The manne had been impressed by Deputy Minister of Health Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge, until her inevitable denial on Tuesday that she had ever actually specifically named the president when calling for our leaders to take public HIV tests. Ja nee, said Dok Rabie: it’s been a long time since a politician had a both-barrels approach to taboos and party secrecy. Which got the Oom wondering whether it’s more than coincidence that the deputy minister’s name is an anagram of ”long-awaited muzzle-loader”.
Think again, Smuts
According to ANC spokesperson Smuts Ngonyama, reactionary elements in the media are trying to besmirch the name of Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka by alleging that it was extravagance, and not just a traditional cock-up, that led to her R4,5-million flip to London. ”To those who seem determined to continue this campaign against Mlambo-Ngcuka, the ANC says: ‘Hands off the deputy president.”’ Okay, Smuts; but to those who think that a political party has the right to tell South Africans how and what to think about the deputy president of the country, the Oom says: get a clue.
On and on and on…
The Advertising Standards Authority this week ordered battery manufacturer Duracell to ditch its claim that it ”lasts up to six times longer than ordinary zinc-carbon batteries”, after finding in favour of a 2004 complaint by Eveready. A potential marketing catastrophe, to be sure; unless Duracell does the obvious and simply starts claiming that its product ”lasts up to six times longer than other mountain-climbing, marathon-running, football-playing pink bunnies”. Let Eveready try to contest that one …
Youth is wasted on the YL
A new poll feature on the ANC Youth League’s website makes for fascinating reading, not least because the traditional ”Don’t know” answer has been replaced with ”Can’t say”. But muzzled responses aside, Lemmer was enthralled by the downright ”oudedoos” worldview on display, as 61% said that South Africa’s youth should be blacklisted for their debts and 62% were against same-sex marriage being legalised. But he really had to start wondering whether the Young Lions had turned into the Old Pussycats when he found that 80% of respondents were against changing the name of the Union Buildings. Huh?