General

By chance I had Leonard Chuene, president of the ASA, keep me company on a long drive to Rustenberg on Wednesday. He was on 702 Talk Radio and it’s the first time I’ve actually heard him speak on this issue. It was sadly very entertaining. He postured, got defensive, kept calling Caster a “little girl”, […]

This week’s Talkback question on the Mail & Guardian Online: Is the media to blame for the Caster Semenya controversy?

Two major political anniversaries were commemorated recently: the thirtieth anniversary of the election of Baroness Margaret Thatcher as Britain’s first woman prime minister and the fortieth anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in New York. Both watershed events have been the subject of widespread review and commentary. The Stonewall riots were the first time in America […]

Ruan in for Frans Steyn. Big talking point this is for Saturday’s Test. But let’s get some perspective here. What the Boks are losing is a long (though no more accurate) boot and dominating defence. What we are gaining is a great ball player that knows how to pass in the tackle, run around opponents […]

Shopping in South African malls has become a dangerous affair. Adrenalin junkies may find the prospect of being caught up in a violent armed robbery a thrilling experience; while the rest of us tremble at the mere thought of having AK47 assault rifles being shoved in your face or becoming the sad victim of a […]

Many of Thought Leader’s regular bloggers worry whether the people who read these blogs actually do so with any measure of intellectual diligence. The cause for our concerns is the very low standard of almost half of the comments readers take the time to write. We often look at the garbled, nonsensical, immature inanities commentators […]

The key ingredients to ensure the successful hosting of a mega sporting event are security, state-of-the-art stadia, sufficient accommodation, the buy-in of the public and, of course, an efficient transport system. In terms of South Africa’s 2010 World Cup preparations, the country is on target to meet four of these five requirements. Sweeping measures are […]

I have often heard many an “unreconstructed racist” hasten to add that they have many black friends. In the minds of these people it is clear that your racism or lack thereof, is proportional to the number of friends you have in race groups other than your own. The subject of race and racism has […]

Is Roger Federer the greatest player to ever grace the tennis court? He has won 15 grand slam titles and will be moving in for title number 16 at the upcoming US Open, which he has won for the past five years. He also holds the record for being ranked number one for 237 consecutive […]

By Roger Diamond According to a recent news article in the Guardian (UK), parts of the Nile Delta are being flooded by rising sea levels. The rising sea levels are, of course, being blamed on climate change. Indeed, sea levels are apparently rising and it is almost certain that most of this rise is caused […]

It’s uncanny how South Africans can be so narcissistic, arrogant, stubborn and petulant to the extent that they become blind. It’s time for a little introspection and a massive overhaul of the way we conduct ourselves. Time and again we fail our people by being discourteous and rude with the most phenomenal gaffes on the […]

I have found myself getting increasingly angry over the past few days listening to the debate raging over Caster Semenya. It has taken a nasty, racist turn — cleverly clouding the real issues surrounding Caster: that Athletics South Africa (ASA) should have tested her before she left, that they have proven to not understand the […]