Instead of keeping the suspense till the end of this blog I guess I should tell you right now you should go see the movie. See it or the terrorists win. Now that we got that out of the way I review it without really giving away the story, although most of us know how […]
2009
Posted inGeneral
Ban the old South African flag
When Springbok captain John Smit explained to those who had waived the old flags in the faces of him and his team that the players were aware of the fact that they were playing for all South Africans not just a minority, he captured right there the essence of the debate. The old South African […]
Posted inLifestyle
What to buy for the birthday of baby Jesus?
I absolutely love Christmas time. Fewer things bring more pleasure to my heart. The socks nailed to the mantelpiece. The merry crackle of the festive log in the hearth. Or in our case, the merry crackle of the kameeldoring trees as they festively burn under the fearsome Natal sun. The sound of the children drowning […]
Posted inLifestyle
What makes relationships last (and the missing undies and shorts case)
My shorts and underwear were nowhere to be found. I searched all over the unfamiliar bed, looked under it, searched cupboards and eventually phoned Marion. I had slept over at her home and had only met her two nights before. I was on my own and she had gone off to work. She made a […]
Posted inLifestyle
Burning to death in fortresses
By Roger Diamond Jared Diamond (no relation) says something along the lines of “You will have the privilege of being the last person to die” when referring to the privilege/plight of the rich and powerful during the collapse of a civilisation. I think I am seeing a similar thing when I look at the behaviour […]
Posted inGeneral
Nobody’s perfect
The legendary former Australian rugby captain, John Eales, was known as “Nobody”. It was not for lack of talent — because any goal-kicking lock forward is certainly not a nobody! Eales earned the tag when he missed a match-winning kick in a Bledisloe Cup match against bitter rivals New Zealand. Hence the nickname, “Nobody’s Perfect”. […]
Posted inGeneral
Nationalisation
Now that the idea of nationalisation has risen from the dead like a movie monster, we need to talk about its meaning. Nationalisation is when the State takes ownership of assets from the private sector. Nationalisation is not State ownership, or part State ownership, or joint ventures. Joint ventures by the State and the private […]
Posted inGeneral
A letter to Buti Manamela
An open-and-shut letter to Buti Manamela Dear Comrade Buti, The Young so-called Communist League is battling to remain relevant. I am making this bold statement because I know that though you may disagree with it you will understand it perfectly. Two years ago I wrote with appreciation for the work that your organisation was doing […]
Posted inLifestyle
Public fornication on a boat? Ninja please!
I was on the Miller Rock The Boat Cruise. An article in one of the dailies claimed that passengers were fornicating in public. I will have you know I did not even get to fornicate in private (I’m still bitter about that). Having read the article I felt like I was in Sodom or Gomorrah […]
Posted inGeneral
Tiger exposes the fallibility of the sports marketing machine
The mere mention of the name “Tiger Woods” even a month ago would arouse images of greatness, golf’s version of Zeus, and an example to all of his supporters and corporate sponsors. Professional sport, comparable to other celebrity-driven industries, appears from this vantage point at least to operate within its own time vacuum. While any […]
Posted inGeneral
So who is this Che Guevara then?
When the news broke that Durban’s Moore Road was going to be renamed after a famous motorcyclist I nearly choked on my morning muffin. Was the ruling party going soft? Which of our province’s four motorcycle world champions had cracked the nod? The thought of riding my bike down Ballington Boulevard, Ekerold Expressway, Langston Close […]
Posted inMedia
I’m declaring a moratorium on ‘copygate’
If I had wanted to be really thick, I would have entitled this piece “I’m Declaring Gategate on ‘-Gate’ “. But there’s a limit to how much a human being should be permitted to suffer. We all know who to blame for all of this. If, however, you’ve spent the last 37 years at the […]