SCHOOL
DISCIPLINE
Results of a national
survey in South Africa of more than 11 000 women aged under 50 years--detailed
in a research letter in the January
2002 issue of THE LANCET--suggest that child rape is becoming more
common, with a third of rape of girls perpetrated by school teachers. Of
the reported child rape, 85% took place in children aged 10--14 years,
and 15% between 5 and 9 years. School teachers were the largest group of
rapists, and were responsible for a third (33%) of rapes.
|
A
ROYAL EXAMPLE
- Sunday
Times, 2006-11-26
|
END
OF A TRAGIC ROYAL LIFE
|
EDUCATION
IN CHAOS
Most South Africans this
the country's public edcuational system is in chaos, according to a survey
conducted amongst more than 500 households early in 2005 by the company
Research Surverys. All races share the same opinion (75% amongst coloured
people, 66% of white and Indian people, and 51% of black people) with more
than 60% agreeing that education is in a crisis. More than 55% of black
parents would like to send their children to private schools if they could
afford it.
|
FLYING
HIGH
|
NO
DRIVER'S LICENCE - NO PROBLEM
- Sunday Times
2005-03-12
|
WITH
FORKED TONGUE
|
![]() Polygamist King Goodwill
Zwelithini, king of the Zulu nation, is already married to six
wives.
- Sunday
Times, 2004-12-05
|
HONEYMOON
AT TAXPAYER'S EXPENSE
- Sunday
Times, 2004-11-08
|
Lobola
is the brideprice traditionally paid in the African community by the bridegroom
to the parents of the bride. A new twist to the practice was highligted
when Albert Mokoena (right), disgraced Chief Operations Officer of the
South African Football Association (SAFA) claimed back the R20 000 "lobola"
he paid to his male lover, Herbert Rasekhula, after Rasekhula deserted
him to move in with a female Faith Ramoupi. He also claims back all the
clothes that his ex-lover took when he moved in with Ramoupi.
Mokoena first achieved
notoriety when, as Director General of Home Affairs, he was forced to resign
the position in September 1999 before president Thabo Mbeki dismissed him.
He was accused of using his office to run a professional basketball team
without approval, using state funds, and was found guilty after an investigation.
He was subsequently appointed as Chief Operations officer by SAFA, with
SAFA vice-president Rueben Mahlalela defending his appointment "because
of his capabilities and experience in administration.
All he did at the Department of Home Affairs was to run a basketball team
and he now has a chance to run football. He did not kill nor rob anyone."
SAFA dismissed Mokoena in 2004 after a controversial career.
Moekoena's lover Rasekhula,
for whom he allegedly paid the R20 000 "lobola", then dumped him and moved
in with Faith Ramoupi. She herself was dismissed from SAFA as a secretary,
whilst SAFA's financial committee is investigating Rasekhula's appointment
as Mokoena's driver and personal assistant at SAFA.
![]() With warmer weather approaching
during the spring of 2004, civil servants in a government department building
in Pretoria were asked to close their windows because the air conditioning
was about to be switched on to cool down the building.
- Sunday
Times, 2004-10-17
|
FOREFATHER
SPIRITS WIL LET ME FLY
|
SEX
CHANGE
The Pan-African Parliament
held its first session at Gallagher Estate, Johannesburg, during September
2004. Officials from the National Assembly and the African Union had religious
leaders from the Catholic Church, an "indigenous" (sic) African church
and the Hindu religion open the parliament with prayers.
- Sunday
Times, 2004-09-18
|
THE
FATTER YOU ARE, THE BETTER YOU FLY
- Sunday
Times, 2004-07-18
|
It's
interesting what lawyers claim to be their best assests and claim to fame
when they seek promotion to the Bench at the Judicial Services Commission.
Among
the more interesting applications in June 2004 is one by Judge
Nkola John Motata of the Johannesburg High
Court, who seeks appointment to the Appeal Court in Bloemfontein.
Asked
what his most significant contribution to the law was, the good judge said
(wrote, actually) with a straight face: "Abolition of the death penalty."
Sorry
judge, but serving as national treasurer of the Society for the Abolition
of the Death Penalty from 1988-1989, does not qualify you to make this
claim.
In
addition to speaking all South Africa's official languages, Dimheletse
Stanley Seun Moshidi listed another qualification
that must make him a certainty for appointment to judicial office.
Under
"Past positions and professional achievements", his CV actually reflects
the following: "Head prefect, Thusanang Lower Primary School, Middelburg,
Transvaal."
Then
again, Daniel Vuminkosi Dlodloa
motivated for a spot on the Bench with this line: "I was chosen to be a
prefect and manager of the school tuckshop."
And
Moroampholo
Tsoka (photo at left) said the Bench needed
him because he had eight Two Oceans, six Comrades and two 94.7 cycle races
to his credit.
Statistics
South Africa has been plagued by a long series of faulty statistics
released about South Africa, most of which were attributed to faulty calculations.
In
June 2004 Statistics Africa's head, Pali Lehohla, publicly took the
Reserve Bank to task for publishing employment figures that were too negative,
the newspaper Business Day reported.
Lehohla
pointed out that the Bank's claim, in its Labour Market Frontiers
report, that non-agricultural employment fell by 400 000 jobs between 1980
and 2001, was faulty.
The
reason, according to Lehohla? The 2001 statistics were faulty.
Who
was to blame for the faulty statistics? Any guesses?
On
the website of the South African mission to Indonesia, he described himself
as someone who was involved in the "death defying political struggle
against the brutal system of monster apartheid... " and "a gallant
revolutionary cadre" who "did not stop from continuing his fight for
the freedom of his people and liberation of his country". Despite having
only "read for National Technical Certificate (NTC III) on Boilermakers",
Norman Manuel Mashabane has been appointed South African Ambassador to
the Republic of Indonesia from 2001.
However, on May 3rd,
2003, Mashabane cornered embassy official Lara Swart after a function at
his official home and suggested that they alone "go together to the
Aceh province. Do you understand what I am saying?", according to a
written affidavit by Swart after the event. He embraced her, fondled her
breasts, forcibly kissed her and put his tongue into her mouth, despite
her objections. Swart fainted, and when she came by, Mashabane again kissed
her repeatedly, stroking her leg, asking her not to tell her husband but
to come to his office on the next Monday.
On May 5th, 2003 Swart
lodged an official complaint for sexual harassment against Mashabane, who
boasted that nothing will come of it, since he is a "personal friend
of State President Thabo Mbeki". At that stage he was already found
guilty of 21 charges of sexual harassment against female staff of the embassy
in December 2001. As a result of the Swart complaints, an investigation
under Mr Mxolisi Nkosi (chief director: Northern Africa, in the Department
of Foreign Affairs) found Mashabane guilty, recommending on November 30th
2003 that he be dismissed from his position as ambassador.
Nothing came of it and
the whole investigation was kept under blankets. Thirty months after the
episode, and ironically on Freedom Day April 27th 2004, it was announced
by Ronnie Mamoepa of the Department of Foreign Affarins that an "internal
appeals investigation" found Mashabane not guilty and was allowed to continue
in his position.
Swart was moved to the
South African embassy in Seoul, South Korea, on October 30th 2003 at the
insinstence of the Society for Civil Servants.
Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Nkosazana Zuma, confirmed in Parliament that she has personally pardoned
Mashabane of the the 21 charges of sexual abuse of which he was found guilty.
After being recalled to
South Africa, the same thing happened again: he was convicted for sex pestilence. To everyone's surprise,
Mashy was appointed as special adviser to Limpopo Premier Sello Moloto, but after a public
outcry the appointment was revoked. Then, in March 2007, he's been appointed to the
Limpopo provincial legislature. Fortune appears to favour the dingbat who won't keep it in his pants.
Before
the 2004 election, much was made of how cash-strapped the ANC was. But
instead of raising funds, three senior ANC leaders recently found
themselves doing quite the opposite.
While
canvassing near George, Deputy President Jacob Zuma, Western Cape leader
Ebrahim Rasool and national executive committee member Naledi Pandor took
time out to chat to a 105-year-old woman over coffee at her home - a publicity
stunt carefully arranged previously.
Touched
by her hospitality, Zuma spontaneously handed over R200 for the refreshments.
The elderly lady pointedly looked at the other two, holding out her hand,
and said: “Qabane [Comrade] ...” — setting off an embarrassed scramble
for wallets.
The
King Hintsha Bravery Awards ceremony were held at Unisa in Pretoria during
March 2004.
“These
awards celebrate heroes of the struggle, bravery, excellence and outstanding
service and contribution to our fledging democracy. This year’s recipients
are:
“1.
Oliver Tambo — A post- Humourous honour for the Gallant fighter;
2. Albertina Sisulu — Freedom fighter and great heroine of South Africa;
3. Justice Dikgang Moseneke — Legal eagle and powerful business man.”
The
guests present failed to see the funny side in the death of a national
hero such as Oliver Tambo.
Voters
beware! If the ANC is voted back into power in Wednesday's (April 14th,
2004) election, there could be major re-arrangement of South Africa's geographic
landscape.
This amazing pre-election
slip of the tongue came from ANC secretary-general Kgalema Motlanthe at
a gathering of ANC supporters to commemorate the death of Communist Party
chief Chris Hani ten years ago.
Motlanthe declared that
a struggle greater than the anti-apartheid effort was about to commence.
"The next struggle will continue until each province has its own sea so
that people will not die in road accidents heading to the coast," said
he.
Health
Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang (left) is better known as "Dr
Garlic" due to the fact that she prescribed the use of garlic
as a "cure" for Aids, which according to her is not caused by the HIV
virus. What's more, she refused to pay for a meal at an upmarket Cape Town
restaurant because she could smell cigarette smoke in the air.
Tshabalala-Msimang,
with bodyguards in tow, left the Hatfields restaurant (right) near Parliament
in early December 2003 without settling the R310 bill for her and her entourage.
She complained that the restaurant had not complied with anti-smoking legislation.
Tshabalala-Msimang
sat at her usual table with her assistant while her bodyguards had lunch
and drinks in the restaurant's adjacent smoking area.
General
manager of the restaurant, Ernie van Wyk, said the minister was sitting
about 5m away from the nearest smoker.
"It
was either at the start of the meal or halfway through it when she came
to me and complained about the environment," Van Wyk said this week.
"It
wasn't like it was right next to her. The wind was blowing that evening
and it blew the smoke into the non-smoking area. She wasn't prepared to
pay for her meal. She didn't storm out or anything ."
Van
Wyk said he didn't argue with Tshabalala-Msimang because he agreed that
she had a valid complaint. "I accepted her refusal to pay with the greatest
of pleasure and I apologised for the inconvenience of the smoke."
"I
wasn't about to argue with her because her department introduced the smoking
regulations and it is her job to complain about the smoking," he added
.
The
owner of the restaurant, who asked to not be named , said: "Unfortunately
everything just went wrong on that day. We had a very busy day with about
70 people packed into the restaurant. Our air-conditioning system wasn't
working and on top of that the minister of health was sitting at her table."
The
owner said that although the smoking area was at the bar, which is separate
from the non-smoking area, complying completely with anti-smoking legislation
would require major renovations of up to R100 000.
"We're
a small restaurant and we simply don't have that kind of money," she said.
Sibani
Mngadi, Tshabalala-Msimang's spokesman, confirmed that she had complained
and that the restaurant had "offered to waive the bill".
"If
the restaurant wanted payment, it would have sent the bill to our offices
for payment. The minister was a regular there," he said.
The
owner said that in the 17 years she had occupied the building, she had
never encountered anyone complaining about smoking, even after the Tobacco
Products Control Amendment Act came into force three years ago.
"We
can't completely comply with the regulations. If we did, we'd have to close
our business," she said.
The
owner added that she feared Tshabalala-Msimang might have laid a complaint
with the city's environmental health authorities.
But
Cape Town city council environmental health manager, Alex Godden, said
he had received no complaint from the minister or anyone in her department.
However, health inspectors of the City Council paid a visit to the restaurant
on February 9th, 2004 to investigate whether it complies with smoking regulations
An
extract from a story by one Pearl Rantsekeng in the Sowetan newspaper during
the first week of February 2004:
"I
begged the man not to cut the electricity to a point where I was even prepared
to offer him a bribe (something which is a definite no-no with me as you
can see from the number of traffic fines I pay). He pointed me to the bottom
part of the slip. It read: 'Bribery is a criminal offence. Please do not
make any offers to technicians.' I just said 'My brother, you and I are
African. For us it is not a bribe. It is just money for you to buy a drink
while I run to the nearest bank to make the payment.' I must say that I
was taken aback by his reaction."
Honest.
Verbatim.
Cape
High Court Judge Siraj Desai (photo left) had never been as lonely as on
the first terrible nights he spent in an Indian police cell in Mumbai'
s Colaba district during the second week of January 2003. Judge Desai's
life changed forever the minute he was hauled out of his luxurious Taj
Presidency Hotel room and driven in a police Jeep to Colaba where he was
ordered to sit on a straight, hard-backed wooden chair and questioned in
broken English about the rape accusation against him.
Salomé
Isaacs (26) (photo right), an Aids activist from Limpopo, accused Desai
of raping her on a Sunday morning at 03:00 in his hotel room. Isaacs
and Desai, deputy chairman of the Human Rights Foundation of South Africa,
were amongst eleven South Africans attending the World Social Forum.
According
to Mark Isaacs, husband of the accuser, his wife was having a drink in
Desai’s room when he, a diminutive man, overpowered the well built Isaacs
who weighs 86 kg.
“When
I realised I was to be raped, I convinced Desai to put on a condom which
I always carry in my purse,” Isaacs later explained. After the alleged
rape, her husband phoned her on her cellphone, and she informed him of
what had happened. Her husband Mark spoke with Desai, asking him to ask
forgiveness, and when Desai refused, instructed his wife to lay rape
charges with the police.
Police
arrested Desai, and his request for bail was refused by Additional Chief
Metropolitan Magistrate BA Shellar who remanded him in custody as the police
wanted to interrogate the "foreigner". Isaacs returned to South Africa,
and after strong pressure, including intevention by Winnie Mandela, withdrew
the rape charges. Desai claimed that consensual sex took place between
him and Isaacs, although Desai’s attorney denied vehemently that any sex
took place.
After
spending five days in jail, the judge was released on bail and returned
to South Africa, quite unrepentant about what had happened. He refused
to comply with requests that he should resign as a judge since his behaviour
was regarded as unbecoming a judge.
He
was put on indefinite "special leave" with full pay from January 2004,
a situation which will be "reviewed every three months", until the court
case in India has been settled.
In
April 2004 the court in Indian found Desai "not guilty" because the case
could not proceed due to the fact that Isaacs withdrew the complaint.
In
November 2003 it was announced that former convicted murderer and death
row inmate Robert McBride has been appointed chief of the East Rand municipality's
Ekurhuleni Metro Police Force.
McBride was found guilty
of planting a car bomb on June 14th, 1986, in front of Magoo Bar
and the Why Not Restaurant in Durban which killed civilians Julie
van der Linde, Marchelle Gerrard and Angelique Pattendon, and injured seventy-three
civilians but no soldiers. He was sentenced to death and 82
years imprisonment together with co-accused Aboobaker Ismail. McBride had
been a cadre of Umkhonto we Sizwe, but carried out the operation
against the Magoo Bar and Why Not Restaurant in the belief
that these were frequented by soldiers of the SADF.
In 1999 McBride was released
from death row and was granted amnesty for the killings by the Truth and
Reconciliation Commission (TRC) due largely to the fact that the ANC claimed
it had ordered McBride to attack the pubs, contrary to its initial denials
that it was involved in the bombing. He was subsequently appointed as a
cadet in the Department of Foreign Affairs, despite an uproar in the public,
and was involved in gun-running allegations in Mozambique the same year,
which had never been satisfactorily explained.
Despite being a rookie
in police matters and having only experience in the making of bombs and
in the Department of Foreign Affairs, he was appointed chief against six
other candidates who were short-listed for the job, all of whom have extensive
police experience at high level.
President
Thabo Mbeki was delighted when South AFrican author J M Coetzee's
Nobel Prize for Literature was announced in October 2003. Said the President's
spokesman, Bheki Khumalo: "We take off our hats to and salute our latest
Nobel Laureate and bask with him in the glory radiating from this singular
recognition."
A
mere three years earlier however, the ANC's submission to the Human Rights
Commission on racism in the media also concerned Coetzee. The ANC said
of the author's book Disgrace: "JM Coetzee represents as brutally as
he can, the white people's perception of the post-apartheid black man .
. . It is suggested that in these circumstances, it might be better that
our white compatriots should emigrate because to be in post-apartheid South
Africa is to be in 'their territory', as a consequence of which the whites
will lose their cars , their weapons, their property, their rights,
their dignity. The white women will have to sleep with the barbaric black
men." Coetzee subsequently emigrated to Australia because of
his "concern for the high level of violence" inherent in South Africa.
And what about the tough guys from the Gauteng Education Department who wanted a Coetzee work banned from the syllabus? They are yet to issue a press statement on Coetzee's achievement.....
Alie
van Jaarsveld, NNP member of parliament, acknowledged that his marriage
of 30 years to his wife Annemarie (herself an NNP member of the Nelson
Mandela Metropole in Port Elizabeth) was over after his extra-marital affair
with a young coloured worker in his office, Ms Renee Thompson (25), became
public knowledge.
Alie
hit the headlines when he inadvertently sent an amorous SMS text message
meant for his mistress to his wife's cellhone instead. It read: "I long
for you. We can't sleep apart. Renee, I am more in love with you than I
was with anyone in my life. Come sleep with me please".
But
a slip of the finger sent the message to his wife of 30 years, Ms Annemarie
van Jaarsveld, who said she was shocked and revolted by the message.
"I
was devastated and still am," a reporter for the Herald newspaper quoted
Ms van Jaarsveld as saying when she found out about the affair. "My self-respect
and self-esteem have been cut to shreds."
Alie
van Jaarsveld declined to comment.
COSATU
(the Council of South African Trade Unions) held it's 6th congress in September
2003 at the posh international conference centre Galagher Estate in Johannesburg.
During the previous conference,
delegates were upset because the T-shirts that were made available were
manufactured in China. They complained that imported products take jobs
away from South African workers.
During the 2003 conference
the fedration made damn sure that the T-shirts were made in South Africa.
Only, they were so expensive that Cosatu canvassed sponshorship from, of
all organisations, the Old Mutual insurance company.
Capitalist. You can't
live with them. You can't live without them.
A report during 2003 of
the Auditor General on the ongoings in the Department of Labour, revealed
that 80 workers were classified as "surplus to requirements" during a "rationalisation
exercise" in 1996 in the department. This followed after the departements
of manpower of the former homelands were integrated into the Department
of Labour in 1994.
The department claims
that it could not, due to a "special offensive" by the surplus staff, re-employ
them elsewhere. The surplus staff could only offer to retire voluntarily!
The excess staff stayed
at home since then, receiving full salaries and subsequent increases. "The
number of surplus staff has gradually reduced since 1996, but in March
2003 there were still 36 of them left". A total amount of R31,2 million
has been paid out since 1996 to these "surplus staff".
The
beloved country notched up a small but significant victory over the all-conquering
Yanks during a visit by president George W Bush during July 2003 to South
Africa. An aeronautically literate chommie explained that every aircraft
has a call sign — a code it uses when communicating with air traffic control.
So when SAA flight 356 calls in, it will introduce itself on air not as
SAA356, but with whatever code it’s been assigned — Foxtrot 1221, for example.
When Pres Bush's Air Force One approached Pretoria’s Waterkloof Air Force
base, it announced itself to the air traffic controllers as “Air Force
One”, no doubt expecting that hushed awe, humble salutations and respectful
invitations to grace our soil would follow. But South African controllers
are made of sterner stuff. No, the controllers said, you can’t use that:
we own the air force here. Apparently the Americans were pissed off but
had to back down and were assigned a less impressive call sign: kilo alpha
kilo one. The inhabitants of the rainbow nation's hearts swelled with patriotic
pride.
As
a member of Parliament, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela (former wife of former
president Nelson Mandela) earns a salary of some R300 000 per year. However,
during the whole of the year 2002 she attended only five sittings of the
national assembly: the opening ceremony and four of the national assembly's
76 sessions, and none of any of the committee meetings. She had six leave
for nine days and was awol (absent without leave) for the other
63.
Yet, she occupies room
444, one of the largest offices in the parliamentary buildings, despite
the fact that it is intended as a common room and situated directly opposite
the party boardroom. She initially occupied the room without permission
because she wanted more space for the "bodyguards" who are always at her
side.
ANC Parliamentary spokesman
Cuba Mahaye said: "It is public knowledge that comrade Winnie is president
of one of our leauges (the ANC Women's League), which has huge responsibilities.
In terms of determining office space, the ANC takes into account the needs
and the responsibilities of the member." During 2003 she only attended
one sitting of parliament - the opening session - and for the rest her
office is locked and unused.
Winnie is on "extended
leave" granted until the end of the trial in which she and broker Addy
Moolman stand accused of 60 counts of fraud and 25 of theft. During 2002
she became the first MP to be found guilty of contravening parliament's
code of conduct for failing to disclose information in the register of
members' interests.
Parliamentary speaker
Frene Ginwala said Madikizela-Mandela had 10 days to provide a date when
she would attend a sitting to be publicly reprimanded and fined.
"To tell you the honest
truth", Madikizela-Mandela recently told a local radio station after her
car was reposessed and her credit card withdrawn by ABSA bank, "I don't
give a damn. Whatever they do to me, it's like water off a duck's back.
I am the ANC. I will lead the ANC Women's League until I die. I will continue
to fight for women in this country until God calls me."
Madikizela-Mandela offered
herself as a "human shield" in Iraq during February 2003 when pres George
Bush of the United States threatened to declare war on Iraq.
Officials
in charge of the Zulu royal household in KwaZulu-Natal have requested a
30% increase in their budget so that they can keep King Goodwill Zwelithini
"in the style to which he has become accustomed". He is quick to correct
anyone referring to his five wives to tell him that they are his "five
queens."
(Since then the number has grown to seven after
exercising his right to choose a wife during the annual reed
dance of young maidens.)
Bethuel Ngcobo, spokesman
for the king, said another R7,1 million was needed on top of the household's
R21,5 million budget for the year 2002/2003. The additional amount would
be allocated as follows, said Ngcobo:
"(We need) R3,4 million
for personnel, domestic workers and support staff; and R2,5 million for
equipment including the repair and replacement of vehicles, office furniture
and leases; while R1,2 million will be used for professional services to
cover the costs of fencing at the king's palaces, and day-to-day repairs
and maintenance."
According to the royal
household's financial statements, R10,6 million was spent during 2002 on
personnel, R2,5 mnillion on administration, R494 000 on stores and livestock,
R829 000 on equipment and R6,4 million of "professional and special services".
Miscellaneous expenses were R733 000.
Chairman of the KwaZulu-Natal
finance committee Cyril Xaba said his department would look at the portfolio
committee's budget presentation to try to find out why the king's farms
were not generating any income.
No less than 102 guards
are used to "protect" king Zwelithini. 500 beehives on the palace grounds
provide fresh honey for the king, his five wives and many children.
All of his expenses are
paid by the taxpayers of South Africa.
Deputy
Minister of Minerals and Energy Susan Shabangu repeatedly set off the metal
detectors at the departure lounge of Johannesburg International Airport
in March 2003, despite efforts to remove all jewelry, rings, bangles and
a watch. The security officer insisted that she should pass through the
metal detector without triggering it’s alarm. In desperation Shabangu lifted
her dress, exposing everything below, to prove that she was not hiding
anything. She is facing charges of public indecency.
Shabangu was in the news
earlier when her wayward son was charged with detonating a smoke bomb in
Sunward Park High School toilets, and threatened with expulsion. Gauteng
Education MEC Ignatius Jacobs had to step in to prevent his expulsion,
describing the boy as “a scientist in the making.”