The avalanche of correspondence from disgruntled Silwane Files regulars wanting a word or eighteen hundred from the quintessential beer chucker and spear chugger has been a bit overwhelming. It was the type of experience that self-important, delusional megalomaniacs are made of. And it didn’t really matter what type of e-mail, telefax or letter I received, […]
Lifestyle
Posted inBusiness, Equality, Lifestyle
I’ve had it with the men in this country
I’ve had it with the men in this country and their Neanderthal views toward women — whether in relationships, from the judiciary or Parliament — the workplace or motherhood. Women constitute more than half the workforce in this country and overwhelmingly carry the burden of child rearing. There are more single mothers than women in […]
Posted inLifestyle
A solution to DVD late fees:
Yes, there are many large and difficult problems we all have to face each day. But in the face of all these problems, wouldn’t it be nice to eradicate the small, irritating ones? Like DVD late fees? And having to drive to the DVD store to pick up a movie when you’d really rather just […]
Posted inLifestyle, News/Politics
South African sjamboks Sydney gatecrashers!
My Sunday morning — the highlight of which otherwise was the purchase of a laundry basket — was considerably enlivened by the sight of this story in the Sun-Herald. I’ll bet that every South African in Sydney is talking about Dion Driman, an electrical contractor who fended off 30 youths who invaded a party at […]
Posted inLifestyle, News/Politics
Why women are this year’s black
“It’s so unfair — there’s a Women’s Day, so why can’t there be a Men’s Day?” wonder woebegone males countrywide each August. The answer is that every day (including August 9) is in actual fact a man’s day. Yes, we have a Constitution that enshrines gender equality, bodily integrity and reproductive rights. And, undoubtedly, there […]
Posted inLifestyle
To cut or not to cut
Friends of mine had a baby boy a few weeks ago. When their doctor asked them if they wanted to circumcise their child, my friends asked if there were any health advantages to snipping off the foreskin. “None,” the doctor answered matter-of-factly. When they told me this story, I had to gasp for air. I […]
Posted inBusiness, Lifestyle
Great customer service creates obsessive loyalty
Tito didn’t raise the repo rate — hallelujah! To have done so would have been like throwing petrol (costly though it is) on to the fire. South Africa would have had a revolution. Salaries have not matched inflation (unless you’re a politician or corporate executive), which has gone up 10 times since 2006. On average […]
Posted inLifestyle
Why I’m a vegetarian
I don’t believe that animals should not be killed for human consumption. In fact, I think that God has most definitely provided certain animals for man — some to assist us in our daily tasks and others to provide us with the nutrients and proteins (isn’t that what meat supplies?!) that eating meat provides. But […]
Posted inLifestyle
A BMW driver comes out fighting after my alien roadhog slur
You have to read this and you’ll see why: BMW drivers are a malleable lot, it seems, and I’m almost warming to them. Barely a peep out of them after the go I had at them the other day. Except for one, whose post I enjoyed so much that I’m posting it more prominently to […]
Posted inLifestyle
‘If you have children in Australia, they will be obese’
This week I was faced with the knowledge that I needed to get the prescriptions for my chronic medication renewed. Finding a doctor was a little daunting, especially given that my GP back in Joburg is a woman who has treated me since I was seven years old. Where would I find a relationship like […]
Posted inLifestyle
There are good-bad movies (and then there are bad-bad movies)
I’m actually a fan of the bad movie category. You know those movies that are so bad they’re funny? Purposefully bad, purposefully funny. Bad as in: over-the-top, cheesy, obvious. Take Zoolander, for instance. As far as I’m concerned, the first good-bad movie of its kind (I stand corrected if anyone knows of one before that?) […]
Posted inLifestyle, News/Politics
Rights, but no freedom — except for Tony Leon who is free at last, and great at it
Tony Leon is different now and yet maybe this is who he always was buried below the stress. Tony Leon on a public platform today is engaging, charming, witty, erudite and dare I say it – cute. This is a far cry from the leader of the opposition who often came across as belligerent and […]