General

By Coenraad Bezuidenhout Let me explain … The Dinokeng study, launched last month, suggests three scenarios for a South Africa of 2020. Together, these three imagined futures gesture that an engaged citizenry will be key to ensure a South Africa that shows sustainable progress through an effective state. We are fresh out of an election […]

A cynic was talking to me the other day about what he called “crippling the power of the delivery myth”. He was telling me that as much as President Jacob Zuma is a source of inspiration and hope, the poor and disadvantaged must resign themselves to eating the pie in the sky. He insisted that […]

So I am standing behind all shapes, sizes, colours and obviously nationalities at Dubai International Mall, otherwise known as Dubai International Airport, waiting to surrender my boarding pass to get on this Emirates flight to Frankfurt. In front of me is a small family: an old woman flanked by her two sons. The woman wears […]

And so a week that started so well — with hype, hope and a fair sprinkling of glamour — ended rather limply, with Bafana showing all the attacking promise of a newborn gazelle charging a pride of lions. I mean, really, what was Santana thinking? You have millions glued to their seats, thousands crammed into […]

I’m excited to be able to share some info relating to a project we’re working on that makes it possible for vida e caffe patrons to access HipZone hotspots free of charge. This is all possible through an advertising platform that combines hardware with webware and that’s only the beginning of a whole new world. […]

Last Monday I finally received the HTC Magic (also called the G2) — a phone I have long been looking forward to, not so much for the hardware, but for the operating system. This is Google’s second official iteration of Android, its open source mobile operating system. It comes included with a mini-USB charger, USB […]

Nokia’s Sports Tracker service won the 2009 Best Something Award for IT Genius. So my feelings of frustration have mutated into a deep sense of shame and stupidity. If millions of other people around the world can co-ordinate their phone, get the HR monitor to work and upload their training diaries, why can’t I? But […]

We have witnessed five very interesting games, in which the British & Irish Lions have played and beaten: 1. The Royal XV — 25-37 2. The Lions — 10-74 3. The Cheetahs — 24-26 4. The Sharks — 3-39 5. Western Province — 23-26 Next up on the Lions menu are the Southern Kings on […]

Imagine sitting in a room in 1991 with a group of South African’s trying to map out what the nation would look like in 2002. At the time we were in the middle of negotiations, the country was racked in violence and uncertainty, we were yet to have our first democratic elections and predicting the […]

The DA, somewhat against expectation, won a clear majority in the recent election in the Western Cape. It is now the sole province beyond the direct control of the ANC. Why? While the exact reasons for this win are probably complex, it may be interesting to examine a slightly different perspective. In this view we […]

See here, get it right. We don’t need your charity. We don’t need your business and custom. In fact we don’t even need your tourism. What we need is for you, your people and their businesses to stop destroying our lives, our communities and our environment; to stop ripping us off on the sale of […]

Anton smiled bitterly, shaking his head, cleaning his pub counter. “Ja, me and my boet, we bought the land out near Kommetjie, got builders and sub-contractors in to build a sweet house for the family. Most of the construction was finished … ” sighs, ” … and one day my boet went to have a […]