Following the transition to non-racial democracy in 1994, it emerged that no-one had ever supported apartheid. Actually, some had but they had emigrated or were dead. This must have come as a relief to everyone, particularly to black people. It also emerged that many more people had fought against apartheid than had been apparent at […]
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Posted inGeneral
The pros and cons of World Cup rugby
As the Tri-Nations is about to start and the World Cup holders will play the World Cup favourites, it is time to think about the World Cup: what it means, what it delivers and its impact. I know there has been a huge debate on whether the All Blacks were poisoned in 1995, and whether […]
Posted inGeneral
Durban name changes a missed opportunity for reconciliation
Submitted by Michael Francis There is much furore and debate about current street name changes in Durban. I see it as a missed opportunity for reconciliation as it is merely an exercise in petty politics by a group of ideologues. South Africa is a society in transition. A large part of transformation is symbolic and […]
Posted inGeneral
The future of search-engine optimisation
It seems like everyone is practising a little search-engine optimisation (SEO) these days. While you might have the basics covered, do you know where SEO is heading? I’ve been optimising websites for search engines since the late 1990s and this has given me the fortunate opportunity to witness the evolution of search-engine algorithms over the […]
Posted inGeneral
2010: If not SA, who then?
We have been riding this roller-coaster train since South Africa’s announcement as the host of the 2010 World Cup finals. It seems, however, that as the “rainbow nation”, we are yet to agree on whether we would like to see this beautiful country of ours deliver the showpiece to the world. Though one concurs that […]
Posted inLifestyle
In need of a little… inspiration
Submitted by Anthea Garman. In what is becoming an interesting Winter School tradition, the Legal Resources Centre convened another panel to talk about the realisation of our constitutional rights. This year it was to discuss our progress on the right to education. The centre invited Mary Metcalfe, head of the Wits School of Education, the […]
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Stand up and be a citizen
Submitted by Anthea Garman As a result of chairing 10 Winter School talks (at this point) I’ve started to feel a growing a sense of urgency about being a South African, a citizen and a member of a civil society in need of revival. Just to give you a sense of what’s being said at […]
Posted inNews/Politics
A harsh analogy of a crisis
Picture the scene of a woman being severly beaten up by her husband, in the very middle of the amphitheatre at the V&A Waterfront. She cries in terror, revulsion, and despair to all who can hear. She begs for help, and tries to alter her behavior and identity to calm down and please her man.The […]
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Offshore exodus goes on: Heyneke Meyer to coach Leicester Tigers
Dan Carter is to play with five South Africans (Percy Montgomery, Philip Burger, Gerrie Britz, Steve Meyer and Gavin Hume) at Perginan at the end of the year. Now, Leicester Tigers, one of Europe’s heavy weights in rugby, have announced former Bulls head coach Heyneke Meyer to lead them into battle next year. And so […]
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What is a geek?
I started writing a post on how to understand how respect works with developers, that quickly expanded to cover other technology worker types as “passionate technology people”. Which is rather unwieldy a term to be throwing around throughout a post and not entirely encompassing of the people I mean anyway. “Geek” is the most accurate […]
Posted inGeneral
Were the All Blacks poisoned in 1995?
With the might of Peter de Villiers’ green and gold Springbok army about to embark on a Tri-Nations campaign against the old enemy, I though I might revisit this crock of…theory. To be fair to them, I believe that if my missus was among the chefs cooking for those Kiwis, there’s every chance that they […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Quiet diplomacy: The new constructive engagement
One of the striking features of Thabo Mbeki’s quiet diplomacy is its remarkable similarity to the policy of constructive engagement the United States pursued toward apartheid South Africa under the Reagan administration.