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In 1974 under the Apartheid government, the Minister of Bantu Administration and Development, MC Botha issued a decree that made the use of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in black schools compulsory from Standard 5 and upwards.
The Ukrainian crisis rumbles on with fighting, killing and destruction. There is, however, the possibility that talks on Monday may help inch the way towards the beginnings of a solution. Maybe. In our family, we have an old photograph of our grandfather as a young man. He is standing tall in his new Tsarist Russian
I was expecting a massive build up to #SONA22 and I wasn’t disappointed. What struck me immediately was the lack of hope amongst the anchors, their guests and certainly social media. The same President who said #ThumaMina, the same President who waved in a #NewDawn was the same President we expected nothing from at all
Howard Feldman took a look back at the year that was, including the Songs that flavored the Morning Mayhem in 2021. The songs that were associated with news stories, the crazy, weird and sometimes naughty behavior of humanity, and the fun that we managed to squeeze out of this Pandemic. These are the songs that
#Omicron. What a word! It sounds like a three-year old’s pronunciation of Unicorn. South Africa is filled with extraordinary people. Many of our scientists are the best in the world, and we discovered this variant of the virus that mutates like a boss. Imagine the lab where this happened, scientist pouring over samples and documents
This is not a column about Daisy. It is a column about kindness and appreciation. And even though Daisy, our beloved German Shepherd is central to the story, she is not the least of what it is about. Daisy died yesterday. It involved a Checkers 360 guy, a motorbike, and the unfulfilled dream of a
New COVID-19 variant is a time for science, not demagogues. Let’s leave the real decisions to them, not populists panicking and pandering to their prejudices. South Africa found itself on the receiving end of its own excellence last week. It wasn’t a new experience, just the rotten fruits of centuries of exploitation, overlaid with more recent Afro-pessimism. Our
Israel is now accepting tourists. Here’s everything you need to know.. https://www.gov.il/en/departments/news/spoke_israel211021
Now that it’s all over I can share the story of someone who was very angry with me. So angry was he, that he took the time to write a very long email with a very impressive number of words. And an even more impressive number of legal references that I did not check for
#CabinetReshuffle chucked a curveball on this report: I was done and dusted when I heard the news that the #President would be addressing the nation on a #CabinetReshuffle and that #ZweliMkhize had “resigned”. I was amped for his speech, and I didn’t care if it was monotone. I was going to be alert and pay
Batsheva Haart opens up to Kathy Kaler about life in the spotlight and Jewish Identity Friday 30 July 2021. https://www.chaifm.com/podcast/2021-07-29-batsheva-haart-my-unorthodox-life/ #MyUnOrthodoxlife #JewishIdentity #Netflix #ModernOrthodox #BatshevaHaart More Posts for Show: The Deep Dive with Brooks Spector
I read how the Daily Maverick dropped files on the instigators according to a social media study and the statistician in me can’t let it go. There’s a saying in our industry, “Stats will do what you want them to. Stats will change your point of view”. We don’t tell you that, we assume you
Last week I wrote that Zuma’s Arrest was an anti-climax – I have eaten my words, they were as bitter as they were dismissive. And now, I don’t know if words can do justice to the shockwave that unfolded in our beloved country over the past seven days. #CryTheBelovedCountry. What I know for sure, is
Over the past few days I have received and read many notes of concern and sympathy for South Africa. Each of them is greatly appreciated. Thank you ️ I have also seen many messages with “I told you so”, “thank heavens we left when we did” etc. My note is to these people. The second
Help me out here. Let’s assume that I was in the market for a new 53 Inch television and that I had no intention of paying for either the item or my TV license. And let’s assume that I wanted to join the looters this morning because I have some time on my hands. Where
Can you believe it South Africa? JZ went to jail. He’s in an orange overall, eating prison food, using a call phone and sitting behind the tralies? Can you believe it? (ok, the food and phones are a “stretch”, but I’m certain he’s incarcerated). Let’s wind back the clock a bit. There was nothing else
Very rarely over the past 12 years, have I had to use the spotlight for an obituary. This is one of those rare situations where every word I type is covered by tears—my own as well as those of hundreds of people whose lives he has touched. It is said that the only thing one
How much news can be crammed into a single week? What a cracker! I jumped from headline to headline (with my fake news hat on) not believing what I was reading. Let’s start with the headline grabbers #Concourt and the #Judiciary. The eyes of the world were on our legal system as the #ZumaJudgement was
I would like to remember Rodney Love. Rodney was my boss and my friend for over 12 years. Rodney was born deaf 72 years ago and although his hearing loss was profound he was a better listener than most people I know. Rodney taught me about business and about life. He taught me perseverance, tenacity and
Stella Beder, one of the major contributors and shining stars of the South African musical scene over a number of decades passed away last month at the age of 88 and 8 months following a fire at her home in Melrose, Johannesburg. Stella was a leading opera singer (Mezzo Soprano) with PACT for many years.
It needs to be said. The South African Government has blood on its hands. It is not the first time, it will unlikely be the last, but there is little doubting that the deadly Covid 3rd wave that is devastating the country could have been blunted by a reasonable vaccine roll-out. And no amount of
If I began this story by telling you that we had ten babies born and unborn and that there are diamonds in the hills of KZN you’d think I’ve gone nuts right? There’s more: the man behind #EstinaDairy got R10000 bail (not Ace, don’t get too excited this isn’t a fairy story) and that SAA
South Africans have always been a little prone to melodrama. We have made hyperbole our friend and have long embraced the exaggerated form. We do nothing in half measures and reject the “happy medium” as if it will bring shame to us, our families and our neighbors. Which is why it should come as no
Last year in April, when we were young, I was asked to be part of a panel that addressed fake news and COVID-19. It was a formidable bunch and was one of the occasions when I suffered imposter syndrome. Covid was relatively new in South Africa and I had, a few weeks prior, launched a
The top story across the country is #LoadShedding & our powerless electricity supplier #Eskom. It should be our biggest story; it impacts on each of our lives. Over my years in media, I have had the honour of speaking to some very clever people and #Eskom has been on my top story list for years.
My conversations with Tonya are always fun. Each week, on my radio show we take a look at the big news stories that have dominated the press. We laugh uproariously at the antics of South African government officials, we are obsessed with Zondo and we roll our eyes more than we should, given that it’s
I’ve had a horrible week in social media, not only because I was affronted with horrific media out of the Middle East, but because of the reaction of people who I care about. I always keep my eye on the Middle East and Gulf, I have strong Arabic roots and I have many friends all
Much like Gwyneth Paltrow, I am not sure if I will be able to cope with another lockdown. If government statistics are to be believed, South Africa will shortly be entering the 3rd Covid wave, which might well mean increased restrictions. An unremarkable vaccine roll-out, lockdown fatigue and a winter season, all but guarantees that
This week’s media has been like dealing with liquid mercury – too fast, too slippery. The bomb dropped, #AceMagashule got suspended, I actually missed the breaking headline and got schooled by a client, (ya it was that type of week)! I got so excited rubbing my eyes to make sure it was true and even
News that Bill and Melinda Gates are to get divorced after 27 years of marriage, hit me hard. Not because I know them, or their children, but because if any couple stood a chance of growing old and miserable together, it was them. These are good people. They have focused on philanthropy, try valiantly to
For one day only, I have chosen to make a list of what living in South Africa in 2021 has allowed me the freedom to do. And today, for one day only, I have decided to focus on what we have and who we are, rather than what we don’t and who we are not.
The chaotic scenes in the skies around the United States in the days that followed the September 11 attacks resulted in planes being forced to land wherever they could. In many instances, passengers, dazed and confused, found themselves disembarking at airports of towns that they had never heard of. As was the case for those
Last week I spoke about it being #ElectionTime, and this week, you’d be daft to have missed the #electionKickOff, pardon the pun. The biggest political story by a mile was #TokyoSexwale. He stood up early in the week and said that a fund of which he was a “mandate holder” of an account that had
#BouldersMall started to trend, when I opened the feed I saw #Clicks and I expected a racist story (my brain is so conditioned) yet this time I was confronted with a new “ism” for me, “tribalism”. We call it Xenophobia when it’s from outside of SA’s borders, but we call it Tribalism when it’s inside
Serves 6 – 8 1-2 pieces of chicken per person (Skin on) or 1 Tablespoon olive oil for frying (If you are using skinless chicken) 1 can chickpeas 1/2 cup samp 4 medium baby marrows sliced 1 small onion diced 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 cloves garlic minced 30 ml tomato sauce 1 can tomato and
The rise in antisemitism around the world in the last decade has been staggering. It has emanated from the Left and the Right, and from Muslims in both Europe and America. But with Covid-19, antisemitism has reached an unprecedented level of visceral, medieval superstition through the recasting of the medieval tropes against the Jews that
The truth about Pesach is that most of us overdo the food. I am sharing my thoughts on what we do to ourselves when preparing for Pesach. The story Pesach is a time of sadness for the Jewish people, we were slaves in Egypt. Pesach is also a time of great joy. We became a
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