middle class condition to a majority one. This view came from Dr Cees Bruggemans, Chief economist, First National Bank, at the Rhodes Politics teach-in, on Friday 28 September, and tackling the […]
Posted inBusiness
Beyond Washington, we need stakeholder capitalism — Peter Bruce
Peter Bruce, editor of Business Day, sees nothing wrong with the Washington Consensus — “a perfectly sensibly statement of the obvious”. And for him, while there are many ideas about running economies in the 21st century, most of them pay obeisance to WC principles such as keeping inflation down and not borrowing too much money. […]
Posted inNews/Politics
In support of good governance in Africa
The Ibrahim Index of African Governance, sponsored by prominent businessman Mo Ibrahim, makes fascinating reading. The results have just been published. The BBC reports that Rwanda, in the index, has achieved the “most improved” status. One has to remember how this country was shattered during and after the genocide in 1994 to fully grasp the […]
Posted inLifestyle
Is Craig Ferreira South Africa’s Steve Irwin?
Every family has its black sheep — in ours it’s my brother Darryl. While I was studying, getting degrees and following a healthy lifestyle, this lunatic went out and became the family success story! I mean, what is the point of killing yourself following traditional Western recipes for success if your own brother turns on […]
Posted inGeneral
Thabo Mbeki’s Facebook page
I bet you are wondering if our country’s First Citizen has ventured into the world of Web 2.0 during his late-night browsings. Well, I can confirm that he has. After tracking him down on Facebook, I asked him if he would be my friend. Wouldn’t you just know it, but he agreed. So I grabbed […]