“The mark of an educated mind is the ability to entertain a thought without accepting it.” That’s one lesson to take from the Big Bad Bullard Barney.
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Posted inNews/Politics
Cosatu and AfriForum show the way: SA will not be the next Zimbabwe
If South Africa is to avoid becoming the next Zimbabwe, then a material role needs to be played by the powerful trade unions that are, even now, showing us the way forward. Not for them the meek and mild acceptance of Eskom’s rate hikes, food price increases or even demands for arms to be offloaded […]
Posted inMedia, News/Politics
Bullard? Qwelane? I’d hire them like a shot
When I read David Bullard’s offending article, which was a disgrace, I pulled no punches — I said that when he had time to reflect he would realise that this was not his finest hour. Now having watched him on the Noeleen show and read his apology, my estimation of the man, which was always […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Zimbabwe: Looking beyond the horizon
Zimbabwe’s harmonised election, which saw presidential, senatorial, parliamentary and local government elections being held simultaneously, took place peacefully on March 29 2008. This watershed plebiscite was anticipated to be a poll that would radically change the political landscape of this troubled country. More than two weeks have passed since the initial votes were cast with […]
Posted inMedia, News/Politics
Bullard sorry, was out to lunch
I described the column over which David Bullard was fired as offensive and condescending, but given the supercilious faux-Victorian persona he’s cultivated, not all that surprising, and not worth suppressing by his dismissal or otherwise. I did not expect an apology.
Posted inMedia, News/Politics
Mondli Makhanya suffers from Mbeki-ism — firing Bullard is a sign of that!
Mondli Makhanya’s paper has been among the chief opponents of Mbeki-ism, which is a tendency to fire those with whom you disagree. However, Mbeki-ism seems to have taken over the Sunday Times. Mondli beware! What Mondli did last Thursday was not only astounding but also embarrassing. How does one fire a columnist on the basis […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Zille, Zillier, Zilliest
Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Helen Zille has been very successful at cultivating the image of a no-nonsense, straight-shooting politician who sticks to her principles — no matter what. Her party has over the years also (rightly) lambasted the ANC for covering up the arms-deal corruption and for making statements aimed at undermining the independence and […]
Posted inBusiness
Be aggressive, BEE aggressive
Submitted by Marius Redelinghuys As a white male in South Africa, I usually encounter raised eyebrows on both extremes of the racial divide when I articulate my support for BEE and AA, with Afrikaner white people labelling me a traitor and sell-out, and along with black people calling me a gatkruiper or arse-kisser. Regardless, I […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Understanding SA politics using a crystal ball
Submitted by John Bond (Complimentary crystal ball provided) I suggest we could adapt Scott Peck’s model on religious and spiritual views as a way of understanding our political views. Use a model that explains religion and spirituality to understand politics? Suggest that one can have an idea of a group’s political actions by using a […]
Posted inGeneral
Let’s talk about the Jews
Despite their relatively small community in South Africa, and indeed their minority status in a lot of places around the world, the Jews have made a big mark. Hostile to outsiders, lavish in giving advantages to its own kind and filled with a persecution complex (all of which, it may be argued, have at least […]
Posted inTech
Fun toys or maybe the next big technology thing
Watching what my younger daughter gets up to in geekland is always interesting. She is one of the early adopters of digital technology. Thanks to her, I have been a Twitter member since January 2007, months after she had joined, of course, and had a page on Facebook before most other old-timers. An iPhone made […]
Posted inLifestyle
Positively positive
I am tired. Flippin’ tired — of all those folks who spend their days complaining, bitching, moaning, whining and whingeing about how bad it is in South Africa. A week or so ago, I had breakfast with a friend and her buddies. One of them — a platinum blonde with well-manicured French nails and a […]