General

Power is abused, probably a million times a day, the world over. A man who abuses his bodily power to subjugate a woman for his (power) pleasure, or who abuses her economic dependence on him to get what he wants, are just some of these. Not that women cannot, or do not, abuse their (sexual) […]

As MTN-Qhubeka embarked on their European racing campaign today in the Tour de Gironde in France, it made me think. How many South African cyclists do we have riding in Europe? Unlike Australia and America, we don’t have a federation-sponsored house in Belgium where riders are based racing against the best up-and-coming youngsters in the […]

It’s sort of fun being a virtual South African refugee. You never quite know which country you are going to be in next. And let’s face it: most people’s sense of peace and assurance is a false sense of security. Heck, your wife could die in a car accident tomorrow, or you find out you […]

There is an often-used phrase, slowly creeping on the borders of cliché, by the South African rugby media to signify the “what now?” question once a Rugby World Cup year passes. “Player exodus” along with the imposed biblical proportions of rugby players’ status in a sport where every second player is referred to willy-nilly as […]

I love Africa. For Christ’s sake the place made me into the hazardous person that I am! No place on planet earth garners me so little result with so much sweat. No place makes my inner tiger roar more often than is desired, while at the same time leaving me laughing my lungs out. At […]

It’s been weeks since Americans poured onto the streets, crowing and cheering. At last, their nemesis’s blood spilled, they exhale. A man in a blanket, huddled over flickering images of himself, is gone. The stuff of American nightmares sleeps with the fishes. The world is better off now that we have another porn-riddled hard drive […]

Lusophones (Angolans and Mozambicans) are wild partiers, as can be the Tanzanians. Ugandan men are either lovers or fighters ie they have no problem ruffling up a woman when challenged. Nigerian men are calm and collected while their female counterparts are erratic. Ghanaians bear it “all”. Zambians interject religion into conversations yet are good dancers. […]

BROKEN BRAND PROMISE #1: With claims service so fast, it’ll be as if it never happened. BROKEN BRAND PROMISE #2: We care about you, and we protect you. I actually like Outsurance’s new set of TV campaigns (see below). They’re catchy, witty and speak to one of the critical parts of the insurance relationship — […]

Some years ago, former president Thabo Mbeki scornfully dismissed the DA as a “Mickey Mouse party”. Even party leader Tony Leon’s caustic rejoinder that Mbeki was heading up a “Goofy government” could not altogether remove the sting from that taunt. Things are looking quite a bit different now. Even Thabo would concede that the DA […]

It shouldn’t be news to anybody when I say that the relationship between accountants and IT people is not always a happy one. Our priorities often conflict, each of us speaks a jargon that is impenetrable to the other and there’s a lingering suspicion on both sides that we’re being set up to take the […]

By Ryan Peter Many Thought Leader and Mail & Guardian readers might recall an article last week on Stephen Hawking, the world-renowned physicist, remarking that there “is no heaven” and calling the idea a “fairy story”. Here’s a quick quote from Hawking: “I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its […]