Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille is treading a very fine line in claiming that Western Cape Community Safety MEC Lennit Max’s alleged extra-marital affair is a private matter and that until allegations of sexual harassment have been proved against him no action can be taken. In terms of her statement of February 5 2010 Zille […]
2010
Posted inNews/Politics
Woeful State of the Nation Part 1
Lofty ideals. Fanciful notions. Good intent. That is the problem with our government. You see it in the legislature where good intentions pass the Consumer Protection Act which, though intending to protect the hapless consumer, will mostly result in more expensive goods and services. You see it in the judiciary, where lofty ideals abolish the […]
Posted inNews/Politics
A pub crawl for the president
I know nothing about pubs and bars, except of course what Hollywood has taught me. This means that my idea of bars save a couple of visits with friends is really imprinted with the image of depressed sods having reconciliatory drinks before going home to the government, the all-knowing-gun-toting-barman and the college dropout barmaid serving […]
Posted inGeneral
I’ve seen the knipmes and the damage done
You know what I’m talking about. Just thinking about it is making your palms sweaty. Your mouth starts watering like the Pavlovian dog that you are. You need some of the good stuff, and you need it now. Just one, man, just one, and you’ll be OK, but somewhere inside you you know that you […]
Posted inGeneral
Arts, literature integral to a child’s development
The recent South African matric results are no cause for celebration — that much is clear. The question is: what should be done to improve them, assuming that this can be done without dropping intellectual standards so drastically that the description “improved results” would be meaningless. An improvement in the quality of teaching would certainly […]
Posted inGeneral
Google’s Buzz and the culture of invading privacy
It was Chinese New Year here in Shanghai this Friday night. Sitting in our apartment on the 22nd floor was like being in a high-tech Star Trek movie. The fireworks started during the day and by 10PM our home in Shanghai was aglow with spectacular fireworks. Whistling skyrockets, massive explosions like gushing waterfalls, gigantic chandeliers […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Mpshe’s appointment cannot be justified
The General Council of the Bar of SA has confirmed that the justice ministry will soon be responding to the complaint of appointing Mokotedi Mpshe, deputy director of the National Prosecuting Authority, as an acting judge in the North West High Court. The problem with that, is that there is nothing that Justice Minister Jeff […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Screwing around matters less than screwing up
Righteous public wrath can be a laudable thing, particularly when it is harnessed to compel political accountability by government. A pity, then, that it is being squandered to force President Jacob Zuma to stop screwing around, rather than to force him to stop screwing up. The past fortnight has seen a tsunami of outrage and […]
Posted inGeneral
Trends 2010: Digital strategy in four easy steps
I do get tired of the frantic “trending” that occurs at the beginning and end of every year. Hence, I tend to sit back, take it all in and try give a summarised, more considered view a month or so later. Call it cutting through the clutter, if you will … So, without any further […]
Posted inTech
EASSy cable lands but not all plain sailing for Telkom
EASSy, the second of nine new undersea telecommunications cables to connect sub-Saharan Africa to the rest of the world by 2011, will make landfall in South Africa tomorrow. But there may well be some unintended consequences. Telkom announced today that the East African Submarine Cable System (EASSy) would land at Mtunzini — the landing site […]
Posted inNews/Politics
The state of the state
If the state is judging the state of the nation, then it’s up to the nation to judge the state of the state The shower head is back: and this time it’s super-sized. I’ll be interested to see its proportions and position after yesterday’s State of the Nation Address. Last night President Zuma was in […]
Posted inGeneral
Head on the block: Who will win the Super 14?
The Super 14 began in earnest on Friday morning with the Hurricanes overcoming a deficit and defeat the highly talented (but inconsistent) Blues. So, before the competition gets truly underway, it is time to place one’s head on the guillotine (which was designed by a Scotsman interestingly enough) and decide who is going to win […]