General

Mark Gevisser in his book The Dream Deferred contains gross inaccuracies about me. First on page 738 where he writes: “Charlene Smith would write in the Washington Post that rape was ‘endemic’ in Africa and had become ‘a prime means of transmitting the disease, to young women, as well as children.’” He gives the source […]

A few weeks ago, I wrote about my irrational, superstitious belief in God in a piece entitled “An irrational believer in God”. The sheer volume of emails I received in response was a bit overwhelming. The emails can be divided into four categories: 1. Other consciously irrational, superstitious religious types who emailed me to tell […]

My very first encounter with criminal law was when my principal Kyriaco (Jack) Hajibey told me to go to the OK Bazaars, buy a bottle of Colgate Shampoo and pay for it at the counter nearest the door. As the clerk of this eminent attorney, of Cypriot extraction, who was I to argue? It seemed […]

So, Riaan Wolmarans, the M&G Online and Thought Leader editor, has finally come up with the goods and managed to get the effervescent human magnet, Ronald Suresh Roberts, to join Thought Leader. What a scoop! And to get Ferial Haffajee to join the fray … well, sheer genius. Who can argue that for the past […]

Am I missing something or are we rapidly putting our ability to take criticism in the same parlous condition in which we’ve put our planet? This isn’t about the futile he-said-she-said roundelay or the kind of puerile my-view’s-better-than-your-view nonsense. This is about listening, really listening to what people are saying, questioning their propositions, their motives […]

There are more than 540 000 words in the English language. This is apparently about five times more than during Shakespeare’s time. Among the many new words or meanings fighting to get accepted on to the hallowed pages of the Oxford English Dictionary would be “twittering”, and that would not involve birds. It was early February […]

(A couple of years back I wrote (sporadically) a column for the Mail & Guardian Online. I don’t think anyone actually read it – it was usually buried several mouse clicks away from the real writers like Tom Eaton, Richard Calland and Ferial Haffajee. So, because I’m feeling guilty at not having posted anything on […]

There can be little or no doubt that Ronald Suresh Roberts represents the kind of public intellectual this country does not only not need but must reject. And in this regard I put aside the many seemingly credible accusations against him of plagiarism presently. Some of Robert’s critics may have made the error — admittedly […]

Yesterday was a fun day. I was offered an LG Viewty phone to play with and to comment on, and it’s a fine-looking phone. And I get to keep it. I am beyond tickled pink. I am tickled all the shades of the rainbow. Why the excessive celebrations, one might wonder? It’s because I am […]

When, if ever, does the talent of an individual attain such heights that it lessens, or even negates the impact of their horrific deeds? Can a writer’s past be ignored or, as Johann Hari puts it, glossed over, in an effort to recognise his work? Perhaps an even more important question is can you do […]

On Monday I stumbled, eyes wide shut, into a metro police roadblock in Main Reef Road in Roodepoort. I will now have to contribute 500 smackers to their Xmas gooi — talking on a cellphone. What a doos, Kriel! I don’t have any alibis. It was a fair cop, as my mates in Wimblefontein would […]

Just when one feels convinced of the grand immunity of one’s views, irony daubs Banksy-style graffiti all across their Plascon-coated protective surface. Oh, sure you can wash it off and your walls are good as new, but it’s Banksy. And it’s so darned pretty too. Take the first rule of Thought Leader — “Discuss the […]