General

Regular readers of my blog will be aware of my close affinity with the people of Pakistan, which initially arose from my contact with their cricket fans. What started as a fascination with their sporting prowess grew into an intense interest in all things concerning their country and the region.

Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that the educational task of universities is fundamentally twofold: first, to train and prepare students for a specific profession, or at least to develop capacities and skills on their part with the purpose of enabling them to play a constructive role in a country’s economy — as the […]

Is there a word for the ability, no, the power to move people, to stir them to act as you want them to? Persuasion: “cause to believe, provide a sound reason to do something” doesn’t quite capture the essence. Charisma: “compelling charm, attractiveness that can inspire devotion”; closer, but no coconut. Inspiration: “divine influence, fill […]

Before any of you start writing in to tell me that the Act wouldn’t affect an ugly old goat like me, I want to place on record that some of my old girlfriends have won competitions! These include, but are not limited to, the Crufts Hurdling Champion 1984, Epol Allcomers (any breed) 1985 and the […]

We all remember Bob’s version of Cluedo where you had to guess the victim an’ all — “The leader of the opposition, underneath the prison, with the lead piping.” Unfortunately it was banned after the archbishop of Bulawayo said nasty things about Uncle Bob and they couldn’t use the Reverend Green any more. Having said […]

Sjoe, but I’m dizzy! After spending some time tracking down the latest set of amendments to our sexual offences laws — the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act — I made a serious mistake: I started to read it. It had taken me a while to find the document because it has […]

Modderdam Road runs from the N2 highway into the centre of beautiful downtown Bellville, part of greater Cape Town. I’ve been driving the four or so kilometers of the road to the University of the Western Cape every day for 10 years. Modderdam is a microcosm of the world we live in: vistas of development […]

Leadership is an elusive quality, associated, at times, with different, even contradictory qualities. In a patriarchal context, people often seem to attribute personal traits such as conspicuous “strength”, authoritativeness and decisiveness (to the point of peremptoriness) to a leader — qualities that could easily be perverted into dictatorship, not only by the leaders in question, […]

Some friends asked me to attend a day-long talk shop by some of the country’s to opinion-leaders at some white university now the other day. I did not have to think hard before I answered with a resounding: “I am not particularly interested!” They were quiet for a minute before they answered: “This is so […]

By Chayse Kriel I have been at school for 11 years now and am entering my final year as a matric pupil at Glenwood High School, one of Durban’s best high schools, steeped in tradition and known for its high standards. I have been fortunate enough to have been given a sound upbringing at home, […]

So that’s it, then. The 16 Days of No Violence against Women and Children campaign is just about over, so we can settle back into our normal way of life. If Mrs Foster gets on my tits I’ll give her a good clout, and, while I’m at it, I might as well give the little […]