It is the unprecedented flux and ferment within the ruling ANC and its alliance partners that must encourage us to break new ground in our critical thinking and intellectual courage, tear into inflated egos, pull down the high and mighty from their pedestals and even take the bull by the horns. The recent robust debates […]
2008
Posted inLifestyle
Cry, the beloved spanker!
I had a rather unsavoury encounter hanging on to a pole (the steel kind as opposed to the Eastern European kind) on the London underground train system this December. As the train pulled off, I became aware of a commotion moving towards me, hidden in a sea of people. The commotion swore a lot and […]
Posted inLifestyle
Viva, Darwin Awards, viva!
Aside from the internet’s usefulness in being able to complete every quiz crossword ever, being home to the blogosphere and providing P2P connectivity and downloadable music and movies, the Darwin Awards are the greatest social contribution it has made. Without the Darwin Awards, which far outshine trinkets such as the Oscars, Olympics and Nobels, how […]
Posted inTech
Apple has something in the air
The suffix “-ology denotes a field of study or academic discipline. Appleologists, as mentioned in Ars Technica, would therefore be people studying the field of Apple. Contrary to logic and belief, there are many who could fit this description. As the buzz about Macworld 2008, Apple’s annual shindig, is building to a crescendo, the air […]
Posted inMedia, News/Politics
Round one to the Sowetan
The axe finally fell at 12:15pm yesterday (Friday) when the publisher and CEO of the Sowetan, Bongani Keswa upheld my dismissal as ruled by the earlier internal disciplinary hearing. To recap: I had been working as senior revise sub-editor (a kind of final quality checkpoint) for 18 months on the Sowetan. During that time I […]
Posted inLifestyle, News/Politics
PS: I am still living in the Military Republic of Sudan
The event depicted below occurred in December 2007. Today was not the first time that rough-talking “intelligence police” took me to an interrogation room after spotting me with a camera in public in Sudan. It’s the second time. And each time it’s been a deeply unsettling reminder that I am currently living in a country […]
Posted inLifestyle
Lucifer’s horror story
I love my dog. Her name is Lucifer; I call her Loolies for short. Every morning I get up naked and shout out the window: “Lucifer! Stop crapping on the grass!” It’s guaranteed to freak the Catholic neighbours out. Loolies and I are a lucky couple to be living in this, one of the older […]
Posted inGeneral
Survival 2008
The Thought Leader editorial team invited me (all the contributors, but I like to say “me” because it makes me feel all commissioned and all that) to write on the year ahead’s predictions or to review the past year, all related to my area of expertise. I think we can all agree that The Sumo’s […]
Posted inBusiness
Private healthcare, or health-needs exploitation?
The recent announcement by private healthcare groups (Netcare, Medi-Clinic and others) that their ward and theatre fees would rise considerably (between 8% and 33%) this year — drawing the response from the Registrar of Medical Schemes that they would be taken to the Competition Commission if they could not explain why these increases are necessary, […]
Posted inLifestyle
Blog entry number one (Suppose this title could’ve been less creative …)
As a journalist by profession, writing is something that I usually do for cash. So when an email invitation arrived in the Yahoo! inbox from Thought Leader I was suspicious. Because here was this newly established website staffer who suggested I post bits of writing on here without the promise of a positive reflection in […]
Posted inLifestyle
Egte Suid-Afrikaanses
I love it when I hear people saying things like this, totally unselfconsciously: “Ja, well, no man …” “I’ll be there now-now. I spoke to him just now and he said they haven’t been ready until now.” “Ma bru, it was so kiff, you wouldn’t frieking believe it.” “No man, he’s talking kak.” “I’ll check […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Elections
Another long delay before writing this piece … There have been various things happening over the past two months. We had Polokwane, Eid-ul-Adha, Xmas and New Year’s. I had my holidays in between, and, boy, was life eventful. The usual mad rush at the end of the year is expected, but throw in the curve […]