The South African Communist Party members, bless their little pink socks, have always been the champions of the poor, the tired, the huddled masses … er no, that’s the Yankee capitalists, isn’t it? Well, our Reds have always been on the side of the not-so-wealthy — so Oom Krisjan wasn’t surprised to see them expressing ”deep concern about the ill-considered and ongoing privatisation of Telkom” in a media release this week. But perhaps the Reds’ interest in what happens to the parastatal stems from a source a little closer to home. Apparently there were many red faces after the festive season when SACP officials returned to their desks to find the phones had been cut off because the bill had not been paid.
Up yours
However, a flyer that accompanied the Dorsbult’s telephone account last month gave some insight into how Telkom views its clients: ”Give your family and friends the high five … We’ve created a package that’s entirely up-your-alley …”
Horsing around
The last time Lemmer looked, controlling noise pollution was one of the objectives of the Environment Conservation Act. You’d think if anyone should know about that, it would be the head of South African National Parks (SANParks).
So when a noisy New Year’s party in the mink-and-manure belt of Randjesfontein in Midrand continued well into the early hours, irate neighbours were extra upset that the source of the disturbance was the home of none other than Mavuso Msimang, CEO of SANParks.
Residents (”neighbours” is not quite the right term here because they claim the amplified noise was heard more than a kilometre away) who wanted to get some sleep before the dawn of 2003 complained that the racket was also upsetting their horses — the ”unique equestrian lifestyle” is a big selling point in leafy Randjesfontein.
Msimang tried to patch things up a few days later by apologising to his accusers over a cup of coffee. He also warned them that his daughter would soon be getting married at his home, but they would only hear some ”loud traditional drumming” in the late afternoon and no late or amplified music.
When Sisonke Msimang married Simon White on January 11, guests who included Zanele Mbeki, Mangosuthu Buthelezi, Albertina Sisulu and Tito Mboweni must have had different ideas about what constituted a suitable celebration.
As the loud music continued past midnight, hysterical neighbours started phoning the local police station and the Msimang household. They were told by various people who answered the Msimang phone that their demands to ”turn it down” were racist and a misunderstanding of black culture.
The brouhaha has led to several charges of disturbing the peace being laid with police and is taking up a fair amount of space in the letters pages of the local rag, the Midrand Reporter. Msimang says he is ”sick of these difficult people” harassing him. His accusers say he should be ”well aware that laws are not broken for cultural reasons”.
Now Krisjan has reluctantly accepted the SANParks argument that it is necessary to introduce TVs and radios in the rooms of the Kruger park so that a wider range of people feel welcome there. But does the Randjesfontein ruckus indicate that soon the Kruger wildlife will be getting wilder?
No bull
The following is an extract from the biography of former minister of land affairs Derek Hanekom, published on the African National Congress’s website.
”In 1978 Trish [Hanekom’s wife] and Derek moved to a farm in Magaliesberg, Transvaal, where they amongst other things built up a dairy herd of Jersey cows, and a small poultry enterprise. One of their cows became the second-highest-producing Jersey cow in the country.”
Pressing agenda
You’d think a deputy minister of trade and industry would know something about her topic. But maybe it serves Lindiwe Hendricks better to propagate old myths: ”The press in South Africa is still in the hands of the white minority,” she told a gathering of Saudi journalists at the weekend on the eve of the Jeddah Economic Forum. ”When there’s a mistake they amplify it. They hardly ever focus on the good news.”
Lemmer is sure Johnnic’s Cyril Ramaphosa, Nail’s Saki Macozoma and the Mail & Guardian‘s own Trevor Ncube, among others, might beg to differ. And Hendricks should consider the fact that about 80% of English-language papers are edited by black people.
100-1 shot
Oom supposes one woman’s controversy is another’s scandal. The ANC proudly announced this week that ”South Africa’s first major political online journal, ANC Today, will be publishing its 100th edition on Friday (January 24 2003).”
The party press statement went on to announce that in its first 100 editions, ANC Today ”has tackled many ‘controversial’ issues of the day. Its launch edition challenged many of the myths associated with the strategic arms procurement package, clearly outlining the processes taken and the positions of government and the ANC. In the face of ongoing misrepresentation, ANC Today spelled out the ANC’s position on HIV/Aids and mother-to-child HIV transmission …”
‘Take me back to …’
A youngster not yet old enough to buy a drink at the Dorsbult was very confused when he got his first ID book from the Ministry of Home Affairs the other day. His street address was correct, but the province he lives in had been renamed ”Transvaal”. Perhaps, as the ANC and the Inkatha Freedom Party have recently fallen out, IFP leader the Prince-formerly-known-as-Gatsha Buthelezi — also Minister of Home Affairs — has made a pact with the Freedom Front?
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