Unlike the useless drones that now overwhelmingly make up the ANC benches in the House, that first Parliament was blessed with an array of committed, capable people, who genuinely believed that they were there to serve the people.
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Posted inLifestyle
Why aren’t we really doing anything about global warming?
By Anton Botha As the seriousness of global warming has become clearer, scientists, environmental activists, civil society, and even politicians have taken to informing, and warning, people about this crisis. Although this campaign has been informative by all accounts, it does not seem to have been effective. Knowledge of global warming and its effects is […]
Posted inGeneral
Political and economic intertwinements of globalisation
The world ain’t what it used to be. Globalisation arguably started as long ago as Macedonian Alexander the Great’s military expansion towards the East, followed by the Roman Empire’s far-flung hold on the ancient world (and if one really wanted to push the argument, you could claim that it commenced almost 150 000 years ago when […]
Posted inLifestyle
Ode to my cereal dispenser
I am writing a treatise about my dead cereal dispenser. I know that this may sound like a boring and irrelevant topic, but according to my sources in the ANC, all journalists, columnists and bloggers will, in the near future, be forced to write about boring and irrelevant topics. It is what the proposed media […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Does the ANC have a point about the media?
Media freedom is one of those topics that its easy to raise a consensus around. For those of us that remember that bad days of apartheid, the consequences of a media held back by a government threatened by the truth needs no exposition. It is thus not surprising that there has been a loud and […]
Posted inGeneral
Do we deserve to celebrate Women’s Day?
As South Africans celebrate Women’s Day, the contribution of great women are often heralded and echoed across the nation, and rightly so. It is only fitting that we, as a nation, mark the immeasurable sacrifices and suffering of leading women in our society. The names of Lilian Ngoyi, Mamphela Rampele, Helen Joseph, Albertina Sisulu, Adelaide […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Why won’t the NPA let me talk to Gerrie Nel?
By Adriaan Basson Since he and his team successfully prosecuted Jackie Selebi, the National Prosecuting Authority is refusing to grant me an interview with Advocate Gerrie Nel. Why? Nel and his team were the architects of Operation Bad Guys — one of the Scorpions’ final investigations that netted Selebi, Glenn Agliotti, Clinton Nassif and a […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Threats to the media — we brought this on ourselves
Society and progressive civil society in particular, must take some of the blame for the state threats to the media. This is not some sensationalistic shock statement meant to upset you into action. In it lies the years of abdication from social responsibility to build a vigilant society. A society that guards its democratic freedom […]
Posted inMedia, News/Politics
Taking the ANC media tribunal at face value
Most media responses to the ANC’s recently released discussion document have come out fighting. The particular target is the proposed media appeals tribunal, a body that would give ruling party the final say over what the press can publish. A few media responses, however, have been mea culpa. But where problems have been acknowledged and […]
Posted inBusiness, Environment, General, Lifestyle
Weigh-Less for carbon addicts
If you are fat, most people would say you should probably go on diet. Cut down on what’s causing your love handles and that bloated beer belly. The same thinking, it seems, applies to climate change: having gorged ourselves on the bad stuff — fossils fuels and carbon emissions — while skimping on the greens, […]
Posted inLifestyle
What’s the deal with ‘howzit babe’?
I’m going to talk about “babe”. Not the movie or the attractive young woman, but the standard term of endearment amongst middle-class South Africans. It’s usually attached to greetings or questions. “Howzit babe” or “Babe, can you open this jar for me?” You hear it everywhere, usually in places like Montecasino or the Builders Warehouse […]
Posted inLifestyle, Sport
Getting over the ‘gees’
“Football teams are extraordinarily inventive in the ways they find to cause their supporters sorrow.” — Fever Pitch (Nick Hornby). This post is perhaps a month late but the truth is, this is not about the World Cup but what it has done to us as a society, a nation and individuals. I love football, […]