The Chinese have landed. How you react to the Cantonese colonization of Africa is determined by how you see life. Chop suey bowl full? Or chop suey bowl empty?
News/Politics
Posted inNews/Politics
This is us. Welcome to South Africa
This is us. No miracle nation. No rainbow nation. Just us: violent; intolerant of difference — hitting where it hurts. Let’s not try to sweet-talk ourselves. This is who we are. Let’s look ourselves in the eye. We are lurching from crisis to crisis at every level of our society, the latest being the extremes […]
Posted inMedia, News/Politics
The minister and the law
Ignorance of the law excuses no man; not that all men know the law; but because ’tis an excuse every man will plead, and no man can tell how to *confute him, so said John Selden (1584-1654), posthumously published in Table Talk, 1689. There are four fundamental pieces of the law that set the boundaries […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Xenophobic racism and other general idiocy
When I first heard that people of Zimbabwean, Mozambican and Malawian descent had been attacked in Alexandra, I did what I always do when I hear such news. Not to be callous or anything, but I shrugged and wondered out loud why people always seem amazed when these things happen. I have received a lot […]
Posted inBusiness, News/Politics
Polokwane’s revenge: ‘no crisis Mbeki’ pulls the walls down
Thabo Mbeki must go. The president who has failed to see any crisis with the world’s highest rates of Aids, worst crime statistics, exploding power stations, the stolen election of a neighbouring country and scenes of unmitigated barbarism against foreigners is destroying our nation. African National Congress treasurer general Matthew Phosa is right, we need […]
Posted inMedia, News/Politics
Party HQ shouldn’t call shots on SABC — Mathews Phosa
Intervention by ANC headquarters to change Parliament’s nominees for the SABC board last year was not only “going too far”, it was actually “corrupt”. This strong assessment comes from ANC treasurer general Mathews Phosa, speaking to the South African National Editors’ Forum in Johannesburg on Saturday. It should be up to Parliament to resolve who […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Kenya’s animal science phenomenon
Submitted by Lionel Faull Lionel Faull stumbles across an entry in the little-known East African Journal of Animal Behavioural Science … Kenya is world famous for its wilderness safari experience, thanks to its magnificent landscapes and teeming wildlife. A new species of mammal has recently emerged, however, whose predatory characteristics have thrown the tourism sector […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Blowing up the bridges
Like a defeated army in retreat, our minister of magic seems intent on leaving behind nothing but ruins for her successor. In what appears to be a frenetic dash to the finish line, the final stage of her marathon of misconduct, Dr Beet and her department are churning out a flurry of ill-conceived regulations and […]
Posted inLifestyle, Media, News/Politics
Is there a Winkie in the House?
Parliament’s unparallelled ability to generate hot air does lend itself to becoming a geothermal power plant and could solve South Africa’s electricity shortage instantly. But, failing that, it also has the potential to play a relevant, stimulating part of South Africa’s democracy. Ndumiso Ngcobo’s recent call for some “politainment” is a timely one. It’s about […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Why do blacks hate blacks? SA a label manufacturer!
The more I read about the xenophobia issue, the more I realise why the rainbow nation is experiencing teething problems. We are so busy putting labels on things that we miss the real issues. “Xenophobia”, “racism” and “criminals” abound in every article we see, but very few actually deal with the problems of Alexandra, Soweto […]
Posted inGeneral, News/Politics
Zimbabwe: Let Vavi act as mediator, Mbeki is needed at home
With all the problems arising out of, inter alia, the Ginwala commission, xenophobia and power shortages, perhaps the time has come for the president to travel less and spend more time in office. In his stead, appoint Zwelinzima Vavi, general secretary of the Congress of South African Trade Unions, to act as mediator in the […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Xenophobia: Residents of Alexandra owed an apology
Wading through the tons of articles on xenophobia, I am of the view that while some — such as Jacob Zuma, the ANC as a party, Cosatu, AfriForum and Patricia de Lille — are hitting the nail on the head, others are just taking gratuitous pot shots at the people of Alexandra without any insight […]