The Minister of Finance, unlikely hero and protector of the public purse, has slipped precipitously in public affections as he apologised for visiting the Guptas while Deputy Minister and his son appeared to be at the centre of a scandal at the PIC, the institution for which the Deputy Minister of Finance is responsible –Continue reading “Ne ne ne Nene”
Category Archives: general misanthropy
‘Learn to stand up and lie like white men’
There is something strangely compelling about Chris Griffith’s now infamous comments about his salary and perks – published in Business Day last week. Remember these are the words of the CEO of Amplats, the biggest platinum company in the world. It cannot have escaped your notice that a bitter and grinding strike throughout the South African platinum sector is entering its 17th week. TheContinue reading “‘Learn to stand up and lie like white men’”
Cynical quotes and facetious asides: an attempted antidote to the twin plagues of pompous banality and gruesome brutality
Perhaps you are a journalist covering the May 7 elections or the Oscar Pistorius trial – and will soon be immersed in Shrien Dewani’s adventures in our specialist niche of the honeymoon-tourism market. You might be a TV continuity announcer-cum-journalist, circling endlessly between serious discussion about bone fragments, Nkandla’s fire retarding swimming pool, Numsa’s endless exit from CosatuContinue reading “Cynical quotes and facetious asides: an attempted antidote to the twin plagues of pompous banality and gruesome brutality”
Stuff happens to some people, but some people happen to stuff
Jacob Zuma has forced me to reread Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli’s The Prince, published 500 years ago this year. He (Jacob Zuma) didn’t threaten me with the red lightsaber or catch me in a honey trap. My natterings, fortunately, are not impactful enough to draw the attentions of the Dark Lord (Darth Vader, dah! –Continue reading “Stuff happens to some people, but some people happen to stuff”
That lingering odour …
In the 1980’s I unwittingly employed an apartheid police informer, Mark Behr, to work in the Institute for a Democratic Alternative for South Africa (of which I was a regional director). Behr had a serious talent – and zest – for self-promotion. But he was also bright, ambitious and charismatic and I naively believed thatContinue reading “That lingering odour …”
Fluff
Enthusiasm is a quality I value. It’s especially endearing in children and dogs. But in human adults beyond the blush of youth it is nothing short of heroic. However, when enthusiasm is both sentimental and irrational it is decidedly less attractive. Which brings me to Mamphela Ramphele, Cyril Ramaphosa and the National Development Plan –Continue reading “Fluff”
Nic Borain 