In an unexpected move by former president Thabo Mbeki four years ago, he apologised for what he knew he could have acted on earlier, but didn’t. It was at the time when the term “load shedding” became fashionable because it was dawning on everyone, including Mbeki, that the country was heading for darkness. Mbeki gathered […]
General
Posted inGeneral
Don’t blame Sascoc for taking Chinese money
The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) has been criticised in recent days over their choice of kit manufacturer for the coming Olympic Games in London and the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The chosen company, a Chinese outfit by the name of Erka, have also provided sponsorship valued at $4-million (approximately R29-million). […]
Posted inGeneral
Storming the ramparts of roaming
As high mobile telephony and data costs are steadily whittled down by regulation and innovative Voice over IP-enabled communication models, exorbitant roaming costs are among the last remaining bastions of high mobile charges. A worldwide phenomenon, exorbitant roaming costs came about because of the price-making power of mobile market oligopolies. But even as these powerful […]
Posted inGeneral
Matfield should stay in retirement
The rumour mill has now become fact as Victor Matfield confirmed he had been approached by new Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer about a possible return to the rugby field. Matfield has reportedly been training with the Bulls since he played his last competitive match in the Springboks’ defeat to Australia in last year’s World Cup […]
Posted inGeneral
The mystery of the birds with the weird feet
It’s something that’s bothered me for years. Oh, I forget about it and obsess over other things, like why all the women in CSI Miami have uniformly fabulous long hair when they work with evidence from crime scenes (have they not heard of the scrunchie?) and that weird Moroccan dude who walks around Sandton City […]
Posted inGeneral
In pap we trust
I spent the last four months surrounded by tourists in the Transkei eating roughly 80kg of mielie pap at a rate of 1kg of pap per day. I ate the pap for breakfast. I ate the pap for lunch. I ate the pap for dinner. It was delicious. It was nutritious. I wouldn’t swop it […]
Posted inGeneral
Rape is not a slogan on a T-shirt
When I was a student at Rhodes University I belonged to the Women’s Movement, an organisation that was intended to advance the rights of women students on campus and generally spread the feminist agenda. We were supposed to campaign for things like improved security for women on campus, and to protest against dimwitted and archaic […]
Posted inGeneral, News/Politics
Playing the victim: Malema’s survival strategy
ANC Youth League president Julius Malema and company have the ruling party exactly where they want it to be – i.e. they have got the ANC to mete out the harshest punishment possible. To their credit, I’m sure the ANC itself knows exactly where Malema wants it to be. It has become clear that Malema […]
Posted inGeneral
Dispelling a stereotype: Women in the Arab Gulf
By Richard Ferraris Stereotypes. The fast food of our intellectual age. They are available on every corner and appeal to every taste. In the developed world, it has become fashionable to cite the example of the stereotypical oppressed Muslim woman, which lends credence to a Western view that must inevitably triumph. The Muslim woman. Veiled. […]
Posted inGeneral
Change the ANC voting system
By Fumani Mboweni When a person goes for a job interview, it is to ascertain if he/she is good enough to fulfill the requirements of a particular role. The incumbent is drilled to see if he/she is best suited from among other candidates to do the job. This process can go on for a while […]
Posted inGeneral
Going after ‘extreme oil’ is extremely irresponsible
The emerging information on the quest for what is referred to as “extreme oil” is worrying in the extreme. And it is very bad news for other creatures on the planet, especially those who live in the oceans, judging by the information clip sent to me by the Care2 petition site, to which I subscribe […]
Posted inGeneral
Lions set for Super Rugby blackout
As the Super Rugby season plods along, for the Lions, what lies at the end is ominous. With the Southern Kings guaranteed Super Rugby participation next year, and the competition not expanding (SARU are really crossing their fingers on that one), what will likely happen is the team finishing bottom of the South African conference […]