Of course, now that the RPs (reluctant punters) have made their bucks on the Zuma pot, the world is abuzz with predictions. I made a cool R250 on a Zuma win — c’mon, at 10:1 it was a straight gimme! Anyway, with my new wealth, I went shopping at Northgate. I was looking for Andrew […]
News/Politics
Posted inBusiness, News/Politics
Zuma: Reap the whirlwind
It felt strangely like a wake, watching the inevitability of Jacob Zuma’s election as the new head of the ANC. Unless he is convicted on corruption charges he is now a near-certainty to become the next South African president in 2009. That’s what you get for half-hearted commitment to market reforms and economic freedom.
Posted inLifestyle, News/Politics
Today is the first day of our democracy
Today is the first day of our democracy. Polokwane has been seminal. The African National Congress is no longer an idealised liberation movement, but is now just a political party and as such it has to pull finger and perform. Effective work must begin to balance the interests of the rich and the poor. It […]
Posted inBusiness, News/Politics
Alea iacta est …
Now that the die has been cast — a predictable roll of the dice, mind you — all South Africans who care about their and the country’s future no doubt have something on their minds. For some, this assumes the form, mainly, of misgivings; for others, especially the poor, of hope. And if the impression […]
Posted inBusiness, Lifestyle, News/Politics
Polokwane: Bargain bazaar for albinos and gunslingers
Poor old Polokwane — dragged kicking and screaming into the limelight by a political party’s national conference. Surely the town once known as Pietersburg is newsworthy for more than the fact that a bunch of politicians and thieves has gathered there to squabble over the spoils? A quick trawl of the internet to find out […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Zuma’s in. What now?
It seems to me that the Polokwane conference has been like a newsprint and analysis vortex, sucking in all commentary into an incessant stream of words around a central thesis of “Will he or won’t he?” Well, now we all know the answer to that question, and we need to drag ourselves out of Polokwane […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Smut, sheep and airplanes in Polokwane
So, the experiment continues. The mad blogger is still walking around, looking around into this whole ANC conference situation. A while ago I entered the media centre to look for a space so I could pollute the blogosphere with the sulphuric fumes of my ignorant, pseudo-political observations. All I can tell you is that being […]
Posted inBusiness, News/Politics
Gear: A bureaucratic story, and some tough questions and challenges
“Asiyifuni Gear [We do not want Gear].” This was a common slogan by unionists in response to the government’s Growth, Employment and Redistribution Strategy. It reflected opposition to Gear. Eleven years later, Gear is still hotly debated. Recently, Finance Minister Trevor Manuel offered a spirited defence of the consultation process leading up to Gear. Manuel, […]
Posted inNews/Politics
The Day of Colonial Reconciliation
On the Day of Reconciliation, it is perhaps appropriate to discuss and hopefully remove divisive terms used extensively in our society, especially those that continue to label people on the basis of colour. The first one that comes to my mind is “colonialism”, a term that proliferates political speeches, newspaper articles and general conversation in […]
Posted inLifestyle, News/Politics
Democracy, ubuntu and other myths
Don’t give me this fiction about “the nation” watching Polokwane breathlessly awaiting the outcome. For the majority of South Africans watching their backs, their children, the weather, their pennies, their travel and the odd soapie is labour enough. Some big party a zillion kilometres away in a place they’ve never heard of and care less […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Networking
I am bourgeois. There it is. Admitted. Along with my other big B friends and acquaintances, I trekked to the Network Lounge for “proper” coffee. “Proper” coffee being ground coffee, not the Ricoffy on sale at the student canteen next to the media centre here at the Limpopo University. At least I didn’t mutter “civilisation” […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Welcome to democracy
So there has been a bit of tension at Polokwane. So supporters of one presidential candidate have been shouting down and booing leaders associated with his rival. Welcome to democracy. While some people might be worried about the happenings at the ANC conference over the past few days, I think it is great that democracy […]