President Jacob Zuma must be feeling pretty miffed right about now. I certainly would be if I was in his place. Even accepting — as our legal system has and we certainly must respect their decision not to proceed — that the president was not in any way involved in corrupt activities with Schabir Shaik,…
Much has been made of the scathing letter addressed to Black Management Forum leader Jimmy Manyi by Trevor Manuel, the minister of national planning. Noted academic and analyst Adam Habib surmised as much yesterday saying “strategic calculations are being made about the Western Cape. I cannot imagine that he has not consulted widely on this…
South Africans, well most of us anyway, say we see former president Nelson Mandela as a symbol of dignity, pride, measure and humility. Which of course is why when the great statesman was in hospital last week, we were egging on the media vultures who hovered at the hospital hoping to pick up and sensationalise…
The current brouhaha about Kenny Kunene and his (probable) preference for hot women and sushi is another example of the narrow and sensationalist reporting and debate that plagues so much of our discourse. I personally do not give a rat’s ass where and how Kunene likes his raw fish and seaweed served. If he is…
In South Africa it is legal, though frowned upon, to raise the old flag. Die Stem is part of the national anthem. Yet songs about the all-too-recent struggle are now hate speech. Makes no sense does it. Unless one is prepared to accept that black people are some kind of mindless, easily excitable rabble which…
“The fact of the matter is we will never regain the relationship we had with the IFP leaders and it’s time for us to move forward ” — Victoria Zanele kaMagwaza-Msibi, January 17 2011. If reports are to be believed, those words signalled an intention by the embittered and isolated, though massively popular, IFP national…
It would seem even the dumb criminal fraternity is geared towards starting off the new year on a productive note. Just this week there have been two incidents of crime which have made a strong bid for the 2011 Dumbest Crime/Criminal of the Year Award — award to be presented by M Trapido at a…
So in 2011 you cannot beat your kid, cannot speak frankly to another adult, even if they consent to it, cannot compliment a female colleague, or even solicit sartorial advice from a gay colleague. Why? Because why (as they say in the die Oss Rand) we have allowed the PC brigade to dictate our lives,…
I found myself writing a very serious and cliché ridden New year’s message. Yammering on about crime, violence, optimism, the World Cup, etc. Instead I will cut myself short and say just this — have fun, work hard, do unto others. Most importantly be an active, vigilant citizen. The politicians will not sort this country…
Conservative rights group AfriForum has made a call for parents to insist on mother tongue instruction from their children’s schools. On the face of it, this is a good thing. It is good for children to be taught in a language they are comfortable in It may even, as Afriforum claims, help children perform better,…
