In an Idasa seminar with Collins Chabane and other persons of note, he mentioned that other governments are very concerned about South Africa’s ability to secure their information. I had no idea. Of course, we all know about the concern around South Africa’s ability to manage its own information — late registration of births leading […]
2010
Posted inNews/Politics
Illusions of competence
Unlike the useless drones that now overwhelmingly make up the ANC benches in the House, that first Parliament was blessed with an array of committed, capable people, who genuinely believed that they were there to serve the people.
Posted inLifestyle
Why aren’t we really doing anything about global warming?
By Anton Botha As the seriousness of global warming has become clearer, scientists, environmental activists, civil society, and even politicians have taken to informing, and warning, people about this crisis. Although this campaign has been informative by all accounts, it does not seem to have been effective. Knowledge of global warming and its effects is […]
Posted inGeneral
Why does JZ want to gag the media?
I am not sure why JZ wants to gag the media because the media does a pretty good job of gagging itself. Through the selective targeting of the wealthy classes, papers like the Sunday Times, the Argus, and the Mail & Guardian effectively silence themselves. They don’t speak to the ordinary people of this country. […]
Posted inGeneral
Political and economic intertwinements of globalisation
The world ain’t what it used to be. Globalisation arguably started as long ago as Macedonian Alexander the Great’s military expansion towards the East, followed by the Roman Empire’s far-flung hold on the ancient world (and if one really wanted to push the argument, you could claim that it commenced almost 150 000 years ago when […]
Posted inNews/Politics
An immoral sense of morality
You are probably corrupt. Here is why. In the last 12 months you probably have done one of the following. You probably have, on at least one occasion, bribed a traffic cop who pulled you over for speeding. You had no qualms parting with a facilitation fee to a driving instructor in return for a […]
Posted inGeneral
‘You can’t say those kinds of things about us’
By Doug Downie It had been a lousy evening. There was trouble at home, which was about 10 000 miles away. The lines of communication were being shut down. It was very difficult to be in the dark about someone like a daughter. There was trouble brewing in my current base as well. A stink was […]
Posted inGeneral
Money, money, money
I was reading an article about the rights that victims of crime have in terms of getting compensated after they have been to court. In this article, and the poll on the side of the post, there was the general sentiment that money simply wasn’t going to cut it. Maybe this speaks to a feeling […]
Posted inLifestyle
Romulus, Gonzo the farmer and a black Jesus
I sense the coming day’s density around midnight, and try to pull out. A late text that my work is overwhelming — I must stay in cyberspace tomorrow, wrestling invisible work giants. I am drawn to and repelled by the meeting, menisci kissing before finally parting. Steve shoots back. He does not accept this reasoning. […]
Posted inGeneral
Go Piet!
I secretly rejoiced when Springbok coach Peter de Villiers was cleared of misconduct charges related to comments made during a Fox TV programme. It probably irked our Australasian friends intensely that the presiding authority was a South African based judicial officer acting for Sanzar. PdV’s comment that maybe it was the right thing for New […]
Posted inLifestyle
Ode to my cereal dispenser
I am writing a treatise about my dead cereal dispenser. I know that this may sound like a boring and irrelevant topic, but according to my sources in the ANC, all journalists, columnists and bloggers will, in the near future, be forced to write about boring and irrelevant topics. It is what the proposed media […]
Posted inMedia
Why do you think I’m stupid, Cell C?
Dear Lars I’m a Cell C customer. Well, not directly — I have a Virgin contract because I’m a commitmentphobe and at the time they were the only ones offering month-to-month — but I use your network. In fact, the words “Cell C E” probably mean more to me than any other brand I interact […]