Declining life expectancies in South Africa are attributed to the rise and rise of HIV/AIDS infections. It follows, therefore, that an increasing life expectancy may mean that the scourge is under control, or at least that it is being contained and the ill are receiving better medical care and therefore living longer. This in turn… Read More »

World No Tobacco Day is on Sunday 31 May 2009. It is a World Health Organisation project that is part of the much larger Tobacco Free Initiative. “The Tobacco Free Initiative (TFI) was established in July 1998 to focus international attention, resources and action on the global tobacco epidemic.” Each year World No Tobacco Day… Read More »

And no, it’s not a Zimbabwean1 headache. Although Jacob Zuma is sure to be getting a few of those over the next five years. It is much closer to home. Sb’u Ndebele, the new Minister of Transport, and his brand new Mercedes Benz (and a couple of other things like a plasma television and two… Read More »

Manchester United won the English Premier League. So what? It was not as though it was not going to be one of the big four clubs (Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea FC and Arsenal) that was destined to win the league. It was not as though the procession of the big four clubs winning the league… Read More »

After a court ruling went against it, COSATU (Congress of South African Trade Unions) has not been successful in stopping the listing of telecommunications company Vodacom on the JSE (Johannesburg Securities Exchange) tomorrow. Consequently they are now threatening action that is a little more militant than court cases and urgent interdicts. This time it is… Read More »

Helen Zille locks horns with the ANC, SA Communist Party, COSATU, ANC Youth League and, judging by comments on internet forums, even some of her own supporters. Her letter to the Cape Argus as published by the Sowetan has raised a furore that won’t be dying down for a while. It has even been picked… Read More »

Earlier on this afternoon, 12 May 2009, the ANC Youth League released a vitriolic and controversial media statement condemning Helen Zille’s statements about Jacob Zuma in a letter to the Argus/Sowetan. A copy of the media statement was placed on their website and made available for download in Adobe PDF format. Since then (10:00 pm… Read More »

And the first impression is that it seems to be huge. Thirty four ministers (Thabo Mbeki had twenty eight) and an additional twenty seven deputy ministers, plus the President and Deputy President. Sixty three highly paid people in total. This seems to be too large a number. Will they fit into the meeting venue? The… Read More »

This entry was meant to have been posted as part of Bloggers Unite’s World Press Freedom day celebration (hats off to the Bloggers Unite guys for getting people to write and contribute their time for worthwhile causes) on 3 May 2009. World Freedom day is mandated by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation)…. Read More »

Could the 2009 South African elections be the last National and Provincial election that is technology light? Technology light both in the methods of campaigning and in the conduct and logistics of the election. Could the next election be the start of electronic voting, e-voting as it is called? Will the internet and mobile technologies… Read More »