By Andy Carolin I don’t like Julius Malema. Or, more correctly, perhaps, I do not like the Malema to which the mass media has introduced me. But that is really beside the point. The ANCYL, under his current stewardship, is undoubtedly one of the most militant political forces in recent South African politics. It is […]
2011
Posted inBusiness, Media, News/Politics
Polishing turds won’t save our papers
Circulation of English language broadsheets in South Africa is largely in decline. We all know that. But the response hasn’t been to invest in better content. Instead, staff numbers have been slashed, news from elsewhere gets regurgitated and a fixation with other media — websites, multimedia and, of course, Twitter — has developed. Most of […]
Posted inGeneral
Edging towards viable anti-spam legislation
Over the last few years, South African legislation has slowly started catching up with electronic communications, and I had high hopes that the Protection of Personal Information Bill (Popi) would provide the final piece of the puzzle to both protect consumers and allow businesses to continue to market directly to people in an ethical way. […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Land grabs, nationalisation a recipe for economic meltdown
The ANC Youth League elective congress challenged the leadership of the ANC and the government through an attack on policies rather than personalities. Nowhere has this year’s 24th National Congress been utilised to criticise President Jacob Zuma or ANC Secretary-General Gwede Mantashe but rather called for fundamental changes to the ruling party’s economic policies. Its […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Greece: Who wants to be in Giorgaki’s shoes?
By George Karasaridis Last week’s political events in Greece could be described in two words, high drama, or if you prefer soap opera. Living in Greece today, it’s clear that our country is experiencing historic yet challenging times. Pressure is part of a modern lifestyle; if we could tap and package the stuff we could […]
Posted inNews/Politics
When no one wants to take responsibility
By Nelly Shamase The left foot doesn’t know what the right foot is doing. How else can one explain the fact that a national department has no idea what its provincial counterpart is doing? Whose directive do provincial departments follow if their national bodies have no clue about a pilot project that was meant to […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Why June 16 leaves me cold
When Soweto is cold with complacency, the whole world becomes indifferent. After all, it is the biggest township in Africa. Visitors, tourists and foreigners come from far and wide to witness and experience the scene of the most brutal murder to have happened in our history: cold-blooded shooting of innocent children on June 16 1976. […]
Posted inGeneral, News/Politics
Of mice and Malema
The re-election of Julius Malema as president of the ANC Youth League came as no surprise. The platform afforded him by the court challenge to his singing “the song whose name will not be mentioned” settled any doubt as to his intelligence, the fact of him being so articulate also consolidated his support base. As […]
Posted inGeneral
Youth: The problem or the solution?
By Sam Bradley Economists have noticed a funny phenomenon. As countries change from developing to developed, so the demographics of the country also change. Developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America have high fertility rates and high infant mortality rates. Lots of children are born, but many die at a young age. Conversely, developed […]
Posted inGeneral
Cinema, the growth of credulity, and time
According to Paul Virilio, illusionists (or television magicians like David Copperfield not long ago) find it increasingly difficult to make their tricks appear convincing as something “magical”, …”not for want of skill, but because the field of public credulity has expanded considerably in recent years, keeping step, indeed, with the progress of the mass media” […]
Posted inGeneral
The bogus war in defence of the Muslim punani
The “charge” seems almost cartoonish. A wild-haired, loony old eccentric with a penchant for buxom female bodyguards — dishing out handfuls of blue pills to his troops with their morning orange juice. Their task: to pillage, plunder and rape. The evidence? Well, none so far. That’s if one doesn’t count the three little bottles of […]
Posted inNews/Politics
The lone vulture circles Zuma
While five years is a short time in power, 18 months is a long time in politics.