At the tender age of nine, Alec Greven has figured out what most men will spend the rest of their lives puzzled and perplexed by … namely, how to talk to girls. This is the title of his first book that has reached the top thirty on the Amazon best seller list and is set […]
2008
Posted inGeneral
Looking for new mindsets … and heart-sets
It feels strange coming back onto Thought Leader and reading some of these fascinating blogs after an absence of almost a year. Still picking on the poor politicians I see, and still stressing the superficial differences as if our lives depended on it. December 16th is a South African public holiday. We celebrate Reconciliation Day. […]
Posted inMedia, News/Politics
Julius Malema is a raw and intuitive talker while Cope’s guru is … er, too polished and a self-made thinker
I want to make a crude and slightly unfair comparison to contrast the caliber of youth leadership in the ANC Youth League and Cope’s youth wing. Political bodies are, largely, the lengthened shadow of their leading personalities and thus Julius Malema and JJ Tabane, for instance, represent and reflect the faces of their organisations. You […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Say it loud and proud — I want a society free from the Polokwane Syndrome
The Polokwane Gang of Four, and their trailing Average Student, have had a far greater impact than even they realise. Zuma, Vavi, Mantashe, Nzimande and Malema have influenced the manner in which South Africans deal with conflict. Gone are the years of consultation, consensus and dialogue, and political dignity. The very stuff which made us […]
Posted inNews/Politics
ANC sending mixed signals on corruption
“ANC President, Jacob Zuma, says high levels of corruption in government remains a worrying factor. Zuma says corruption is tainting the image of his party, adding that they have to root out corruption within their ranks in order to preserve the dignity of the ruling party.” (SABC) While the message from Windhoek during the ANC […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Will we ever remember a life before Julius Malema?
(Note: I wrote this two weeks ago, before the story about mad right-wingers abducting teenagers for “hate camps” emerged. Christmas came early for the ANC this year.) Another year, another collection of South African insults. The third and final book is out in around April, but the act of compiling the chapters inevitably brings up […]
Posted inNews/Politics
The trouble with human rights in Africa
The 60th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is as good a time as any to discuss Africa’s standing with respect to those rights. Koffi Annan once noted that human rights are often treated as some “rich man’s luxury for which Africa is not ready”. Our problems started right […]
Posted inMedia, News/Politics
Mbeki cannot Cope without the ANC
Recent malicious gossip and unfounded news reports (Moffet Mofokeng, “COPE ‘Mbeki’s idea’,” Pg 1 City Press 7 December 2008) continue to peddle lies about former president Thabo Mbeki. On the one hand, there are political opportunists who want to use the Mbeki name to attract people who love and follow him to join the ranks […]
Posted inGeneral
Have a nice day!
WE FLING these four words about like they were just so much confetti at someone else’s wedding. Yet they are four words that can cut deeper than a Samurai blade and be as deadly as a 9mm right between the eyes. Everyone sips a little from the cup of melancholy around this time of year. […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Pikoli dismissal sets a dangerous precedent
While parliament still has to verify the factors justifying National Prosecuting Authority head Vusi Pikoli’s dismissal and thereafter approve the same, there can be little doubt that that is simply a formality which will be overcome shortly. The true impact of president Motlanthe’s decision to ignore the recommendations of the Ginwala Commission may however endure […]
Posted inLifestyle, Media
How our cultural industry killed a piano maestro Bheki Mseleku and legendary actor John Matshikiza
The last few months has seen tragic passing on of a number of great African artists. Frankly, these great artists died because, as creative African intellectuals, they could not find jobs and thus had no money to lead respectable and dignified lives. In fact, they were almost like paupers. It is a serious indictment on […]
Posted inLifestyle, Media, News/Politics
How the mainstream media destroys local arts & culture
I find myself obliged by conscience to break the silence and to take a public stand against the media’s violent war on local arts, culture and heritage. The considerations, which have led me to this painful decision, are a casual look at the content of both the print and broadcasting media. Indeed, what the media […]