The chairperson of the African National Congress’s national disciplinary committee, Derek Hanekom, has confirmed that ANC Youth League president Julius Malema’s disciplinary hearing will take place on May 3. The confirmation by the deputy science and technology minister came amid dissatisfaction expressed by the Gauteng ANC leader who said that the membership of no less […]
2010
Posted inMedia, News/Politics
Was that volcano the best ad campaign ever?
So I’m miffed that I didn’t get to speak at the London Book Fair thanks to that bloody volcano, known in South Africa as Ekkisvokkengatvol. But there’s a silver lining to this particular ash cloud, at least for a cold, windblown piece of rock in the middle of nowhere. In fact, I’m wondering if this […]
Posted inGeneral
It’s hard to be free
Democracy promised us many things and freedom was one of them. Bathed in the light of a brightly coloured rainbow, we were told that we were finally free. Somehow, some of us are still asking “Does that apply to me?” Freedom for many people means the ability to choose the path they want, get onto […]
Posted inGeneral
The IPL: Irritating, putrid and lacklustre
This year has seen the third instalment of the Indian Premier League, the richest cricket competition in the world. Player salaries have been revolutionised for the first time since Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket, the international cricket calendar has become more crowded, and the influence of Indian cricket from a commercial point of view is […]
Posted inGeneral
Forget ANCYL…what freaks out South African children?
“Today’s children are worried about more than just their homework and peer pressure — they are also worried about terrorism and climate change and whether there will be a future for their own children. These are just some of the serious issues a group of more than 170 New Zealand children have cited as major […]
Posted inLifestyle
The nakedness of being disconnected
By Adam Wakefield One Sunday I was with a group friends at a bar, when my friend approached me to use my phone since his battery had died. I naturally agreed, and promptly took out my SIM card so he could use his. While my friend was busy away with my phone, a distraction in […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Was Mbeki trying to save the ANC from itself?
This party needs saving. It needs to be saved from itself. The enemy is not some evil and external force; it has parasites within itself that have so transformed themselves into what seems to be the ANC. The chameleon-like camouflage has so fooled all those within that they have come to believe that this is […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Today’s conspiracy theory
It’s quite simple. Imagine if the plan was never to oust Mbeki in favour of Zuma, but in fact to put Malema in place as our president from the beginning?! Why not do it straight away then you ask? To put Malema against Mbeki would have seemed ludicrous. I mean, Mbeki is practically an “agent”. […]
Posted inGeneral
iPhone 4 leaked?
Seems so… I am pretty sure most tech-loving internet users have read the posts by Gizmodo at this point. It sounds like a movie: young guy who programmes iPhone baseband software uses an unreleased iPhone prototype and goes for a drink at a bar. Guy forgets the iPhone on a bar stool. Guy #2 picks […]
Posted inEnvironment, Lifestyle, Tech
Tweet this
A day in the life of a South African technocrat is hectic. For starters, we email a lot. We also check our Facebook pages, update our status, and comment quite a bit. And tweeting is definitely not just for the birds. Then we check our email. We text. We update our MySpace pages, and then […]
Posted inMedia
How to cut through the information traffic jam
There are no shortcuts to knowledge. Make no mistake, we are surrounded by more information than ever before in the history of humankind; here I mean “information” to represent all messages in all media, whether they are factually correct, opinions, misleading nonsense or downright devious and false claims. This humble piece of writing is yet […]
Posted inGeneral
Benitez’s time is up
Liverpool have always proven to be a conundrum to me, especially as a Manchester United fan. Last year they should’ve won the title, but didn’t. The reason? They drew too many games against opposition they should have beaten, plus Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard getting injured at unfortunate times. Perhaps also missing that vital experience […]