Skip to main content

The Easters

This year I decided not to go home during the Easter weekend just like last year. As expected very few people remained behind, as a result there were not many places to go. This time gave one space to relax thoroughly. It will be remembered that a week earlier I visited Cape Town to attend the 10th anniversary of the Cape Town Jazz Festival. What an occasion, even though I only managed to attend the second day, where Hugh Masekela was celebrating his 70th birthday. He gave us an explosive show. I extended my stay in Cape Town in order to see the many places the city has.It is such a magnificent.

In the midst of all this, the NPA decided to drop all charges again Jacob Zuma, because there was an abuse of process. This abuse was captured in secret tapes that were presented by Zuma legal team to NPA, where conversations about a plot to frustrate Zuma ascendancy to power between Lenard McCarthym Bulelani Ngcuka, and Mzi Khumalo can be heard. It is believed that Ngcuka and co may have operated in cahoots with Mbeki, as a results there are calls to get all those involved in the plot to answer. Also confusing in this whole saga is how the Zuma team got hold of the tapes.
A commission of inquiry is proposed in some quarters to look into the whole thing. I doubt this will happen, or if it does, it's terms of reference will be narrowed so much so it's outcome will be meaningless. We have a history of disregarding recommendations of commissions of inquiry.

The elections are around the corner - 22 April. The most interesting thing this time will be COPE. The question is how much votes will it get? In two weeks time this question will be answered.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Finally, I am taking the PhD route

It's tempting to see purpose in setbacks. While I wasn't selected for the Unit Head - Climate Change position after three applications, a PhD in climate finance feels like the right next step. The University of Pretoria will be my initial target, and I plan to spend 2024 developing a compelling research proposal. My initial interest in climate change governance has evolved towards climate finance, particularly timely with COP28 in Dubai. My city-based experience with climate finance projects has further piqued my curiosity. I'm eager to delve into the political motivations behind climate finance and explore frameworks for our city to better utilize these resources. Beyond the personal challenge, a PhD presents an opportunity to explore new career paths. While the future five years remain uncertain, my 20+ years as a climate change practitioner make this a natural progression, solidifying my expertise in the field. A long-held ambition is to document the city's envir...

Death of Black Magazines

There was a time when Tribute Magazine occupied a valuable space in many people's hearts. It was seen as a serious magazine with serious journalism. During his time as its editor, Sbu Mngadi unmasked the real person beneath the veneer of Eugene Nyathi. His name was in fact Albert Nana, a university drop out. Quite remarkably Eugene Nyathi as we came to know him, occupied our lives as this know it all political/economic analyst. In fact he was even called Dr Nyathi. Even our own Mathews Phosa, while premier of Mpumalanga, contracted Eugene Nyathi to do some weighty business, as a consultant, in that province. But this magazine has since died. In recent years there was an attempt to get it back to life, but it died - again. An equally exciting magazine called BL!NK was born about 3 years ago. It was meaty,exciting, fresh, targeted at Black men, but it died. After BL!NK came Blaque. Not quite as serious as its predecessor, but targeted at Black men all the same. It is now on a start a...

Floods: A short history.

Floods in general are not uncommon in South Africa. Recent flooding events do not come near some of the past events, both in strength and the trail of disaster they left behind. South Africa has a long record of flooding events dating back to the 1800s. Sporadic though these records are, they nonetheless give us a glimpse of what happened in the past. This past is very important to anchor our present day discussions, especially in the light of climate change. The first recorded flood event in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) was in April 1856, where 686mm of rainfall were reported. It was in September 1987, however that KZN experienced what is considered to be South Africa's greatest natural disaster in terms of lives lost and damage to infrastructure. During this disaster, 506 people lost their lives and approximately 60 000 people were affected one way or another. A few years earlier KZN was devastated by Tropical Cyclone Damoina. On January 1984 Damoina formed in the Indian Ocean to the east...