I have just come back from two weeks of blissful holiday in idyllic Mozambique. A recommended trip for anyone needing a break.
What struck me, though, was the work that is going on to fix and upgrade the infrastructure, which took such a battering during the civil war. Of the 600 or […]
I have recently been appointed the CEO of a new organisation called Accelerate Cape Town (ACT). Accelerate Cape Town is an organisation started by leaders of key businesses in the Cape, who are concerned that complacency and lack of cohesive thinking make it increasingly difficult to attract and retain businesses and top talent in […]
Crime is one of those topics in South Africa that get emotions to the point where they override any rational discussion, so I was happy to receive a very unemotional view on crime, written by JP Landman. JP is a fellow analyst, writer and professional speaker. You can see his website at www.jplandman.co.za. […]
The growing rage against crime by ordinary South Africans is quite understandable in light of the high profile murders that have taken place recently; most notable amongst them the cold-blooded killings of playwrite Taliep Petersen and historian David Ratray.Â
One possible explanation as to why people are reacting as angrily as they are, despite an actual drop in […]
South Africa is sitting in a precarious position as far as the future of political freedom is concerned.Â
Historically, countries that have experienced high levels of insecurity or political instability and ineffectiveness have become targets for extremists wanting to take control. A good recent example is Thailand, which has suffered a military coup due to the […]
The vice-chancellor and the council chairman of KwaZulu-Natal University have both stepped aside from their positions pending a probe into claims of sexual harrassment and victimisation. If these allegations are proven correct it will be a terrible blow to the cause of overcoming abuse of women in South Africa. However, while both have denied the […]
The MEC for community safety in Gauteng, South Africa, recently announced the launch of Operation Iron Fist, a plan to squash violent crime and secure a safer future for the province. It could be called Operation About Time, because it is time the South African Police Service took a harder line. For too long they […]
Those determined to bring down Jacob Zuma and destroy his future political career by pillorying him in the media should learn from the recent experience of Israel in Lebanon. When Hezbollah first kidnapped Israeli soldiers, Israel actually had quite a number of sympathisers in Lebanon. But that country’s over-zealous response has turned them into enemies […]
The new advertisement being run on South African television by the Department of Home Affairs is hypocritical in the extreme. The advertisement calls on South Africans to be more welcoming to refugees. It hints at the similar hardships that struggle heroes who left South Africa went through.
In itself, the advertisement is commendable, but the reality […]
(Published in the Cape Times, May 2006)
Bringing up children teaches one a tremendous amount about setting boundaries. One learns very quickly that if a boundary is set and the child is then allowed to step over it, they will do so again in future. If one allows this to happen on several occasions, […]