Deputy vice-chancellor of the University of Johannesburg Professor Adam Habib, in his analysis of the Bloemfontein conference held by Cope for the SABC, suggested that the ANC could be its own worst enemy in the upcoming elections if it continued to speak with a forked-tongue. In this regard he was referring to the party’s failure […]
2008
Posted inGeneral
No turning back for the 2010 hosts
What a long, strange year it’s been. South Africa’s preparations for the 2010 World Cup have been marked by extraordinary highs and lows. Nobody said it was going to be easy and for South Africa, gearing to host the biggest event single-code sporting event on the planet, 2008 has certainly proved to be more than […]
Posted inBusiness, Media, News/Politics
Beware the power de-rangers
YOU KNOW that feeling when suddenly, though subtly, events around you seem to coalesce as if life, fate, God — call it what you will — is trying to tell you something? At a time when my self-confidence and faith in my own judgment are at a nadir, I seem to be watching TV programmes, […]
Posted inLifestyle, Media, News/Politics
‘Blacks’ or whites do not exist and the racist notion should have been dropped in 1994
Not long ago, a colleague of mine who spent over 30 years in exile said to me that seeing people as blacks, white, Indian or coloured is the antithesis of nation-building and non-racism. Using these outdated labels, he insisted, means that you are psychologically burdened with old and tired apartheid baggage. If we want to […]
Posted inLifestyle, Media, News/Politics, Tech
Is the new news news to you?
NO ONE could hold it against you if you hadn’t noticed the extent to which our news media are in crisis. After all, the traditional media are no longer the source of your really important news any more. And by “really important” I mean really important to YOU. Of course, the headlines of the day […]
Posted inNews/Politics
UN motion to censure Zimbabwe blocked by South Africa
UN chief Ban Ki-Moon has said his organisation can do little to help Zimbabwe because of its leaders’ refusal to allow it to mediate. UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband described Mr Ban’s closed-door briefing on the situation in Zimbabwe as “devastating”. The meeting ended without agreement on a motion to censure Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, […]
Posted inNews/Politics
How democratic is your congress?
By its very nature a congress is intended to be a democratic gathering of people, who come together to make mutual decisions and to take mutual positions. So when you hear that a congress, which is intended to bring together and represent the aspirations of the people, is in fact not doing things democratically, you […]
Posted inGeneral
The novelty of the novel: Kingsolver and others
One of the most enjoyable things that one can share with one’s wife, husband, lover or partner, must surely be reading with and to each other. And what better form of literature to share in this fashion than the ever “novel” literary phenomenon, to wit, a novel. Sure, if both of you happen to be […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Social media and the election
I’m just back from a magical eight day tour of South Africa with a group of great American bloggers and South Africa’s own Nick Haralambous, one of the geniuses behind Zoopy, Africa’s YouTube. The idea was to create some interesting content about aspects of the country that often get missed by old media, and have […]
Posted inBusiness, Lifestyle, Media, News/Politics
Why historically unANChored young black professionals are Coping very well
A struggle veteran was telling me that he has observed Cope has become a popular attraction for the young black professional class. Well, I don’t know anything about that as I have not attended any of their gatherings in plush homes, hotels conference rooms or hip cocktail parties and dinners. But he insisted that the […]
Posted inGeneral
The leviathan
Like Jonah in the belly of the whale, you cannot possess power. Rather, it possesses you. Google would do well to understand this. One of the more interesting people I’ve interviewed is a man called Ali Allawi. Based in London, Allawi has the look of a haunted man. The former minister of trade and minister […]
Posted inBusiness, Tech
Googleocracy
One the world’s most revered brands, you’d think Google would employ best practice in setting up a local office. Not so. The search giant’s presence here is marked by a lack of local development, no commitment to equity and a company structure that sees revenues originated in this market shipped offshore. In this opinion: Google […]