The ANC Youth League often refers to the Freedom Charter when citing a basis upon which it relies for introducing nationalisation and land expropriation. Bloomberg.com quotes ANC Youth League president Julius Malema as saying that “the call of nationalisation is what is required by the Freedom Charter”. He said this in an interview on Johannesburg-based […]
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
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
McBride’s drunk-driving conviction is the least of his problems
The Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Friday convicted Robert McBride on charges of drunk driving and defeating the ends of justice while acquitting him of fraud. This however was the least of his problems — as well as others granted amnesty by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) — after the Constitutional Court upheld the Citizen […]
Posted inNews/Politics
SA farmer loses Zim land-grab case
The Supreme Court of Appeal on Monday overturned certain parts of a North Gauteng High Court order granted against the South African government et al in favour of Crawford von Abo, a farmer whose land in Zimbabwe was the subject of invasions. “Von Abo is a South African citizen and businessman who held various properties […]
Posted inGeneral, News/Politics
SA woman found guilty of defensive homicide in Oz
Eileen Creamer, a 52-year-old former South African, has become the first woman in the state of Victoria, Australia, to be convicted of defensive homicide. Creamer had been charged in the Victoria Supreme Court of murdering her husband, David Creamer, and did not dispute that she had stabbed him in the stomach and beaten him over […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Ballem needs all the support he can get
The decision by the Cape Bar Council — to request advocate Nehemiah Ballem to refrain from practising law pending the outcome of an investigation into his crude remarks to Western Cape High Court Judge Lee Bozalek — is hardly surprising. Ballem, while being questioned by the judge about his late arrival at court, replied in […]
Posted inNews/Politics
‘What does success in Libya look like?’
Analysts and a good number of US politicians are singularly unconvinced by the casus belli presented by President Barack Obama for intervening in Libya. Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Republican John Boehner, said : “The speech failed to provide Americans much clarity to our involvement in Libya. Nine days into this military […]
Posted inGeneral
Tackling corruption with conviction
Stephen Grootes writing for Eyewitness News on Thursday confirmed that the Constitutional Court has dropped a bombshell in the lap of the government after ruling that the legislation disbanding the Scorpions was essentially invalid and did not give the unit’s successor, the Hawks, enough independence. Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke read out the majority judgement, […]
Posted inGeneral
The mother of all embarrassments
While Schabir Shaik, the former financial adviser to President Jacob Zuma, has been arrested by officers from Correctional Services this does not mean that the South African public should assume that his bail is about to be cancelled. Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula confirmed on Monday that Shaik had been picked up and taken to the Durban […]
Posted inGeneral
What were the policemen doing at the Public Protector?
The South African Police Service, commendably, have confirmed that they will be investigating the allegedly unauthorised visit by crime intelligence officials last Wednesday evening to the offices of the Public Protector. Public Protector spokesperson Kgalalelo Masibi on Friday said that two policemen — a Colonel Maluleka and a Captain Nkuta — arrived at their offices […]
Posted inNews/Politics
An attack against the Protector is an attack on the people of SA
The South African Police Service has confirmed that it will be investigating an allegedly unauthorised raid by crime intelligence officials yesterday evening at the offices of the Public Protector in Pretoria. Police spokeperson McIntosh Polela told Sapa today: “We condemn the raid and we didn’t sanction it and we are launching an investigation to deal […]
Posted inNews/Politics
I wouldn’t fire Kuli Roberts
There is nothing that Sunday World columnist Kuli Roberts can say or do that will justify or excuse her racist bilge and at a time like this it might be opportune to consider bringing back the death penalty for people like her. Outrageous? Well South Africa that’s pretty much what you sound like about now. […]