A little rant from time to time is rarely a bad thing … I have never been apocalyptic about the possibility of a Jacob Zuma presidency. Setting aside any actual or purported crimes and misdemeanors, the red mist that descends over some people from time to time, or Zuma’s actual ideas about HIV/Aids; the idea […]
News/Politics
Posted inNews/Politics
Chemical castration for rapists?
Poland, in response to a shocking case of incest, is set to table legislation which will enable judges to sentence paedophiles to chemical castration. The bill, if passed, will be the first of its kind within the European Union and will spark intense debate both in Poland and the EU. www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4825252.ece The case, involving a […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Just calm the F&*k down already
Living in South Africa is exhausting. We are always one small step away from mass hysteria. Or that, at least, is the impression you’d get if you based your knowledge entirely on the news media, Tuesday being the most recent and vivid example. Now, it’s understandable that if big political events take place the media […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Should Zuma give way for a Motlanthe presidency after the 2009 elections?
If Zuma were to get up and address the nation and tell us that he has no intentions of running for the presidency of the country, he would do much to repair his chequered reputation. Such an announcement would probably be one of the single greatest acts of self-sacrifice this nation has ever seen. It […]
Posted inLifestyle, News/Politics
Understanding the meaning of why “judges are counter revolutionary”
It is sad that some people are not granted their right to freedom of thought and speech in this country simply because of who they support. Yet all views deserve to be judged on merit, if any. Thus we must resisting prejudging what comes out of the mouths of a people like the Youth League’s […]
Posted inBusiness, News/Politics
Diary of an HR manager, aged 35 ½
If you think you’ve had a difficult few days take a minute to think about one poor old HR manager in Pretoria. First the CEO was forced out and then 14 members of Exco resigned on the same day! His succession planning has been blown out of the water and now he’s got to draw […]
Posted inNews/Politics, Tech
The diary of President Ivy
Exclusive: The 12 hours of the Matsepe-Casaburri presidency, revealed through the acting president’s diary September 25, midnight: Yippee!!! I’m the president! No, the President, with a capital P! No one can stop me now! I’m so happy I could change a law! 12.01am: Just heard my first President Matsepe-Casaburri joke from the Internet. Q: What […]
Posted inMedia, News/Politics
Maybe next time?
I missed Thabo Mbeki’s farewell speech on Sunday night and was desperate the next morning to catch a glimpse of his apparently wet eyes bidding goodbye to a nation. I rush over to the SABC website hoping to find an uploaded video of the evening’s drama. I don’t find anything. Instead, I come across videos […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Et tu Ruth?
Ruth Kelly, the UK transport secretary, dropped a political time bomb on British Prime Minister Gordon Brown less than 24 hours after what many analysts believe was the Labour leader’s make-or-break speech to the party conference in Manchester. The Member of Parliament for Bolton West confirmed that she would be leaving the Cabinet in order […]
Posted inNews/Politics
A call for disunity
The South African body politic is sick. And it’s the ANC’s fault. Not because 10 cabinet ministers and the president resigned this week. Not because a motley crew of populists have taken unceremonious control of party and state. And not because all the turbulence has shaved a few percentage points off the rand or the […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Zimbabwe stalemate an opportunity for Zanu-PF
While many sceptics believe the deal engineered by President Thabo Mbeki would afford Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe the opportunity to again outwit his opponents and carry on regardless, this is completely divorced from the reality. In fact, the country has ground to a standstill while Mugabe and those still loyal to him attempt to cling […]
Posted inNews/Politics
ANC in turmoil: National crisis or business as usual?
This week’s Talkback question on the Mail & Guardian Online: ANC in turmoil: Political crisis or business as usual?