While we wait for next month’s Constitutional Court decision on the defection law, the manne have been entertained by the increasing level of bitchiness between estranged KwaZulu-Natal partners the Inkatha Freedom Party and the African National Congress. This week’s highlight was provided by IFP national organiser Albert Mncwango, who claimed ANC provincial chairperson S’bu Ndebele had already bought a suit in expectation of being installed as provincial premier if the floor-crossing legislation is passed. ”But he will soon have to return the suit,” insisted Mncwango, who seems optimistic about next month’s outcome.
Justice inaction
In late April journalist and media consultant Charlene Smith was hired by Marek Patzer, a consultant contracted to the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development to work on a major campaign headed by David Porogo, head of the department’s communication division. After two months Smith had yet to be paid. Patzer blamed the justice department, Porogo refused to talk about it, and a letter to Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Penuel Maduna went unanswered. Smith has yet to be paid. The name of the project? RESPECT. Its aim? To combat the abuse of women.
A big lottery
All the fun and games going on in piesangland last week with the launch of the African Union made Oom Krisjan curious about what happened to its predecessor, the Organisation of African Unity. A visit to its website (www.oau-oua.org) was revealing: a big banner ad for online gambling above lots of listings for other casinos.
Closed-door policy
Back in the days when Marshall McLuhan’s massage was getting scrambled by one and all, there was lots of talk about the media being ”gatekeepers” of news. These gatekeepers each chose — often unconsciously — what news got past them, so by the time the man in the street got to read a paper or watch TV (the Internet wasn’t even a twinkle in cyberspace when Oom Krisjan got told this story) the content had been effectively censored several times.
The Cape Times, however, does not believe in being subtle. A letter was sent to the Cape Times detailing the unprofessional conduct a foreign graduate student received at the hands of the editor of the Hermanus Times. The student had conducted field research into water services in Hermanus and concluded that ”inequitable service delivery is strengthening the racial and class divide” in the dorp. The Hermanus Times editor had told her he would run her findings — if she found a paid sponsorship for the newspaper.
Her letter to the Cape Times expressed her misgivings about how this suggestion compromised journalistic ethics.
She received this reply from Cape Times assistant editor Jennifer Crocker: ”Thank you for your letter, unfortunately it is not our policy to run stories or letters about the failings of other newspapers especially small coastal ones.”
Gate closed.
Touchy
With a Jozi office in Sour Street, it’s not really surprising that Tony O’Reilly’s South African operation is not renowned for its sense of humour. So the two employees of Totally Dependent subsidiary iTouch who are facing disciplinary action for running a porn website off the company’s system should have known better.
What was a bit rich, though, was a comment from iTouch CEO Sean Stegmann that his company would not condone ”anything that did not meet its high ethical standards”.
Cheers!
As readers will by now know, the Dorsbult Bar has a new proprietor — a cause for much celebration here in the Groot Marico. Just as The Guardian resisted renaming our favourite watering hole the Duck & Dive or the Bleeding Hart, there is no indication the Dorsbult is soon to become Bra Trev’s shebeen. For that kindness, we’ll keep a barstool or three reserved for Mr Ncube.
Any relation?
There’s a worrying South African twist to the notorious Nigerian 419 scam. Usually the conmen pretend to be related to some deposed (or dead) African despot and promise the mark access to millions illegally salted away by the likes of Sani Abacha or Mobuto Sese Seko. However, the Dorsbult was abuzz this week when the manne got an e-mail from banker ”Thomas Mbeki”, who promises the recipient nearly $50-million mysteriously left in an account by some rich bloke who died intestate.
Picking up the tab
Lemmer almost fell off his barstool when told the reason he had to curtail his ramblings (see below). Jislaaik, the folks at Klippies have finally taken notice that their product is Oom Krisjan’s favourite dop. The manne fear it’ll take another 17 years before a case of the stuff arrives at the Dorsbult.
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