And I mean it. I think he is a pretty pleasant and probably funny guy too. I can’t help but imagine exchanging slaps on the back and doubling back in laughter as we have chats about whatever it is that young men talk about. As much as I take issue with some of the things […]
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Posted inGeneral
Getting it wrong 101: Durban name changes
When Schabir Shaik eventually recovers from his terrible (let’s hope it’s not terminal, eh?) illness and re-enters Durban social life, he won’t find quite the same place he left. A lot has happened during his brutal 28-month stint in that private ward. For one thing, it’s been raining for months on end, not only aggravating […]
Posted inGeneral
Durban breaks new ground in participatory democracy
I have written previously about the need for democracy to be about more than just voting every few years. It has been about the need for democracy to be an everyday way of life for all citizens. Active citizenship is the essence of what is sometimes called radical or deep democracy and active citizenship ultimately […]
Posted inNews/Politics
When philanthropy and politics mix
What happens if you have given a donation to a public benefit organisation and then find it is using its resources to support a political party? Gift of the Givers, an aid organisation that operates in South Africa and internationally, has been criticised for providing goods such as blankets and food parcels worth more than […]
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Scavengers have descended on the ANC carcass
The vast scope of the politics of patronage has become an incontestable reality since Polokwane visited on us all the ills we never imagined for our young democracy. Scavengers from all corners have descended upon the carcass of the ANC, lured by the promises of a gluttonous feast. When the once glorious ANC hoisted a […]
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Cosatu’s hate speech Constitution?
“Let me clarify one thing. I hate no Jew (for that matter a great admirer of Ronnie Kasrils, Steven Friedman and other millions of Jews who refuse to be silenced on the basis of their nationality by Zionists) and organised a march not to anyone’s neighbourhood, but to offices of an organisation that I considered […]
Posted inGeneral
Getting those creative copyrights right
Creative Commons licences are a set of copyright licences that enable copyright holders to mark their creative work with the freedom they want it to carry. By specifying what kinds of reuse you will allow by default (non-commercial or commercial reuse, the production and dissemination of derivatives, translations etc) Creative Commons allows copyright holders who […]
Posted inGeneral
Have you experienced borderline discrimination?
Human beings are a race of discriminators. Almost by definition. Oh, I’m well aware that animals in the wild have their own form of discriminatory practices too. I’ve never heard of a home for visually impaired lion in the far north region of the Kruger National Park. We humans discriminate against each other on the […]
Posted inNews/Politics
ANC: Don’t lose sight of the wood for the trees
It is interesting to see how many people are of the belief that if you are highly critical of personalities within a party that you cannot, surely, be voting for them in an election. That if you place, as I have, the fight against poverty and the need for transformation above all else as I […]
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I’m seriously considering voting for the FFP
Starvation dictates that I do some television work now and then. TV programmes pay for FHM subscriptions and other such essentials. To this end, I have taken part in two 13-episode seasons of a television debate/talk show called Drawing the Line. The show is hosted by Lebo Mashile, the poet, and the 2nd season airs […]
Posted inNews/Politics
SABC crisis deepens
The crisis at the SABC seems to literally deepen by the hour as it haemorrhages money like a crazed gambler at the slot machines, drives out its most talented performers and continues to bolster its reputation as a crude propaganda organ of the ruling party. In the space of a few days: • Cosatu has […]
Posted inGeneral
Is our democracy unravelling?
When Zapiro caused an uproar last year with his now notorious cartoon depicting Jacob Zuma about to take the lead in gang-raping a woman representing Justice, it said two things about the state of South African democracy. On the positive side, where else but in a true democracy would a newspaper be allowed to get […]