Constitutional law expert Pierre de Vos described the appointment of Menzi Simelane’s as national director of public prosecutions as the darkest and most scandalous day yet in the short life of President Jacob Zuma’s tenure and showed an “utter disregard for the Constitution and the law”. De Vos, who holds a chair in constitutional governance […]
2010
Posted inNews/Politics
Zuma turns into his own worst nightmare
There is the same curious inability to stop popping candy into the maws of monsters, the same paralysis when it comes to implementing nitty-gritty decisions rather than drafting airy-fairy policies.
Posted inGeneral
The Google Analytics opt-out hype
The announcement on the Google Analytics blog More choice for users: browser-based opt-out for Google Analytics on the way is already creating a lot of hype. Questions are being asked about how wise it is a move for Google Analytics, with some even suggesting that it will bring about its downfall. The implication is that […]
Posted inGeneral
Global warming, more than a heated debate
It is a really important topic but has evoked some really bizarre responses and comment. I personally see the climate has changed in the north since my childhood. I do find it remarkable the number of people who deny the existence of global warming. And these are not credible scientists, but laypeople who would defer […]
Posted inBusiness
Absa, you’re killing me
I truly hate Absa, and they haven’t done a thing to me. If you’ve ever run an email account without any spam filtering on, you’ll have had an inkling of just how much spam is piling up across the net, a veritable flood of dirtybits looking for tiny cracks in the dyke. The spam filters […]
Posted inGeneral
Will the real ANC Women’s League please stand up?
By Zukiswa Mqolomba As we celebrated International Women’s Day on March 8, I had to contend with the frightening reality that the ANC Women’s League is indeed dead. I focus on the women’s league because of its strategic location at the centre of political power in South Africa and its historical mission and legacy as […]
Posted inGeneral
The race card and the irony of irony
Having a RaceCardTM neatly tucked into your wallet, ready to be despatched at a moment’s notice, makes you a card-carrying … what? A bit of a spanner, maybe? Yeah, someone’s finally done it. There’s a RaceCardTM now, complete with choice of colours and neat little boxes to tick. The idea is that you wave it […]
Posted inGeneral
Kiwi ‘racism’ doesn’t remind me of apartheid
“It won’t take your mom long to get permanent residence,” said the immigrations official to Michelle, the Chook’s mom, on the phone. “She isn’t an Asian.” When Michelle, who as the daughter can sponsor her mother to New Zealand told us this story that evening, I breathed a sigh of relief as my permanent residence […]
Posted inGeneral
World Cup leaves a mark … and a trail
First, the bad news: With an estimated carbon footprint of 2,7 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, the 2010 World Cup will have the largest carbon footprint of any major international sporting event (nine times higher than the World Cup in Germany in 2006 and more than twice as high as the Beijing Olympics). Fortunately, the […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Would you grant Jub Jub bail?
Protea Court Soweto will once again be the focal point as the bail applications of hip-hop artist Molemo Maarohanye, known as Jub Jub, and co-accused Themba Tshabalala enter into their second day. They are currently being held on charges of murder and attempted murder. These arise out of a horrendous incident which took place in […]
Posted inGeneral
If you want to help, here’s how
It’s quite clear that many people in South Africa actually want to make a difference but are not sure how. Most of us don’t have as much time as we’d like to but we do have some money, some of us have plenty of time but no money, some of us have a specialised skill […]
Posted inGeneral
Jozi khwela-khwela 2010 is not ayoba
It seems nothing can be thought or written outside the context of 2010 this year — 2010 has ceased to be just the year, like other years, it has come to take upon a larger symbolic character than just a label for a year in our discourse. It feels like historical time itself, at least […]