I was struck by a lot of things about Australia on my visit there a couple of years ago. Such as the fact that it took only fifteen minutes from my arrival for someone to call me “mate”. Then there was the bus driver who brusquely refused my offer to give him a hand in […]
David Saks
David Saks has worked for the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) since April 1997, and is currently its associate director. Over the years, he has written extensively on aspects of South African history, Judaism and the Middle East for local and international newspapers and journals.
David has an MA in history from Rhodes University. Prior to joining the SAJBD, he was curator -- history at MuseumAfrica in Johannesburg. He is editor of the journal Jewish Affairs, appears regularly on local radio discussing Jewish and Middle East subjects and is a contributor to various Jewish publications.
Posted inLifestyle, Media
Can internet nutballs be neutralised?
“A lie can get halfway around the world before the truth can even get its boots on” Mark Twain once said. And that was before the internet. Today, blatant falsehoods can circle the entire global numerous times at a speed even Twain would never have believed possible. What is worse, they continue to circle and […]
Posted inGeneral
Final chapter under way for Jews of Zimbabwe
Hylton Solomon remains a patriotic Zimbabwean, despite his experience of being jailed for “over-pricing” spaghetti in his Bulawayo grocery store. He also remains committed to helping keep Bulawayo’s 114-year-old Jewish community going, although today it is less than one-20th the size it was at its height. Solomon is an exception. Most Zimbabwean Jews have left […]
Posted inLifestyle, News/Politics
Glimpsing the true greatness of Nelson Mandela
In 1996, a South African court formally ended the 33-year-old marriage of Nelson and Winnie Mandela. More than anything else he did, it was President Mandela’s behaviour during this time that left the most lasting impression on me. At no stage did he display anger, bitterness or vindictiveness, so common in marital break-ups. Dignified, sad […]
Posted inSport
Sporting success won’t fill existential void
The impending World Cup fever brings to mind some of my former triumphs on the soccer field. It was November 2004 and we were in the last minute of a hard-fought match. I received a pass and started a wide, outflanking run, neatly bypassing the cover defence before whipping the ball, left-footed, into the back […]
Posted inNews/Politics
What really happened at Cuito Cuinavale?
In late 1987, South African and UNITA forces clashed with their Cuban and FAPLA counterparts at Cuito Cuinavale in what would be the culminating battle of the so-called “Border War”. Indeed, it has been described as “Africa’s largest land battle since World War II”. But who actually won it? All sides claimed victory and shortly […]
Posted inNews/Politics
ANC passes sell-by date — what will voters do?
The flip side of the adage that new brooms sweep clean is that old ones just can’t do the job right any more. The same is true of governments; they have a shelf life. There comes a time when an administration simply runs out of ideas and no longer has the will or cohesion to […]
Posted inGeneral
Is South Africa destined to blow it after all?
South Africa’s plummeting image internationally must surely be a cause of concern today. This year things have significantly worsened with such new crises as the xenophobia outbreak, power cuts and continuing leadership vacuum in the ruling party being added to the usual concerns about out-of-control crime, HIV/Aids denialism and failures to confront the Zimbabwe fiasco. […]
Posted inGeneral
Can Western civilisation survive without religion?
When the churches were the primary disseminators of anti-Jewish sentiment, Jews presumably would have felt that the disappearance of the Christian religion would be a good thing. It is therefore a remarkable irony that today, many religiously observant Jews are viewing the disintegration of traditional Christian society with something approaching dismay. There are no absolute […]
Posted inNews/Politics
What did you do in the Struggle, Daddy?
Following the transition to non-racial democracy in 1994, it emerged that no-one had ever supported apartheid. Actually, some had but they had emigrated or were dead. This must have come as a relief to everyone, particularly to black people. It also emerged that many more people had fought against apartheid than had been apparent at […]
Posted inGeneral
Channel Islam, Jon Qwelane and the Jewish plot against civilisation
Writing in the SA Jewish Report some years ago, journalist and talkshow host Jon Qwelane challenged the Jewish community to prove to him that the Protocols of the Elders of Zion was, in fact, a forgery. Evidently, he had some doubts on that score at the time. Happily for Qwelane, those doubts would now seem […]
Posted inLifestyle
A dirge for our decaying suburbs
The experience of being shoved roughly against a stationary truck and relieved at knife-point of my wallet and watch should have marked the end of my long-standing affection for Johannesburg’s inner-city streets. It did not, even though I have never forgiven those two bastards and occasionally still fantasise about their receiving a painful come-uppance. Maybe […]