I could be wrong and I hope I am not, but I suspect you must have received hundreds of emails this week – many of them from angry black South Africans following your “Do white people have a future in South Africa?” article. Well, accept my open letter too, while you’re at it…
Former South African Reserve Bank Governor, Tito Mboweni – who signs off most of his tweets at @tito_mboweni as “Gov” (for Governor, I think) – has been his unusual self of late, throwing criticism on Twitter and on newspaper articles. What’s up Gov?
I know nothing about running a newspaper nor do I claim to be a journalist but I sure know a thing or two about what news is and what news isn’t. I therefore have a hard time believing Sunday Times’ front-page lead story “Oscar parties” today, 14 April, is news. Worse, I doubt this article […]
Editor’s Note: This is an edited opinion piece that has seemingly been rejected for publication for reasons unknown to me by two online publications and TIME Online. For two South African online publications, their motive(s) for non-publication is not clear at all to me nor were attempts made to do so. But for the TIME, […]
News this past Thursday that Oscar Pistorius allegedly shot his model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, shocked not only South Africans but the world remained and still remains in shock too. This is someone who the Guardian once described as “athlete who overcame disability to become a global star”.
I was angry when I read a Guardian report last year quoting Southern California Judge Derek Johnson saying women get raped because they [don’t] put up a fight” and that if they did their bodies “will not [allow the rape] to happen”.
In early May 2011 I noticed that President Jacob Zuma had a twitter account. Given the experiences of former ANCYL President Julius Malema and many others who claimed spoof Twitter accounts were opened under their names, I didn’t want to take chances.
On 6 January 2013 I started writing this blog post which I never published until today. It still puzzles me why it took me over a month to publish this piece. While I understand there might be a number of reasons, but that it took me this long worries me. It is further heartbreaking this publication […]
This is a story of a now grown up woman who was raped twice before she reached her 16th birthday. The first one, as you will find out later, was by a family friend in his 30s while the second was by a gangster who told her that should she report the matter to the […]
It was on 7 February last year when Pinky Mosiane was found dead underground at one of Anglo American Platinum mine’s Rustenburg shaft. This, so the report goes, after she was apparently raped and that a used condom was found next to her body.
On 30 December last year Percy Mabandu wrote a piece on City Press titled “Urgent appeal to the SABC and e.tv” out of frustration because, he claimed, South African Broadcasting Corporation’s (SABC’s) programming sucked (emphasised). Well, he’s damn right, it sucks – but don’t all SA tv programmes suck - whether whether on e.tv, DStv […]
If I had a gun, I would have killed a lot of people because to me they would have talked just bullshit, I’m convinced. And if I had done any of the things they expected or some still expect of me today I would not be here or where I am today. Or that’s a […]
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog. Here’s an excerpt: 4,329 films were submitted to the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. This blog had 16,000 views in 2012. If each view were a film, this blog would power 4 Film Festivals Click here to see the complete report.
What does Independent Newspapers deputy political editor Gaye Davis’ resignation this week over The Star’s “Cyril dumps Zuma” report mean for the media in general especially during this ANC Elective conference in Mangaung where every Madam & Eve wants to break news?
I was just shocked when I read a Guardian report this morning of a southern California judge who made some very worrying and stupid remarks about women who were or raped and what it is that they should probably do to avoid that.
As we draw close to the African National Congress’ elective conference in Mangaung, Bloemfontein in a week’s time where it appears some party delegates will choose to retain President Jacob Zuma as its president while others will choose to replace him with his deputy, Kgalema Motlanthe it is important for all voting delegates going to […]
Was it not soooo long ago that SABC admitted its decision of blacklisting certain persons perceived to hold a certain view was wrong? To be exact early last month SABC admitted its former head of news, Snuki Zikalala, broke its own broadcasting standards by blacklisting journalists and commentators in 2006.
Given how sensitive many South Africans are especially on issues of race and transformation following the oppression majority people (blacks) in this country have endured over hundreds of years it is quite shocking that many (especially whites) still see “Transformation Talk” as “anti-white”.
I must say that I was really shocked when I read a report in the Guardian on Thursday (15 Nov) that a South African web site Doogle has been threatened with a legal action by a giant search engine, Google.
I am not sure whether to thank you or not for having took on former ANCYL President Julius Malema and his Economic Freedom Fighters Club in your recent outburst made at a public lecture at WitsUniversity on Wednesday, Oct. 18.
Hawks spokesperson Macintosh Polela has apologised for his tweet on Tuesday (16 Oct.) to Molemo “JubJub” Maarohanye following his conviction by the Protea Magistrate’s Court this week. Maar what the heck for?
Dear President Jacob Zuma, You’re lucky that I took time to write you this letter. It does not happen likely, and when I do, you need to know that I am very concerned. And that’s putting it mildly. By the way, I am not into open letters like Ben Trovato – a Sunday Times columnist […]
There’s been a lot of noise over the past week or so about Woolworths’ apparent racist job advertisement in which only black people (a part of the other previously disadvantaged group members) would be considered for employment. The noise, expectedly, and a lot of it nogal, was made by none other the so-called right-wingers and […]
First it was Brett Murray whose portrait of President Jacob Zuma with his penis exposed was later destroyed at the Goodman (Badmab?) Gallery (thank God to those two folks whose charges were later withdrawn) who claimed (don’t all artists?) he was expressing his artistic freedom of expression. Ag man, expression se moer!
Writing in The Observer today, September 2 – the Guardian’s Sunday publication – South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu said both former US President George W. Bush and Britain Prime minister Tony Blair had lied to the world in 2003 when they invaded Iraq, claiming it had weapons of mass destruction.
National Consumer Commissioner Mamodupi Mohlala-Mulaudzi must stop begging for her job back from Trade and Industry minister, Rob Davies. She must earn it. Media reports on Wednesday quoted her telling the Pretoria Press Club that: “I believe I have worked very hard. I have excelled”.
Lonmin official, Executive Vice President for Human Capital and External Affairs for Lonmin, Barnard Mokwena, told SA FM’s Market Update host, Alec Hogg, today (14 Aug) that a Court interdict had been given to the company on Saturday against the illegal striking workers but that the company has willingly chosen not to effect it.
There have been calls by some that Public Protector Thuli Madonsela should resign/be sacked. This after she was accused by the ruling ANC of “rubbing shoulders” with DA when she addressed its Women’s Network event in Port Elizabeth this past Thursday during Women’s Day.
I don’t remember an instance where expelled ANCYL President Julius Malema called ANC or opposition party leaders names in public and was reprimanded in the same public space he used to diss them. If there ever is such an instance, it must have been in private. The somewhat inconsistent disciplinary action taken against him came […]
I have read and read media reports yesterday (1 August) but there seems to be something amiss about this and maybe you can help me “get it”. South African Press Association claimed yesterday expelled ANCYL President Julius Malema’s trip to London was mysterious, wondering who could have footed his reportedly luxurious and expensive hotel bill.
By claiming ONLY NOW that schools are yet to receive their textbooks following the provincial party and SADTU delegation’s visit to some schools in the Western Cape (God knows when?), should I be suspicious of Marius Fransman’s claim and allegations against the DA in that province, too, failed to deliver textbooks to some schools http://bit.ly/M2rmvj?
Defending his dick-cartoon of President Jacob Zuma published in the Mail & Guardian last week, cartoonist Jonathan “Zapiro” Shapiro insisted “cartoonists and the broader public should have the democratic right to be irreverent about leaders, especially leaders who display hypocrisy”.
The ruling African National Congress’s Women League has come out with guns blazing, criticising cartoonist Jonathan “Zapiro” Shapiro for a cartoon appearing on Mail & Guardian’s 6 July 2012 edition. In the M&G cartoon, what seems like a men’s penis (Gallery viewer, I suppose) has visited the Goodman Gallery and sits in front of what looks like […]
There are some economists who claim South Africa’s “firewall fund” contribution to International Monetary Fund sends the “right signals” to its “trade partners in Europe, and [that it] will stimulate local manufacturing, according to The Times report today.
In a village where I come from there is a now former teacher who taught many of the community members. Her teaching, I think, has contributed enormously to not only the community at large but also to the individuals who were the recipients of her teaching. So when you want to honour someone like this […]
Controversial Minister in the Department of Co-operative governance and Traditional Affairs, Sicelo Shiceka, has been exposed several times before and even more recently as quite an excessive spender of taxpayers’ money. What is not unknown, however, is whether his reported spending spree tendency, if not habit, is negligent or not. And until then, what is […]
As a blogger I have not made a habit of hitting back at other bloggers’ criticism of others because they have as much a right to freedom of opinion and expression as myself especially when such criticism is informative and educated.
The media reports that indicated some former members of Congress of The People (COPE) have defected to the African National Congress (ANC) are not so much a shock. In fact, their defection is so immature and stupid, at its best, I think.
I came across a not-so-funny mistake in the Times Online report which, with proper editing, could have been avoided. But it wasn’t, was it? Or otherwise I would not have picked it up.
Traveling is great when you travel on alone, at least for me, and that you get to visit places you have never visited before. However, there’s nothing annoying and scary than getting lost while at it. Worse, being lost in a funny and overcrowded place, Johannesburg.
Education is a right equal to health and housing which has to be made available to everyone, wrote Dylan Haskins, because “an educated workforce is the key to rebuilding our economy”. But what about who choose not to be education?
I must say that I am very pleased to announce that the “controversial” former Sunday Times Columnist David Bullard is back on Twitter, again. This after he decided to cut some loses with us, last year if I am not mistake.
Donald Trump – one of the world’s richest businessmen – says he is used to reading “nasty and derogatory articles” about himself by a New York Times newspaper Columnist, Gail Collins. Trump’s comments, came after Collins wrote in the newspaper on April 1 this year that Trump was “flirting” his presidential campaign.
The University of KwaZulu Natal faces a “lack of academic freedom” which has now “stifled debate about institutional matters and of debates conducted in ways which obfuscate rather than elucidate issues”, according to an Oral Feedback memorandum which the Mail & Guardian newspaper had obtained and reported on.
South African Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe addressed the New York University last month in a Public Lecture themed “South Africa and the Africans in the Diaspora”. The event was attended by, among others, the University President, Professor John Sexton, University Students and some of the South African delegation, to mention but a few.
Besides being censored by either the government, businesses or just members of our society – I think the pre-empting statement or response of what is to come or to be expected in the next edition either of the newspaper of the magazine is quite annoying, if not dangerous.
How I wish South Africa had politicians like the former US state department spokesman PJ Crowley who repeated his comments that Bradley Manning’s mistreatment by the US prison officials was “stupid” and ridiculous”. Had this been said by one of our politicians, or just ordinary members of our society, political Hell would have broken loose, […]
At the time of writing I was listening to ANCYL Spokesperson Floyd Shivambu on SA FM’s Talk Shop show hosted by Ashraf Garda tonight (on 05 March 2011) saying South African Press Ombudsman cannot deal with the ‘unbecoming conduct of the media’.
