tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32877575491545316422011-07-29T03:01:59.370+02:00Saffer Politicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17356513254422999800noreply@blogger.comBlogger801100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287757549154531642.post-53609330409943069022010-10-18T15:21:00.001+02:002010-10-18T15:40:06.707+02:00

Do you remember the politically late Thabo Mbeki? Yes, the pipe-smoking Aids denialist who has read only one poet whom he relies on rather slavishly to sound ‘deep’. Isn’t it funny – this is what I actually want to say – how everyone is suddenly missing the man? Or, at the very least, remembering him with fondness? A case of jarring native nostalgia.I read all the coverage this past week –

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Higher education minister Blade Nzimande reportedly said last week that the print media constitutes a “huge liberal offensive” against “our democracy”. He suggested instead a “revolutionary” defence of the constitution. Yet again an interlocutor in the current debate on the media is here simultaneously making a sensible and a daft point. So it is worth separating the good from the bad.First, the

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Cosatu is suffering from battered spouse syndrome -- the more it is maltreated by its partner, the ANC, the more it believes it is best to stay within the union. Sadly, like many victims who suffer from that kind of false consciousness, the imprudent decision to stick it out is supported by coherent but ultimately misguided reasoning.The essence of the justification to stick it out is that it is

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Nelson Mandela will probably not be around in ten years’ times. This fact is so hard to accept that some of us would literally kill anyone daring to assert it. Just ask Yiull Damasa, a local artist who recently enjoyed fifteen minutes of infamy for producing a painting that depicts the body of Mandela as undergoing an autopsy. He received death threats for daring to imagine Mandela as human. But

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It is probably mean to be disparaging about the chances of newlyweds staying together long after the honeymoon bliss has worn off. Yet the latest local political marriage, that of the Democratic Alliance and the Independent Democrats, faces massive challenges. The ID leader, Patricia de Lille, feisty as ever, anticipated scepticism from unnamed "self-appointed analysts" about the prospects of her

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If you were a brilliant freedom-fighter does that guarantee you will also be an exemplary champion of freedom? That is a question one cannot help but raise, with increasing sharpness, in respect of many within the African National Congress. It is far from clear that the answer is a happy, obvious and unequivocal ‘yes’. The ANC’s single greatest challenge in the upcoming National General Council

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If someone was convicted of murdering people but later granted amnesty for their action, does that mean we should no longer call him or her a murderer? The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) thinks not.It argues that because amnesty aims to achieve reconciliation and nation-building, that requires that we no longer describe someone as a murderer if he or she is granted amnesty. But the Constitutional

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Human beings have complicated moral psychologies. Sometimes we respond empathetically to the plight of those worse off than ourselves; think of the global response to the earthquake that hit Haiti, for example. At other times, we are oblivious to or even implicated in the suffering of others. Hence the jarring reality of many victims of anti-black racism often ignoring their own experiences of

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Is racism worse than homophobia? The callousness of this question should hit any thinking person like a ton of bricks. Jerry Matjila, South Africa's representative to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, is one person who is not fazed by a ton of bricks. For him, homophobia is not nearly as unsexy as racism. Indeed, he falls just short of openly endorsing homophobia. He regards

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Last week I argued that state policies which are aimed at poverty relief should be driven by respect for the agency of the poor. Poor people should not be seen as mere recipients of handouts. That would be both fiscally and ethically imprudent. The policy implication is that creative mechanisms must be found to develop self-sufficiency among the poor so as to end undignified dependency. Despite

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A COUPLE of weeks ago I was interviewed by a French journalist interested in white poverty. She is making a documentary about poor whites, who are not, in her view, given enough airplay. I had to spoil some of her fun by pointing out that President Jacob Zuma ’s surprise at whitepoverty’s existence does not mean the rest of us never knew that some whites are also poor. But focusing on this

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"BUT, Eusebius, we’re not all like that! Did you know that I don’t even think of myself as white?!” This plea-cum- rebuttal to my recent essay on white consciousness has been giving me food for thought. In the essay, which was carried in last weekend’s Sunday Times, I argued that white South Africans are not helped by an unhealthy dichotomy of views about white life in democratic SA.Some, such as

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TODAY marks the beginning of compulsory national happiness and collective amnesia for four weeks. The race war is temporarily called off. Beggars have been swept off the streets even in cities run by self-declared liberals. I suppose we would not want the Germans to notice our drunken uncles, lest they (the Germans, I mean) forget to return for the Christmas break. Not that we will succeed. At

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I HAVE the deepest respect for Mr Peter Bruce, the editor of SA’s best daily, Business Day. And not only because he allows Eusebius McKaiser to write what he wants. Also because he is willing to say what’s on his mind.One interesting surprise from this Monday’s column, for example, is Bruce’s suggestion that all people be shown respect in Business Day by having them referred to by their full

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I NEED to collect my black suit from the dry cleaners today because I am attending a funeral service tomorrow. I am still feeling a bit tender, however, so I am not sure I’ll have the strength to attend. But it is going to be a huge funeral service and as someone who was not very close to the deceased, I might, at the risk of sounding macabre, get away with not being missed.The 18 -month-old

Saffer Politicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17356513254422999800noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287757549154531642.post-74875133213005840112010-05-27T07:58:00.003+02:002010-05-27T08:07:11.227+02:00

We all know by now, of course, that Zapiro has caused another minor storm in a cartoon teacup. There has been a lot of conversation over the past few days reflecting on the thorny question of whether or not the Mail and Guardian should have published the offensive cartoon. Opinions, even among editors, differ widely.Ferial Haffajee from City Press opined that she may have resigned in the face of

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WOULD you be seen dead having lunch with David Bullard? Would you give him a platform to express and debate his views? In case you have forgotten, Bullard is the former Sunday Times columnist who was in famously sacked for a column judged to have expressed racist views about blacks and aspects of black culture.Well, I would happily be seen having lunch with the man. And I would happily invite him

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Language is such a bloody curse.On the one hand it possesses the most amazing transformative power. The most palpable example from our recent history is the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (Codesa) talks in the early Nineties.In a very fundamental way it was the use of the most appropriate political language that served as a catalyst for the democratic process to get under way.When

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WHAT does a South African do when he has absolutely no idea what else to try? Set up a commission of inquiry, a review commission or a panel of experts. These phrases are as much a part of the policy lexicon in this country as losing crunch matches is a part of our national cricket team’s psyche.The latest commission is tasked with reviewing the roles and functioning of our various state-owned

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Debunking Delusions; The inside story of the TACby:Natahan GeffenJacana Media 2010review: Eusebius McKaiserNathan Geffen's admirably balanced and meticulously crafted Debunking Delusions; The inside story of the Treatment Action Campaign is a proverbial page turner.The book is a permanent public record of our country's shameful recent history of state-sponsored Aids denialism, and highlights the

Saffer Politicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17356513254422999800noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287757549154531642.post-57197275326719409602010-05-07T08:11:00.001+02:002010-05-07T08:16:51.601+02:00

BETWEEN Jacob Zuma and the African National Congress (ANC) we are presented with some really cool metaphysical puzzles.The best way to make pretentious concepts such as “metaphysics” come alive is to use real-world examples. I tried this the other day while waiting in vain for Julius Malema to reappear on the news circuit. Well, it turns out Zuma and the ANC do not just provide useful material

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I DESPERATELY wanted to give a feel- good answer when asked by a talk show host what I made of Freedom Day on Tuesday. There is so much we have achieved since apartheid’s demise that counts in favour of warm and fuzzy celebrations.We are free to sleep with someone who looks different from ourselves. We are free to roam the streets of any suburb. We are free to buy property anywhere. We are free

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Peeps, you are all invited to this debate; it promises to be fascinating!FREE entry, and great food and drinks served afterwards while we all schmooz pretentiously...FULL MOTION: This house believes that the state is right to place state-owned enterprises at the centre of economic growth...FOR THE MOTION: 1) Jak Koseff (brilliant, and brilliantly flamboyant speaker (no, not gay!) & economic

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MORAL philosophers indulge in intellectual masturbation when ethical dilemmas are thrown their way. Courtesy of an enthusiastic whistle-blower at Eskom who found a seemingly conscientious MP, Pieter van Dalen, on the opposition benches, a classic ethical dilemma has been put on the table for those of us so inclined . The whistle- blower leaked a confidential document. The MP happily accepted it

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Anyone who has been following South African political discourse in recent weeks will be forgiven for thinking that rationality, like elitism, is apparently not for everyone. Rationality and cool-headedness offend many of our politicians. Consequently, the state of political discourse in South Africa is downright embarrassing. This impoverishes our democracy profoundly.In 1994, we set out to live

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THE media scores a Malema-like G for its performance last week. Ordinary South Africans were equally unimpressive. This follows the publication of the story about a used condom that had allegedly been found at the scene of the murder of Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB) leader Eugene TerreBlanche.The police immediately denied the claim. Hundreds of homophobic inferences and comments on social

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IRRATIONALITY and intolerance are vices that do not discriminate. They are both colour-blind and apolitical. Over the past three days, for example, they befriended both a member of the African National Congress (ANC) , Gwede Mantashe, and a member of the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB), Andre Visagie.These men, who quickly became drunk on their friendship with irrationality and intolerance,

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IF WE assume, purely for the sake of argument, that Eugene TerreBlanche’s alleged killers were inspired by the lyrics “kill the boer”, would that imply that Julius Malema has political blood on his hands? It is not so obvious that this question must be answered in the affirmative. Yet, many who debate the connection between the song and the murder (both those arguing for the connection and those

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Cope continues to refuse to make the right calls on the right issues at the right time. The latest strategic error is its reaction to last Friday's silly order handed down by Acting Judge Leon Hagryn in the South Gauteng High Court in which the court declared the phrase "kill the boer" unconstitutional and - ipso facto (?) - unlawful. Lekota, no doubt with the help of his foot soldier Dexter,

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LAST Sunday, Congress of the People (COPE) leader Mosiuoa Lekota said in an interview on my talk show on Talk Radio 702 that if and when the opposition formed an alliance, it would have to be led by an African. He argued that since the majority of the electorate is African, it stands to reason that an African face would have the best chance of leading such a party to electoral success. Courtesy

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I just got off the phone with an Australian journalist who produces a weekly television news programme. She is doing background research about our country (unlike some British columnists) with a view to putting together a story about what lurks beneath the glitz and glamour of the Soccer World Cup. She put me in an awful predicament, one I never fail to escape when speaking to foreign

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JULIUS Malema has finally succeeded in violating legally acceptable speech. The Equality Court has deemed that his callous claim that women who spend the night, wait for breakfast and ask for taxi money had a nice time constitutes hate speech.The backdrop to this comment was the Jacob Zuma rape trial, and the woman being referred to by the African National Congress Youth League president was the

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On Wednesday evening I felt like such a bastard. At a great roundtable debate which focused on the possibility of a South African identity, hosted by the Helen Suzman Foundation, I threw an existential bone at the audience by arguing that there are no South Africans. And, furthermore, that that’s ok. The idea of a South African essence strikes me as both incoherent and dangerous. We soon judge

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Minister Lulu Xingwana has rather shamelessly decided to come out of the closet. Next thing we know artists will be allowed to show gay people expressing emotion. But it is all rather confusing. If the reported remarks attributed to her are right - that photographs displaying naked women embracing each other are “immoral, offensive and [goes] against nation-building” - then she is either an

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WHAT is our common national South African identity? President Jacob Zuma reportedly wants us to debate this question and also to consider the essence of “the South African moral code”. He is worried that despite the constitution’s yearning for us to be united in diversity we are simply continuing to see things differently.These questions are worth engaging because many of us ponder who and what

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THE Constitutional Court decided to be agnostic on two legal and political hot potatoes — and these two hot potatoes are called Schabir Shaik and Eugene de Kock.Instead of pre-emptively discussing its findings in a possible future case about whether or not the president should ask De Kock’s victims what they think about the possibility of his release, the court restricted itself to the very

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THE Deputy Speaker of Parliament Nomaindia Mfeketo is not fit for purpose. She does not know the formal rules that govern parliamentary debate. Nor does she understand the point of these rules. Given that it is her job description to be an expert on these crucial determinants of an effective Parliament, quite frankly she should either get something of a skills-upgrade or be “redeployed” in the

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One had to feel sorry for Minister Pravin Gordhan after President Jacob Zuma’s performance last Thursday. Given that the state of the nation speech was a double disaster, having been both lacklustre rhetorically and short on detail, it was naturally going to be up to the Minister of Finance to fill some of the political potholes left by the speech.One pseudo-justification for the president’s

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I PREDICT that the Congress of the People (COPE) will soon be dead. The problems with the party are so wellrehearsed that it would be rather coma- inducing to regurgitate them. A fellow analyst once joked with me that when you are struggling to write a piece of political commentary, just rehash COPE’s headaches. It is a gift for political pundits that never stops giving.Yet I am choosing to

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PRESIDENT Jacob Zuma ’s poor public speaking skill inflicts serious injury on the senses. The opening moments of his state of the nation address were delivered with visible nervousness. While we have become used to needlessly long grammatical pauses mid-sentence whenever he reads from a script, he seemed more anxious than usual. It was difficult to gauge whether this is the culmination of the

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The chattering classes have developed a voyeuristic obsession with President Jacob Zuma's sexuality. This raises a prickly old question. To what extent can a country's president reasonably expect the most intimate facts about his or her life to be shielded from public scrutiny and moral judgment?If Zuma's election to the highest office is anything to go by, it would certainly seem that a majority

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THE two most useful things I did at school were to learn to play the piano and join the debate club. Playing a musical instrument was a form of escapism. Whereas my siblings opted for less healthy reactions to our personal circumstance, I chose Chopin. I was lucky.Mother Nature could have distributed personality traits differently. But it was joining the debating society that really was my single

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THERE are at least two kinds of homophobes. There are violent, conservative homophobes and non- violent, progressive ones. We tend to use the label “homophobia” mostly in relation to violent prejudice against gay men and women. So unless a lesbian is raped to “correct” her sexual preferences or unless Jon Qwelane spreads hate speech in a column, we ease back into what we believe are benign

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The poverty of ideas: South African Democracy and the Retreat of Intellectuals, edited by William Gumede and Leslie DikeniThe poverty of ideas is a gigantic failure. It claims to be about intellectuals’ retreat within the South African democracy. It is not. Instead, it hosts a number of pieces that do not, as a collection, adequately speak to the book’s overall inspiration. This is unfortunate

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LAW and morality sometimes make strange bedfellows. So it is not surprising that the public debate about the lawsuit against companies that propped up the apartheid government has focused on legal headaches, rather than moral ones.The case brought by the Khulumani Support Group in the US against various international companies has tossed up two tricky legal questions. One is whether the US

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IT IS mind-boggling that there should even be a possibility that either Eugene de Kock or Schabir Shaik might yet be pardoned by President Jacob Zuma .The rumour mill alleges that if De Kock is pardoned by Zuma, it would make it easier for him to pardon Shaik also. This theory is flawed. Not only has there been no indication from the Presidency that a pardon for De Kock is on the cards, but the

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Polygamy is a sexy topic yet again. It is back on the table for debate thanks to our most famous polygamist, President Jacob Zuma, who married his fifth wife this past week. Some people have an intrinsic hatred of polygamy. They regard it as dated, misogynist, irresponsible in a time of HIV/AIDS and a violation of core constitutional concepts like dignity and equality.Others, with equal intensity

Saffer Politicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17356513254422999800noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287757549154531642.post-23724084898808457902010-01-07T20:01:00.002+02:002010-01-07T20:08:33.976+02:00

[ This piece was published in the Sunday Indy last year and caused a minor storm in a small teacup, including on SAfm when I was invited to discuss it. One charming listener sent a text stating "SAfm has run out of healthy topics!" haha. The issue re-surfaced in a chat recently with two good friends of mine - so I thought i'd repost it and provoke further discussion- if anyone cares. Use it.

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http://www.rfi.fr/communen/player/player.asp?Player=Win&Stream=http://telechargement.rfi.fr.edgesuite.net/rfi/anglais/audio/modules/actuen/R121/web_polygamy_mod.mp3.asx&iframe=http://www.rfi.fr:80/statiques/playerAudioPageDescDefaut.asp&video=http://telechargement.rfi.fr.edgesuite.net/rfi/anglais/audio/modules/actuen/R121/web_polygamy_mod&s=54309&s2=40&xtpage=accueilanglais::accueil.asp&xt_multc=

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Hours before my departure for Johannesburg on Tuesday evening, I was still labouring under the illusion that my holiday trip to Port Elizabeth had been very pleasant. Unfortunately, police officers doing a drug bust in Parliament Street in Central spoilt my festive mood. They brazenly assaulted three suspected drug peddlers in the full face of the public glare. As if the assault itself was not

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At the risk of upsetting the Christmas cheer (not that I care ... I hate Christmas: compulsory happiness is not my thing), I thought I'd e-scribble a few thoughts on an article I had just read about a reportedly race-specific bursary scheme administered by First National Bank.FNB reportedly have a bursary scheme for employees' children attending primary school. The chief criteria are financial

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Readers will recall that last week I took to task the invocation of ‘context' by Johnny Steinberg in order to ‘understand' and ‘situate' the moral failures of political leaders like Thabo Mbeki. Legacy debates will not go out of fashion anytime soon and so it is worth pushing the dialectic a little bit further.Steinberg responds by claiming that " ... if Mr McKaiser's argument is taken to its

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THE much-punted possible merger between the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Congress of the People (COPE) will succeed only if two fundamental issues are successfully negotiated. The one is leadership — who should be the face of the merged party? The other is ideological — should the merger continue in the DA’s libertarian vein or carve out a more progressive, social justice foundation?The

Saffer Politicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17356513254422999800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287757549154531642.post-26157805072591131962009-12-11T09:57:00.002+02:002009-12-11T10:04:15.408+02:00

THABO Mbeki deserves every bit of criticism for the unnecessary and costly mistakes he made during his presidency. These mistakes cannot be wished away by overemphasising the context within which they were made. We should, of course, give each other moral discount under appropriate circumstances for making mistakes. Equally, however, we are all responsible agents, who can rightly be blamed for

Saffer Politicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17356513254422999800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287757549154531642.post-45562693093996922252009-12-08T08:58:00.003+02:002009-12-08T09:00:10.992+02:00

THERE is something abhorrent and disturbingly ironic about the Gauteng legislature’s portfolio committee on health and social development trying to take the moral high ground in answering the tough humanitarian question of what to do with Zimbabwean refugees at the Central Methodist Church (CMC) in downtown Johannesburg.Removing children from the site seems to be their hasty short-term solution.

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HOW should we respond to our own ignorance? If you are ignorant about a technical subject — such as the efficacy of antiretroviral drugs — and experts disagree about the issue, then how should you, as a lay person, decide whose views to follow?The question is brought into even sharper focus when you imagine being a president at the end of the ’90s — say, for example, one who is short, smokes a

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Democracy is both irritating and rewarding. This is brought into sharp focus when one talks about democracy in the context of a pandemic like HIV/AIDS. On the one hand, the norms of deliberative democracy require that all stakeholders be consulted in the policy formation processes. On the other, such consultation processes, if not managed properly, deliver us democracy at the expense of necessary

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What does it mean for black South Africans to remember life under apartheid with fondness? This is the question Jacob Dlamini explores in his debut book aptly entitled Native Nostalgia. Dlamini is the most lyrical South African writer since Johnny Steinberg drifted off to New York. Like Steinberg, he delivers reflective insights with rhythmic beauty. It is worth reflecting on his main claim -

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WHY would anyone in their right mind try to kill a bull with their bare hands? I am not Zulu enough to know the answer. I am certainly not brave enough to have a go either. But this ritual appears to be a part of the fresh fruits festival called Ukweshwana, which takes place in early December in Nongoma, northern KwaZulu-Natal.Animal rights groups, such as People for the Ethical Treatment of

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SOME white folks feel that it is tough being white in the new SA. Well, try being a black writer. We have it tough too. This self-indulgent thought struck me last week as I was following the discussion unfolding online and in my inbox around two articles that appeared on these pages. In the first, fellow columnist Jacob Dlamini articulated the insightful thesis that too many black people think

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SOLIDARITY has compiled a raft of cases which, if successful, will expose the irrationality of employment decisions by the state. Yet it also seems Solidarity is casting its strategic net way too wide. It is wrong if it thinks it can put affirmative action on trial. That will fail, legally and politically.The smarter, narrower strategy should be to challenge state decisions that do not meet

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HAS anyone seen my race card? I have been looking for it everywhere, but just can’t find it. My biggest fear is that Julius Malema or Jimmy Manyi may have stolen it. They seem to have way too many race cards.If yours has gone missing too, fellow race card-less darkie, perhaps we could organise a violent protest and toyi-toyi until these cats return our cards? If I do not get mine back soon, I

Saffer Politicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17356513254422999800noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287757549154531642.post-45620859697639929442009-11-10T09:33:00.004+02:002009-11-10T09:39:00.592+02:00

Eusebius McKaiser & Steven FriedmanCITIZENS’ organisations in SA may have more influence than they believe — but only if they think more strategically and try harder to represent people at the grassroots. This is the key finding of a study of civil society organisations undertaken by the Centre for the Study of Democracy at Rhodes University and the University of Johannesburg and funded by the

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Dear local political parties, I turned 30 this year. When I grow up I want to be a politician. Don’t laugh. I am fully aware that growing up may well bar me from membership. I would like to join one of your ranks.Call me naive or optimistic or both, but I believe that there may yet come a time when our — your — political culture is one that is not averse to a crop of young, interested politicos

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I actually cannot believe the most pathetic defence I just heard from our deputy president, Kgalema Motlanthe, as to why government ministers were right to purchase a fleet of expensive cars between them even in the face of a recession. In an excellent interview conducted by Nikiwe Bikitsha on e-tv (she really has become a great anchor...), Motlanthe has just put the following argument (I kid you

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I STILL often cheekily quote, without acknowledgement, the definition of “public morality”, given by one of my undergraduate law lecturers, as stuff that “depends on what a judge had for breakfast”. I wonder whether my lecturer also had ubuntu in mind?Our Constitutional Court, in particular, references ubuntu with gay abandon.This invocation of a supposedly distinctive African moral principle

Saffer Politicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17356513254422999800noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287757549154531642.post-31188230731813316212009-10-30T10:20:00.001+02:002009-10-30T10:23:23.571+02:00

POLITICAL morality should not be regarded as an oxymoron. Unfortunately, some South African politicians and their henchmen disagree. They include Kebby Maphatsoe, national chairman of Umkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans’ Association, Thebe Meeko, chairman of the African National Congress Youth League in the Free State, and Gwede Mantashe, African National Congress (ANC) secretary-general. These

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INTERGENERATIONAL justice is a weird concept. It is one I tried to explain to Wits University philosophy students in a lecture on affirmative action last week. This generated discussion that is worth rehearsing. One of the more serious objections to affirmative action is that it is unjust to expect young white South Africans to bear the brunt of the social and economic cost of affirmative action

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And there I was thinking that Desmond Tutu and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) are so last year! Until....along comes Professor Jonathan Jansen and tries - while Tutu is still VERY much alive and well - to (re)invent himself as something of a Tutu-incarnation within the education sphere. Honest motives for sure - he is one my favourite people in this challenging rainbow country of

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I flippantly mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I had been tempted for a split-second to become a vegetarian but that I had never found the arguments for vegetarianism persuasive. Because I don't find them compelling, I need not feel like a moral failure - not that moral shortcoming is necessarily a reason to beat onself up; virtuous behaviour on a full-time basis strikes me as rather dull!

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ON A hauntingly beautiful track, Telling Stories, Tracy Chapman laments the science fiction that sometimes exists in the space between her and everybody else. She often fills this space with fictional narratives in which she is able to escape in a space ship. Sometimes, she melancholically concludes, a lie is the best thing. These lyrics have been on my mind lately as I plod along with a book

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THE Constitutional Court surprised many of us last Thursday. In the prepaid water case brought by residents of Phiri in Soweto, the court ruled unanimously that providing prepaid water meters and only 6kl of free water a household a month is constitutionally acceptable. The applicants wanted installation of the prepaid water meters declared unconstitutional, or for residents to at least be given

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I'm a self-confessed Obama fan. The man remains a charismatic darling in my eyes, and despite the novelty of his blackness in the whiteness of the, uhm, White House having worn off, I still think - hope, wishes - that he will have a successful term as president, not least because, yes, I do wish the first black US president to be a success, a BLACK success story- there, I've said it :) BUT ...

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THE quality of public discourse in SA is poor. Simply scan the letters and opinion pages of major newspapers, observe presentations and discussions at conferences on the university circuit, or sit through current affairs programmes on radio or TV.There are a number of reasons for this: a web of problems in our education system; deep income inequality that shapes the individual learning experience

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http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/Content.aspx?id=83424ONCE upon a time there was a political party called the Congress of the People (COPE). It was born of some comrades’ frustration with the direction in which a post-Polokwane African National Congress (ANC) was headed. But, despite some electoral goodwill (7,42% of the national vote went to the COPE), it seems to be exiting the political

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In today's edition of Business Day, there appeared a letter by Judge Dennis Davis, in which he stated the following:It is perhaps churlish of me to take issue with Eusebius McKaiser’s article (September 25) concerning the Judicial Service Commission interviews of candidates for the Constitutional Court. This newspaper was an exception in that almost all other newspapers, in their trivial coverage

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http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/Content.aspx?id=82903 NOW it’s official. Justice Sandile Ngcobo is SA’s new chief justice, in the wake of Justice Pius Langa’s retirement. The question on everyone’s lips is whether Ngcobo is a mere compromise candidate, an alternative to the disastrous possibility of a chief justice John Hlophe on the one hand, and the seemingly too-independent Justice

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http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/Content.aspx?id=82962IT IS fascinating to see Nestlé trying to escape blame for its business dealings with Grace Mugabe in Zimbabwe. Defences have ranged from the claim that no CEO could have his finger on the pulse of all operational detail of business units spread across the Milky Way, to more right- wing comment about business’s right to be apolitical.

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...this is an open letter in response to your letter to fellow white colleagues, published in M&G's special Race edition, September 23rd. Recall your disturbing words by clicking on the following link: http://www.mg.co.za/article/2009-09-23-my-dear-white-colleaguesThe most disturbing fact about your article is the palpable betrayal of a deep desire for affirmation from white colleagues. I am

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“Do you want me to arrange for someone to see you?”That was my dad’s response during my first ‘coming out’ conversation with him in 1998. Two days before, I had rushed to the post office to send him a letter explaining that I am gay. I had just returned to university after the mid-year break, which included my maiden gay trip to Cape Town. I was in my second year of university, and had recently

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