Lewis Hamilton, currently driving for the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula 1 Team, confirmed that his Canadian GP crash was down to the aggressive driving techniques he had learned racing down Louis Botha Avenue, Johannesburg, South Africa. Midway through the race Hamilton slammed into the back of Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari when he failed to spot a […]
Michael Trapido
Mike Trapido is a criminal attorney and publicist having also worked as an editor and journalist.
He was born in Johannesburg and attended HA Jack and Highlands North High Schools.
He married Robyn in 1984 (Mrs Traps, aka "the government") and has three sons (who all look suspiciously like her ex-boss).
He was a counsellor on the JCCI for a year around 1992.
His passions include Derby County, Blue Bulls, Orlando Pirates, Proteas and Springboks.
He takes Valium in order to cope with Bafana Bafana's results.
Practice Michael Trapido Attorney (civil and criminal) 011 022 7332
Posted inNews/Politics
Why has Nelson Mandela remained silent on Zimbabwe?
Yesterday I picked up on a question from Christopher Hitchens in Slate magazine: Why has Nelson Mandela remained silent on Zimbabwe? The answer, in my humble opinion, is twofold. Firstly he hasn’t, and secondly Madiba has now earned his rest from politics and should, as his doctors advise, remain free of stress, which I would […]
Posted inGeneral
Woody Allen is Os du Randt
With Clint Eastwood about to make a movie about Madiba and Francois Pienaar, and knowing the American director’s zeal for researching everything and anything on the subject matter he is covering, I figured Os du Randt must be a shoe-in for the picture. Of course, having selected Matt Damon to play aw Franshwa man, he […]
Posted inGeneral
Has Zimbabwe undergone a de facto military coup?
The Times of London is reporting that Zimbabwe has to all intents and purposes undergone a military coup. The paper alleges that since Mugabe lost the first round the country has been overtaken by a military coup by stealth. According to a report being released by Human Rights watch, a junta composed of the military, […]
Posted inGeneral
Diary of Mondli Makhanya, Comrades runner
May 24th 2009 Comrades Marathon Dear Diary 4am Haven’t slept a wink knowing I’ll be out on that road for hour after hour after hour. How many more times must I write down “Don’t drink and speak to geniuses from charities” before I start taking my own advice? Dear mother of all things holy, I’m […]
Posted inSport
Time for South African politicians to be good sports
I’ve just spent the afternoon letting those Welshmen on Will Carling’s site have it and then some. Pieter De Villiers’ finest have just shown the Six Nations champions that there is a world of difference between being the Northern Hemisphere’s top dogs and the team who hold the title of world champions. I would, however, […]
Posted inGeneral
Wales sien hul Gat-Land : South Africa (22) 43 Wales (10) 17
Bloemfontein – South Africa When I joined Will Carling’s website, Rucku.com, he welcomed me aboard but warned me that I better dig up loads of Springbok supporters because the place was crawling with Welshmen – and he wasn’t kidding either the place is infested. Those fecking Welshmen are everywhere and having just won the 6 […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Hold my hand, I’m a stranger in paradise
I was driving home last night and was half-listening to the news on 94.7 when I caught a sound byte from one of the areas affected by xenophobia. Some woman was screaming abuse at a reporter but her words were aimed at some of the foreign refugees, whom I would imagine were within earshot. I’m […]
Posted inGeneral
Matt Damon is the man from U.N.C.L.E Francois Pienaar
If there’s one think in this life that you can guarantee, it’s that a Yank or a Brit, cast to play the role of a South African in a movie, will duff the accent so badly that not one person from the Rainbow Nation will be able to guess which country he’s supposed to be […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Zimbabwe: Home of the brave and land of the free
Robert Mugabe’s appearance at the World Food Summit in Rome has been described as “obscene” by observers mindful of the human rights disaster that is Zimbabwe, and the atrocities being carried on prior to the run-off presidential election — more so now that opposition MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai was detained and then released from a […]
Posted inGeneral
Rugby beats football any day of the week
Growing up in and going to school in Highlands North, Johannesburg, meant playing rugby and football seven days a week. Rugby practices were straight after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays with matches being played either Wednesday afternoon or Saturday mornings. Football practices were also held on a Tuesday and Thursday but in the late afternoons. […]
Posted inNews/Politics
‘Constitutional vandalism’ is in the eye of the beholder
The Democratic Alliance’s Tony Leon has accused President Mbeki, ANC president Jacob Zuma and Cape Judge President John Hlophe of “constitutional vandalism”. Leon’s allegations arise from a variety of causes, particular to each, as set out in an article from Sapa, which appeared on IOL. The courageous and adroit former leader of the DA is […]