As with all things American, the world has been let down way too many times to be so trusting, so quickly. When you look at Obama’s foreign policy in terms of wanting to bomb areas of Pakistan to oust Bin Laden and his followers (apparently he is still alive and roaming hte mountains in that area) and also his one-sided policy in favour of Israel (even moreso than Bush), you have to wonder how much is really changing when we look at America’s position with respect to the rest of the world.

Since World War II there hasn’t been a single day where America was not at war with some country or other.

I like Obama, he is a brilliant orator and he is distilling some great ideas. He has embraced the idea of inclusion of everyone during his campaign and he does represent the ideal of American Values we’ve been blasted with by Hollywood since the invention of Cinema and televised media... But the caveat is that he should be judged by his actions. By what change he really achieves. This is only the beginning, let us not celebrate, nor judge, too early.

History should have thought us this much.

Jacob Zuma, ANC President, has been getting most of the media attention in South Africa as the entire country awaits, with baited breath, the outcome of his trial. Zuma has denied a number of charges, including money-laundering and corruption. The Pietermaritzburg court is due to decide today on whether or not to dismiss the case.

In the media, however, one example stands out starkly and has even garnered Zuma’s personal attack. Jonathan Shapiro a.k.a. Zapiro, South Africa’s foremost political cartoonist has put out a scathing cartoon on Jacob Zuma, commenting on the outcome of the current trial as well as his support base of various ANC allies.

InTheNews says...

As most had expected when they saw this cartoon in the Sunday Times, Zuma was not going to take this cartoon lightly and it is suggested that he is going to sue Zapiro. Zuma would be suing Zapiro for defamation. This would not be the first time as in the past Zapiro published cartoons of Zuma after his acquital on charges of rape in 2006.

This didn’t stop Zapiro though, just today he published his latest cartoon on Zuma commenting directly on the previous one.

What the outcome of Zuma’s trial will be today has everyone on edge, simply becuase if the trial is allowed to continue and not be dismissed, Zuma’s supporters have already promised protests and widespread violence in support of the man. If the trial is dismissed ,we have a potential candidate for the South African Presidency who is accused of heinous crimes mentioned above. regarding the particular charge of corruption, Zuma’s financial Advisor Schabir Shaik is already in jail serving a sentence for having a “generally corrupt” relationship with Jacob Zuma. What I couldn’t understand from this conviction was that it takes two people to be involved in corruption, and right now only one of them is convicted.

This casts a heavy shadow around Jacob Zuma when it comes to his morals and values, and this fact alone scares the hell out of many South Africans should he be allowed to run for the country’s Presidency.

A news story which broke a few days ago covered a kid from a Krugersdorp high school who donned a mask similar to Joey Jordison, the drummer from Slipknot, pitched up at school with a set of samurai swords and went on a killing spree. Jacques Pretorius, his first victim, had his throat slit with one these swords and was found lying in a pool of blood before the school day began. The perpetrator, who was un-named in the article, then went on to stab another scholar in the head and two school gardeners, one in the back and the other in the face. They are in serious conditions in the hospital.

The weird aspect of this story, like so many others like it, is that the killer was found sitting chatting to other people as the police arrived to arrest him. Police even reported that he was very calm when they came to arrest him and didn’t resist arrest. He even approached the principal and asked “Wat nou, meneer? [What now, sir?]” just before the school’s morning assembly began.

The student claimed that he was urged by Satan to kill the children, and his dress-up as the drummer from Slipknot is no doubt related to his acts.

His friends said he was a quiet boy who kept to himself. “They said they all thought he was a nerd,” said Raubenheimer.

Another witness was told that the boy spent a lot of time on the internet. His friends apparently said “his eyes looked mad” just before the attack.

Pierre Eksteen, who is in charge of a school support network for children, told reporters outside the deserted school grounds that Satanic music was probably the cause of the attack.

“He came here camouflaged as the guy from Slipknot. We know the wrong kind of music and drugs have bad effects. Young people need to be informed of the effects of bad Satanic music,” said Eksteen.

- Mail & Guardian

His schoolmates have claimed that he was “quite a nerd” and was quiet and kept to himself. A serious discussion has since erupted in the media asking questions around what exactly satanism is and how the effects of music such as that of Slipknot can urge children to commit such horrible acts of violence. This is also not the first time that the lyrics and music of Slipknot has been claimed to incite violence and murder.

My question is... how far will all this go? Should there be no responsibility placed on the parents of such children? Moral values and a lifestyle of media-glorified instant-gratification which favours some kids and isolates others will force kids in different directions. If parents don’t give their kids sufficient attention and direction and instil in them some form of moral values, make no mistake, these kids will get their values from somewhere else. And if the only form of moral influence available to them is a band like Slipknot, God help us all.


Slipknot has refused to comment after a South African boy killed a fellow student, and was reportedly dressed like the band.

On the occasion of Nelson Mandela’s birthday, I would like to highlight a lesson I have learned from him and his life.

There is no doubt, Mandela, world-wide, is the official icon of democracy and the struggle to overcome oppression. One of his chief characteristics, which people like Bill Clinton have pointed out and Nelson Mandela himself is that he is just a human being, an ordinary person like all of us who was placed in an extraordinary situation.

I firmly believe that at some point in anyone’s life we all will come face to face with a situation which can only be described as extraordinary. Mandela’s situation had garnered the attention of the world and hence his actions, and his underlying values, were pushed into the limelight as he struggled with his friends to overcome Apartheid. These extraordinary situations which we will face in our lives expose us for who we really are, and whether people are watching or not, the ultimate lesson will be for ourselves alone.

Whatever the truth is about ourselves, it is us, ultimately, who have to live with that truth. What do we really stand for? It is in this particular situation in which we have seen Nelson Mandela, even after 27 years in incarceration, stand up for what he has firmly believed all his life. Unwavering. I guess truth is like that, it has the effect of bubbling up to the surface and overcoming falsehoods which many try to portray. Human nature is inclined toward Truth and the lesson from Mandela is that we need to live to find that truth within ourselves and fight with our voices and our hands all forms of oppression and un-truths until we succeed or die.

It is a fact of life and history that many others who have fought for similar causes to that of Mandela had known that death was always “just around the corner”. Some of them have even met death during their struggle, and of them, some we know and some have been silenced from the annals of history. But their lesson, and the lesson of Mandela will always remain.

I hope we all learn from this and take this to our hearts so that we find our own truth, which will ring through our entire being and help us overcome whatever obstacles we may face.

This is the lesson I have learnt.

Happy Birthday Madiba! May you have many years more to inspire us all.

Jacob Zuma, has had a very polarising effect amongst the South African population. You either love him or hate him, there is no in-between. Amongst the general population we see people who see this man as a threat to everything good and moral, and with good reason. Jacob Zuma hasn’t really had a good run in terms of his perception in public with his being known for his statements on HIV during his rape trial, in which he was acquitted, as well as his on-going corruption trial, which keeps on getting delayed due to various reasons.

That is only one side of the coin. Jacob Zuma also has a very strong support base which would kill for him, taking into account the recent comments by the leader of the ANC Youth League (ANCYL), Julius Malema as well as that of the Secretary General of COSATU (Congress of South African Trade Unions), Zwelinzima Vavi. Malema’s comments can be seen as appropriate given his youth and fire and need to be noticed within the ranks of the ANC which would undoubtedly affect his future career aspirations.

The same sentiments which were echoed by COSATU’s Zwelinzima Vavi can be seen in a different light, his reasoning and that of the whole of COSATU stems form their overwhelming support for Zuma throughout his sojourn in the limelight. The reason for his popularity amongst this group of people and many of its constituents is because of his revolutionary role during the struggle of Apartheid. Current Rape charges and corruption charges don’t really mean much in that light… in a way it seems they believe Jacob Zuma should be rewarded with the presidency for the part he played in the struggle.

ANCYL President, Julius Malema

As the president of the ANC, Zuma is already in a very powerful position and tipped to be the next president of South Africa should the ANC win the next election, which would seem very likely given the large support base the ANC has in South Africa. This success could, however, be jeopardised by the very poor service delivery of the ANC of late as well as reports of widespread corruption and other factors like rising crime and president Mbeki’s lack of action on many issues including Zimbabwe. Nevertheless, Zuma has been very vocal about his stance on a variety of issues which does put him on a better grounding than South Africa’s current president, Thabo Mbeki. If his vociferous statements on Zimbabwe and crime are anything to go by, I’d like to see them translated into action.

Back to the comments of Julius Malema, specifically those referring to the elimination of all the remnants of counter-revolution including the democratic alliance and those opposed to Jacob Zuma becoming South Africa’s next president. Ironically, this proposed “elimination” was mentioned at the funeral service of Thabo Moeketsi, the secretary of the Free State ANCYL.

Furthermore, what revolution is he indirectly referring to if he is mentioning counter-revolution? One would think all elements of revolution will have dissipated by now given South Africa’s 14 years into democracy. “Revolution” is a very strong word and tends to make one think of coup de tat’s and overturning of systems and bloodshed. The last word seems appropriate if we take Malema’s statements into account and in the current climate, as many south Africans have pointed out, is very very irresponsible. Xenophobic attacks and Mbeki’s fumbling around with Zimbabwe using his “quiet diplomacy” to do pretty much nothing make the environment in South Africa a little sensitive when it comes to making statements regarding the elimination and killing of anyone for any purpose. Very irresponsible indeed.

If this is the nature of Zuma’s support base and given his track record in government so far. The future looks a bit dodgy if this man comes to be the president of South Africa. Let’s pray it all works out… amidst all the other challenges we are already facing.

With all of the recent comment going back and forth regarding Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe and the sham election in which he was sworn in for yet another term in office, few have made mention regarding the sudden change in South Africa’s position in the crisis. I’m not saying that South Africa has suddenly taken action, quite the contrary, that part of the situation seems to have remained the same… quiet diplomacy and all that jazz. What I’m referring to is the perception of the role of South Africa becoming suddenly clearer through the remarks of none other than Robert Mugabe himself.

Mugabe made mention of Mbeki’s “efforts in Zimbabwe” and considered him a friend. This is in stark contrast to MDC President, Morgan Tsvangirai, saying that Thabo Mbeki isn’t really doing much to help the situation in Zimbabwe. In fact, many South Africans have been saying this as well. Up until now, all those mentioning it had this vague idea that maybe, just maybe, something is happening behind the scenes in which Mbeki is making moves using his “quiet diplomacy” strategy. This vague idea is now squashed with the lines being clearly drawn and Mbeki standing on the side of the fence with Mugabe right next to him.

This can definitely not be helping Mbeki’s credibility any more, especially with his recent “hush, hush” treatment of reporters’ questions regarding the crisis in Zimbabwe. However, we cannot merely speculate from this point of view alone. If Mbeki is standing quietly on the side of Robert Mugabe, he is in a very influential position in terms of creating real change in Zimbabwe through dialogue. My feeling, and the perception of almost all South Africans, is that of serious doubt as to whether Mbeki will do anything at all. This is based on his recent actions of allowing the Chinese shipment of guns heading to Zimbabwe to dock in South Africa as well as saying “There is no crisis in Zimbabwe” early on in the conflict.

Regarding Morgan Tsvangirai’s recent statement that he is willing to “hold talks” with Mugabe is very confusing. First, the MDC asks that the whole world that they denounce Mugabe and brand the election as illegitimate, and in the next step they recognise Mugabe’s legitimacy? Surely we’re missing the plot somewhere. I think the MDC should have stuck to their guns and shout with a single voice and a single message. The conflicting messages being sent out will not help the situation; all this will do is cement Mugabe’s position as the de facto leader of Zimbabwe.

The AU is already split in terms of recognising Mugabe as the leader of Zimbabwe or stating his illegitimacy. Having opposing messages being sent out by the opposition damages their brand as a political entity and also greatly limits the potency of their political power. A clear communication strategy seems to be greatly lacking fro the opposition, this being showed by Tsvangirai pulling out of the election as well his recent willingness to “hold talks”.

The one thing missing from the crisis in Zimbabwe is clarity amongst the leaders opposing the regime. Both Mbeki and Tsvangirai need to get their acts together and make some real change instead of shuffling about between ‘quiet diplomacy’ and inconsistent political communication.

This is from Mandhebvu quoting Aljazeera’s correpondent Haru Matasa when interviewing Morgan Tsvangirai...

Haru Mutasa: You have just announced that you are not going to take part in the run-off election for the Zimbabwean presidency. How do you think your supporters will react?

Morgan Tsvangirai: I think our supporters will support this decision, because our council is a representative of all the provinces at the grass roots level.

They are the ones we have to confront with this - on a daily basis they have to live with this violence [allegedly carried out by Mugabe’s supporters].

Therefore, when we took this decision, it was really an informed decision. I think it is in the best interests of our people.

If the Zimbabwean people were bad before they will be worse off now. Before he pulled out of the race Zimbabweans had a chance of overcoming Mugabe, even if the upcoming run-off election was rigged and handled unfairly, they still had some form of chance. Now they have to face the same tyrant with another term of office, without a shred of chance of anything being done about it.

It’s a hard decision to make, and Tsvangirai’s reasons are valid, but all it looks like to me is that he gave up, after so much fighting, with a week to go for the election. I don’t think he should have given up so easily, I know it is a hard decision to make but I feel that he could have made the same decision after the election. At least then, if Zanu PF won, which seems likely, it would look like he’s fed up with Mugabe’s tactics to hold onto power instead of the perception that he’s given up.

The fact of the moment is that the Zimbabwean people are left in the lurch with the only way out seeming to be the leaders of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), who have been unsuccessful thus far. Pressure is also now being put on South Africa, especially, to take a hard-line stance and try to come up with a solution to the Zimbabwe problem. President Mbeki’s policy of quiet diplomacy is clearly not working, and he has to stand up to the plate and face a hard decision himself regarding South Africa’s position on Zimbabwe. Jacob Zuma, the president of South Africa’s Rule Party, the ANC, has also come out to say Mugabe’s party, the Zanu PF has lost its way. In terms of South African politics, this shows another difference between the two ANC top dogs, Mbeki and Zuma, with Zuma shining again in terms of the media with his clear stances. One hopes that action would come of his words.

The Zimbabweans living in South Africa have an equally hard decision to face since the situation in their homeland seems unstable for some time to come. Whether they stay in South Africa and try to get re-integrated into their communities risking further attacks, or go back to their country which for now seems unchanged and with similar conditions of hardship under Mugabe’s rule. This is the choice they face… Morgan Tsvangirai, Thabo Mbeki and the people of Zimbabwe find themselves in the same situation, albeit in different contexts, between a rock and a hard place.

Many are worried over the situation in Zimbabwe now that Morgan Tsvangirai has pulled out. Zanu PF have said that the poll will go on regardless, but I have no idea what they think it will prove. I hope that solutions are forthcoming for all of them soon and that we can finally see stability in Zimbabwe.

The role the youth had played that day, with some devastating consequences, accelerated the fall Apartheid’s oppressive regime. This day, still holds a lot of meaning and hope for South Africa’s new generation. At the Johannesburg Stadium yesterday, many youths gathered in droves to commemorate the fallen heroes of 1976.

President Mbeki, speaking at the University of the Western Cape, had said “Whereas the youth of 1976 went into exile to train as soldiers of liberation, the youth of today should go to school and college or university to acquire the skills they would use for their advancement and the development of our country and continent.” Even former President Nelson Mandela had a message for the youth, he said that the youth should use the freedom and democracy they have and “not lose sight of our dream,” he also said that all South Africans, including the youth should “continue to promote the principle of relentless freedom and democracy.”

Youth Day was celebrated under the shadow of the recent xenophobic attacks on foreigners. Mbazima Shilowa, the Gauteng Premier, said at the Johannesburg stadium “Today’s youth must look towards the youth of 1976 to find solutions to the challenges they are facing.” Hector Pietersen, immortalized in the famous photograph of him being carried by a fellow student during the Soweto Uprising, stuck in the minds of all South Africans today as they remembered the past and searched for solutions to achieve a brighter, less violent, future for the country.

Of the many people which remembered that day, there were a few who have really thought about the role of South Africans in the light of their vibrant past. The Front Line points out that the South African point of view needs to encompass all aspects of oppression. He says that South Africans have a responsibility, because of their overcoming of the oppressive regime of Apartheid, to fight against oppression not only in their own country but in other places world-wide. The Front Line specifically points to examples like Mohammed al Dura who was shot down by Israeli fire in Palestine and Victor Hugo Daza who was killed in protests against Bechtel in Cochabamba, Bolivia.

On a lighter note, Hayibo.com exposes the complacency of today’s youth who are only concerned with materialism and instant gratification. He questioned the role they played in yesterday’s remembrance of 1976 by satirically stating that the 10 seconds silence they probably held in commemoration was “to help us remember that not everybody always had an iPod.”

Whichever way they swayed, the youth have a tough time ahead of them in South Africa, the responsibility will sooner or later fall on their shoulders and the future of the country will rest with them. My take on this is that the youth need to wake up, get educated and get active like only the power of youth can do. The real change lies with them and the question of which direction that change will go lies squarely with them as well.

Youth day provides us with a glimpse of how great the human spirit can be at eradicating evil; let’s hope we can achieve this greatness again.

“Today we are enjoying the fruits of democracy of because of their bravery.” - Owen Sithuka, 14, from Orlando in Soweto

Residents of the Midrand suburbs weren’t notified that these camps would be erected in areas overlooking their residences and also being so close to their homes. Needless to say the residents weren’t welcoming to the foreign nationals. One resident was quoted as saying that the residents of these camps were whistling at her while she was busy doing her routine exercises at home and this greatly disturbed her. Other residents are horrified at this new development simply because it devalues their properties and, after all, they weren’t even asked for permission or notified in any way that this was going to occur.

Estate Agents in the area’s affected are also up in arms because, they say, clients are being put off by these camps and they end up not even looking at the houses in some cases as a result their businesses are suffering.

I think a move like this is very dangerous as it only serves to encourage xenophobia. Some of these residents had helped with supporting foreign nationals when the horrible events had occurred and they now feel like they’ve had their faces slapped by the government.

The foreigners themselves are generally taking a liking to their new camps as they say there is more space for them to move around and it is not as crowed as they had been when they were in Alexandra Township in Johannesburg. Generally, they play soccer and cards the entire day in these camps.

Oxfam however, has said that these camps are not good enough.

One has to wonder as to what economic benefit these camps will serve in the long term. Is the government also supplying jobs to these foreigners? And how do the foreigners plan to survive when they move to more permanent residence? The residents themselves are beginning to fear an increase in crime in their respective areas, simply because it doesn’t seem like the inhabitants of these camps are doing anything constructive during the day and “idle hands are the devil’s playground.”

I hope that some real solutions come out soon to address this before more fuel is added to the fire.

The project involves a whole range of stakeholders between universities and industry in its development. Given the effect on the country with the recent oil price increases and lack of investor confidence with the xenophobia crisis, a new alternative which would help people save money and provide a viable alternative is very welcome.

The project is still in initial stages and would first be rolled out to provide a fleet for government and from there, should any investors be interested, it would have an entry into the local car market.

Production is set to begin in 2010 and no pricing model has been developed at this stage.

Coming from the Death of the electric Car Documentary which covered the General Motors EV1 and how it seems to have disappeared from the market... I think it’s a great step forward for South Africa, and I hope many other countries, to begin developing viable alternatives to our oil-dependant economies and lifestyles.