I have new respect for ANC spokesperson, Jackson Mthembu, who was arrested on Thursday morning around 7 am for drunken driving in Cape Town but apparently gave a 21-minute telephonic interview to the South African Press Association (SAPA) - while in police custody – 90 minutes later. Now that is what I call a work ethic [...]
Posts under ‘Freedom of expression’
Road rage drivers beware
The Sowetan reported yesterday that a Cape Town student, Chumani Maxwele, 25,was arrested last week on charges of crimen injuria for “waving away” President Jacob Zuma’s noisy, blue-light convoy. Maxwele says he ”waved away” the President’s blue light convoy “as if to say ‘hamba’” because of the noise. The police claim that Maxwele had shown his middle [...]
Gareth is very, very cross…
The voice on the phone was a bit shrill and whiney. His name - so he informed me – was Gareth and he was phoning from the Democratic Alliance (DA) offices. Oh dear. He was very, very cross. How could I have written that his boss, Helen Zille, was a hypocrite for claiming the allegations of sexual infidelity [...]
Fifa World Cup: bad for human rights?
When South Africa won the right to host the 2010 Fifa World Cup many of us danced in the streets (in a manner of speaking). Finally, we had won the right to host a really major international sporting event (no offence to rugby and cricket, but those World Cups were Micky Mouse compared to the [...]
Why all the fear, paranoia and distrust?
Why do South Africans generally seem so distrustful, fearful, and paranoid of one another? When ANC leaders or supporters do something Helen Zille does not like, she is quick to claim that it is all part of an ANC plot. When someone criticises the appointment of the CEO of the SABC, the MK War veterans claim the CEO is [...]
On reasonable accommodation
Few recent events have highlighted the racial fault lines in South African society more starkly than the recent death of Manto Tshabalala-Msimang. While many South Africans (mostly white) have welcomed the death of the late Minister, pointing to her disastrous management of the HIV/AIDS crisis and the untold suffering and death caused by it, many [...]
In a democracy, suckers will be sucked
When someone (like myself!) criticises the President of the day (for making homophobic statements, say, or for appointing a dishonest lackey as head of the prosecuting authority), it is often said that such criticism is wrong because it does not show respect for the incumbent head of state as an individual and also insults the Office that [...]
Alleged ANCYL hate speech calls for swift action
South Africans are far too quick to brand stupid, irritating or offensive language as hate speech. For example, I, for one, am far from certain that the sexist and offensive statements made by Julius Malema regarding rape survivors and the complainant in the Jacob Zuma rape trial constitute hate speech and I would not be surprised if [...]
Who is advising the Minister of Defence?
When the protest by South African soldiers outside the Union Buildings turned violent two weeks ago, the government finally took notice of protestors. It is one thing for striking workers to toyi-toyi through the streets of Johannesburg and Cape Town or for poor people to burn tyres in protest at a lack of service delivery and lazy [...]
On debate, analysis and “objectivity”
When a person
