Muhammad Karim
Stories
May 31st, 2008
South Africa: Bloggers need to do more than just write
· 19:17 · Sub-Saharan AfricaA few South African bloggers are thinking about positive steps to take with regard to the current xenophobia crisis in South Africa. Stii asks, “What can we as bloggers do about the Xenophobia crisis?” and Mike Stopforth calls on South African bloggers to do something. Meanwhile, Afrigator has launched a special Xenophobia Crisis Page.
So I just read Mike’s call for help. Mike is so damn right. We’re all sitting on our asses behind our computers and saying things like “shame, poor foreigners” [sic] while we do the sum total of zero. Great bloody help that is, hey?!
I’ve though of this idea for a long, LONG time now, but I do not have a clue how to instigate such a thing, nor do I have the know-how of how it works. My idea is to have like a trust fund, NGO or something to which bloggers/technology people can contribute to financially. I’m more than willing giving money to any organization, but it would be nice to do it collectively as an organization I believe in, like this blogosphere I belong to. I do know that this is a fairly touchy subject and might well be a shitload of work, but I’d like something like this to happen!
Bloggers need to do more than just write:
Yesterday I wrote about how I felt we needed to do something more as bloggers (i.e., more than just write) about the xenophobia crisis in our country. I’ve had numerous responses, Stii came up with some suggestions and I also gather that a march has been organised.
I’ve also just received an email from my friend Dion Forster, who is a prolific blogger, respected leader in the Methodist church and a Mac and Vespa evangelist to boot, referring to his blog post from today. This hopefully provides you or your company with another practical avenue for contributing to the situation…
SA Rocks finds a list of things that South Africans can do to help foreigners:
Here’s a list I found from a facebook group:
Speak with your local councillor, individually or in a group, and ensure that (s)he calls a ward meeting to condemn violence.
Start conversations with family members, friends, neighbours, colleagues, fellow learners and students, etc. about xenophobia and violence and about taking a public stance against it.
Call a meeting at your place of work and organise a discussion on the violence and on xenophobia.
Join your community policing forum and ensure that the CPF acts to protect foreign nationals and anyone else being threatened or targeted in your area.
Report any agitation or threats against foreign nationals or groups of South Africans to the police.
Check with police stations, community centres and churches sheltering victims of violence on what material donations are needed, and donate blankets, food and clothes, as needed.
Participate in any public forums you can access, including calling into talk radio shows, public meetings, writing letters to newspapers, etc.
My Afritude blogs about “The SA Bubble Divide”:
After chatting to people I think that bubble has got bigger because certain sections of the population are ‘shutting down’ from communication and what’s happening around them in order ‘to cope’… How much can people take with the constant reports of corrupt officials, lack of leadership, greed, crime, violence, rape [including children] etc etc. it all seems to have just got too much for some to bear.
….
No matter what anyone says, the recent events have shown that this time, we are very much part of the ‘pity box’ that is seen as Africa and we clearly don’t have the tolerance or control we should have for our African brothers and sisters or their children. Even when our people [in years gone by], have been hosted by other African countries in their time of need. Someone mentioned the government is to blame for allowing poor communities to be burdened with more poverty. I agree with that, but we as South Africans still have a choice, why such violence?
Waiting in Transit wonders, “How could this happen in South Africa?”:
This xenophobia problem is getting way out of hand. What the mainstream media has failed to give significant coverage to though, the climate of fear which is being created across the country. This is not only facilitated by the violence which is spreading from province to province and town to town. Just this weekend, one of my friends whose family is originally from Malawi couldn’t leave his house because his dad was getting death threats over the phone.
This aspect is very scary, so many expats from other countries who I work with and deal with on a daily basis are now forced to keep low profiles so that people won’t hurt them or their families. It’s even gone to the point where these “Xenophobics” are using the Zulu language to distinguish whether a person is a foreigner or not. Many South African citizens are now being attacked because they don’t speak Zulu and hence are regarded as immigrants.
An Update from the Waiting in Transit blog highlights the United for Africa site which was launched using a mashup of Google Maps so that the xenophobia attacks can be tracked live and anyone can report further attacks in the country.
Fred publishes statistics regarding foreigners in the country:
Was interested to find out that most of visitors to our beautiful country were from our own continent. According to Eighty-20, out of the 779,094 tourists and visitors to South Africa in February 2008. 549,428 were from Africa. 69% of urban South Africans agree with the statement ‘Immigrants are a threat to jobs for South Africans, they should not be allowed into the country,’ and two thirds of South Africans agree with the statement ‘Most of the problems in South Africa are caused by illegal immigrants / foreigners.’
I think this is also interesting: The number of people the ANC brought back from exile at the end of apartheid was between 13,000 and 16,000.
What must the inhabitants of those countries be thinking now?
In The News changes focus onto how the attacks in South Africa are affecting Robert Mugabe:
Before the attacks took place, the focus was on how the runoff vote in Zimbabwe would pan out amidst the current violence that was taking place in Zimbabwe. The violence in Zimbabwe was getting worse in the build up to the runoff vote with the ruling party being accused of causing the violence so that they strike fear in the country and get people to vote for Mugabe in the runoff vote. There had been calls from the opposition MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, for there to be international monitors for the vote and for there to be UN troops in the country to ease the violence. The SADC region where all looking very closely at Zimbabwe to see what the outcome of the runoff vote will be but now they have to cast an eye on South Africa and Zimbabwe. Mugabe would feel much more comfortable with only one eye on him instead of having both eyes on him. With only one eye on him he may increase the violent attacks on opposition members and maybe find a way to rig the election result.
Mugabe now also has the luxury of turning to the South Africa government and telling them to keep quiet about commenting and trying to interfere with Zimbabwe, until they can sort of the mess in their own country being caused by the xenophobia attacks.
A blog at the University of Cape Town gives information on how the university is undertaking intiatives to help those affected by xenophobia attacks, offering help in a variety of ways:
There are a number of other initiatives underway, such as establishing a register of staff who can provide emergency accommodation for staff and students who may be displaced by the violence, the issuing of statements beyond simple expressions of outrage, the harnessing of analytic, intellectual and professional skills residing in the University community and the mobilisation of networks to bring political pressure to bear. In addition, students and staff are asked to raise issues of xenophobia among peers and in other contexts where challenges to attitude and practice can be effected.
The current situation seems to have stabilized, however there are still foreign nationals living like refugees and in need of desperate help.
4 comments · »»May 21st, 2008
Xenophobia Plagues South Africa
· 17:03 · Sub-Saharan AfricaExtremely violent attacks on foreigners in South Africa in the last days have stirred the entire South African media and of course… blogs. Individual bloggers question whether the government is right to call these attacks “xenophobic”, and criticize the media for being too event-driven to address the causes behind the violence.
Here's a round up of what some South African bloggers are saying:
Don Edwards, blogging from Johannesburg at Insights and Rants, writes:
Political correctness has now gone too far: it's all very well talking about Xenophobia and anarchy, but why is the government so scared of calling the rioting what it is: racism!?
These people are being killed because they are “foreigners”, and therefore we call it Xenophobia, only because it is politically incorrect to call it racism. Normally Mr Mbeki is quick to use the race card, but I suppose because there are no whites involved he can't see it for what it is. What an idiot! People are suffering and dying while the leadership dithers and keeps silent.
If they do nothing for much longer then we can refer to the process as “ethnic cleansing”, another traditional SA sport.
In The News, a South African-based all-Africa group blog, discusses the effect of these attacks on South Africa's 2010 hopes:
Has anyone given much thought about how the current xenophobia attacks in townships in South Africa could affect South Africa’s preparations for the FIFA World Cup in 2010? The whole world is seeing pictures and videos of the attacks and it can not paint a pretty picture at all. Crime has always been a huge issue about South Africa hosting the world cup but the world was assured that everything possible would be done so that crime does not affect this world event in 2010. Now with the scenes being beamed across the world from townships in Johannesburg, one wonders why South Africa can not stop this current crime sweeping across them.
Fine, the xenophobia attacks are happening in the townships where the poor are so that should not affect 2010 right? Wrong. Any form of crime in South Africa is a negative to how the world portrays South Africa be it crime in the townships or crime in the leafy suburbs. Crime is a national issue in South Africa and just because it is happening in the townships does not mean it should be ignored.
The government has to act and act quickly to find a solution to these xenophobia attacks. There have been calls for there to be more police deployed to stop these attacks but the police say they do not have enough resources to deploy more people than they already have. There have been calls for the South Africa army to step in and help or take over from the police. South Africa is not at war with anyone so the army is available to assist in times like this. The fear is that these attacks could escalate and get out of control. The government has an opportunity to act now and try stop these attacks. Or do they want to wait until it really gets out of hand before they act? This reminds me of the electricity situation. The government had time to act and resolve the crisis long ago, but did nothing about it. Instead they are now fighting against something they could have prevented. Don’t they just learn from past mistakes?
“No human being deserves to be treated like that,” writes Charmed at My Digital Life:
I admit I'm not one to get all worked up about political issues or how incompetent our government is, but I certainly think the xenophobic attacks are uncalled for. No human being deserves to be treated that way.
I agree with OS - it all comes down to those who lack mentality. With that kind of behaviour its no surprise that the Zimbabweans or Mozambicans or whoever are getting employed here.
My sister employs a Zimbabwean girl as her domestic worker and she's so well spoken, friendly, civilized.. unlike some South Africans I've come across with loads of attitude and think the world still owes them since apartheid.
If everyone cared and nobody cried
If everyone loved and nobody lied
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride
We'd see the day when nobody died
Chorus from If Everyone Cared by Nickelback
Herman, a blogger at Contraflow, looks at the larger picture:
The media's reporting of these events has as usual been largely event-driven, with little attempt yet to understand them as part of larger socio-economic circumstances and policies (although there has been some good analyses, for instance here and here). While front pages such as the one posted here (the Cape Town-based newspaper Cape Times, owned by the Independent group) raise familiar questions regarding the ethics of the representation of violent acts, there is also an imperative for the media to analyse these events holistically, as part of the precarious living conditions of the poor in the country and political response they demand. Journalism should be at its best when it defends human dignity and respect for life. This is such a time.
Sokari sees the violence as an indication of South Africa's fragility
The media and the government are naming the violence as xenophobia but the reality is that people have reached boiling point after 14 years of dashed hopes and have now turned on the most vulnerable in their communities, refugees, and foreigners to vent their frustration. This in no way justifies the violence but does go some way to explain the fragility of the country.
Nicole does not believe the atrocities committed by her fellow citizens who should be ubuntu experts:
Over the past few weeks, xenophobic attacks on Zimbabweans, Malawians, Zambians, Ugandans, Rwandans, Burundians, Mozambicans, and many other African illegal (and legal!) migrants who are living near Johannesburg on the East Rand, have been on the increase.
It blows me away that my fellow countrymen and women can with one breath decry the atrocities in Zimbabwe, and with the next perpetrate their own. It blows me away that people who should be experts at ubuntu can demonstrate anything but. It blows me away that a problem I considered to be purely a first-world problem exists on my own doorstep (as it were…. Jo'burg is a good 1400kms or 870 miles). It blows me away that in this rainbow nation of ours, where thousands have fought, shed blood and died for the right for us to treat each other with the respect due another human being, for the right to express our equality, my fellow countrymen and women would perpetrate such hate crimes.
And an angry post from ZimStallion
Alright, jokes aside. This is something that REALLY pisses me off.
Xenophobia, for those that have lived under a rock their entire life, is the jealous hatred of foreigners living in one's country…
Q: Why have so many Zimbabweans desperately flooded into South Africa?
A: Because there is a shithead President in Zimbabwe who beats the living daylights out of them for no good reason.Q: Why is there a shithead President in Zimbabwe?
A: Because there is also a shithead President in South Africa, who stops the rest of the world from putting a bullet through his head.Q: Why do shithead South African citizens take it out on poor innocent Zimbabwean refugees?
A: Because shithead South Africans are lazy, and are used to having things handed to them on a plate, whereas a Zimbabwean will actually work for something. This is the reason a Zimbabwean is chosen for a job over Joe South African.Christ, South Africa, I'll explain this as simply as possible so that you get it into your thick skulls: Get your shithead President to stop shielding the shithead Zimbabwean President, and we will ALL fuck off back home in a split-second. Then you can have your shitty jobs and shitty country back. Because if we had a choice, we wouldn't be here.
From Jacaranda FM blog:
Foreign nationals in Alexandra, North of Jo’burg, are begging police to deport them back to their home countries following the recent outbreak of Xenophobia. According to Alexandra police, about a thousand refugees are being housed in tents at the police station whilst several organizations have donated blankets, food and other necessities.
And finally… Dispatch Now
DispatchOnline has set up a dedicated blog for readers to share their experiences of xenophobia, racism and other forms of intolerance. Share your views and stories at http://blogs.dispatch.co.za/surviving
Across all media and social media channels, the xenophobic attacks have been condemned, unfortunately the government seems to be dragging it's feet again and mumbling about semantics instead of doing something concrete about the situation.
45 comments · »»April 21st, 2008
South Africa: The Praise and Fall of Thabo Mbeki
· 12:51 · Sub-Saharan AfricaSouth African President, Thabo Mbeki, is keeping bloggers increasingly active with his recent position on the situation in Zimbabwe, and bloggers are taking him to task. Here's a run-down of blogposts around the issue.
Breaking News published these two posts…
“Mbeki gives Zim arms ship green light”:
President Thabo Mbeki could have blood on his hands if a Chinese arms shipment aboard a ship anchored off Durban harbour is taken through this country to Zimbabwe.
This warning came from the DA’s spokesman on defence, Rafeek Shah, who said that the weapons could be used in post- election violence in Zimbabwe.
The ship, the An Yue Jiang, has been given clearance to dock in Durban and, according to the government, the 77t shipment of rocket-propelled grenades, mortar bombs and AK-47 ammunition will not be prevented from being sent to Zimbabwe. The arms are destined for Harare, where they are expected to be delivered to Zimbabwe’s defence ministry. Government communications head Themba Maseko said yesterday that South Africa would not interfere in the China-Zimbabwe arms deal. He claimed the government could do no more than ensure that the consignment met “administrative requirements”. He said South Africa had to “tread carefully” because of its “facilitator role” between the opposing parties in Zimbabwe.
Shah said allowing the arms shipment to pass through South Africa was not only “morally wrong” but disregarded national arms-control legislation. $(li type>square$)The National Conventional Arms Control Act of 2002 requires the government to consider the human rights and security situation in a recipient country before approving weapons sales or allowing weapons to cross its border.
and… “Zimbabwe opposition demands new mediator”:
Tsvangirai told a press conference in Johannesburg yesterday that he has asked Zambian president Levy Mwanawasa, chairman of the Southern African Development Community, to replace Mbeki with a committee to deal with the “extraordinary situation” in Zimbabwe. Tsvangirai said: ‘‘We want to thank Mbeki for all his efforts, but he needs to be relieved of his duty.
Mbeki and his cabinet were at pains to explain yesterday that his comments referred only to the election and not to the broader political and economic situation. But Tsvangirai yesterday said he was not convinced by the explanation. “To me it meant one thing — that there is some attempt to underplay the situation in Zimbabwe,” he said. Tsvangirai is said to have had a strained relationship with Mbeki. On his meeting with ANC president Jacob Zuma in Johannesburg last week, Tsvangirai said: “My primary objective is to engage on the crisis in Zimbabwe. At a personal level, I think we enjoy each other’s company.”
From Politically Correct:
MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai today said President Thabo Mbeki needs to be relived from his duty. Tsvangirai was speaking in Johannesburg. He said Mbeki must realise that Zimbabweans were at the receiving end of Mugabe’s brutal force and that the country was beyong “crisis”
Will Thabo listen, NO, he will simply ignore the call even after Jacob Zuma called for a new approach into the Zim “crisis”. Today parliament called for action. But knowing our president he will ignore everyone and continue with his “hush hush diplomacy”
I couldn’t agree more, Mbeki has been ineffectual and criminally negligent in his wishy washy approach to resolving the vast humanitarian, economic and political crisis which is likely to boil over in Zimbabwe at any moment.
With Mbeki out of the picture, two vital things will happen:
1. The REAL leaders of the region will have a free hand to deal with the Mugabe Regime as they have wanted to for a long time, whilst being told to wait and being placated by Mbeki and his “quiet diplomacy” (aka Do Nothing)
2. South Africa, my country, will no longer have to have its good name dragged through the mud by our President who clearly, despite his supposed struggle credentials, doesn’t have the guts to stand up against undemocratic despots, and even worse funds them and gives them grain and fuel life lines while his own country suffers under massive internal problems.The time for Mbeki’s failure is over. Now its time for real mediators and real men of power to step in and oust this terrible regime.
Something fun about the situation from the Madam & Eve cartoon blog: “Crisis? What Crisis?”
See the full cartoon here.
The Word Wright shows a piece from the state-run Zimbabwe Herald, which praises Thabo Mbeki for his role in Zimbabwe:
Mbeki deserves special honour
“… President Mbeki needs to be specially commended and honoured by the whole Zimbabwean leadership and people for the sterling work that he has been doing in the past eight years. His “quiet diplomacy” and “soft power”, are actually not as quiet as the world wants to believe.The backlash against President Mbeki’s presidency and his own personality has been immense. This is why Zimbabwe, as we celebrate 28 years of nationhood today, should say a big “THANK YOU” to this gallant son of Africa, just as we are saying thank you again to our gallant sons and daughters who sacrificed limb and soul for the independence of this nation. There is no substitute for genuine friendship; just like there will be no substitute for homegrown, genuine regional co-operation and integration. The least we can do is name one of our roads after Cde Mbeki and give him the freedom of the City of Harare.
As Wafawarova put it: “President Mbeki has had to face the agony of eight-and-a-half years of a crisis-waving Britain, but the ever alert and revolutionary Mbeki has not been fooled, even once. He saw no crisis with the land reclamation . . . He saw no crisis with the 2000, 2002 and 2005 elections . . .”
Apart from his now famous “No crisis in Zimbabwe” statement, President Mbeki also made the same statement a week earlier when he told dinner guests in London: “We have been very pleased with the manner in which the elections were conducted; the opposition had access to every part of the country, there was no violence, no one was beaten up. You have a very serious effort by the people of Zimbabwe to resolve their problems, we could see there was a common spirit among them and that’s the sense we got. And in the conduct of the election none of the parties came back to us to intervene to say something was going wrong.”
and finally… Mbeki tries to defend his position by asking everyone to please credit him with some intelligence in The Wild Frontier blog by Ray Hartley:
At his UN press briefing, President Thabo Mbeki was asked if he was soft on Mugabe because of their shared liberation history. This from the briefing notes:
Question: Mr President, do you feel you can be objective about President Mugabe given his legendary status of a liberation hero?
Answer: I have heard this story as well. I think that one thing that could happen is that people could credit us with the capacity to think. You know, I know, as much as you do, when something is wrong, I know it is wrong. The fact that I came from the liberation struggle does not mean I cannot recognise a wrong thing when it is wrong. It doesn’t. So, this argument, because we all come from liberation movements, we mean that we will not recognise it because of some loyalty to ourselves. I’m saying that I think it would be good if people just credited us with a little bit of intelligence. I am saying we are perfectly capable of recognising when something is wrong.
The very fact that we have this mediation process on the political challenges begins from the premise that there is much that is wrong in Zimbabwe. Otherwise, why would we mediate something that is right? This does not make sense.
This argument that there is some loyalty in the region because we have all emerged from liberation struggles like the Zimbabweans implies that when something goes wrong in South Africa, Namibia or Zimbabwe we will not be able to see it because of this comradeship. I do not know where this comes from.
The very fact that you have a mediation process like this on the political challenges is because we recognise that there are things that have gone wrong.
The second part of the decision that SADC took is that many things have gone wrong with the economy. As a consequence of which, we decided that the finance ministers of the region needed to look at this to see what it is we can do to address this economy that has gone wrong. So, what more should we say in order to answer this view that we are blind to wrong things that may be done by a fellow liberation movement. The argument cannot be substantiated.
That is why we are intervening there – because of things that have gone wrong.
So far the situation isn't looking good for Mbeki's approval ratings I should think, especially as pointed out by the Madam & Eve cartoon, he seems to be denying everything.
1 comment · »»April 18th, 2008
South Africa: Mbeki, No Crisis in Zimbabwe?
· 16:04 · Sub-Saharan AfricaSouth African Bloggers are up in arms regarding the recent events in Zimbabwe as well as President Thabo Mbeki's statement recently that “There is no crisis in Zimbabwe”.
This is a round-up of a few rants on the Zimbabwe situation and its affect on South Africans.
A Patch Work of Stories
writes:
‘Harare - South African President Thabo Mbeki said on Saturday there was “no crisis” in Zimbabwe after holding his first face-to-face talks with Robert Mugabe since the country’s disputed March 29 elections’.
Phew! Thank goodness for that, we can rest a little easier now!
There is no post-election crisis in Zimbabwe. So says our president. He even met with Bob on his way to the summit.We must wait patiently for the results.
Two weeks after the election and no result for the presidential vote doesn't constitute a crisis. Rigging votes doesn't make this a crisis. ‘War veterans' driving farmers and workers off their land is no cause for concern.
The fact that the rest of the world considers this a crisis is of no consequence. We must wait. We must allow Zanu-PF enough time to amend the votes.
Zimbabwe was good to the ANC in the 80's. It allowed the ANC to establish bases. It provided support. So that support must be repaid with loyalty. Even if the leader has become a tyrant. Even when the leader refuses to submit to the will of the people.
Thabo Mbeki is the only leader anywhere that sounds totally confident about the Zimbabwe situation. He is quite unique in this respect. He will be quite happy when the ZEC announce fully amended results and continue their rule by force.
Mugabe and Zanu-PF have long lost the support of the Zimbabwean people. Ask any one of the three million plus Zimbabweans in South Africa.
Zimbabwe's economy has been brought to rack and ruin. The country has lost the ability to sustain itself. 80 percent of the population are unemployed. But to Thabo everything is fine. He has no problem with Mugabe's continued rule by force. He has no problem with stolen elections, farm invasions or the supression of the people.
Whatever happened to the freedom-loving democrat?
The Daily Comedy and Humour plays on the South African Slang by transforming South Africa into “Fokolwe” - ('fokol' is basically an Afrikaans version of the English expression “f**k all”)
South Africa is being renamed - like the plentiful Rhodesia was transformed into bleak Zimbabwe
The new name will be FOKOLWE.
This is because WE have FOKOL:
Fokol power,
Fokol petrol,
Fokol safety,
Fokol diesel,
Fokol law and order,
Fokol doctors,
Fokol jobs,
Fokol place in jailJust plain fokol.
…and finally, The Voice of Reason points out an irony in South Africa's political figures in response to the Zimbabwe situation.
0 comments · »»When Jacob Zuma starts sounding like the voice of reason in the whole Zimbabwe election-stealing saga, you know you’re in trouble.
April 9th, 2008
The South African Blog Awards
· 13:11 · Sub-Saharan AfricaOn April 2nd, The South African Blog Awards were held in Cape Town to a great turnout of bloggers and also some very inspired winners. This is a summary of posts about the award from South African bloggers.
Both Eish! and 123 Blog Myself attended the event.
I just got home after attending this year’s blog awards ceremony at the UCT Tennis Club. What a great turnout! It was great putting some faces to the names and the blogs, and meeting a whole bunch of awesome new people. I am especially psyched about finally meeting Chris from iMod.co.za, CJC from Riply.co.za and Revolving Credit from The Big Wheel face to face.
It is only by a miraculous sequence of tiny miracles that I managed to:
* (A) leave at work on time for a change
* (B) Actually find the blasted tennis club despite the directions, and
* (C) find my home again afterwards.I’d like to say a special thanks to Roxie who showed me the way there, and to Riply for being such an angel to show me how to get back on the highway again afterwards. Thank you - you guys ROCK!
The SA Blog Awards has progressed to become a significant event in the online calendar year. The packed out venue last night attests to this, as does the fact that finalists and interested parties flew in from around the country to be there.
The event has sufficiently informal as one expects from this community and there was more than enough time before and after the ‘ceremony' to mingle with fellow bloggers, media and those that had an interest in the web.
When the ceremony began promptly at 7:30, the finalists were surprised to hear that besides being able to sport the ‘SA Blog Awards 2008′ graphic on their page for a year, there were actual physical prizes they could take home with them. There was wine from Warwick Estate, an indigenous tree from Stodels, Dell sponsored some categories with a flat screen monitor and Microsoft gave away a Xbox360 to the overall winner. And suddenly things became just a wee little more intense!
Without a doubt the big winners were Durban's East Coast Radio who, along with the other big winner Mail and Guardian have embraced the blogging medium and it seems to paying dividends, not only at the SA Blog Awards, but by increasing their reach into South African society. While ‘mainstream media' made a huge impression at this years awards, there was still more than enough space for the smaller guys to pick up awards. In fact, having the big boys doing so well made the victories of the others that much sweeter and it was great to see the excitement and genuine pride these winners exuded for the rest of the evening.While there was the odd good natured murmuring about the mainstream onslaught this year, there was none of the vitriol that seemed to emanate after last year's awards.
All in all, it was a great evening. Well done to the winners, and to those who missed out, it's time to up the ante!
South African Weblog of the Year
The Best of the Best from South Africa
Winner:
thoughtleader.co.zaMost Humorous South African Blog
Witty, comical and written to induce uncontrollable laughter
Winner:
blog.ecr.co.za/breakfastBest Overseas South African Blog
Best blog written by a South African in any foreign country
Winner:
cooksister.typepad.comBest SA Blog about Politics
The best SA blog featuring mainly a political theme
Winner:
thoughtleader.co.zaBest New Blog
Best blog which was started during the year of 2007
Winner:
blog.ecr.co.za/newswatch
Mike Stopforth congratulates the organisers:
The event was held at the UCT Tennis Club and was very well attended by folks from all walks of life. Huge congrats go to Jon Cherry and his team for organising the event out of the goodness of his heart (all that where there would have noted that Jon never once promoted Cherryflava or Cherrypicka).
Vincent Maher, one of the winners in the News Category, writes:
Don’t I feel like an idiot - at the last minute Matt and I had to cancel our plans to go to Cape Town tonight for the SA Blog Awards and we won 4 awards - Matthew Buckland won best business blog, Amatomu won best site promoting blogs and Thought Leader won best political blog and blog of the year. I feel pretty foul about missing the party and the celebrations but very happy for the recognition.
The person who probably deserves the most thanks in all of this is Riaan Wolmarans, the Thought Leader editor who is the most over-worked person I know right now [except for the hamster powering my laptop during power outages].
And finally… CherryFlava gave their thanks to all the sponsors and people who had made the event possible.
All in all it was a great event and a sign of greater things to come for the South African Blog Awards and South African Bloggers alike. Looking forward to 2009.
1 comment · »»March 26th, 2008
South Africa: We'll argue with our parents and play video games!
· 09:02 · Sub-Saharan AfricaEarlier this week, President Thabo Mbeki proposed that an oath be recited by school children every day in a nation-building effort. Breaking News says that the Opposition Democratic Alliance Leader, Jack Bloom, had welcomed the effort saying…
“I welcome the invitation to dialogue made by President Thabo Mbeki that we should develop an oath to be recited by children in their morning school assemblies,” said Bloom.
Bloom. who called the matter for debate last year, suggested that the pledge contained phrases based on the preamble of the constitution: “We, the people of South Africa … heal the divisions of the past … united in our diversity … establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights … improve the quality of life of all citizens.”
“It would be a powerful way to imprint the inspirational values of our constitution on the minds of young people,” he said.
The oath, pointed out by In The News…, reads as follows…
“We the youth of South Africa, recognising the injustices of our past, honour those who suffered and sacrificed for justice and freedom.”
“We will respect and protect the dignity of each person, and stand up for justice.”
“We sincerely declare that we shall uphold the rights and values of our Constitution and promise to act in accordance with the duties and responsibilities that flow from these rights.”
However, South African bloggers have another idea entirely. The renowned South African cartoonist, Zapiro, portrays the issue with a light touch.
Bloggers have expressed their resentment in other ways such as arbitrary user with his post “THE WHOLE F-ING POINT OF THE STRUGGLE WAS THAT OUR KIDS COULD GROW UP WATCHING DSTV (cable TV network) INSTEAD OF GETTING SHOT IN THE FACE IN SHARPVILLE!”
His post reads…
You have to say it and try and sound like a 13 year old:
“It’s a democratic country and you can’t make me to do it!”
I imagine that would have been my response to my teachers if I was being forced to say an oath every day in school.
And ironically I would have been right… I would have been zit faced and snot nosed, but I would have been absolutely, categorically, right! In a democratic state you can not force anyone to recite a statement of beliefs, especially in the form of a promise to that state, against their will.
Synaptoman feels the same way with this post “The oaf of allegiance”:
Now this is all very dandy, but I have some major issues with the whole concept of hundreds of thousands of children standing up every day, hands on heart, reciting some meaningless (to them) mumbo-jumbo. A little bit too much like something our friend Mao would have liked.
And then, I also have a major problem with the wording of this oath. Children (PLEASE don’t call them learners, for f*ck sake) at school at the moment are aged between 5 and 18 (or 25 depending on the school). This means that they were born between 1990 and 2003. They had absolutely nothing to do with the so-called “injustices” of the past, and I see no reason why they should “recognise the injustices of the past”.I am 1/8 German. Does this mean that I am somehow (even remotely) responsible for the so-called (hang, I couldn’t resist that) Holocaust? Of course not, and so too are our children completely innocent in respect of South Africa’s past.
Alternative versions of the oath have also been proposed by bloggers such as one by TABANSI-OKICIYAPI:
“We, the CHILDREN THE FUTURE OF SOUTH AFRICA believes in freedom and justice without corruption from our leaders. We want to believe that we have a FARE Democratic Government free of crime and violence . We want to believe that there are homes and employment for each and every family. We want to believe that Education IS FREE so we can be the AMBASSADORS OF SOUTH AFRICA. We want to believe that we as CHILDREN OF SOUTH AFRICA are respected by our parents and teachers and not abused.
We want to believe that we can uphold the rights and values of our constitution as long as those in authority remember what is written in the constitution. Uphold to respect my place in society, MY SAFETY, MY EDUCATION, MY HEALTH AND WELFARE as a CHILD AND YOUTH in this country South Africa.
“We sincerely declare that we shall uphold the rights and values of our constitution, and promise to act in accordance with the duties and responsibilities that flow from these rights AS LONG AS OUR GOVERNEMENT, COUNCIL, TEACHERS AND OTHER ADULTS show us the respect and DO NOT PARTICIPATE IN corruption,voilance and abuse, then we as children pleadge to learn from example which we are doing at present.
…and a more humorous version was put forward by arbitrary user…
“We the youth of South Africa, recognising the hotness of Jessica Biel, honour those heroes who shape our porous minds like Tony Hawk, Steve Jobs and Natalie Portman”
“We promise to argue with our parents about music, play video games and score chicks”
“We sincerely declare that we shall eat Nandos, Bunk School, Watch too much TV, Sneak our dad’s alcohol out of the house on a Friday night, Spend way too much time on facebook, Tell our dad’s we love them occasionally, Try our best not to be fat asses and most of all, always be kief (means “cool”) to other people.”
Now that’s an oath… These are kids. The injustices of their past is that yesterday the DSTV wasn’t working.
The merits of instilling an oath in schools is very debatable, however if the intention really is nation-building, should not many other “real” aspects of service delivery and and nation-building be implemented along with this “oath”? Or is the South African government grasping at straws in order to sort out a very big structural mess of its education system as seen in Zapiro's cartoon?
The debate carries on in the blogosphere and elsewhere.
0 comments · »»March 9th, 2008
South Africa: The Free State Racist Video Saga
· 12:37 · Sub-Saharan AfricaThe last week and a half has been a constant heated re-iteration of South Africa's intermittent stance against hatred and racism of any kind. the situation was sparked off when 4 Free State university students had created a racist video tape in which the university cleaning staff are seen eating food which had been urinated on by one of the students. Other acts were also shown where the cleaning staff were exploited in this manner and treated in a horrible and racist manner. The students have since been unrepentant, making excuses for their actions despite the incident being widely condemned by various institutions and political parties including their own hostel residence which has apologised for the racist video.
There is a scene by scene breakdown of the video here.
The South African blogosphere has in turn erupted over this issue and here are the highlights…
Casper Chaotic:
As a white person, I am ashamed that some white people – like these - deem it necessary to act in such an inhumane and cruel way. People like these go against everything that Msanzi stands for. It shows flagrant disregard for our constitution and creates the incorrect perception that all white people are racists. The time has come for white people around South Africa to unite against evil such as this.
South Africa is NOT a country for racists. My message to anyone who deems to do anything that promotes the notion of racism: “Get out of my country and stay out!”
Those ‘darlings' of UFS need to be need to be punished, harshly. My blood runs cold as I think of how these boys - boys because men would not behave as such - bullied and bribed the cleaners. I have heard people call it simple initiation, but really this is not initiation - the video was made in the wake of residence integration, it depicted a MOCK initiation, what they would do should they be forced to accept people of colour into the residence.
Although the women involved have since come out and said they were not forced they admitted they did not know what they were doing it for. The question now arises why did they participate? Well if you are a mere cleaner surrounded by rich and powerful young men who may or may not have ignored them, or treated them poorly, would you not be a little flattered if they suddenly asked you to do something with them, would the sudden ‘friendly' attention and promises of whiskey not entice you?
I do agree their targeting the cleaners and the matter they were ‘protesting' against was racially motivated, but racism is a social condition not a political soapbox.Ironically the father of one of the students lashed out at the media for its coverage of the issue, saying the matter had been blown out of proportion and his son's rights had been prejudiced, as he had not even had a hearing yet. He also said the boys had not had an opportunity to explain. Well they have had the opportunity, once they were named their lawyers handled the comment.
Since the father spoke out there are a few things I have been wondering.
1. Regardless of the motivation behind the video, how would he feel if he saw his wife or daughter in a video as such. A video where black men are pretending to pee into her food, a video where she is called a whore, and made to appear of little worth, pathetic and completely subservient to those men making it? Would he not be screaming from the roof tops, in all the papers?
2. Is there anything to blow out of proportion? If my sister, mother or aunt were those videoed by your son and his friends, well I would be after them with all the force I can summon. What they did was wrong. People need to admit it! Stop protecting him, stop making him into the victim, rather admit his actions were wrong and let him learn from the errors of his ways! That is what a parent or friend is being about!
3. Do does anyone feel what they did was right, if so do than maybe they should look at themselves, wonder what sort of person they are, and take a good look at what morals they have taught their children. Rather fix the mess on your doorstep and maybe everyone will stop talking about it.
It has been a dark week in South Africa and for once it has nothing to do with the local energy supplier. A racist video has surfaced and negative images have flashed across the globe and the international media have turned on the country saying that our purported “transformation” is only a façade. The country is hurting.
It seems that not all of South Africa has welcomed in a multiracial, non-racist society. And this, after 14 years of the end of Apartheid, shows us that complete change does take time, and even then you will have the fringe of society who push the boundaries of decency and everything else. The South African Parliament has since condemned all acts of racism and sexism in the country saying they have the potential to undermine the constitution of the country. This condemnation apart from the racist video also included a recent attack on a woman simply because she was wearing a miniskirt. Not many SA Bloggers had picked up on the issue though.
1 comment · »»March 5th, 2008
South Africa: Another Manto Blunder…
· 12:57 · Sub-Saharan AfricaThe controversial South African Health Minister, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, who you might remember a couple of posts back as being under fire for her antics…is back in the spotlight, this time bloggers are venting anger at an address she gave to the presidential task team on traditional medicine.
From The Big Breakfast blog who comments on the “Minister of Ill-health”…:
…came up with another blinder, saying (quote) “We cannot use western models of protocols for research and development. We should guard against being bogged down with clinical trials.” She then went on to say that the lack of measuring and documentation within traditional medicine encouraged legal challenges and dubious practise.
That, madam Health Minister, is why we have clinical trials in real science.
Is there a place for traditional medicine to exist side-by-side with ‘Western medicine’, or are they at odds with each other?
Even more scathing was Synaptoman:
At the launch of the Healthy Lifestyle Programme in Port Shepston (what in God’s name was she even DOING there), she announced that alcoholic beverages will soon carry messages highlighting the negative effects of alcohol. Are we supposed to take this woman seriously? Her alleged alcohol consumption is legendary, her fast-tracked liver transplant is common knowledge, and now this idiot is lecturing the rest of us about OUR alcohol consumption?
She went on to say says that she hopes to emulate the success her department has had with the tobacco industry, where a 40% drop has been achieved due to warnings on cigarette packets. This is not necessary. We could probably achieve at least a 40% drop in alcohol consumption in this country if we could just get HER to join the AA.
and adds in this comic depiction of the minister…
The overarching question which this incident again lends ammunition to is… How can the President have Ministers of such caliber on his staff, and defend their positions amid all their antics?
3 comments · »»February 28th, 2008
South Africa: Racist Black Journalists?
· 08:50 · Sub-Saharan AfricaThe president of the ANC, Jacob Zuma, was back in the news last Friday… this time for supporting a move by the Forum of Black Journalists (FBJ) to exclude White journalists from covering an off-the-record briefing by Jacob Zuma.
The blogosphere has erupted with all sorts of positions on this matter, here are a few…
From Guy Berger
The Forum of Black Journalists is welcome to choose whoever it likes to attend its meetings. Black, white or blue. It’s a free country.
But no journalists, of whatever hue, should be in the business of organising off-the-record briefings with political leaders.
Wasn’t anything learnt from the infamous 2003 Bulelani Ngcuka briefing that caused enormous damage to the image of journalists as politically independent players beyond manipulation? And that was an occasion not even initiated by the media.
And anyway, why would any journalist act to encourage secret information flows as a first-choice engagement with a source? Especially in regard to a public politician who may be the next South African president.
Shame also goes to Jacob Zuma for speaking to the FBJ on confidential terms of engagement; he could have as easily advised that he had nothing to hide, and that anyone present was free to report his remarks.
Just what was the point of the FBJ tying the hands of the journalists who attended? A bad bid to try to “sex-up” the character of the event?
My issue is that I think the white journalists that were expelled showed a brilliant example to us whites as to how to deal with these “forums”. A lot of people have spoken out about these forums but nothing to date has been done about them, until now. Good on the journalist that were expelled and even better on the black journalist that left the meeting with them. There really should be no place for this type of organization in this country. Let’s call a spade a spade what happened there was nothing less than racism in action!
When you hear of these things, these corruptions of democracy one is left to ask who is running this country? When there are so many clever, able, educated and passionate young black leaders, why is it that the dof, cruel and incompetent have wrestled power away from the minds of rationalism in the ANC.
A part of me wants to blame Mbeki for his paranoia and centralisation, and when I think about it deeply this truly seems the greatest cause.
But which Irvin Khoza, the man in charge of running soccer in this country, using the word kaffir without shame, we have definitely entered a dark day in the racial politics of our country; where men and women are excluded from an address because of the colour of their skin, and a leader of the country’s largest sports program can chide a black man with the word kaffir.
The editor's forum said in their statement that such exclusion has no place in South Africa today and certainly not in a forum that represents journalists.
Sanef said it respects the FBJ’s right to organise and associate as it sees fit, provided this does not undermine the open society and democratic values of our constitution and country.
“Our democracy came after a hard-fought struggle at several levels including the media and every effort should be made to protect it,” Sanef stated.
Yesterday newsrooms across the country received the invite from FBJ stating that black journalists are invited to an inaugural luncheon discussion (imbizo) with the ANC president.
The invite further stated it was important to note that all the imbizo’s are “strictly closed discussions not for publication”. But they offer an opportunity for black journalists “to engage on a variety of burning issues with the guests”.
The media was instrumental is getting this country to where it is today. There were white journalists who risked their lives and even paid the ultimate price to give this country its democracy. What were these black journalists discussing, closeted together with Zuma, that they didn’t want white journalists to hear???
“Racists are the last people who should be judging the morality of others. The conduct of these journalists was reprehensible and, in my opinion, they have waived the right to report on anything political. In order to assist those who did not arrange the function or its racist composition, I would merely ask whether they walked out once they had learned of its racist nature.
By accepting that there is a place for racism in South Africa you are, by your disgusting conduct, confirming that whites-only schools, Afrikaans-only clubs and any other exclusivity is appropriate. Far worse, your conduct itself is all the proof that separatists need for a new whites-only state.”
Zuma’s attendance is slightly more complex. On the face of it, his presence endorses racial exclusivity.
But Zuma has been willing to talk to journalists of all races — and has even turned down interview request by certain black journalists.
Zuma has publicly expressed an open reconciliatory and non-racist attitude to social issues and he should be taken at face value on this.
He went so far as to grant an interview to a highly critical “white” reporter from the BBC recently in which he was subjected to the harshest possible questioning.
What is totally unacceptable is that a professional working journalist be prevented from executing their craft because of their race.
My take on this is slightly different. Yes, the FBJ is indeed racist and bad. But its members are also exercising an important freedom that is, and should be, constitutionally protected: the freedom to associate. I’m one of those people who thinks that freedom of association (like freedom of speech) is sufficiently important that it should be protected even when it is used by bad people to promote bad ideas. I even think that explicit hate groups should be legally protected, provided they don’t engage in acts of violence.
It seems racism is poking it's ugly head up again in the media world of South Africa… this time, however, it's in reverse. Let's hope we can resolve this issue or at least learn from it in future.
2 comments · »»January 30th, 2008
South Africa: No Light at the End of the Tunnel…
· 16:34 · Sub-Saharan AfricaSouth Africa has recently been caught up in a wave of blackouts mostly due to the country's main electricity provider, Eskom. Eskom has recently been getting a lot of flak from the South African population due to the “load-shedding” tactics being implemented to help it manage their electricity capacity and make sure supply meets demand.
Much of the frustration can be seen from the rants of the blogging community such as NVDL who writes:
In our democracy too we too quyickly wring our hands and say; ag, that's government, you can't trust them, and then continue on with our lives.” That's an abdication of responsibility. We vote for our leraders, we have the power to vote them in, and vote them out. What happens, as we all know, is after voting them in, they run amuck, because we don't really hold them accountable in a meaningful way. The media holds them accountable. But ordinary citizens don't seem to do more than read the papers, moan and groan, and then continue. We need to identify a system for accountability. Who do we address our letters to? How do we arrange town hall meetings? What is the process for impeachment, where does it start? How do we smack politicians on their wrists? How can we fast-track the firing of non-performers, liars and thiefs?
Our failure to act is essentially an endorsement, and makes us complicit in the corruption, and our national road to ruin.
Some bloggers even started whole blogs dedicated to this issue such as Es kom nie meer nie(Afrikaans for “It doesn't come any more”):
Blackouts, load-shedding, power outages…..these are words that were not part of my vocabulary a year ago! Now it rules my life, my work, my income, discussions, in short…my world. This week I had to cancel a few workshops due to loadshedding and my efforts to figure out what is going on (or off) have been most fustrating.
Eskom load-shedding schedule does not make any sense to me. And why do they have different regions that I have never heard about? I thought that provinces were created for a reason? Added to that, the load-shedding does not seem to correspond with the times given, so planning has become an absolute joke. Meeting times have become quite flexible as you really do not have any control over where you will be stuck in traffic. Yesterday it took me about two hours to get to Pretoria (Tswane) only to be informed that there was no power. This prompted me to make a quick detour to find a place whith power where I could work and reschedule meetings. I found a lovely pancake restaurant in Irene, overlooking Pretoria, from where I could recollect my thoughts, work a little, meet up with other meeters and consume a great pancake. So all in all, things “panned” out well. The people I was supposed to meet earlier, then gave me a ring when the electricity came back on and away I go. Amazing how fast we adapt!
Another blog dedicated to the crisis is energycrisis.co.za
Carte Blanche broadcast a programme on the Eskom debacle last night. During the programme it asked viewers if they had faith in Eskom to rectify the problem. 109538 viewers (99%)said NO and 1216 viewers (1%) said YES. Now that is unity!
Salaries paid to Eskom directors exceeded R35-million in 2006-2007, according to Eskom’s last year’s annual report. Non-executive directors received R4,7-million, and executive directors and divisional MDs received R30 million, between them.
Now departed Eskom CEO Thulani Gcabashe received R6 million. His successor Jacob Maroga, in his then role as transmission division head, received R3-million. His current salary is yet to be published.
Other high Eskom salaries (including bonuses) in excess of R 2 million went to JA Dladla, key sales and customer services, Steve Lennon , resources and strategy, Ehud Matya, generation, Duncan Mbonyana, corporate division, Mongezi Ntsokolo, distribution, Bongani Nqwababa, finance director, Brian Dames, MD of enterprises, and Mpho Letlape, director of human resources.
In addition to the above Eskom salaries, several also received loans for house valued at more than R3 million each.
According to the Sunday Independent, even the Chairman of Eskom - former Minister Valli Moosa - also received R 1 million in fees for attending nine board meetings, three meetings of the sustainability committee and one other meeting.
Some are very worried about the effect on the South African economy:
Is this the beginning of the end? I was in total shock when I heard that Eskom has told mines in South Africa to shutdown their mines for between two and six weeks. This all in an effort to conserve the little power that South Africa currently has. Businesses of all sizes have been suffering over the last couple of weeks in South Africa due to the continued power cuts. Now the mining sector which is a huge contributor to the South African economy is now also starting to be hit hard. Eskom’s reasoning is that they can not guarantee power to the mines and do not want to run the risk of the mines having a power cut when miners are down in the mines.
The power problems in South Africa are now reaching vast proportions and this could single the start of a really tough spell in the South African economy. If mines can not operate that means no gold, platinum and other minerals are being produced and thus a serious loss in productivity and profits for the mines. And one must not forget that the likely hood is that, the miners still have to be paid even during the shutdown of the mines, now think how this will affect the mines profits if wages have to be paid but no production is taking place?
I hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel as this is not looking good at all. It is so easy for an economy to crumble overnight and these power problems are edging South Africa even closer to a catastrophic point.
Jacob's blog throws some irony into the issue:
It is shameful how white alarmists, and their puppets, have tried to blame the current Eskom problems on affirmative action! Do these people have no shame?
It is plainly obvious that affirmative action has turned Eskom into a far more efficient organization. Eskom has managed to cut their staff by almost 50%, thus making more money available for executive bonuses. I think Eskom should be applauded for this innovative action. They have set a wonderful example for the rest of South African industry.
Some argue that Eskom's monopoly is the cause:
“We have to ensure that Eskom's monopoly as the sole purchaser is dismantled,” Schmidt said.
Eskom's low tariffs had also made other producers reluctant to step in.
South Africa's electricity was about 70 percent cheaper than Canada's, which had the world's second cheapest electricity tariffs.
And, of course, we have those who like to add humour to a very serious situation; iScatterlings and Breaking News:
Translation: “Oh, come now…”
And Electric Spaghetti with Eskom and the de-Generators: Just Can't Leave a Light On For Me.
However, these jokes aren't seen as funny by the actual employees of Eskom, as can be seen from Mail & Guardian:
Eskom's information security manager, Krish Naidoo, sent an email under the heading “Abuse of Eskom email facilities” to the group communication department recently stating that “A number of ‘Eskom jokes' are being distributed in the organisation. These jokes are defamatory, degrading, obscene and abusive.“This is a request for Eskom employees that receive these ‘Eskom jokes' to forward them to group communications and under no circumstances should these jokes be forwarded or circulated either within Eskom or outside Eskom.”
Andrew Etzinger, the general manager for demand-side management, told the Mail & Guardian Online on Wednesday that Eskom's employees — whether they worked in a call centre of a power station — were under “considerable” stress at the moment.
“The working hours and working conditions are a lot more extreme than in the past,” he said. “When they leave the office, even then, family and friends are constantly bombarding them with Eskom-related issues. It's not something you can leave at your desk 5pm.
“We are understandably the target of ridicule and abuse … this compounds the stress levels of our employees.”
Regarding the email about the monkeys in the call centre, Etzinger said it may be construed as extremely hurtful by some “less robust” employees.
Whatever the situation, let's hope the solution is found soon. Since South Africa is one of the worlds largest exporters of coal and other minerals, energy crisis in the country could affect the worlds economy and not just South Africa.
0 comments · »»
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