- There was a lot of back-stabbing in South Africa this week after President Jacob Zuma signed a conditional guarantee for a loan of R2.4 billion from the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) to the Central Bank of Swaziland (CBS). Critics are peeved by the country’s decision to help the Kingdom of Swaziland through a budget crunch that has impelled unmatched protests against the ruling royal family.
But the rioting is not confined to Swaziland. The contagion is felt on the streets of Syria, Spain, Portugal, Yemen, and elsewhere across the globe. The entire euro-zone is in crisis and soon the entire global economy will be engulfed. From the UK to Athens, banks are in trouble, investor…
- At the risk of sounding unpatriotic, I'll go out on a limb and echo those that say it is all is not rosy in the Rainbow Nation. I will dare repeat the questions; will the majority reap the great FIFA World Cup promise after the final whistle? What will the games do for South Africa in general and the poor specifically? Will it help resolve the many socio-economic problems currently faced by the countless unemployed?
Theatre director, Mpumelelo Grootboom epitomizes views held by many: 'It's fantasy to believe the World Cup will help reduce poverty in South Africa'
“Who is profiting? Is it my colleagues in the theatre who have been struggling, economically for…
- Harare - 2010 Easter weekend. Enter Julius Malema – the ANC youth league leader who thought endorsing President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF party and dismissing the opposition MDC, was a solid plan. ZANU PF is the party after all – hailed by some for pioneering Zimbabwe’s Independence from Britain, never mind the European Union’s 200 member ‘list of shame’ that accuses the party’s leadership of crimes against humanity.
Allegations are collaborated by a string of human rights groups and scores of Zimbabwean citizens who say ZANU PF is responsible for the slaughter of thousands of political opponents – some allegedly buried in shallow gra…
- I might as well join those beating Sello’s drum.
At age 13, Sello emerged from the ranks of the impoverished peasants in South Africa’s Limpopo province to seek his fortune in Gauteng, translated "Place of Gold" - the historical Sesotho name for Johannesburg and surrounding areas. There, by hook or crook, he created a living for himself.
Spurred by his kinship with the armies of the unemployed in our midst, the millions of poor city dwellers who reside in high-density places like Alexandra township, a stone-throw away from his current middle-class home in the ‘leafy’ Sandown surbub, Sello became an ally of the Nelson Mandela’s ‘liberatio…
- Conversations that President Jacob Zuma fathered a child out of wedlock run the gamut -and not his latest State of Nation address. And bet my last dollar - as Zuma travels to Britain on a state visit in March 2010 - where he is expected to take a carriage with Queen Elizabeth to Buckingham Palace and attend a state banquet with key dignitaries as well as business - civic and royal representatives – his sexual conduct will most certainly come under scrutiny from the media and other interest groups.
Considering Zuma is a politician and not a cleric -monk or pope - why do some people worry so much about his sexual behavior and not so much his performance in delivering public goods?…
- No doubt – many were stumped by news that South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma had again fathered a child with a prospective 5th wife – a Ms. Sonono Khoza – daughter of soccer boss – Irvin Khoza. Moral zealots – many from opposition parties did not withhold any punches – while the ruling African National Congress characterized the frenzy as a ‘storm in a tea cup’. Oh, dear me! What is the Zuma fuss all about?
Zuma posits ‘customary sovereignty’ as a defense for his polygamous behavior; while his opponents shun polygamy on the basis of “common morality.” Whether these arguments are good or bad is relative. How…
- “The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum”. Noam Chomsky
Climate change is literally a life-and-death concern for the whole of mankind. But the media are failing to facilitate meaningful conversation on the issue - and instilling fear instead.
Since the Copenhagen climate summit began early December 2009 – headlines and newscasts have fed public rage about – first - the alleged "death of the Kyoto Protocol" and - second - the perceived failure to produce a "legally binding deal on carbon emissions reduction". The result has bee…
- Picture a big blue ball, hanging on nothing in space, suffocating every living thing inside to irreversibly annihilation. This creepy portrait of earth is contained in a documentary film titled ‘An Inconvenient Truth’, produced by former US President Al Gore. The award winning film uses an anecdote of a frog in a warming container not jumping out, but rather steaming to death, as small increases in temperature, go unrestrained.
Gore’s frustration is not a lone voice. Bob Marley expressed similar sentiments in a song –‘Survival’:
“In this age of technological inhumanity
Scientific atrocity
Atomic mis-philosophy
Nuclear mis-energy
It’s…
- Forgive the caveat. Consider my heart sliced into two if Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) president Joseph Kabila fails to use his current position as Chairperson of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) to highlight the multi-million dollar trade in conflict minerals - a critical driver of war in eastern Congo that has led to untold human rights violations, including killings of unarmed civilians and sexual violence. Failure to restore normalcy in the Congo is partly the reason why Africa has remained in the doldrums of development.
It was Frantz Fanon who once remarked that if you look at the map of Africa, ‘it is shaped like a revolver, and the Congo is its trigg…
- When the Pan African Parliament (PAP) said in October 2009 that South Africa (SA) President Jacob Zuma and Libyan leader - Col Gaddafi - would jointly address the 1st Ordinary Summit of the 2nd PAP in Midrand - SA – it was like announcing a duel at dawn. Well - the dual that never was – primarily because - Gadaffi - who is also the current AU Chairperson - did not make it to SA as earlier indicated by the PAP Secretariat.
But the battle lines were obvious. Gadaffi is calling for the immediate establishment of a continental African government - while Zuma - representing the South African position favours a more gradual - step-by-step approach. The latter reflects a cautious a…
- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says Zimbabwe is turning around; but how many see the Great Pumpkin?
According to the World Economic Outlook – a report released by the IMF on 30 September 2009 - growth in the country’s gross domestic product would accelerate to 6 percent in 2010 - while consumer inflation would average 9 percent in 2009 and rise to an average of 12 percent in 2010. The southern African nation's current account deficit stands at 21.4 percent of GDP in 2009 - and will narrow to 19.9 percent in 2010. Loaded for bear - the IMF projects Zimbabwe's economy is likely to grow by 3.7 percent in 2009 - the first expansion since 1997.
Good news -…
- ~~~~~The sweet chilli goes to Shauna McKenzie Etana - for not treating pesky reggae lovers such as my self like a horde of skates. Instead - what I got was youthful exuberance - tempered with psychedelic lyrics and sound.
The reggae songstress - otherwise simply known as Etana - represented Jamaica at the Johannesburg 2009 Arts Alive Festival in South Africa.
The first show – call it a teaser – was at the Bassline. The fringe venue was packed with everything from the young and not so young lollypops - crusty ragamuffins – Rastafarians - the usual trailer load of wannabes – yuppies and other oddballs. The African Storm Sound System did the foreplay to what…
- A rebellion by the South African armed forces – others say attempted sedition - happened on 15 August 2009 - coincidentally on the 15th birthday of the South African National Defense Union (SANDU) – the outfit that organized the protest. Police responded with rubber bullets and teargas to disperse the protest described by the defense minister as a threat to national security. Four soldiers were taken to hospital and 18 were injured.
There was a build-up to the mutinous unrest that took place at the government Union Buildings in Pretoria. Reportedly - over 4000 grievances remain up in the air – unresolved - and arguably - political leadership remains numb to the needs o…
- An 18 year old South African athlete wins a gold-medal in the 800m World Athletics Championships in Berlin and suddenly her sex is questioned. There is no doubt she has the usual plumbing – but because she won - the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) wants to verify if she is 100% standard female.
Mokgadi Caster Semenya - who grew up in deep poverty in South Africa’s rural hinterland of Limpopo province - clocked times which belie her youth – beating Janeth Jepkosgei - the defending champion - by 2.45 seconds - more than 0.45 of a second faster than world renowned Kelly Holmes's career best.
Granted - Caster does have much more body mass…
As the rumor mill turned - the buzz was that US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton would as part of her trip covering seven African countries - visit South Africa - to request President Jacob Zuma to allow the setting up of the controversial US Africom military bases in the country. In fact - the rumor was not true. Clinton confirmed there had been "no discussion" about extending the US military command bases to South Africa - adding that her visit was limited to strengthening existing bilateral relations. - Bilateral relations between the two countries go through review processes on an annual basis within the South Africa-USA Annual Bilateral Forum.
The reviews focus on identifi…
- It is official – when you visit Zimbabwe or if you live there - ‘Big Brother’ is likely ‘snooping’ on your phone and internet usage. What is worse – you have no recourse to the flagrant invasion of your privacy.
In August 2007 - Zimbabwe signed into law a Bill allowing the state to eavesdrop on private phone conversations and monitor faxes and e-mails. The Interception of Communication Act also compels Internet service providers to install equipment to facilitate interception ‘at all times or when so required’ and ensure that its equipment allows full-time monitoring of communications.
Civil society groups and informed citizens are not…
- The day is 9 May 2009. I am at the heart of excitement in South Africa. I arrive in Pretoria around 3.30am and despite the cold and rain - the streets are lined with security and people wanting to be part of President Jacob Zuma’s Inauguration.
Broadcast and other media crews are getting set up at the Union Buildings. The official ceremony will take place at the Amphitheatre. Although this open-air space is sizeable – it is enough to take only 5000 invited guests. Further down the Union Buildings is a lawn ground and there –over 30 000 people are expected.
Roads will be closed from 4am for most of the day. Hundreds are already in the cue at the Rietondale sports gro…
The official inauguration of president-elect, Jacob Zuma, on 9 May 2009 may well be what South Africa needs to ensure social stability for now. - First - Zuma’s long association with the liberation movement and ideals clearly resonates with scores of Africa’s ‘liberation’ intelligentsia’ and more with the majority of South Africa’s historically and socially marginalized communities. Zuma and Govan Mbeki – Thabo’s father were both political prisoners on Robben Island. While in exile Zuma dealt with thousands of young exiles from South Africa. Upon his return in 1990s Zuma used his links with the Zulu royalty and consensus building skills to woo …
There are lessons to be learnt from Somalia's piracy problem. First - lawlessness not only gives rise to criminals but also prepares ground for the exploitation of a country's resources by stronger powers. Second - defending human security by firm means need not be limited to application of force. - The ‘bloody’ 2009 Easter Sunday is my talking point. Ostensibly – in self-defense - US Navy snipers – known as the SEALS - rescued the captain unhurt but in the process killed three Somali hijackers – triggering an array of media shock and outrage.
While the event marked a dramatic end to the attempted hijack of the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama – i…
"Politics - noun. A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage." - Ambrose Bierce - The Devil's Dictionary - Part irony and part farce – the Zuma prosecution has become a source of some extremely bizarre allegations and counter allegations of political intrigue - constant grief for Zuma’s family and friends and a rallying point for several political groupings – mostly those who strive primarily on the misfortunes of the ruling ANC.
Several South African opposition parties and civil society groups openly oppose the decision to withdraw charges against Zuma. At the forefront is the opposit…
- For a few brief, shocking moments on 28 March 2009, the contradictions that underlie the global economic crisis surfaced into plain view as UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown declared ‘the death of the ‘Washington Consensus’ in favor of a ‘New Consensus’.
It nonetheless took a nifty effort by G-20 Finance Ministers and Reserve Bank Governors from Washington, Europe and Asia to downplay Gordon’s assertion in a joint statement. The official statement reiterated commitment to restoration of lending by tackling problems in the financial system, through continued liquidity support, bank recapitalization and dealing with impaired assets. In addition - as the s…
- By Tula Dlamini
Indeed, the Dalai Lama is a controversial man. The last place one expects to find the exiled ‘spiritual’ and sacred leader of the Tibetan people, ‘His Holiness’ Tenzin Gyatso, is at the Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California. Yet, there I saw him in April 2001, clad in his customary maroon robes, accompanied by Buddhist monks, as he toured the famous Hollywood theme park.
‘His Holiness’ Tenzin Gyatso was 2 years old, when after the death of the 13th Dalai Lama in 1937, was identified as the 14th reincarnation of the ‘Buddha of Compassion’. And when South Africa denied him a visa to attend a peace conference in Joh…
It took an orgy of violence targeted on foreigners for many to acknowledge that a huge number of South Africans had a 'fear or contempt towards that which is foreign or unknown, especially of foreign nationals. - In the blood soaked days that gripped South Africa in May 2008, angry mobs killed more than 56 people and displaced over 35 000. The attacks started in Johannesburg and spread to other cities, typically singling out non-citizens or people perceived as significantly different.
The leadership in South Africa had been warned. In November 2007, President Thabo Mbeki and his government received a 'self-assessment report' from the Nepad's sponsored African Peer Revi…
