Percy Zvomuya
Percy Zvomuya is a writer and critic who has written for numerous publications, including Chimurenga, the Mail & Guardian, Moto in Zimbabwe, the Sunday Times and the London Review of Books blog. He is a co-founder of Johannesburg-based writing collective The Con and, in 2014, was one of the judges for the Caine Prize for African Writing.
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/ 16 September 2006

Uganda’s gays and lesbians outed

A Ugandan newspaper is outing gays and lesbians because it considers that ”African culture does not condone this sort of thing”, Arinaitwe Rugando, a senior editor at the paper, told the Mail & Guardian. Over the past two months, Red Pepper has published the first names of 45 gay men and 13 lesbians.

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/ 11 September 2006

The slow sound of her feet

A story goes that a man with a stutter was lost, so he stopped a passer-by to ask for directions: "Ex-ex-c-c-c-use m-m-m-m-m-me, c-c-can you t-t-t-t-tell me the way to the st-st-st-st-st-stuttering sch-sch-sch-school?" he struggled. The passer-by replied, coldly, "What do you want to go there for, you can already do it!"

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/ 8 September 2006

Pay the Lord!

The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God has no visible doctrine or moral message and is almost silent on the Bible, but it believes passionately in generous "sacrifices" to the sect by its followers. And in daily advertisements on television, it offers neither spiritual enlightenment nor salvation.

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/ 4 September 2006

Fat-cat execs ‘need to look East, not West’

South Africa should look East for guidance on executive salary remuneration, says Congress of South African Trade Unions economist Neva Makgetla, responding to the continuing exodus of top business talent, some of whom are quitting to manage their personal fortunes on a full-time basis. Two high-profile resignations bring to more than 20 the number of top executives who have quit their high-powered positions.

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/ 1 September 2006

South Africans put pedal to SUV metal

Sales of SUVs — sports utility vehicles — may be plummeting in markets such as the United States and United Kingdom as higher fuel prices begin to bite, but not in South Africa, where sales are at record levels. From more than 2 000 units sold in August 2004 there has been a gradual upsurge in the sales recorded to a two-year high of mroe than 3 600 units in March of this year.

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/ 1 September 2006

The princess’s polygamy slur

A Swazi princess’s outspoken views about polygamy got her into serious trouble in the troubled kingdom. "Polygamy brings all advantages in a relationship to men, and this to me is unfair and evil," Princess Sikhanyiso told a recent media conference. But the 18-year-old princess, who is King Mswati’s oldest daughter and the child of his first wife, has since been gagged.

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/ 21 August 2006

You and your carbon footprint

The CO2 we produce comes from what we eat, the mode of transport we use and our daily lifestyle choices. This is called your carbon footprint. Fuel colossus BP offers an online facility that allows you to calculate your carbon footprint, and the <i>Mail & Guardian</i> asked a range of people to use the facility to do so.

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/ 14 August 2006

Lauded abroad, despised at home

In the same week that Zimbabwe’s Vice-President Joice Mujuru was in Bloemfontein to attend the launch of the Progressive Women’s Movement of South Africa — which aims to build on the point of view that women’s rights are also human rights — 63 women, arrested on February 14, appeared in court in Zimbabwe for ”marching in the streets and handing out roses”.

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/ 8 August 2006

Buying loyalty

Bruce Conradie, MD of Razor’s Wire Business Intelligence, broadly categorises loyalty programmes into three segments. The first is “loyalty currency”, which can be in the form of points, miles or bucks. These are accumulated and can be redeemed for rewards. Then there are loyalty programmes that offer the customer discounts on purchases.

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/ 8 August 2006

Pick, pay, bank

Amini revolution seems to be taking place as customers leave the rarified air of banking halls to bank in a supermarket. Retailer banking is an idea that is catching on with an increasing number of customers, who are weary of high bank charges. Apart from the cost savings, there is also the revolutionary idea of a bank keeping retail hours.