South Africa

Andrew Donaldson is not going to let the De La Rey craze go until its milked for every possible laugh. He does pretty well this week. See the first item. Also in the Sunday Times, but not shown here, is the report of South Africa’s first gay divorce. Bourgeois marriage overtakes the gays, and turns full circle.

Just as a sample of the humour of more than 40 years ago, click on the second item, which consists of Lenny Bruce taking the piss out of the “Lone Ranger” (and not forgetting Tonto). The US FBI persecuted Lenny Bruce and he died young.

The Siyahleba column of the City Press is impressed with the spin-doctor work of Castro Ngobese. See the third link, and the picture of Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula on the right.

Regarding that item, and the next linked one about Manto Tshabalala’s husband, Mendi Msimang, allegedly going to her employer to have her retired from her job, there is something strange going on here in the City Press.

On the one side they are continually celebrating women’s independent success, and on the other here we have the two husbands of two important woman ministers, who are now held to be in charge of, or responsible for, or protecting, their wives in terms of their work. Read the fourth article and see if you can get the reason why Mendi Msimang can discourage his wife from carrying on, while Diane Kohler-Barnard of the DA cannot do so. Surely the one is as bad as the other?

Continuing with women, the Living Hands collapse, otherwise called the Fidentia scandal, affects a lot of poor people, and not just the crooks who were responsible, many of whom are no doubt still at large. The Sunday Independent’s Glynnis Underhill found some of the victims and talked to them. See the article below. Justice delayed ins justice denied.

Click on these links:

No more beer or crime talk at braais, Andrew Donaldson, S Times (611 words)

Lenny Bruce still good after 40 years (759 words)

No safety and security for Nqakula in SACP, Siyahleba, City Press (146 words)

Let my Manto leave office, Mpumelelo Mkhabela, City Press (717 words)

Fidentia victims left to go hungry, Glynnis Underhill, S Independent (872 words)