Sam’s View

Jacob Zuma married his fourth (yes, you heard correctly) wife this weekend. The following is a photograph (and what a doozie it is!) that, I am embarrassed to admit, graced the pages of the Herald Sun in Australia yesterday:

How. Very. Unattractive. Besides the sheer hilarity (I am loving the designer sneakers – they go very well with the traditional Zulu garb), this image makes my skin crawl – primarily because I think he has bigger breasts than I do. Just to clarify…this is not about me slagging a traditional Zulu marriage ceremony. My association with traditional African heritage is a part of what makes me a South African – so I would never make light of that. I don’t, however, regard the sneakers as traditional in anyway, so they are fair game in my opinion!

I have spoken at pains about what I think of Zuma, but again, he has prompted me to devote some more time to elaborate on my views. Read more »

According to the Human Sciences Research Council of South Africa the “Brain Drain” started during the apartheid era as a result of political upheavals. An article available on its website states that “more recently, however, research shows that the highly-skilled are leaving because of crime, perceptions of a high cost of living and levels of taxation, and the perceived decline in the standard of public services, notably health and education delivery. At the same time, professionals in South Africa are eager to take advantage of the attractive salary packages and career opportunities in the advanced industrialised countries of the world.

The following article really hit a nerve with me and I thought it was high time I hopped on my soap-box again. Whilst being primarily about a shortage of skilled workers in South Africa, there is also a brief mention of AIDS amongst white South Africans. Read more »

We have all been waiting with bated breath for the Jacob Zuma trial verdict. For those of you that missed the first instalment of the debacle, you can read it here. Read more »

During my usual daily search for news on our ex vice-president, Jacob Zuma, and his ongoing “antics”, I came across this beauty in The Cape Times. Although I am absolutely exhausted from marking an unbelievable amount of exams in the past couple of days, and would do better getting an additional half hour of sleep, I can’t resist. This cannot wait until tomorrow!

The story reads as follows: Read more »

I mentioned the problems with the power supply in Cape Town a couple of weeks back and asked if any of the locals knew exactly what was happening and why the blackouts were occurring. My dad’s business partner was kind enough to provide us all with a technically specific (Joe is one of the smartest people I know!) and very honest account of the disaster. So thanks for taking the time to explain the very sad state of South Africa municipal and governmental affairs. Read more »

It is already annoying having to deal with the ever-changing street and building names (who can forget the day they changed the off-ramp from the N2 to Stellenbosch to simply “Baden Powell Road” resulting in travellers ending up in Somerset West, dazed and confused?!), Read more »