When Change Entails A Preservation Of The Status Quo.

Its been a while since the much maligned DSO (Directorate of Special Operations) commonly refered to as the Scopions was disbanded. The Scopions, styled after the American FBI, had been established during the Mbeki era to specifically tackle corruption, sophisticated organised crime as well as international criminal groups with a footing in South Africa. The law enforecment agency with the power to both investigate and prosecute, however, fell out of favour once it started to investigate the very ANC government responsible for its existence as well as ANC connected politicians and business deals with allerged links to corruption such as the then Deputy President Jacob Zuma, Durban Businessman Shabir Shaik, Mac Maharaj and the South African Arms Deal. And so the Scopions were consigned to the grave of history and in their place the so called Hawks sprung up.
But if the happenings of the past few days are a testimony to anything, it is this; change in the South African political context is increasingly a preservation or maintenance of the status quo.
You may wonder what I'm refering to.
Well, Mzilikazi wa Africa is, by any standard a great journalist. He was, in case you've forgotten, the jorno behind the busting of the numerous forces at play in the infamous South African Arms Deal and the ensuing court drama that Zuma, and his so called financial adviser Shabir Shaik, experienced before the resurgent Polokwane ANC faction is said to have subverted the legal process and insured his freedom.
But wa Afrika's story in a recent edition of The Sunday Times concerning an allerged questionable signing of a new Police Head Quarters' lease agreement, worth a whooping half a billion rand by the SAPS' General Cele, appears to have so infurited the big wigs in the South African Police Service and and by implication the ANC at large that, wa Afrika was quickly and unceremoniously bundled up in a manner reminiscent of the Scopions era and locked away for several days. Coincidentally, those bigwigs are ANC members appointed into public positions by the selfsame ruling party!
For a Party that disbanded the previous crime fighting organisation partly on the pretext that the agency was conducting its activities in the full glare of the the public, that arrest, of wa Afrika, was nothing less than a disgrace, to say the least! One would have thought that the disbanding of the Scopions was done with the interest of the wider public at heart and that with the Scopions out of the way, never again would any individual be subjects to the 'Hollywood' style indignities said to have been visited on promiment individuals such as the present President of the Republic, Mr J.G Zuma. Nonetheless, the wa Afrika case proves that the ANC, in fact, disbanded the Scopions purely for its own selfish reasons, namely to protects its numerous corrupt brothers and sisters even as the Selebi conviction proved this very week. And if anything, the Selebi case proves that, had it not been for the intervention of goons in the NPA, epitomized by the former director of the NPA, Mokotedi Mpshe, Zuma himself would have today been donning a prison issue orange jump suit for the crimes he is alleged to have committed!
Therefore, the more one looks at the state of affairs of South African politics, especially under the ANC governament, the more one is reminded of the enduring lesson on the frailty of the human condition as vividly portrayed in Oswell's Animal Farm and all the while the adage that says "the more things change, the more they remain the same", is prove true.
For the ANC, it is certainly great now that the Hawks directorate of priority crime is functional as it assures it members of not being subjected to the indignities they 'suffered' under the tenure of Thabo Mbeki and his 'Scopions'. But even as its memebers are considered above the law and worthy of protection, member of the public especially the media, are increasingly being targeted because of their position as watchdogs on behalf of the common man.
May all, therefore, who value the freedoms enshrined in the supreme law of the land continue to speak vociferously against the blatant abuse of public institutions by the ANC government as it pursues narrow and petty vendettas against the long suffering members of the fourth estate as failure to do that would eventually undermine the numerous freedoms under the constitution and entrench an Animal Farm like dispensation in South Africa.

FIFA World Cup 2010: Justifying The Hosting Decision And Quantifying The Economic Benefits For The Host Country?

With only minutes, as it were, before the kickoff of the first FIFA World Cup on Africa soil,the euphoria is pulpable. Flags are slapping the air and Vuvuzelas( South Africa's traditional soccer horns) were blown with even more vigor right around the country as members of the country's national team were treated to a heros parade, the other day, as they arrived at their World Cup base in Sandton, Africa's Premier real estate. And, of course, throughout the week, participating teams have been jetting in, in readiness for today's kickoff of the world's most spectacular sports event.
However, last night almost capped it all what with the Live Concert featuring the cream of local and international music stars belting it out in the middle of, Orlando, Soweto.

Regardless of all the euphoria, however, questions still linger on whether the decision to host the magnificent game can be morally justified let alone whether the expected economic benefits will be enought to offset the huge expenditure behind the construction and upgrading of stadia and other supporting infrastructure. Critics argue that for a country with an unemployment rate of 25 percent and glaring social inequality, spending 33 billion rand on an event such as the world cup is, plain and simple, immoral. Indeed, to hight-light the level of inequalities, in the past few days Helen Zille's Western Cape province has been in the news for installing toilets with no walls, in one predominant black area in Cape Town, that after the affected community member had agreed to provider the walling. These inequalities are, in fact, so pronounced that President Zuma's predecessor, Thabo Mbeki famously described the South African economy as a double decker economy in reference to the two clear and distinct societies that have to live and function side by side within the borders of the republic but whose fortunes are starkly different.
So, what does South Africa gain, monetary wise, for such a massive injection of precious funds into the hosting of the FIFA 2010 World Cup?

Quoting, Gillian Saunders of the Accounting firm, Grant Thornton, one South African source reveals that the country will get only a couple of hundreds of millions of rands while the rest of the benefits are expected to be marketing payoffs due to the global exposure that the country will have receive as a host of the premier sports event. Tourism is thus thought to be one of the long term beneficiaries of the country's sacrifices.

The undisputed winner, nonetheless, will be FIFA itself and to a lesser extent, the LOC( Local Organizing Committee).
FIFA's initial investment in the organizing of the event was to the tune of R7.83bn. That, however, was followed with a further R750m in May to assist with ensuring that all team training camps were ready in good time. All said, then, FIFA has invested just over R8.5bn in this spectacle. All this expenditure is estimated to represent 1.72 per cent of South Africa's GDP.
For it's efforts, FIFA, is expected to bring into it's coffers R35bn to R40bn which constitutes revenue from the sale of global Television rights, hospitality rights, marketing rights and licensing associated with the event. At the end of the day, and in sharp contrast with the meager monetary fortune of under a billion rand the host nation is expected to reap, FIFA is expected to rake in an operational profit of R15.37bn! And this is what is setting the tongues of the critics wagging even as the preparations for the event come to a climax.

On the other hand, however, are the sophisticated lot who argue that the hosting of the World Cup will elevate the fortunes of the nation as a whole. To illustrate they say that the massive investment in public infrastructure is and will be a catalyst for development.
Sipho Seepe, a local analyst, was on Al Jazeera the other day advancing this very view point but it would seem that it's no enough to pacify the disadvantaged masses who continue to struggle under the debilitating yolk of poverty half a generation into the new political dispensation. Critics, on the other side of the aisle, further argue that those who claim the event will lift the fortunes of the whole nation including the poor masses, in fact, are the people who have benefited from the massive infrastructure pro-gramme that preceded the event.
Not even the informal traders who ply their trade on the streets of South African CBDs will be allowed to be within 800 metres or the numerous soccer venue in line with the the marketing rights FIFA has sold to multinational franchises such as MacDonald's.
And in the Western Cape the ANC Youth League (ANCYL), not wanting to be outdone, have jumped on the band wagon 'fighting' for the poor, some say, their provincial government failed to lift out of poverty the last time they were in power.

But criticism or not, it will be "Let the games begin!" come this afternoon and our condolences to Madiba-the grandfather of the nation who won't be able to grace the occasion due to a bereavement in his family on the eve of the event he personally labored hard to bring to the shores of this continent, Africa, the cradle of mankind.

How Actionable Is Israel's Intelligence?

It, most certainly, has been a momentous week. On monday, as the world awoke, the 24 global news channels were broadcasting the Israeli assault on the Gaza bound aid flotilla that had been in the new lately. The flotilla organisers' aim, as we all knew, was to breach the Israeli embargo on Hamas ruled Gaza. As expected, that effort was thwarted by the Israeli navy. However, as the news of the Israeli action began to unfold, it was clear that the flotilla activists had won the battle of the hearts minds of the world. The Israeli army's overwhelming use of force had resulted in almost 10 deaths and, by some accounts, at least 40 injuries of varying degrees.
The resultant diplomatic storm couldn't have been acurately predicted by the Netanyahu administration and the stupidity of the IDF(Israeli Defence Force) became clear by the minute.
To begin with, questios began to fly around; why did the Israeli government use commandos for the operation and not the coast guards? Why were the commandos equipped with paintball guns?
Soon it became clear that the IDF had once again fumbled; they had based their action on faulty intelligence.
One, however, begs to question, if the IDF claims to have acted on faulty intelligence, how are they to be trusted when they act against the Gaza based Palestinian factions? Are we to innocently assume that their 'intelligence' is acurate? If anything, the botched Israeli raid on the Gaza flotilla coming hot on the hells of the Mossad assasination of Hamas' Military Wing Founder, Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, in a Dubai Hotel in January, has raised serious questions, in the minds of independent and unbaised observers around the world, as to the reliability of Israel's actionable intelligence. If Israel wasn't able to foresee, with all Arab animosity et al toward the Zionist state, the flotilla confrontation, how can we be certain that Israel's past operations against its oponents have been fair, to say the least? How often, for instance, has the IDF executed punitive missions based on such questionable intelligence. Would Arab anger, therefore, be considered missplaced in the face of such glarings blunders? And, how does this affect America's interest in the middle east and the wider Muslim world?
What would the reaction of the west be if such misdeeds were
Perpetrated by, lets say, China or Russia?
Reliable answers to the above questions would, by all means, be of benefit not only to the United States and it's allies, but to advocates of justice and fair play globally?

Iran Delivers Nuclear Deal Letter To The IAEA.

Iranian media reports on monday indicated that Iranian diplomats delivered a letter to the official residence of the IAEA director general, Yukiya Amano, in Vienna Austria, informing the IAEA head of a break through in efforts to get Iran to accept having it's Low-Enriched-Uranium be shipped abroad for further enrichment, during a 45 minute meeeting. The deal brokered last week in Tehran by rising powers Turkey and Brazil, would enable Iran to hand over it's low enriched uranium to Turkey in exchange for medical isotopes for use in it's medical research reactor. An Iranian Television station, reports that Turkish and Brazilian diplomats were also seen arriving at Mr Amano's residence. The deal, if it stands, crystalizes what the United States and fellow members of the UN Security Council have failed to accomplish over the year. However, the deal has heen given a cold shoulder by the U.S.A which last week went ahead with efforts to institute a new sanctions regime against Tehran. Notably, Russia and China, who for sometime had been thought to be holding out on new santions went along with the latest proposal in the security council. The responsibility of hammering the details of the new sanctions rests with the U.S.A. The regime in Iran has, in the meantime, threatened to review it's cooperation with the IAEA if new sanctions are imposed on country.

Malema's Disciplinary Hearing: A Case Of Chickens Coming Home To Roost

So we hear Julius Malema, affectionately referred to by sections of the South African media as motor mouth, has been let off the hook with little more than a 'slap on the wrists', even as it was expected. With all the controversy that Mr Malema has hatched in the recent past, it's certainly flabbergasting that his disciplinary hearing should, as it where, come to nothing; at least to a sojourner. Keen observers of the South African social and political scenery must surely have seen this coming. For starts, the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL), of which Mr Malema is the highest office bearer, is widely considered the king maker within the ANC. In other words, no one assumes the ANC Presidency without the support of the ANCYL. And as we might all know by now, the President of the ANC, is the defacto President of the Republic of South Africa. To illustrate the foregoing analogue, Mbeki, the 'lofty Etonian wiseman', would not have ascended the 'throne' at the Union Buildings had it not been for the ANCYL support. Zuma's ascension should, of course, be viewed in a similar light. Such is the influence, therefore, of the ANCYL. The ANCYL, to briefly delve into it's history is, by and large, Nelson Mandela's creation. Formed in 1956, the ANCYL has always positioned it's self as a renegade within the ANC as a Liberation movement. In fact, the armed struggle it's self as espoused by the ANC and it's alliance, would not have been possible without the ANCYL. The armed struggle was instituted by the ANCYL under it's founder, Nelson Mandela with considerable opposition within the ANC. Since it's formation no individual, regardless of his percieved authority within the ANC, has ascended to the top post of the ANC without the sanction of the youth league.
However, this so called 'kingmaker' status seems, over the years, to have fostered a spirit of near presumptiousness in the hearts and minds of the youth league leaders. The infamous 'kill the Boer' song for which Mr Malema has gained notority of laye, was popularized by the youth league under the tenure of Peter Mokaba. Mbeki's ascension to the ANC Presidency, and by implication, the Republican Presidency, would not have been possible without the support of the ANCYL and it's leader, Peter Mokaba. To be certain, the League's support was essential for Mbeki to overcome Ramaphosa's challenge. To understand the strenght of the ANCYL's power, one's got to take into consideration the fact that, Ramaphosa was, during this campaign endorsed by the 'immortal saint' himself, Nelson Mandela! The fact that such endorsement could not enable Ramaphosa to carry the day, testifies to the enduring power of the ANCYL and the triumph of African democracy. Such is the auror of the ANCYL that Nelson Mandela's protege for the battle of the Presidency of the ANC lost to Mbeki thereby clearing the way for Mbeki to assume control of the Union Building and Mahlabandhlovu. That presumptiouness seems to have been carried to a higher degree under Julius Malema, however. The blame in this case must surely fall on Zuma and his 'camp'. While it's understandable that Malema and the ANCYL were instrumental in ensuring that Zuma was let of the hook on the numerous corruption related charges that he face under the tenure of former President, Thabo Mbeki, no effort should have been spared to ensure that he and the league he led was called to order even as the principles of Ubunthu dictate. I alluded to this in one of my article a while back. That, however, was not done and the result is that the youngman definately grew bigger than his pants( forgive the metaphor) and now it's clear that it's difficult to tame him and his organization. And now, I can tell you off the top of my head that, Malema and 'his' league will not take this 'slap on the wrist' lying down. The first thing that Malema and his henchmen will do is to reject the judgement that the ANC Displinary Committee has imposed on Malema. This will, of course, be surtley done that the ANCYL and not Malema, himself, has rejected the ruling against it's leader. The greater implications of this ruling are yet to be felt by Zuma himself. The fact is, the findings against Malema have raised the ire of the youth league and it's obvious that the league will embark on a campaign to rid the ANC of Zuma, on top of their perennial enemy, Manthashe the Secretary General of the ANC, at the 2012 elective conference. All this, however, could easily have been avoided had Zuma as the ANC President, after the Polokwane purge, had reigned in Julius Malema and stopped him from insulting the then President, Mbeki. The state of affairs that Zuma finds himself now is, to a keen observer of South African politics, a case of chickens coming home to roost, as an American would say.

British Politicians Need To Learn To Operate In A Coalition Environment

So the Bookmakers weren't completely off the bet after all; Britain has gotten it's self a 'hung Parliament. Save for wrongly sandwiching Nick Clegg in between the two main protagonists, the chips have largely fallen in their rightful places.
However, when you think of it, the bookmakers can't help but be on top of their game lest they join the ranks of the unemployed. And this being a time of recession, that's not so good a prospect.
Okay then, back to the nitty gritty of the matter at hand.
For those of us who might have been vacationing on planet Mars or some other such place during these momentous past few days, a hung Parliament is a state of affairs where no single party emerges with an absolute majority after the vote count has been completed. In this case, the Conservatives have emerged with the highest number of votes followed by the incumbents, theLabour Party, and finally the Liberal Democrats, commonly referred to as the Lib Dems. But, why all the talk about the hung Parliament? In other words, what are the implications of a hung Parliament?
Well, the fact is, the implications of a hung Parliament are, to a large extent, felt by the party that assumes power on the back of such a less than adequate mandate. While such a party would enjoy free reign as far as it's executive agenda is concerned, the assumption is that, it's legislative agenda would be humstrung by the oposition. The belief, therefore, is that the 'majority' should, try as far as possible, to co-opt the 'minority' into forming goverment with it, thereby reducing the probability of a week government that would eventually be prone to collapse. Thats the reasoning, therefore, behind the manoveouring we have seen in the few hours post election results with the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats in courtship with a view of finding common areas as well as areas where compromise could be possible in the interest of forming a stronger government.
My belief, however, is that the whole issue has been exaggerated.
To start with, it certainly would be advantegous for Britain to have a coalition government, however, thats not a catholic rule. In fact, as a demonstration, of the sixteen member european states in the EU, only three have majority governments. Further, for a nation that gave the world the basic tenets of the rule of law, it is preposterous for British Politicians to feign the prospect of instability when presented with the possibility of a coalition government. If anything, its time they acted their age and embraced the idea of coalition governance as such a formations would, in all likelihood, be better suited to respond to the wishes of the electrorate thereby diminishing the chances of illicit adventures the kind of which George W. Bush and Gordon Brown's predecesor, Tony Blair, glaringly participated in, in Iraq. Politics have got to be about dialogue and governance consultative. Absolute majorities entail absolute power and as the hackneyed phrase says, absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Hair-Splitting About Home Security This Festive Season

Wow! It's almost difficult to comprehend that yet another year is gone and it's once again that time of the year when we, most of us at least, decide that it's time to take it easy or better still embark on an annual trek from all activity called work with a view of refreshing our souls and spirits in readiness for the coming year.

As we proceed with our preparations, it is certainly imperative that we ensure that our homes and possessions are safe during our absence. And to this end it's noteworthy to state that its rather simple elements of security that most folk tend to neglect, that leave their homes and other property vulnerable during the festive season.


In fact, as you'll notice in our discourse, these elements of security are so simple it's easy not to appreciate their contribution to the overall security picture.

So, what are the elements we are talking about and how do they contribute toward your property's security or lack of it?

Constantly Full Mail Box

What's the first thing you think about when you notice an overflowing mailbox in your street or neighbourhood? The occupants must be away, of course! Isn't? Yes, an overflowing mailbox is a sure indication that 'nobody is home' and thus it can be a sure invitation to burglars!

Therefore, this festive season, if you decide to go away from home on holiday, avoid an overflowing mailbox by making arrangements, with friends or family living close by, to have your mailbox empted on a regular basis.

Ensure Your Garden Is Kept Manicured

Make further arrangements to have your Garden tended and manicured as usual for as in the mailbox case, any departure from the usual regime will inevitably communicate a 'nobody home' message.

However, if for some reason you do not trust your Gardener^{a}, it would be advisable to again arrange with somebody trustworthy to do that on your behalf.
Only remember not to give an obviously untrustworthy Gardener the impression that you would be going away from home during the holidays.


Perhaps the best way to communicate the right message would be to wish the Gardener a happy festive season while inform him that you would be tending the garden during the holiday season and that, therefore, there would be no need for him to report for work during the holidays. Hey! You surely can find something appropriate to tell a Gardener who's untrustworthy.


It may sound all tedious and boring to discuss this in such minute detail but just remember that the security of your property is, primarily, your business.


So, once again the message is: avoid sending the 'nobody home' message to potential burglars.


For further home security tips check this previous article.
Take what we've discussed here to heart as you go about preparating for your holiday. What's more! Enjoy your holiday!


{a}The writer wishes to put it on record that the title 'Gardener' has been loosely used in this article and that absolutely no offense is intended with the said use. It should be further noted that the article is largely informed the by the prevailing local circumstances in South Africa, the writer's country of residence.