There’s a trend of new multi-millionaires who throw mega-weddings for public recognition. Tenderpreneurs like Robert Gumede from Mpumalanga, Shauwn Mpisane from KwaZulu-Natal, Fikile Bili from the Orange Free State and recently Limpopo property mogul David Mabilu. The thinking behind this is to make a statement that says “ses’fikile — we have arrived”. Depending on how […]
2011
Posted inNews/Politics
Incensed by the census: Has classification gone too far?
So the census has come and gone. Now the government knows where I live, that I am a white foreigner and own a DVD player, but no DStv (thanks, freelance journalist salary!) Though I certainly felt guilty ticking the box for “2 bedroom flat” when the first option said “shack”, it felt strangely anticlimactic to […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Zuma reignites separation of powers debate
Yesterday, President Jacob Zuma used the joint sitting of Parliament — convened to bid farewell to former chief justice Sandile Ngcobo and welcome newly appointed Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng — to reiterate the ANC’s views on the separation of powers. According to a report in Business Day, Zuma said “we” “wish to reiterate our view […]
Posted inMedia, News/Politics
Self-hating black writers — what gives?
There is a dangerous increase in books written by black authors and so-called intellectuals that give a negative portrayal of life under freedom and democracy. One can even judge the content of these by their covers because they, inevitably, have vivid and memorable titles that assault the integrity of the first legitimate and elected black […]
Posted inLifestyle
Should arts writers be entitled to freebies?
By Rob Boffard It’s a pretty fundamental part of journalism not to accept gifts. The second you take that bottle of whiskey from the spokesperson, accept the invitation to that swanky junket in Thailand or even do something as innocuous as let a PR person buy you a drink after an interview, you’re done. You’re […]
Posted inGeneral
Automation key to communication system consolidation
It is not only possible but very beneficial to run an organisation with various businesses or business units — situated in disparate geographic locations — using an ERP system for back-end functions and a single communications platform. This scenario is not an operational pipe dream — it is a reality that can be rolled out […]
Posted inGeneral
Teaching to transgress
By Athambile Masola The public education system is failing in South Africa. This is nothing new. As the year comes to an end we will soon be bombarded with the matric results that will confirm the consequences of an unequal education system. We will all lament, shake our heads in despair, point fingers at the […]
Posted inLifestyle, Media
Everybody loves Nonhle
Dear Nonhle I started writing this letter to you when I was in Germany last week, before I saw this Dear Nonhle letter and by then it was too late. So maybe we’ll just have to start a Dear Nonhle meme. Lots of people can compose Dear Nonhle missives and it can become a rite […]
Posted inEquality, Lifestyle
Why feminists (and all men and women) should care about paternity leave
When two people decide to have a child, is it fair that one of those people gets more paid time away from work to bond with that child? Is it also fair that this situates parental responsibility firmly in the hands of the parent with more leave? In South Africa, women are given up to […]
Posted inLifestyle
The jewel of Poole Street
By Alex Searle At first glance, Poole Street is nothing special. It’s a slightly better area than some of the other dreary avenues in Ysterplaat, but not by much. There are no lampposts so walking around at night is not easy. Only the ugly power cables hang in the air alongside the pavements like giant […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Mngxitama and the whiteness debate
By Max Rayneard I’m a white South African, admittedly seated in a coffee shop in upstate New York where I teach African anglophone literature to American students, but wanting desperately to be home. I agree with Andile Mngxitama’s characterisation of whites “dealing” with complicity as something akin to a pastime: something one does now and […]
Posted inGeneral
SMS the crime fighter
The latest South African crime statistics for 2010/2011 could probably best be summarised as “improving, but could do better”. While there have been reductions in the murder and attempted murder rate, assault, robbery and attacks on policemen — fighting crime should still be at the top of South Africa’s agenda. With SMS being so suited […]