Judge Chris Nicholson ruled in favour of Jacob Zuma in the application before the Pietermaritzburg High Court, in that the National Prosecuting Authority’s decision to prosecute the ANC president was held to be invalid. His judgment flowed from a procedural failure by the NPA as opposed to any decision on the merits of the case. […]
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Posted inNews/Politics
Reverse sexism – a thought experiment gone bad
In my last offering entitled ‘The scourge of reverse sexism’ — thoughtleader.co.za/silwane/2008/09/07/the-scourge-of-reverse-sexism-in-south-african-society/ — I listed aspects of the gender relations in this country that I presumably disagreed with. I invited you, the reader, to come in and point out all the flaws in my rationale. What I didn’t share with you is that the post […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Anti-imperialism reduced to an emotional spasm
Do you have to brown skin, a Muslim moniker, a beard, and a passing or preferably detailed knowledge of the Koran in order to be angry about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the denial of statehood to Palestinians? Here in Britain, you could be forgiven for thinking so. Many argue, or at least […]
Posted inLifestyle, Media
Can internet nutballs be neutralised?
“A lie can get halfway around the world before the truth can even get its boots on” Mark Twain once said. And that was before the internet. Today, blatant falsehoods can circle the entire global numerous times at a speed even Twain would never have believed possible. What is worse, they continue to circle and […]
Posted inMedia, News/Politics
Zapiro, Zuma and us
With his latest Sunday Times cartoon, Zapiro has ventured where angels should fear to tread. I am saying “should” because it shows that journalist-cartoonists can be as desensitised as other South Africans about the social crises that beset us. I am talking about his shameless use of rape as metaphor. South Africa has been staggering […]
Posted inBusiness, News/Politics
Drawing instructive lessons of leadership from champions of supreme iniquities
Great leaders leave for later generations the task of imitation and identify themselves through constant response to the rhythms of changing circumstances; they turn the inchoate emotions of the mob to the purpose of their own; they seize on the opportunities of their time, the confiding hopes, fears, frustrations, crises and potentialities; and they succeed […]
Posted inBusiness
Is big business pursuing transformation half-heartedly?
In late 2003, the then Sasol CEO Pieter Cox made a serious error of judgment by citing Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) as a risk factor in a document that the company had to compile in terms of New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) regulations, reporting that, “there could be risks to shareholders that value may not […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Turn to the Afrikaans community on police recruitment
A couple of months ago I was in Emalahleni (Witbank) to argue a culpable homicide matter in the local regional court. Unfortunately, due to problems with the magistrate we were unable to proceed with the trial on the day. As always, when matters are delayed, we spent a couple of hours milling around trying to […]
Posted inMedia, News/Politics
In defence of Zapiro
At their recent national convention in St Paul, Minnesota, the Republicans were quick to blame the “liberal media” for many of the ills of society. So too were their supporters in the conservative press. In response to questions regarding the suitability of John McCain’s running mate, for example, Jeffrey Kuhner of the Washington Times — […]
Posted inLifestyle
Trends and issues in local philanthropy in East Africa
A review of: Rose Lukalo-Owino, A Legacy of Giving: The Story of Mohamedally and Maniben Rattansi Educational Trust, Allavida, Nairobi: 2008. — In Trust for Tomorrow: Kenya Community Development Foundation, Allavida, Nairobi: 2008. — One Woman At a Time: The Kianda Foundation, Allavida, Nairobi: 2008. Connie Ngodi-Houghton, Promoting Philanthropy in Kenya: The Case for Tax […]
Posted inGeneral
Free speech and African homophobia
Submitted by Troy Thiel The recent homophobic writings of Jon Qwelane and the subsequent LGBT community reaction have highlighted many questions about where the borders of free speech lie and journalists’ responsibility regarding the effect of their words. With visible examples of hate crimes, this is an emotionally charged subject. Respectfully, I would, however, like […]
Posted inGeneral
Mao Tse-tung/Christ comparisons: Explaining what it meant to grow up in the old SA (part 3)
I switched to a picture of a crucifix with the anguished, dying Christ nailed to it in my PowerPoint presentation to my erudite audience at the University of Engineering and Science in Shanghai. “I also grew up in that boarding school with this image firmly planted in my subconscious.” I recited to my listeners the […]