vry

Watching a news item about Mark Thatcher’s trial I began to understand something about the ANC led government. The BBC cameras focussed on the court buiding where this short trial took place, and showed a hasty cleanup operation taking place. Grime was being removed from the brass letters on the buiding. Clearly, someone realised that the attention of the UK was going to be on that building - hence the cleanup.
And so it is again now with all the new stories we read about govenment - even Mbeki himself -suddenly taking an interest in SA’s violent crime problem. Yep, it is because the World Cup is coming our country.

World, and particularly British, approval matters more than the lives of those who have been maimed or tortured to death in their houses and on their farms.

When reading comments by South Africans on Moneyweb’s brain-dead forum I feel ashamed. Basically just about every participant uses his anonymity to make hate speech about his fellow South Africans. And it is not just at Moneyweb, but every other SA forum I’ve seen is the same - ‘diabolical’ as described by the creator of Muti
Considering how black and white, English and Afrikaner usually act towards each other (with courtesy, in my experience), I wonder whether Moneyweb should get away with this kind of sensationalism.

They might argue that an outlet of these bitter emotions is needed. But I suggest their anonymous pit is not the right place. A handful of poisonous people are given a forum, and we all end up thinking that this is how much THE OTHER really hate us.

No-one emerges from these mud-slinging matches informed or inspired. But then, it is much the same with Moneyweb’s poor but sensationalist opinion pieces too.

I wrote something about JP Landman in Afrikaans. You can also get an idea of what its about here.