Submitted by Steve Woodhall I got the impression that the Mail & Guardian had their knives into the IPL series, some of the blogs have been a bit … mean. I was suspending judgment but I’ve just watched the wonderful game between Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians at Kingsmead (May 14). I’ve decided this IS […]
Reader Blog
On our Reader Blog, we invite Thought Leader readers to submit one-off contributions to share their opinions on politics, news, sport, business, technology, the arts or any other field of interest.
If you'd like to contribute, first read our guidelines for submitting material to this blog.
Posted inGeneral
Examining shaky foundations
By Prof Dennis Brutus When conditions are so unseemly even the blind are made aghast and police are firing rubber bullets* in defense of the indefensible it is time Messers Makgoba and Mandela and others of your ilk to reassess your gains and efforts – more importantly, reassess your measuring rods, question your values Respectfully […]
Posted inGeneral
How to market iPhone applications
Submitted by Brendan McNulty Since two people I know are now professional iPhone developers, I’ve taken a bit of a closer look at the App Store, the iPhone and marketing of applications. There are a few things I find interesting: 1) It’s essentially a walled garden, distribution is exclusively through the App Store, so Apple […]
Posted inMedia
Let’s celebrate the bright side of poverty
Submitted by Mahmood Sanglay I watched Slumdog Millionaire and felt sick. Never have so many watched so much poverty on a silver screen and felt so good about it. The deception disgusts and the irony offends — extremely. But I apologise for this undeserved kindness. Mine is just one of few critical voices amid the […]
Posted inGeneral
Is KFC the right image for the Proteas?
Submitted by Sean Lloyd We’ve all come to look up at certain people in our lives and often the brands we use are ones that have in some way been endorsed by someone we look up to. From Lance Armstrong, Nike and Oakley, to Kelly Slater and Quiksilver, each brand has a face to it […]
Posted inNews/Politics
DA by-election victories interrogated
Submitted by Marius Redelinghuys Nobody can deny the DA’s landslide — overwhelming — by-election victories in Cape Town’s 2nd and 79th wards. The by-election results indicated a 96.34% showing of support for the DA in ward 2 and 79.38% in ward 79. Moreover, one cannot deny that these by-election victories are marked improvements on the […]
Posted inGeneral
A shift in attitude
Submitted by Niki Moore Taking a broad snapshot of South Africa at the moment, there are many government policies or attitudes that appear wrong and short-sighted. Yet, when these are criticised by a (white) person, the response usually is that the criticiser is being racist. And the invariable response to that is: “You must stop […]
Posted inGeneral
Buffering the economic meltdown using web 2.0
Submitted by Kate Elphick Even the most removed business from the global market is starting to feel the bite of the global economic meltdown. This year is going to be a challenging year for many South African businesses. Most companies are looking at what they can do to make the best of the current economic […]
Posted inTech
Who’s the clever one then?
Submitted by Terry White I was doodling through my favourite website, Wikipedia, and I came across an article on “National IQ”. In 2006, Dr Richard Lynn and Dr Tatu Vanhanen published a book called IQ and Global Inequality. In the book they list the average IQs of 185 nations and make an argument that international […]
Posted inLifestyle
Environmentalists fuel alcoholism
Submitted by Sean Lloyd Working in the eco-industry, I constantly stress about little things environment wise. Are my friends recycling? Are they using organic body-care products? Are their products local, and not imported? I wonder if that salad is organic? Do they even care? All these questions were piling up in my head late last […]
Posted inGeneral
South Africans (Re)classified
Submitted by Prisha Bhoola I’ve decided to brush up on my Afrikaans — to impress Jacob Zuma. Now that Afrikaners are “in” — it makes sense. Ja dis waar, as Oom Eugene has been saying all along. Afrikaners, with their single passports are the only true South Africans! My sister studied her entire medical degree […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Guess who’s coming to class
By Thabo Mohlala I recently attended a mass meeting convened by the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) Gauteng central region at Orlando Communal Hall in Soweto. I was intrigued by its recent shenanigans when they unashamedly opted to hold a meeting during school time to promote ANC policies at the expense of education. I […]