Read an interesting article today on the Mail & Guardian and was moved to pen this arrogant opinion. I’m happy to see that people within the movement realise that the current ANC leadership has put it in a precarious position in terms of intellectual weight. As the Mail & Guardian reported, “there is a general […]
News/Politics
Posted inLifestyle, News/Politics
Does missing laptop plus two black people add up to guilty?
By Thabang Tlaka It was a beautiful summer afternoon so my aunt, an employee of the University of Pretoria and I, a student at the university, decided to sit on a bench and enjoy the late afternoon sun. Suddenly, a man came running out of the Theology building behind us. Clearly panicking and confused, he […]
Posted inNews/Politics
ANCYL not helping Malema’s cause
When the African National Congress released a statement welcoming the national disciplinary committee’s (NDC) decision against ANCYL president Julius Malema, they were at pains to point out that they had noted his plea of guilty and his show of remorse. ANC reaction In their statement, issued by spokesperson Brian Sokutu, the party welcomed the ruling […]
Posted inMedia, News/Politics
Have you got your SA flag sokkies yet?
The other day I bought a pair of South African flag wing-mirror socks for my car. For R100 nogal, but that’s because I am a true Sandtonite and therefore happy to get ripped off. (If I’d bought them in Randburg it would have been a different story.) Yes, I succumbed to all the gooey patriotic […]
Posted inLifestyle, Media, News/Politics, Tech
Wanted: MPs on Facebook
One of the big stories of the week, which did not get much coverage, was one that would have been funny if it was not so very sad. It had to do with the fact that 85% of parliamentarians are not computer literate. This means that only 15% of our elected leaders know how to […]
Posted inLifestyle, News/Politics
Freedom still a distant dream
Now that the dust has settled on Freedom Day — April 27, the 16th anniversary of the first time all South Africans voted in a democratic election — it is worth reflecting on what it means to be free, what we still need to do to achieve more freedom and what we need to do […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Malema could give a sneak preview of ANC 2012
While Business Day are suggesting a Malema guilty plea to shorten today’s disciplinary hearing, IOL are speculating on points in limine being taken by the youth league president’s advisers. In the first instance the guilty plea, in return for a suspended sentence, has been making the rounds and appears to be a sensible exit strategy […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Shape without drape: Muslim fashion du jour
Tens of thousands of Muslims marched through the streets of Paris yesterday to bid farewell to the burqa that is due to make its way out of French society, just in time for Summer 2010. Demonstrators cried, sang victory songs and waved an array of screaming banners: from the eccentric “Free at last” and “Thank […]
Posted inBusiness, Environment, News/Politics
This one’s for the (dim-witted) denialists
I tell you what, I’ll pander to your pathetic pussyfooting. I’ll play your game: let’s assume that global warming is an elaborate hoax. Let’s pretend that any climate change is entirely unrelated to human actions; that the big, green bogey man is nothing but a stuffed toy to dangle from the review mirror of your […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Why corruption is good for SA
In a world of stupid politicians, sometimes the most you can hope for is the opportunity to pay someone to do the right thing. Barely a day goes by in South Africa without someone accusing someone else of being corrupt. Newspapers are filled with scandal after scandal involving “millions” or “billions” of misappropriated funds; we […]
Posted inNews/Politics
SA World Cup a disgrace
Examine the latest available Human Development Index (HDI) figures — a measure of education, life expectancy and standard of living — and you will find that the 2010 World Cup hosts are ranked 129 out of 182 UN member states. Or a whole 19 places below both Gaza and the West Bank. The effect of […]
Posted inBusiness, News/Politics
Is Metrorail benefiting from the strikes?
We all have a right to strike, but does it follow that others should pay more while we strike? If so then Cape Metrorail is within its bounds, but if not I’d like some answers. A notice appeared on the heavily protected windows of the wildly confusing and inarticulate Metrorail ticket sellers last Monday (3rd). […]