Have we lost our way in school sport, to a large extent I believe we have. Why? I will attempt to illustrate why. I have for many years heard this phrase, high performance, it worried me then and it still does. How can we slot a 14-year-old into a high-performance programme when the maturation and […]
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Education in a world of forgetting
How does one conceptualise the contemporary educational terrain regarding the challenges it faces in the new century, especially in so far as it is inescapably situated within the broader cultural landscape of 21st-century globalised society? The first thing one should note is that what the Frankfurt School called “technical rationality” is still being given priority […]
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AB injury an opportunity for Proteas
Gary Kirsten’s plans for the coming international cricket season have been soiled somewhat by injury. AB de Villiers, the newly minted ODI and T20 skipper, picked up a hand injury during a practice session with the Royal Challengers Bangalore and will be out of action for between four to six weeks after undergoing surgery. That […]
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eCommerce in SA
Subsequent to a talk we gave recently on the state of eCommerce in South Africa, it made sense to collate some of the key points of the presentation into a single infographic. Of particular interest to me, was the fact that while retail growth in SA is currently around 6%, online retail growth is more […]
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Dubai, a desert apartheid
By Jared Sacks The glittering city-state of Dubai is the modern Babylon of global capitalism, with one of the highest economic growth rates and per capita incomes in the world. Boasting two of the largest malls, the largest man-made island, the tallest building, and the only self-proclaimed seven-star hotel in the world, it is Las […]
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The eCommerce revolution – like it or not it’s happening
If you have recently spent any time in the UK or US, you will no doubt be aware of the vast difference in eCommerce between SA and those countries. In statistics, the difference is made clear: in 2010, UK shoppers spent £58.8 billion ($92 billion) online, while South Africans did a paltry R2 billion ($254 million). Even accounting for […]
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Black liberals’ big DA-lemma: Race, ideology and breaking ranks
Who does Lindiwe Mazibuko think she is, running to become the DA’s new parliamentary leader? Let’s face it: the DA is not considered a white party just because of its history. Its liberal, economically right-of-centre ideology is also a large part of the problem. The truth is, if you vote left of centre in South […]
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Political organisations have a place in SRCs
By Amanda Ngwenya Kate Wilkinson’s Thought Leader article that SRCs are for students not politicians provides a good platform off which to make the case for the inclusion of political organisations in Student Representative Council (SRC) elections because it posits the classical fallacy that attends the debate. The fallacy being that political organisations further some […]
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TIA – This is Africa
By Jacqueline Muna Musiitwa “This is Africa” (TIA) is used in the context of what is perceived to be “African” versus “unAfrican”. For this article, unAfrican includes, but is not limited to, systems that work, clean places and timeliness. African, however, is dirty, tardy and disorganised. Even though I surround myself with Afro-optimists, I have […]
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No government can take away our rights
By Amukelani Mayimele When you vote you change nothing. Things will only change if we change our way of thinking and do things for ourselves. Figures show that we vote but do we hold our leaders accountable? Do we know the policies that are approved on our behalf? Do we recommend solutions to government? Are […]
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SRCs are for students, not politicians
By Kate Omega Wilkinson Prof Jonathan Jansen over at University of the Free State has been given a hard time about the fact that he wants to limit political activity on the Student Representative Council (SRC). I just want to give him a pat on the back. I think that it is a step in […]
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Prevent lock-in, obsolescence and over-charging with standards-based VoIP
Many companies today stipulate a need for “investment protection” in their telephony systems. In other words, they want the assurance that their phone system won’t require a full “forklift migration” at upgrade time due to “closed” standards, and that it won’t spring so many hidden cost surprises that, in the end, they’re left with a […]