By Zuki Mqolomba I woke up to a wardrobe dilemma this morning. Given the choice of a litany of unattractive black attire I’d long abandoned given the season, I was rattled by the political choice imposed on me on this ordinary Tuesday-turned-extraordinary. By accident, omission or actual deliberation, my choice of “shirt, skirt, shoes and […]
News/Politics
Posted inNews/Politics
Will the real pharaoh please stand up
The resignation of Egypt’s cabinet this week shows the paralysing complexities surrounding the process of transition to democracy in post-revolution societies in the Arab world. Only in Tunisia, the country that ushered in this huge wave of change in North Africa, has the transition to democracy been relatively smooth, albeit accompanied by some challenges. It’s […]
Posted inGeneral, News/Politics
Christians – the world’s most persecuted faith group
While Jews agonise over anti-Semitism and Muslims rail against Islamophobia, both of which are supposedly on the rise everywhere you look, remarkably little is being heard on behalf of arguably the world’s most persecuted religious group today, namely Christians. I say “arguably”, because anti-Buddhist persecution in Tibet and Myanmar/Burma is also an unhappy reality. Still, […]
Posted inNews/Politics
The secrecy Bill: Why wearing black matters
Sanef, the National Press Club and the Right2Know campaign have issued a call to wear black on what has been dubbed Black Tuesday: when Parliament votes on the Protection of Information Bill. It’s a cause that has resonated with many, and there’s been plenty of discussion on social media platforms; #POIB and #SecrecyBill are top […]
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‘Black Tuesday’ protest the least we can do
In light of the current legal action being taken by presidential spokesperson Mac Maharaj against the Mail & Guardian for what he claims are breaches of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Act, coupled to the decision to proceed with all haste, and very little consultation, on the Protection of Information Bill, the very least South […]
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An inoculation against cynicism and despair
The newspaper billboard bellowed in temple-pounding capitals: “TOP COP FAILS LIE TEST”. The nation yawned. Only had he passed would it be news. Meanwhile, Minister in the Presidency Trevor Manuel has just unveiled the National Development Plan (NDP). One of the objectives is that by 2030 South Africans will no longer live in fear of […]
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Divorce can be deadlier than criminal law
While I specialised in criminal law in 1997 I have been inundated with divorce matters almost from the time that I elected to narrow down the cases that I would be prepared to deal with. The problem is that ordinary people, both men and women, who feel slighted or emotionally scarred by their spouse’s conduct, […]
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Manuel’s ‘new’ development plan?
National planning commission chairperson Trevor Manuel recently released the much-anticipated national development plan aimed principally at tackling the structural economic problems of high unemployment and pervasive poverty. This is not our first attempt at formulating strategies to deal with these challenges. Many other growth strategies have been published since 1994 with similar fanfare. The latest […]
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Going bonkers over bunkers
So, this is where we find ourselves in 2011. We have, north of the continent, the now deceased Muammar Gaddafi — notwithstanding his bunkers from which he ultimately had to run away from, not because they did not provide him with enough comfort, but because they could not withstand the people’s will. We now, unbelievably […]
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Malema could learn from Mbeki and Zuma ordeals
It’s time Julius Malema had some afternoon tea with SA President Jacob Zuma. This followed by a single malt evening with former president Thabo Mbeki. If ever there was a time for Malema to think outside the box, this is it. Though he has the option of appealing, there are dire implications, whichever way one […]
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Oh, Juju, baby! It’s gonna be cold outside
After years of taunting with impunity its elders in the African National Congress, the Youth League has discovered that president-baiting can be a dangerous sport. Their protracted tussle with the ANC establishment, embodied in its disciplinary committee, this week ended with them dazed, bloodied and effectively booted from the pack. Firebrand ANC Youth League president […]
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Berlusconi falls: Is Zuma next?
The downfall of Silvio Berlusconi leaves Jacob Zuma the sole custodian of an exclusive club of self-made, charismatic populists with persistent legal issues. Not to mention leaving no-one to send him pyjamas! “There’s not really much difference between Zuma and Berlusconi,” emailed my friend Christiaan. “Both are dogged by allegations of corruption and sexual exploits. […]