Let me start off by saying that Caster Semenya is a chick until proven a dude. Oh, hang on, she has been proven to be a chick by her parents, her teachers and her friends, mind you. The accusations of racism levelled at the IAAF have been a bit excessive. But one can understand why […]
2009
Posted inNews/Politics
Ginwala criticises the ANC for undermining Scopa
Writing for the Business Day back in 2002, ANC MP Andrew Feinstein said: “If the standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) continues to act in a partisan way — it may as well not exist at all.” This week, in an interview on The Justice Factor, eNews (August 23 2009), it was fascinating to see […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Zuma, Motlanthe and Sexwale must step down
The Sunday Times has again resorted to sensationalist reporting — as if its Oilgate revelations were unknown to the public. The public may not know what the Donen Commission recommendations were, but it is privy to details relating to surcharges paid to Saddam Hussein’s regime contravening UN Security Council Resolution 986 and the Iraqi oil-for-food […]
Posted inLifestyle
Why oh why do I hate Fourways so?
The comedian David Kibuuka, who is originally from Uganda, used to start his set with the words: “Hi, I’m David and I’m from Fourways.” It always got a laugh, and, until recently, I never paused to ask myself why. After all, lots of black people live in Fourways. So why should the notion that a […]
Posted inGeneral
The Bolt effect
In Beijing, Usain Bolt set the 100m world record with a time of 9.69s. Richard Thompson of Trinidad and Tobago finished second in a time of 9.89sec (a personal best) and third, in a time of 9.91sec, was Walter Dix of the US, again a personal best. In the 200m, Bolt set a world record […]
Posted inMedia
The unbearable fiction of facts
Don’t you find it amazing that in a country where people’s feelings, sensitivities, moods, prejudices and perceptions are such a dominant social phenomenon so little study is done into emotion? We are constantly hearing politicians, media analysts and every kind of researcher chirping on and on about facts and, in the process, decrying perceptions. I […]
Posted inNews/Politics
JZ’s first 100 days and beyond
A few things stand out when we look at Jacob Zuma’s first 100 days in office. There is clearly a willingness to do things differently, whether this translates into actual, recognisable government action is another issue all together. The tone of Zuma’s presidency is, on the surface, that of a listening leader who involves stakeholders. […]
Posted inGeneral
Eish, now that’s what you call proper diski!
Wow, what a game that was! Full house, goals galore and a frenetic finish. English Premiership? Think again. Chiefs vs Ajax was the best on the box this weekend, despite Arsenal’s fab four or Manchester United’s five goals at Wigan. Hell, even Chelsea’s supposed West London derby at Fulham had nothing on that. Sadly, this […]
Posted inLifestyle
Gyms don’t have to be the exclusive domain of Neanderthals
I worked as a training instructor in a gym for a couple of years once. I was studying at the time and it was a convenient way for me to do something I knew and enjoyed for some living money, while side-stepping the usual waitering jobs that students usually have to settle for. Or is […]
Posted inGeneral
Match of the season!?
I attended the Kaizer Chiefs-Ajax Cape Town match at Orlando Stadium yesterday — from the comfort of my living room — and what a match it turned out to be. For the first time in a long time it looked like Kaizer Chiefs had solved their goal-scoring problems but it still wasn’t enough to get […]
Posted inGeneral
SABC too chicken to broadcast my response
Many years ago, when I lived in Cape Town, I dabbled in comedy. Don’t laugh, I’m not trying to be funny here. I’m profoundly serious. To cut a rather long narrative short, comedian Desmond Dube had his own show on SABC2 many years ago. If I’m not mistaken it was called Dube on 2. It […]
Posted inSport
Is she the man she’s waited for all her life?
Once upon a time, a child was born to happy parents in Masehlong, in the Limpopo province, northern South Africa. As a young child, Caster Semenya understood she was different from the other girls. While the other petite girls were relishing their new socks at preschool, Caster was already the high jump champion in the […]