Imaverick 29 August 2011

how not to strike for dummies gadaffi & africa's misplaced loyalty wikileaks nomu
julius malema prays for

divine intervention
sa's daily tablet newspaper for people with brains and money monday, 29 august 2011
beta
by carien du plessis
MONday 29 aUGUST 2011
Index
A dAy In PIctures
It hAPPened overnIght
south AfrIcA
AfrIcA
World
BusIness
lIfe, etc
sPort
Index
how not to strike for dummies gadaffi & africa's misplaced loyalty wikileaks nomu
julius malema prays for
divine intervention
sa's daily tablet newspaper for people with brains and money monday, 29 august 2011
beta
by carien du plessis
ThurSDAY 25 AuGuST 2011
A DAY IN PICTURES
monDAY 29 AUGUST 2011
a day in pictures south korea / brazil
Maurren Higa Maggi of Brazil competes in the women's long jump fnal at the IAAF World
Championships in Daegu August 28, 2011. REUTERS/Max Rossi
a day in pictures united states
With the skyline of New York behind them, people walk along Hudson river after the pass
of Hurricane Irene at Hoboken in New Jersey August 28, 2011. Hurricane Irene swept along
the New Jersey shore early on Sunday, knocking down trees, leaving thousands of people
without electrical power and causing fooding. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
a day in pictures south korea / china
Liu Xiang of China (L) sprints to the fnish line
past Willi Mathiszik of Germany during their men's
110 metres hurdles heats at the IAAF World
Championships in Daegu August 28, 2011.
REUTERS/David Gray
a day in pictures germany
A stylist applies make up to a participant of the "Gay not Gray" fashion show in Berlin,
August 27, 2011. Mature gay men performed in the show with younger peers to show that
being gay and old can be fun and does not have to mean isolation, organisers said. The
show was part of the Aids Gala 2011. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
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Vehicle specifications may vary for the South African market.
IT HAPPENED OVERNIGHT
IT HAPPENED OVERNIGHT BRIEFS
POlITIcS
JAPAN
After the departure of Naoto
Kan last, Japan will pick a new
Prime Minister today its sixth
leader in fve years. There are
less regular winners of Ameri-
can Idol. The favourite for the
role is Bari Kaieda, the minister
of trade, as he has the back-
ing of the biggest faction of
the Democratic Party of Japan
(current ruling party) led by
Ichiro Ozawa, but it is unlikely
Kaieda will win the role without
a run-of, pitting all fve names
in the hat against each other,
with very little diferentiating
them. In all likelihood, well be
doing this again within a year.
All candidates have served in
the cabinet before and have all
played a part in where Japan
sits politically now.
lIByA
CNN claims to have located the
convicted Lockerbie bomber,
Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, in
Tripoli. Megrahi, technically a
Scottish prisoner on parole, is
reportedly in a coma and near
death naturally this prevented
Nic Robertson, the CNN jour-
nalist who reported the story,
from speaking to him. The tran-
sitional national council (who
may not be the ofcial govern-
ment in everyones eyes, but has
more guns) said frmly that it
will not extradite al-Megrahi,
but Britain foreign secretary,
William Hague doesnt think it
is the end of the matter.
ISRAEl
A Palestinian man from the
West Bank commandeered a
taxi and injured fve people
in Israel. He ran over two and
stabbed three in Israels second-
biggest city, Tel Aviv. Israeli po-
lice say the man [appeared] to
have carried out an assault for
nationalist motives, and said he
shouted Allah Akhbar when
he was arrested, in case you
were in any doubt as to whether
he was Muslim or not.
AuSTRAlIA
Police in the state of Victo-
ria (where you will fnd Mel-
bourne) now have the powers
to demand that Muslim women
remove face coverings and re-
fusal to do so could lead to a
maximum sentence of a year in
prison. Although no laws were
changed to facilitate this ruling,
the current regulations were
examined and found that there
are no exceptions within the law
for the burqa or the niqab.
BuSINESS
GREEcE
An expected merger of two of
Greeces biggest banks, Alpha
Bank and Eurobank, will get a
massive capital injection with a
share-capital increase to 1.25
billion, a 500 million convert-
ible bond ofer (underwrit-
ten by the Qatari Investment
Lockerbie bomber, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi (Reuters)
Authority which already owns
a small share in Alpha Bank)
and 200 million to 300 mil-
lion for the sale of the Turkish
branch of Eurobank. The com-
bined value of the new insti-
tution will push it above the
countrys biggest lender, the
National Bank of Greece.
SOuTH KOREA
South Koreas current account
surplus hit a nine-month high
in July, with an excess of $4.94
billion. The countrys central
banking authority revised its
estimate of the years surplus to
$15.5 billion, up from $11 billion.
Its probably good that they do,
considering a global slowdown
will afect Asian exports, as
will a strong wong the South
Korean currency is one of the
better-performing Asian cur-
rencies this year, having gained
4% against the dollar.
SPORT
FOOTBAll
It was a poor efort from North
London on Sunday as fxtures
between Arsenal and Man-
chester United, and Tottenham
Hotspur and Manchester City
were both gloriously one-sided.
Tottenham received a drubbing
from City, and with a scoreline of
5-1 its pretty true. Until one sees
the Manchester United 8, Arse-
nal 2 scoreline which included
a Wayne Rooney hat-trick. Ar-
senal have not won a game this
season and have had a player
sent of in all three of their
matches. Manchester United top
the Premier League table on goal
diference over City, while Arse-
nal sit 17th with one point.
TENNIS
The US Open will begin today
as scheduled, but to a slightly
adjusted timetable. First round
matches today will include
eighth-seed Mardy Fish against
Tobias Kamke, Maria Sharapova
will take on the most recent
saviour-to-be of British womens
tennis, Heather Watson, while
Roger Federer begins his cam-
paign against Santiago Giraldo.
Unseeded Venus Williams plays
Vesna Dolonts in the frst round
and is due to meet Wimble-
don semi-fnalist Sabine Lisicki
should they both win their frst-
round fxtures. The matches are
in a wacky time-zone for South
Africa, so keep your eye on First
Thing and iMaverick throughout
the tournament for early-bird
results.
FOOTBAll
Real Madrid began their sea-
son with a 6-0 away victory at
Zaragoza on Sunday. Cristiano
Ronaldo scored a hat-trick and
the other goals were added by
Kaka, Xabi Alonso and Mar-
celo. Barcelonas season will
begin tonight when they play
Villareal at the Nou Camp.
GOlF
Thomas Bjorn won the John-
nie Walker Classic after a fve-
man playof, demonstrating big
match temperament hes never
showed us in the majors. Bjorn
Manchester United smashes Arsenal(Reuters)
saw of the sudden-death chal-
lenge of four other men, includ-
ing South Africas Gerrie Coetzee
who was the last to drop.
FOOTBAll
Although the Serie A has not
yet begun, Italy coach Cesare
Prandelli has announced his
squad for the Euro 2012 quali-
fers against Slovenia and the
Faroe Islands, using only pre-
season friendlies, Champions
League and Europa League
qualifers and the one-match
Italian Supercup. Italy current-
ly leads Group C with 16 points
from fve games.
MOTOGP
Casey Stoner easily won the
Indianapolis Grand Prix, fn-
ishing nearly fve seconds
ahead of Dani Pedrosa. Ben
Spies came in third. The win
increased Stoners lead in the
championship to 44 points.
lIFE
SOuTH AFRIcA
One of South Africa's most
wanted, Bongani Moyo, was
arrested in Johannesburg last
night just after 22:00, following
his second escape from custody
this year. Moyo is wanted for 35
bank robberies, as well as his
two escapes, the most recent of
which was when he walked out
of the Pretoria magistrate's court
earlier in August. Moyo will be
arraigned (hopefully) today.
BRAzIl
Five people died and 57 were
injured in a tram accident in
Rio de Janeiro. The tram de-
railed as it turned while going
through the busy tourist dis-
trict of Santa Teresa. Primary
investigations claim the tram
was overloaded, but activists
say the tram network in the
city needs to be modernised
and is overdue for investment,
particularly before the 2014
Fifa World Cup. One of the fve
killed was the driver.
MADAGAScAR
A boat accident in Madagascar,
followed up by an explosion
while rescue operations were
underway killed 11 people. Of
the 11 passengers on board, four
were killed, including a gov-
ernment ofcial, when a wave
capsized their boat. The other
seven were killed in the explo-
sion. It is unclear what caused
the blast.
IRAq
A suicide bomber killed 29
people and injured 38 during
prayers in Iraqs largest Sunni
mosque in the capital city of
Baghdad, reminiscent of a sim-
ilar attack carried out in 2006
on a Shiite shrine in the Sunni
city of Samarra. Iraq hardly
needs tensions infamed.
uSA
Lady Gaga opened the an-
nual MTV music video awards
dressed like a man. Some say
it was an improvement on her
dress made out of raw meat
last year. Other gossip doing
the rounds is that Beyonce is
pregnant. Adele, Katy Perry
and Bruno Mars will fght it out
for the years top video.
Casey Stoner easily wins the Indianapolis Grand Prix (Reuters)
SOUTH AFRICA
monday 29 aUGUST 2011
south africa BriEfs
PuBlic ProtEctor lacks
funds for corruPtion
invEstigations
Due to a bumper season of cor-
ruption allegations, the public
protector is running low on
funds investigate the cases.
According to a Sunday Inde-
pendent report, public protec-
tor Thuli Madonselas ofce
has applied to the National
Treasury for an additional R30
million for salaries and op-
erational expenses for more
investigators. In the mean-
time, corruption investigations
including those into the in-
volvement of state entities in
Limpopo in the tender fraud
alleged against ANCYL presi-
dent Julius Malemas company
and trust fund have been put
on hold. The National Treasury
will announce the mid-year
budget adjustment in October.
Youth lEaguE BracEs for
disciPlinarY
The ANCYL spent the weekend
rallying support ahead of Julius
Malema and Floyd Shivambus
appearance before the ANCs
disciplinary committee this
week. Malema addressed the
Young Womens Assembly on
Friday while Floyd Shivambu
penned an op-ed in the Sunday
Times where he compared the
actions of the Youth League to-
day to that of Nelson Mandela,
Oliver Tambo and Walter Sisu-
lu, who were considered radical
in their day. Perhaps a bit of a
stretch, but still a smart move.
tutu invitEs dalai lama
to BirthdaY cElEBration
Archbishop Emeritus Des-
mond Tutu turns 80 on 7 Octo-
ber, and his one and only wish
is for his friend, the Dalai Lama
to join him at the celebration.
In 2009, the South African
government, fearing damaging
diplomatic relations with Chi-
na, controversially denied His
Holiness a visa to visit South
Africa, but said he was wel-
come to visit another time. The
Sunday Independent reported
that Tutu said the Tibetan spir-
itual leader accepted the invite
and will be fling a visa applica-
tion on Monday.
injurEd lEoPard attacks
couPlE
Sapa reported that a leopard
mauled a husband and wife
tracking team whose client, a
foreign trophy hunter, had shot
and injured the animal. The
couples injuries were not life
threatening and are receiving
treatment at the Mediclinic in
Limpopo. There was no word
on how the leopard is doing.
oPPosition to mogoEng
nomination grows
Constitutional Court chief jus-
tice nominee Mogoeng Mogo-
eng will have to deal with the
spectre of his past rulings and
court cases as the voices oppos-
ing his nomination grow. The
National Association of Demo-
cratic Lawyers said Mogoeng
Thulu Madonsela (iMaverick)
south africa BriEfs
endorsed the death penalty
during his time as a state ad-
vocate in apartheid homeland
Bophuthatswana, according to
City Press. And responding the
Judicial Service Commissions
invitation for comment from
law bodies, public interest law
centre Section 27 questioned
Mogoengs previous rulings
on cases that involved gender-
based violence, which they said
refected his patriarchal views.
The judicial service commis-
sion will interview Mogoeng on
the 3 September.
rEaPPEarancE of racist
Photo sParks PolicE
invEstigation
The Sunday Times ran as their
front-page story a disturbing pic-
ture from the profle of a Face-
book user, Eugene Terrorblance.
The paper reported that the
picture, which depicts a white
hunter posing over the body of a
black child, is being investigated
by the Hawks and could see ei-
ther the man in the picture, the
person who created the photo or
anybody who saw it without re-
porting it, charged with a crimi-
nal ofence. However, EWN,
M&G and Beeld ran a story on
the picture in 2008, leading to
the expulsion of a University of
North West student who had
put it up in a Facebook group.
Its unclear whether at the time
the photo led to any investiga-
tion by the police.
cElE asks mdluli to
ExPlain whY hE should
not BE firEd
The Sunday Independent re-
ported that it is in possession
of a letter from police com-
missioner general Bheki Cele
where he asks suspended crime
intelligence boss Richard Md-
luli to say why he should not be
fred. Mdluli is facing charges
relating to the murder of Oupa
Ramokgibi, who was appar-
ently Mdlulis rival for the af-
fections of Tshidi Buthelezi.
no commission on loan
for mswati: national
trEasurY
Following reports that Swa-
ziland King Mswati III was
claiming a R400 million com-
mission for securing a R2.4 bil-
lion rand loan from the South
African government, the Sun-
day Times reported that the
National Treasury said the loan
agreement makes no allowance
for commissions. The Swazi-
land government also denied
that Mswati, one of the worlds
richest monarchs, had made
such a claim.
mBEki sPEaks at
stEllEBosch univErsitY
EvEnt
Students at Stellenbosch Uni-
versity sang songs and danced
in honour of former President
Thabo Mbeki, who delivered a
speech on the campus on Fri-
day. Mbeki was relaxed and jo-
vial, and often elicited laughter
from the packed auditorium.
His speech on the potential of
African students in light of the
Arab spring, criticised Nato,
Syrian President Bashar Assad
and Libyas National Transi-
tional Council, and played up
the potential of the African
Union on the continent.
Bheki Cele (Reuters)
Monday - 29 aUGUST 2011
south africa Da
Power to the tweePle as Da hosts another twitter town hall meeting
They started before the elections as a way of
engaging with their logged-on voters, and were
apparently very successful.
On Sunday night, DA leader Helen Zille (@
helenzille) again roped in her team, including
party spokeswoman Lindiwe Mazibuko (@
lindimazibuko) and party strategist Ryan
Coetzee (@ryancoetzee) to answer the couple of
hundred tweets that poured in.
According to the DAs spin, the Twitter Town
Hall provides a unique, engaging and highly
personal opportunity to ask the DA any question
about South Africa, its people and its politics,
and get an immediate response.
And they lived up to the promise. Questions
included what the DAs view is on ANC Youth
League leader Julius Malemas impending
hearing this week (Zille said its all succession
politics), what the party thinks of relaxing
labour laws (its in favour of this), and what
its stance is on press regulation following
Less than four months after the local elections, the DA has again started its popular Twitter Town Hall
meetings, and the tweeple are curious, with questions ranging from Julius Malemas disciplinary to
racism in the DA. CARIEN DU PLESSIS followed the #DAQA.
apparently skewed reports on a Western Cape
government communications tender (Coetzee:
We believe the press should self regulate. We
don't believe in state regulations. And there is
the constitution...).
It wasnt all smooth. Zille got impatient
with @unathikondiles persistent and critical
questions (I am busy answering important
questions from people who are serious about
the future) and one of @alexlansdownes great
concerns was why #DAQA, #DAQA, #DAQA (etc)
wasnt trending in South Africa.
Zilles account at some point couldnt
handle the huge volume and slowed down
while @paulachowles tweeted: Not sure if 140
characters lends itself to any substantial debate
but nice way to make yourself accessible.
Its likely that well see a lot more of these
meetings, as Coetzee said the partys 2014
election campaign was in advanced stage and
already being actioned.
MONDAY - 29 AUGUST 2011
south africa malema goes to church
Disciplinary action: malema prays for
Divine intervention
If it depended on the prayers of the 110-year-
old African Methodist Episcopal congregation
in Pimville, Soweto on Sunday, God is on Julius
Malemas side as the young man faces the
wrath of his elders in the party this week.
As it was, it appears the prayers may have
helped him secure a legal heavy-hitter to
stand at his side at his disciplinary hearing
Even as a church congregation prayed for strength for Julius Malema in his disciplinary before the
ANC this week, the Young Lion remained unrepentant about his wealth and how he got it. CARIEN
DU PLESSIS was in church on Sunday and later also heard that the SACP is rejoicing in the ANCs
disciplinary moves.
Photo: Malema preaches his gospel to the African Methodist Episcopal
church in Soweto (iMaverick)
on Tuesday. After apparently struggling to fnd
someone in the ANC to represent him, Malema
has managed to pull big gun, Advocate Patric
Mtshaulana, SC, to argue his case.
Mtshaulana confrmed last night that he,
as a member of the ANC for 30 years, will be
representing Malema and that he had met with
the youth leader on Sunday presumably after
church to discuss the case.
To quote the subject of Sundays sermon,
Psalm 69, the waters have certainly reached
Malemas neck, and he is wallowing in the
mire, as whispers in the ANC indicate that hes
facing expulsion.
He appeared ready to face his fate, and told
reporters on Sunday that no-one was entitled
to ANC membership, and the party had the
right to take it away if they wished.
Malema and one of his right-hand men,
Youth League treasurer Pule Mabe, on Sunday
followed in the holy footsteps of their elders,
like President Pastor Jacob Zuma.
The congregation a warm, welcoming
assembly of Christians about 200 strong,
containing a good generational mix with women
in a sure majority outstretched their right
hands as the presiding elder, reverend Tsele Setai,
and the younger pastor BJ Motaung led a minute
or two of prayers at the end of the service for
Malema, their hands laid on his head.
Mabe had his turn after that.
Before that, Reverend Setai set the tone with
a spirited sermon in English and Sotho (from
Davids Psalm 69:1-8 and John 15:25-27) on how
the God-fearing David was anointed king by
the prophet Samuel, and how he had to battle it
out with King Saul, who he was to succeed and
who became jealous and suspicious.
Malemas message was, in essence, that he
was being persecuted for being black, successful
and preaching economic freedom.
But he also asked the church not to judge.
The church will protect successful black
people. Today, every successful black person (is
considered) a thief. People are sufering from
pulling-down syndrome.
When one of our own is under attack,
instead of protecting that person, we are joining
the chorus. And in joining the chorus, we are
undermining the work of God. God provides,
and even if this person has stolen money to buy
this car, it is not for you to judge. This person
will one day have to answer.
He got a chorus of amens for this.
In a swipe directed at the state agencies like
the Hawks reportedly investigating his fnancial
doings (he told journalists after that he hadnt
heard from them yet), he said: we, as children
of Nelson Mandela, we must protect one
another, we must trust one another.
He continued: The only crime we
committed is asking if we could share equally.
Those who benefted under apartheid still want
to beneft in the same way. We are asking for a
if as a elder you say you cant control this
youth anymore, it means you have failed in
your responsibility to nurture the youth.
Julius malema
simple thing. We must all have a potion (sic)
of this cake, we must all eat. But they kept
on demanding we must all be locked outside.
Some of those who should help us, are now
joining these people. Our freedom is not a
freedom of blue lights, but putting bread on
the table, Malema said.
He advised his elders not to suppress the
energy of the youth, otherwise they will be
sick. You must nurture that energy, you must give
it direction. You dont accuse the young ones of
things. If as a elder you say you cant control this
youth anymore, it means you have failed in your
responsibility to nurture the youth.
He urged congregants to pray for our
leaders so that the Holy Spirit would guide
them and teach them wrong or right. It is
only the Holy Spirit that guides these people
in places where we cannot reach them. If you
pretend that youre so powerful the conscience
speaks to you and says you are a sell-out, he
said, also invoking moral regeneration (Zuma's
obvious weak spot).
Like Zuma, he told the faithful: The ANC
remains an organisation of the church and
you cant separate the church from the ANC.
The AME church has close historic links with
the party.
Although Malema, dressed smartly and
simply in a dove-grey suit and crisp white
shirt, didnt know some of the hymns (he did
give about four R100 notes in when it was time
Photo: Reverend Tsele Setai, pastor BJ Motaung and others
lay their hands on Malema in prayer, ranting against the
Babylonian government
for oferings), his taste in churches is better
than Zumas.
This journalist remembers covering a
long birthday service for Zuma at the huge
International Pentecostal Holiness Church in
Westonaria in April 2009, where we, wearing
the compulsory skirts and head cover (women
still know their place here), witnessed multiple
weddings, many of them polygamous. There
was also Zumas controversial visit to the
Rhema church before the 2009 elections.
But Malema is not leaving everything to
God, and his League allies in the provinces
have over the weekend vowed to bus thousands
of supporters into central Johannesburg on
Tuesday when he faces the partys disciplinary
committee in Luthuli House.
Cosatu has already declared that it supports
the ANCs move to discipline Malema, and the
SACP, at a Sunday press conference in Cosatu
House shortly after its central committee
meeting, indicated the same.
The SACP warmly welcomed moves by the
leadership of the ANC to assert authority, and
to reafrm the core principles of our ANC-led
movement non-racialism, non-sexism and
a respect for organisational democracy and
discipline, general secretary Blade Nzimande
read from its statement. But he admitted the
partys own discipline is not so swift, and
theyre still discussing charges against former
Young Communist League (YCL) chairman and
Limpopo MEC David Masondo (also a Malema
ally) for disrupting the YCLs conference
in December last year, and for writing a
critical story on ZEE or Zuma economic
empowerment around the same time.
Nzimande also rejected with contempt
charges from the ANC Youth Leagues side that
his party was central in drawing up the charges
against Malema.
Its an insult to the members and leaders of
the ANC, that some communists somewhere on
the third foor of Cosatu House (in the SACPs
ofces) can take a decision and impose it on the
ANC, he said.
Malemas recent fght-back campaign started
in Centurion on Friday night, where he told a
Youth League event the ANC is not a pig, it
will never eat its own children.
But it will take a miracle to save the young
motor-mouths bacon this week.
reaD more:
1. Malema backlash? Probably not in Daily MaverickANC
shoots from its branches as party structures called into line
in Daily Maverick
2. Julius, countryman, lend us your ears, in Daily Maverick
3. Malemas disciplinary: not everyone in the League standing
by their man in Daily Maverick
4. Malema and the disciplinary committee: A rough guide in
Daily Maverick
"god provides, and even if this person has stolen
money to buy this car, it is not for you to judge. this
person will one day have to answer. malema
south africa saMWu
hoW not to strike for DuMMies: saMWu eDition
Strike as often as possible
Make sure you earn a reputation as the Cosatu
Afliate Voted Most Likely to Strike at the Drop
of a Hat. This is going to be difcult, with all
the competition, but you can do it. Strike every
year if you can. Make sure the strikes are about
political issues rather than the grievances of
your rank and fle strike over the Municipal
Systems Amendment Bill and strike over
claims of executive corruption at Pikitup. Your
members will appreciate your using them as
mere cannon fodder to fght your wider political
battles. Speaking of members...
Were in the midst of strike season, and Samwu leadership got its industrial action wrong. In fact, theyre
getting it so spectacularly, superlatively wrong that theyve inspired PAUL BERKOWITZ to write a primer
on how not to go about striking. Other unions: take note. Do NOT try this in your home union.
Striking workers of the South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU)
march through Durban disposing garbage into the streets and setting
rubbish bins on fre, August 17, 2011. The unions are demanding an 18
percent increase in wages and the banning of labour brokers. REUTERS/
Rogan Ward
Make sure that you dont have the buy-in of
your members
Dont, under any circumstances, canvass
your members to gauge their appetite for yet
another strike. Thats just so old-fashioned.
These bottom-up, democratic processes are for
counter-revolutionaries and the Cosatu of old.
Pay no attention to the mood on the ground
so what if your members feel that they havent
south africa saMWu
recouped the losses incurred by previous strike
actions? You know whats best for them and
youll show them. Whatever you do, dont let
the one side of your mouth catch the other side
speaking about worker solidarity when the
actions of union management are so patently
not in the interests of members.
Make your strike actions as uncoordinated
as possible
Start your strikes in diferent cities on diferent
days. Proceed with strike action before you have
the support of your members (see above point)
while making grandiose claims about bringing
entire municipalities to a standstill. When youve
proved that you cant cash the cheques your mouth
is issuing youll have succeeded in weakening the
resolve of undecided members to strike. Youll also
ensure that any participation in strikes by Imatu,
your sister union, is muted. They sure as hell will
want to distance themselves from your eforts.
How will you know if youve succeeded?
Youll know when you have to bus in strikers
from Pretoria to get the Joburg leg of your Strike
Tour 2011 going when you can barely rustle up
more than a hundred or so protesters in your
power heartland.
Dont pick your battles wisely
Remember, youre not Numsa. Your employers
are not in the private sector. If they were,
you could smash things and intimidate your
non-striking colleagues and nobody would
really care certainly not any public ofcials.
But youre employed by the government, and
if you push them too far youll have the state
apparatus coming down on your head. (And
they employ, uhm, plenty police.)
Heres what you do: make sure that your
most violent strike action is in opposition party
heartland. (They already despise you. In fact,
theyve drafted a private members Bill to hold
you and other unions responsible for strike-
related violence.) Make sure your members
burn and loot and trash. Deny responsibility
and claim that you are unable to discipline
your striking members. Once you abdicate
responsibility it will be a mere procedural issue
for the City of Cape Town to interdict you from
further marches. After all, if you cant guarantee
the safety of others property, why should you be
allowed to strike? Check and mate. Nice job.
Lose the popular vote
Most of the chattering classes dont like unions
because strike action in South Africa is increasingly
characterised by violence and intimidation
and costs the country vast fortunes. You have to
raise the bar and alienate even those who would
normally be sympathetic to your position. You do
this by brutalising those who are poorer and more
desperate than you while youre striking. Thats
right, the vendors who are unlucky enough to be
in your way while youre cutting a swathe through
Cape Town city centre.
Youll know that youve succeeded in this
respect when no less a dyed-in-the-wool socialist
than Zackie Achmat condemns your actions on
Twitter (@ZackieAchmat), tweeting on 18 August
Is SAMWU leadership seriously suggesting that
they have no evidence of violence? Anti-working
class struggle behaviour by their leaders.
Negotiate in bad faith
In 2009, you signed a three-year agreement
with Salga. The agreement stated that your
employees would receive wage increases equal
to infation plus 2% for three years, provided
infation ranged between 5% and 10%. Now,
some might think that an infation rate above
10% would prompt you to agitate for a higher
margin increase for example, infation plus
2.5% - while an infation rate falling below 5%
might lead to Salga arguing for a lower margin.
They would be so wrong. When the ofcial
infation rate came in below 5%, you launched
a fresh round of negotiations, turning your
back on the multi-year agreement. In other
words, an environment of lower-than-expected
infation should be used to justify wage
demands far in excess of infation, which brings
us to the next point...
Make unrealistic demands
Take your cue from the Numsa strikes. Make
a demand for wage increases that is a multiple
of the infation rate. And dont just demand an
increase thats double the infation rate thats
too close to a reasonable request. Think big
think three or four times the ofcial infation
rate. Hows a nice round number like 18%
sound? Sound good? Cool, do it.
When questioned on the wisdom of adopting
this initial position, defend it bravely but without
any logic. Claim that it will bring Salga to the
negotiating table quicker dont think even
for one second it might lead to them taking
you less seriously. Couple that with a revealing
soundbite from your spokesman, claiming we
will settle for nothing under double digits
so that everybody knows just how far youre
prepared to compromise before you even make
it to the negotiating table.
Speaking of the negotiation table, when you
eventually get there....
Climb down very quickly from your initial
position
Make sure you reduce your demands from
18% to 10% in the frst round of negotiations,
without winning any concessions from the other
side in return. This will weaken your position
considerably, raising doubts over your ability to
even achieve your fallback position of double-
digit wage increases. This will help to further
erode the good faith some of your members
might still have in you and can only harm your
future bargaining power with Salga. It will also
guarantee that you are taken less seriously by
other Cosatu afliates in the lead-up to any
important elective conferences over the next 16
months. But hey, you're having fun.
south africa saMWu
take your cue from the numsa strikes.
Make a demand for wage increases that
is a multiple of the infation rate.
south africa sunday times
exclusive: sunday times exclusive isnt exclusive
One more disclaimer: the Sunday Times didnt
actually say it was exclusive. But they treated it
like it was and splashed the image of a gun-
toting racist using a black child as a hunting
trophy all over their front page as if it was
breaking news. So thats close enough
In case you missed it, the Sunday Times
proudly reported how its discovery of the
shocking photograph on a Facebook site had
iMaverick/Daily Maverick can exclusively reveal that this weeks Sunday Times Facebook
racist photograph is not an exclusive it was exclusively revealed by 702s Eyewitness
News in May 2008. And then exclusively revealed by the Mail & Guardian in October 2008.
Oh, and also by Beeld the same month. Actually, we cant even reveal it exclusively it was
all over Twitter yesterday, prompting legions of new tweets and retweets. By now we can
assume its all over the world. By CHRIS VICK.
Photo: 'Facebook racist'.
prompted the involvement of two Cabinet
ministers: the minister of social development
got seriously outspoken about childrens rights,
and the minister of police initiated a probe by
the Hawks (you would have thought they were
too busy chasing Julius and the arms deal).
South Africas biggest selling newspaper
proudly told its readers: The [Hawks]
investigation was sparked when the Sunday
Times presented the link to the site to the
authorities.
But the common denominator in most
conversations about the Sunday Times on
Twitter yesterday afternoon and not just
among people in the media space was the
same: Why make such a fuss over a photo
thats been all over the place, and was taken and
published more than three years ago? And
why pretend its new when its clearly several
years old?
Just how old the image may be was disclosed
by 702s Mandy Weiner, who tweeted yesterday
afternoon: In May 2008, EWN exposed the
picture which is on the front page of the
SunTimes on a FB group called 'Ek laaik nie 'n
houtkop nie so what'.
The Facebook group she referred to was set
up by students at North West University, and
one student was expelled as a result of the 702
investigation (maybe the Hawks should ask
Weiner for the students phone number so they
can pick him up thatll make for the quickest
Hawks investigation in history).
In a later tweet, Weiner said research at the
time had indicated that the photo might have
been a hoax.
My own exclusive research yesterday
afternoon (ok, I found a whole lot of tweets on
the topic) shows that the Mail and Guardians
Yolandi Groenewald did an extensive expose of
right-wing social media including the North
West University student website which posted
the Sunday Times exclusive photograph this
week on 12 October 2008.
I can almost-exclusively reveal that Beeld
took the matter even further on 20 October
2008 with a lengthy discussion article on what
the newspaper termed new media racism
(thanks to James Myburgh for tweeting that,
and for providing the Beeld link). The article
included detailed comment from the head of
the Human Rights Commission at the time,
Jody Kollapen, and reminders of how the Reitz
4 from Free State University had felt compelled
to showcase their racism in a video rather than
keeping it to themselves.
In a weird twist, the SMS Crime Line
initiated by Weiners colleague at 702, Yusuf
Abramjee, was tweeting the following at the
time Weiner was blowing the whistle on the
non-exclusivity: Crime Line - Wanted: Alleged
Facebook racist. SMS your tip-of to 32211.
None of this, of course, means it is right
for racists to go round posing for pictures that
show how retarded they are. Nor does it mean
that the media should shy away from exposing
people who do this sort of thing. And it
defnitely doesnt mean that the people who do
this sort of thing are not dangerous, and should
not be exposed and locked up.
Just how old the image may be
was disclosed by 702s mandy
Weiner, who tweeted yesterday
afternoon: in may 2008, eWn
exposed the picture which is on
the front page of the suntimes on
a fB group called 'ek laaik nie 'n
houtkop nie so what'.
The media should do everything it can to
expose racism, and in particular to expose
racists.
But when it does it, its not just what it does
its also about how it does it. And in many cases,
its as much about treatment where a story
is placed, and how it is used as it is about
content.
As part of their preparation for publication
of the photograph yesterday, the Sunday Times
clearly went to elaborate lengths to speak to
everyone and their uncle about the mindset of
the gun-toting cretin who posed for the picture,
including the two ministers referred to above, a
number of childrens rights groups, lawyers and
the police.
But they were unable to uncover the fact
that the photo was more than three years old,
had been published on websites before, and was
believed by a reporter who covered the issue at
the time to probably be a fake.
Why not? Or did they know, and choose to
ignore it in the interests of manufacturing a
splash (and avoiding having to focus on Julius
for the gazillionth week in succession)?
And if, as I hear from at least ten anonymous
sources (thats what the media say when theyve
asked the same make-believe person the same
question ten times), there was disquiet among
Sunday Times staf about the treatment of the
story and photograph, why did the newspaper
go ahead and splash?
One wonders how the Avusa shareholders
are feeling about their fagship title this
morning. They are in the thick of a due
diligence exercise with potential buyers Capitau
(a due diligence is when someone wants to buy
part of your company, spends a lot of time going
through your books looking at the viability of
your business, and then makes you an ofer).
And the last thing the current shareholders
want is for the Sunday Times to be taking it
on the chin in public, week after week not to
mention the trouble that its sister newspaper,
the Sowetan has found itself in when its
trying to convince Capitau its an asset worth
buying.
Put yourself in the shoes of an Avusa board
member: There was the Eric Miyeni debacle,
clearly the outcome of bad editorial decision-
making at the Sowetan, preceded by the Kuli
Roberts and David Bullard balls-ups.
There was the Sowetans controversial front-
page screengrabs a couple of weeks ago from
the German cut porn video starring a police
ofce and prison warder.
More recently, there was the Sunday Times
R1 billion Democratic Alliance communications
tender, where some poor decision-making (and,
some say, seriously poor editing and rewriting
one wonders how the avusa shareholders are
feeling about their fagship title this morning.
by those at the top) resulted in something of a
front-page climb-down.
And now the exclusive racist Facebook photo
thats far from exclusive.
No doubt some of the editorial decision-
makers will fall back on their trusted throwaway
line that its not news until its in the Sunday
Times, and pat themselves on the back for
putting the spotlight on the new Facebook host
of the three-year-old racist photograph.
But that argument apparently (now theres
another useful journalistic word) doesnt
wash anymore with the groups shareholders
and management not when the Sunday
Independent is breaking better stories two
weeks out of four, and when City Press has
clearly taken over as South Africas leading
investigative Sunday newspaper.
The Avusa board has seemingly (thats
journalist-speak for I think) always held the
view that it doesnt involve itself in editorial
matters. Whether that was ever true, or is true
now, remains to be seen.
But I understand (just dont ask me why)
some of its members are arguing that once
editorial quality issues and credibility begin to
impact on the value of the Sunday Times brand
in real terms, on the value of the Avusa
brand and the Avusa share-price then an
intervention may be necessary.
And thats precisely what is happening now.
As a result, the shareholders are
becoming increasingly restless at the string
of embarrassments and the impact on the
value of their assets, and are calling for an
intervention or two.
Breaking news soon: Regime change at
Avusa titles. Now that will be an exclusive worth
reading whether its exclusive or not.
PS: News just in: Late last night, some serious
investigation (and a bit more help from Twitter
and James Myburgh) revealed that details
of the racist photo had also been published
in 2008 by, of all people, The Times -- the
Sunday Times' sister newspaper. At the time
(7 October 2008) it described the photo as
follows: "... a picture of a young white man
holding a gun while standing over a young
black boy lying on the ground".
The editor of the Times at the time was (I
kid you not) Ray Hartley -- now editor of the
Sunday Times.
... the details of the racist photo had also
been published in 2008 by, of all people,
the times -- the sunday times' sister
newspaper.
grootes assessment malema disciplinary
malema under attack: anc's winners and losers
Plenty of people stand to gain, and many stand
to lose. And from there, you can work out what
role they might play over the next little while.
Its worth having a look at who those winners
and losers could be.
When something as momentous as the Julius Malema ANC disciplinary hearing is on the cards, its
always good to examine the political power plays that are operating at the same time. The dynamics of
whats actually happening are usually intertwined with the political personalities. In short, theres a lot
going on. By STEPHEN GROOTES.
Photo: Helen Zille (Reuters)
Lets start with the most interesting. Its not
President Jacob Zuma, Gwede Mantashe or even
Malema himself. Nope, the person who in the
long-term could stand to win or lose the most is
Kgalema Motlanthe (or as weve taken to calling
him, SA's Keyser Soze. Hes once-the-reluctant-
president, now future would-be president that
may or may not exist. The person who seems
to be, to quote Churchill, a riddle wrapped in
a mystery inside an enigma. There have been
serious rumours that the ANC Youth League
wanted him to represent Malema. That doesnt
seem to be happening. But if Malema goes, then
it would seem that Motlanthes hopes (if he has
any) of taking over from Zuma at Mangaung
could be dashed. Because only Malema can
do the hard running, the necessary legwork,
to build the massive amount of momentum a
presidential campaign would need. This would
put Motlanthe in an uncomfortable position.
Would he decide to have another fve years as
deputy ANC leader, doing not terribly much,
or would he just pack it all in. The next few
days could really determine whether in 2013,
Motlanthe is President, or just receiving his
already presidential pension.
Without Malema around if he is sacked
from the ANC well Zuma may not have a
challenger at all next year. He would be seen as
the man in charge, the person who thou must
not cross. If weve learnt anything over the
last few years as a country, is that Zuma must
never be written of. And people who do so,
lose. So the person with the most to gain here
is probably Zuma. Should things go the other
way though, if Malema wins out somehow, then
Zuma stands to lose the most. What efects
one positively, afects the other negatively in
what has grown to be a zero sum game. But, of
course, if the ANCs tired line is to be believed,
neither Zuma nor Motlanthe really want to
be President, they just follow the will of their
people.
Now, the next most interesting: Mathews
Phosa. The ANCs treasurer has been rather
quiet of late. In the days after Polokwane, he
popped up all over the place. Not so anymore.
It doesnt seem like hes going to represent
Malema after all this time around. If he did,
then it would be publicly known that hes
been backing Malema all along. He would
be politically outed in a way, the man that
Zuma and Mantashe could point to and say
see, this is the person whos really the brains
behind Malema, everything thats happened
around Malema is because of him. But if
Malema goes down, Phosas post-Mangaung
horizons will probably be limited to another
fve years as treasurer, if that. It did seem all
along that Phosa belonged to a group of senior
ANC members who have been using Malema
to weaken Zuma; it was useful to them, as
if weve learnt
anything over the
last few years as a
country, is that Zuma
must never be written
off. and people who
do so, lose.
barons, to have a weak king, and Malema made
that happen. Without Malema, Phosa will be a
baron contending with a strong king. Not much
fun for the baron.
Someone whos already a public Malema
supporter is, of course, Fikile Mbalula. Unless
he changes his allegiances overnight, Mbalulas
really stufed should Malema go. Thats it
for him, at least in this cycle. And, once he's
out, it will also be hard for him to come back.
Suddenly he would have no one to run any
kind of campaign for him, no battering ram to
pry open doors for him; his hopes of ousting
Mantashe next year would be gone just like
that. Hes a young man, and hes fery, so he
may still harbor a hope of somehow coming
back without Malema. But the how is hard
to see. Because if Malema goes, and Mantashe
and Zuma are suddenly feeling very powerful,
there would be no surprise if they feel a sudden
urge to settle a score or two. Mbalula could fnd
himself losing that frst class ticket to Kiwi-land
for the Rugby World Cup, and instead move to
a career of Deputy Minister of Prison Escapes
With Special Responsibility for Ananias Mathe
a place that would be hard to mount a come-
back from.
Someone else who must be working the
lobbying hard at the moment is Limpopo
Premier Cassel Mathale. Hes being quoted
by the City Press newspaper (who appear to
have a recording from within a Limpopo ANC
Youth League meeting) as saying that everyone
must get behind Malema. He has more to lose
than just about anyone else. If Malema gets
drummed out of the ANC, even temporarily,
well, Mathales days as a premier could be
numbered. But thats just the beginning of the
nightmare for him. Because if Malema loses
any political protection he may enjoy, well,
Mathale will too. And enter, stage left, the next
big factor in Mathales life. The Hawks. We all
know theyre investigating Malema and his
relationship with certain provincial tenders
around Polokwane. Malemas on record as
saying if he needs anything, including money,
he calls Mathale. And if one loses political
protection, the others very freedom could be
the next to go.
The same goes for a couple of ANC Youth
League personnel: Floyd Shivambu and the
other League leaders who are also facing ANC
charges, and who are so blindly behind Malema
remember, he virtually hand-picked them
for their jobs. What did they bring to the table,
apart from loyalty and fanatical devotion
other than the promise that they will follow and
ask no questions?
unless he changes his allegiances overnight,
mbalulas really stuffed should malema go. thats
it for him, at least in this cycle. and, once he's
out, it will also be hard for him to come back.
One other powerful political person with
plenty to lose is Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.
Looking back now, it seems when she was
defenestrated as Deputy Arts and Science
Minister by her former husband in the mid-
90s. She seems to have transferred all of her
own ambitions to Malema. She brought him up,
politically speaking, pushed him, nurtured him
much like she did with one of his predecessors
Peter Mokaba. Sometimes when he speaks, you
can hear her clearly in his words. Much has been
made of the fact that at Polokwane, she was
voted into the number one spot on the ANCs
national executive committee. That was more to
do with the fact no one wanted to vote against
her than people who wanted to vote for her. And
since then, shes been a little embarrassing for
the ANCs leaders. You know, demanding to be
an MP, then not pitching up for Parliament, that
kind of thing. And shes publicly backed Malema
many times, saying both outside his Hate Speech
Trial and at the Leagues Conference earlier this
year that Julius is the future. For her, Malemas
ousting from the ANC would be a huge blow.
Shes quite mature now, and may fnd it difcult
to have any political project after him. But dont
underestimate her either. Shes a fghter, and
will do anything she can to keep him in the tent
somehow.
These are just some of the people who have a
stake in what will happen over the next few days.
There are plenty others, both above and below the
horizon. Some are allies or enemies of the above.
Others are just maneuvering for the future. When
Churchill was talking about his enigmatic riddles,
he was referring to Russia. He went on to say that
when it came to understanding it all: there is a
key. And that key is (Russian) national interest.
Most politicians have changing alliances, but
permanent interests. Those permanent interests
are simply whats in it for them. Well see a lot of
that over the next week or so.
Grootes is an EWN reporter.
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www.standardbank.co.za/cib
AFRICA
africa BriEfS
MalawiS Mutharika
dEclarES war on
protEStErS
Following protests in recent
months against his govern-
ment, Malawis president Bin-
gu wa Mutharika threatened to
arrest protesters who are plan-
ning a vigil on 21 September,
Radio Netherlands reported.
Last month, police opened
fred on protesters, killing 19.
The crackdown prompted for-
eign agencies to pull funding
from the country, throwing
it further into crisis as a sig-
nifcant portion of the govern-
ments funding comes from
foreign sources.
Militant group BEhEadS
MogadiShu youthS
Reuters reports that Islamist
militant group Al Shabaab
beheaded two young boys in
Mogadishu on Thursday and
have beheaded at least seven
youths in recent weeks. Al
Shabaab, which has been wag-
ing war against Somalias gov-
ernment, was pushed out of
Mogadishu and has resorted to
guerrilla tactics to terrorise the
citys populace.
Sudan SEntEncES rEBEl
lEadEr to dEath
Al-Tom Hamed Tutu, a leader
of rebel group the Justice and
Equality Movement, was sen-
tenced to death by a Sudan
court on Saturday for violat-
ing the court and fermenting
war against the state, Reuters
reported. The rebel group
draws its ideology from the
Black Book, which claims that
political control in Sudan is
concentrated within the hands
of the people of northern Su-
dan to the marginalisation of
the rest. Sudanese president
Omar Hassan Al-Bashirs is
the only sitting head of state
to have been indicted by the
International Criminal Court
for genocide.
liBya facing critical
ShortagES
Tripoli, now mostly under the
control of the rebels, is reported
to be in dire need of water, fuel,
food and medical supplies. The
National Transitional Council has
been trying to get the countrys
National Oil Corporation restart-
ed to address the fuel shortages
and has called on international
aid agencies for help. The situa-
tion in the country remains vola-
tile with pro-Gaddaf militants
still thwarting eforts to stabilise
the country. The continued fght-
ing has prevented aid agencies
from delivering humanitarian
relief. After a meeting of the Afri-
can Union, South African Presi-
dent Jacob Zuma said the body
will not recognise the NTC as
long as fghting continued.
Malawis president Bingu wa Mutharika (Reuters)
africa BriEfS
dEadly SuicidE BoMB
attack in algEria
Two suicide bombers set of ex-
plosions on Friday that ripped
through an Algerian military
academys dining hall, just as
ofcers were to sit down to
break the Ramadan fast. Ac-
cording to Sapa, 18 were killed
and 26 were wounded at the
Cherchell military academy.
Last month, a suicide car bomb-
er injured 29 people at a police
station. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic
Maghreb has claimed responsi-
bility for Fridays attack.
20 killEd in nigErian
floodS
Heavy rains in south-western
Nigeria have caused dams to
overfow and killed at least 20
people in Ibadan. The citys
poor drainage is said to have
aggravated the fooding, the
worst in 30 years. The foods
have also left thousands home-
less, and damaged property.
ZiMBaBwE to dEport liByan
aMBaSSador
Robert Mugabes government
has kicked out the Libyan am-
bassador and his staf after they
defected to the NTC. Mugabes
ties to the Gaddaf regime run
deep and fuelled speculation
in recent days that the deposed
Libyan leader was hiding out
in Zimbabwe, which is not a
signatory to the International
Criminal Court and would thus
not be obliged to act on the
warrant for his arrest.
ZaMBiaS Banda will not
SEEk third tErM
Zambia goes to the polls on 20
September and President Ru-
piah Banda says that should
he win re-election, he will not
seek a third term, according to
Africa Review. Having served
in government from before
independence in 1964, Banda
is now 74 and says he would
like a little bit of time to relax
after hes fnished his tenure.
kEnyan priSonErS aS for
conjugal rightS
The Nairobi Star reported that
inmates at Kenyas Malindi
prison have asked for the coun-
trys government to allow them
conjugal visits. They made
their plea to deputy chief jus-
tice Nancy Barasa, who was vis-
iting the prison. They told her
that denying them the right to
see their spouses amounted to
psychological torture.
liBEria votES yES
to conStitutional
aMEndMEntS
The preliminary results from
Liberias recent constitutional
referendum are in. The coun-
trys citizens have voted to de-
lay elections until November
2011, and to up the residency
requirement for presidential
candidates from fve years to
10. Opposition parties in the
country opposed the referen-
dum, saying its amendments
would favour the ruling party,
and were particularly opposed
to holding the elections two
months later than the sched-
uled October date.
Zambia's President Rupiah Banda (Reuters)
MONDAY 29 AUGUST 2011
africa nieria
Boko Haram joins terrorist Big league witH un aBuja attack
Boko Haram waited just long enough to
allow a few Nigerian politicians and analysts
to make fools of themselves before claiming
responsibility for the suicide bombing in Abuja
at UN House, which killed at least 19 and
injured dozens of people. Before the militant
groups admission, various possible culprits
were named, including al-Qaeda, of course,
and Muammar Gaddaf, who apparently wasnt
being kept busy enough by the rebels in Libya.
But there was only ever one serious contender,
and it duly took the credit for the most serious
attack on the UN in three years.
Boko Haram has spent the frst half of
this year wreaking havoc across Nigeria,
orchestrating near-daily shootings and
bombings on government targets. Its goal of
an Islamic state run on Sharia law holds some
appeal in the Muslim North of the country, as
does the simple message of exclusion by the
perceived Christian southern and southern
biases of the federal government. But Fridays
targeting of the UN marks a serious evolution
in the tactics of the group into more traditional
Despite some wild speculation in Nigeria, there were no surprises when Boko Haram crowed over
Fridays suicide attack on the United Nations in Abuja. Theyre getting braver, the governments
getting scared and Nigerias beginning to crack along its traditional faultlines. By SIMON ALLISON.
terrorist organisation territory, and refects
its growing confdence. It also undermines
President Goodluck Jonathans ability to control
the security situation in the country, which has
deteriorated markedly during his watch.
Perhaps most disturbing is the ethnic divisions
that Boko Harams prominence is infaming.
Groups from the Niger Delta, Jonathans home,
are calling for the capital to be moved from Abuja
to a local city, and have threatened war if Boko
Haram tries anything in their area. Meanwhile,
a group from the briefy independent state of
Biafra said they might have to resort to violence
to get the kind of ofcial recognition enjoyed by
Boko Haram, after Nigerias federal government
promised to negotiate with Boko Haram, and
several state governors issued ofcial apologies to
them to try to mollify their leadership.
read more:
1. UN Building bombing: the untold stories by survivors in
Nigerias Leadership
2. UN House bombing: why we struck Boko Haram in
Nigerias Vanguard
3. The metamorphosis of Boko Haram in Nigerias This Day
africa sudan
Journalists to be released in sudan, but still not free
On Saturday, Sudanese President Omar Hassan
Al Bashir declared that all the country's
incarcerated journalists be released. According
to a Reuters report, there are currently about
six journalists in detention.
Al Bashir made his announcement at a
function for journalists that is traditionally
held during the month of Ramadan. In honour
of this occasion and to journalists, I order the
release of all detained journalists, Bashir said.
We call for freedom and responsibility.
However, other actions that the Sudanese
government has taken against journalists and
the media in recent months, give his call for
freedom and responsibility a hollow ring.
These include:
Thewithdrawaloflicencesofsix
newspapers (Khartoum Monitor, the Juba
Post, the Democrat, the Sudan Tribune,
the Advocate, and Ajras al-Hurriya) shortly
after South Sudan's independence,
ostensibly because they were partly
If you're a journalist imprisoned in Sudan, President Omar Hassan Al Bashir's pardon will be
most welcome news. Sadly though, this doesn't mean it's going to be easy to practice your
profession once you're back on your beat. By THERESA MALLINSON
owned by South Sudanese citizens;
Thejailingoftwojournalistsafterthey
reported on a rape allegedly perpetrated
by security forces;
Thetemporarysuspensionof
newspapers Al-Jarida and Al-Ahdath
from printing, without explanation;
and
Amovetobringbackpre-
publication censorship.
The Committee to Protect Journalists
deputy director Robert Mahoney said: The
government in Khartoum should scrap plans
to tighten already restrictive press freedom
laws. It should also stop its systematic
confscationofnewspaperprintruns.
That Al Bashir has ordered the release
of the currently imprisoned journalists
is, of course, a welcome move. But the
regime'sstancetowardsthemediaofersno
guarantees that they and others won't be
thrownbackinjailforfutureofences.
africa south africa / swaziland
Mswati gets his cut froM sa loan: coMMission or no coMMission
The SA treasury was quick to deny the damaging
allegations that King Mswati III had, with all the
grace of a sleazy used car salesman, demanded
a cut of the much-criticised loan granted to his
government, pointing out the conditions of the
loan stipulate it be used for priority areas as
identifed by the International Monetary Fund.
Swazilands foreign minister Lutfo Dlamini
was even more categorical: That's the most
nonsensical thing I have heard in my life. The
king would never stoop that low. Why would he
ask for commissions on the money that is meant
for the country? The insinuation is that the king
is stealing from government, which is nonsense
because our king will never do that.
Dlaminis argument is sound the king would
never do that, because he would never need to.
Swaziland is Africas last absolute monarchy,
where the king enjoys almost unlimited power
over his people. He appoints the prime minister
Reports are conficting. King Mswati III of Swaziland may or may not have demanded an outrageous R400 million
commission on the R2.4 billion loan so generously extended by the South African taxpayers. But that anyone cares shows
that South Africans and their government really dont understand the term absolute monarch. By SIMON ALLISON.
and the cabinet, he makes the laws, and he
controls the budget. Distinctions between the
kings worth and the countrys worth are for forms
sake only.
Regardless of exactly how the money is spent, a
large chunk of South Africas massive loan will go
towards keeping Mswati in the lifestyle to which
he is accustomed. If hes smart, Mswati will do it
with subtlety instead of via a commission, hell
use the the South African cash to free up other
government money to channel in his direction.
Either way, those delicate strings which South
Africa attached to the loan agreement a move
away from absolute monarchy, respect for human
rights, recognition of opposition parties are
stretched to breaking point.
read More:
1. Purse string diplomacy: SA bribes Swaziland into democracy
with R2.4 billion on The Daily Maverick
2. No cut for the King from SA loan to Swaziland on TimesLIVE
africa gaddafi and aU
africas misplaced loyalty in Brother leaders largesse
The world is falling over itself to join in
on the Libyan party. Libyan diplomats are
hastily stitching together rebel fags to fy
over their embassies, oil companies are
ingratiating themselves with the new regime
Wherever he may be, its clear theres no way back into government for Muammar Gaddaf. As Libyans
and the world celebrate the end of Africas longest-ruling dictator, African leaders, whove enjoyed
Brother Leaders largesse for so long, are less enthusiastic. By SIMON ALLISON.
Photo: Brother Leader of AU (Reuters)
and governments are ofcially recognising
the Transitional National Council as Libyas
ofcial government.
Not the African governments. With the
gaddafs greatest
contribution to africa
was cash, and his
propensity to spend it
on african leaders
exception of Nigeria and a handful of other
African countries which broke ranks to support
the rebels, most of the African Union still
refuses to recognise the TNC, even in the
knowledge that Gaddaf is spent as a political
force. The African Union itself is also sitting
resolutely on the fence, calling for some kind
of inclusive unity government until the
fighting stops.
There is something strangely noble about
Africas loyalty to Libyas deeply fawed former
leader, which is vaguely reminiscent of the
continents equally stubborn, and equally
misguided, stance on Robert Mugabe. For
better or worse, Africa loved Gaddaf and
Gaddaf loved Africa. His driving vision, since
he was frozen out by the Arab League, was a
United States of Africa, a political and economic
behemoth able to challenge the superpowers
that would be led by none other, of course,
than Gaddaf himself. And he tried to make it
happen.
His frst ploy was to summon a grand
meeting of African chiefs and traditional
leaders, all the people of this continent who
fnd their authority has been eroded by
modernity and democracy, and get them to
swear allegiance to him. Which they duly did,
crowning him as Africas King of Kings, but
given hed only managed to persuade about
200 of them to attend his conference in the
Libyan desert, they werent able to give him
the legitimacy he so craved. His next ploy
was bolder. In 2010, at the end of his term
as president of the African Union, a body he
helped create and fund, he stormed into the
annual heads of state meeting demanding
another year in charge. This too was denied
to him. The continental body instead chose
Malawis Bingu wa Mutharika - apparently
some autocrats believe in taking turns. Gaddaf
left the summit in a huf, rolled up his tent and
went back home.
But Gaddafs greatest contribution to Africa,
for which he will be sorely missed by many of
the continents presidents, was cash, and his
propensity to spend it on African leaders. Libya
is rich, awash with oil money and with relatively
little public expenditure and total power over
the way money will be spent, Gaddaf preferred
to further his continental ambitions than
improve the countrys education or health
systems. So Gaddaf spread the wealth around a
little bit.
As Avusa editor-in-chief Mondli Makhanya
wrote: He had many presidents, prime
ministers and kings on his payroll. He also
flled the cofers of some nations and fnanced
the election campaigns of many parties. If you
ventured into downtown Johannesburg and
visited some important political buildings you
may well have heard interesting stories about
bags that were brought back f rom visits
to Tripoli.
Other fnancial arrangements were less
discrete. Libya contributed a full 15% of the
African Unions budget before suspending
payments during the civil war, as well as
helping other countries cover their dues. The
country stumped up the major share in the
African Monetary Fund, which is supposed to
replace the function (and, more importantly,
the infuence) of the International Monetary
Fund. Through its investment arm, the Libya
Investment Authority it bought up property
and businesses across the continent, including
hotels in Sandton and the V&A Waterfront,
bringing much-needed foreign investment
to places that didnt get much. The LIA also
invested some $300 million in the launch of
Rascom, Africas frst satellite, a project other
lending institutions wouldnt touch - the
satellites been in orbit since 2007 and has
slashed African mobile communication costs.
Africas leaders, in other words, owe Gaddaf
big time. And having taken his cash, the least
they can do is be there for him in his time of
need, an underhanded contract that is being
observed. Theres honour among criminals,
after all. Perhaps also some African leaders see
too much of themselves in Gaddaf, and cant
bear to endorse his downfall.
But theres a price to be paid for such
stubbornness in the face of political reality.
The rebels are in charge now, notwithstanding a
few weeks or months of mopping-up operations
and, of course, the hunt for Gaddaf himself,
and Africas already shot itself in the foot with
Libyas new government.
Given theyve most of a country to rebuild,
as well as four decades of Gaddafs eccentric
leadership to rehabilitate, its likely theyll have
a few other things to do with their money
rather than keep up Brother Leaders largesse
on the continent. Most pressing is the question
of AU contributions - the continental body
is quietly desperate for Libya to start paying
again, as it can ill aford a 15% revenue cut for
very long.
But the new Libya fnds itself caught in
an identity crisis. Is it Arab or African? And
does it matter? The historically stagnant Arab
League is going to be a cauldron of conficting
ideologies when the new governments of
Egypt, Libya and Tunisia start throwing their
weight around against the old guard led by
Saudi Arabia. The AU might have provided a
smoother welcome, allowing Libya to be the
rich fsh in a poor pond, but theyre not being
very friendly. And Libyas relationship with the
Africas other rich fsh South Africa is likely
to be very strained given how staunch an ally
SA has been to Gaddaf.
Africa will come round, eventually. It
might be this month or next, but slowly the
continent will recognise the rebel government
as Libyas ofcial representative, and welcome
it to the African Union. But its probably
too late African leaders have made their
feelings clear enough already, and there will be
repercussions.
read more:
1. AU urges inclusive govt, setback to rebels on Reuters Africa
2. SA forced into realising Brother Leader is not the boss
anymore on Daily Maverick
3. African Union rattled by Gaddaf collapse in Libya in Kenyas
Daily Nation
4. Libya profts from prime local assets in the Mail&Guardian
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WORLD
Monday 29 aUGUST 2011
world BrIEFS
USA
Hurricane Irene brought wa-
tery havoc to the east cost of
the USA this weekend, shut-
ting down New York City and
killing at least 16. Around four
million people nationally were
without electricity on Sun-
day night, which explains why
Twitter's been a bit slow.
PAKISTAN
Al Qaeda's second highest-
ranking operative has allegedly
been killed by the CIA in Paki-
stan. Atiyah Abd al-Rahman
had reportedly taken over
much of the operational run-
ning after Bin Laden's death.
Experts say this might weaken
Al Qaeda considerably.
lIBYA
The Libyan rebels are discover-
ing that running a country can
be a bit of a ball-ache. They're
struggling to maintain electric-
ity and water supplies in Trip-
oli, blaming "technical issues".
Other pieces of infrastructure
are also wobbling: cellphone
signal is intermittent, rubbish
isn't being collected and medi-
cal supplies are in short supply.
Come on guys, we're all rooting
for you.
PAKISTAN
At least 200 Taliban fghters
crossed the border between
Afghanistan and Pakistan, and
killed more than 25 soldiers
and police on Saturday morn-
ing at a number of military
checkpoints. It's one in a series
of cross-border raids recently.
The Pakistani military blamed
Nato, saying their military
presence in the area was too
"scanty".
GErMANY
Angela Merkel, fresh from be-
ing voted by Forbes as the most
powerful woman in the world,
had a telephone call to Obama
on Saturday. The two chatted
about the need for "concerted
action" to spur global growth,
and also agreed to keep work-
ing on a statement to lead to
the resumption of talks be-
tween Israel and Palestine.
Then Hurricane Irene cut of
Hampton Bays, New York, 28 August 2011. (Reuters)
Monday 29 aUGUST 2011
world BrIEFS
Obama's phone signal. Not re-
ally.
SoUTH KorEA
High drama at the world ath-
letics championships, where
Usain Bolt got himself disqual-
ifed from the 100m fnal for a
false start. Bolt was a shoo-in
for victory, with his biggest ri-
vals absent with injuries. Asked
for comment afterwards, he
said: "Looking for tears? Not
going to happen", but we reck-
on he probably had a little cry.
INdIA
Victory for a very hungry Anna
Hazare. The anti-corruption
activist has called of his public
hunger strike after government
was forced to pass a resolu-
tion in support of his demands
(largely, the establishment of
an anti-graft watchdog). The
frst thing he put into his body?
A glass of honeyed coconut
water. Mmmm.
lIBYA
Looks like the Brother Leader
is getting scared. Gaddaf has
reportedly ofered to enter into
talks with the Libyan rebels
over the formation of a tran-
sitional government. But the
rebels say there will be no talk
without surrender, and no ne-
gotiations. In fact, they said the
only "negotiations" they would
entertain were "whether he
wants to be kept in a single cell
or a shared cell".
Ouch, Muammar...
USA
US Federal Reserve chairman
Ben Bernanke's speech at the
annual central bank confer-
ence in Wyoming this weekend
was designed to restore conf-
dence in US markets. Bernanke
did not, however, announce
any new bond-buying or QE3
(not a new royal ship, an ab-
breviation for a third round of
quantitive easing). But the US
market rallied well in response
to Bernanke telling politicians
they needed to cut spending
and raise taxes.
NIGErIA
The death toll from the sui-
cide bombing at UN HQ in
Abuja, Nigeria, has risen to 21
with 73 injured. The terrorist
group Boko Haram, which has
Al Qaeda links and wants to
see sharia law implemented in
Nigeria, has claimed responsi-
bility for the attack.
Death toll in Abuja reaches 21, with 73 injured. (Reuters)
world al-qaeda/pakistan
al-qaeda second in command killed in drone strike
The American drone campaign in Pakistan
has many detractors. Not least the Pakistani
government itself which complains bitterly of
being undermined by the American military
operation in its mountainous region. The
unmanned drone campaign, Barack Obamas
preferred means of hunting down suspected
terrorists in Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen, is set
to be boosted on the strength of its latest success.
Ofcially the head of operations for al-Qaeda,
Atiyah Abd al-Rahman is a highly prized scalp. As
well as his high rank in the network, Rahman was
a vital cog in the communications system al-Qaeda
communications. The New York Times reports
those saucy fles recovered from Osama bin Ladens
Abottabad lair revealed Bin Laden communicated
frequently with Rahman. They also showed that
bin Laden relied on Rahman to get messages to
other al-Qaeda leaders and ensure Bin Ladens
recorded communications were broadcast widely.
However, Rahman seemed aware of the
danger of the drones. CNN reports he sent a
The remaining vestiges of al-Qaedas terrorist network have suffered a major blow. An
unmanned drone strike into the hinterlands of Pakistan is said to have taken out its much-
feared second-in-command, Atiyah Abd al-Rahman. By KHADIJA PATEL.
message to Bin Laden a year before his death
complaining of the danger they presented. For
all their purported successes, however, the
drone strikes come at great cost to human life.
With targets well infltrated among civilians,
one independent analyst estimates 10 civilian
casualties for every militant killed by drones in
Pakistan.
The Americans will be buoyed by the latest
success. If true, the strike was also a particularly
timely one. Rahman was a Libyan national who
could have held sway in the fog of transition.
Stunting any al-Qaeda-afliated infuence in
the new Libya will be paramount to American
interests.
read more:
1. C.I.A. Drone Is Said to Kill Al Qaedas No. 2 in The New York
Times
2. Key Al Qaeda leader reported slain in Pakistan in Los
Angeles Times
3. Death of deputy chief deals heavy blow to al Qaeda in
Reuters India
world us east coast
Hurricane irene Hits nYc
Irene reached New York yesterday morning,
necessitating the frst mandatory evacuation
in the city's history. Mayor Michael Bloomberg
was brooking no dissent, warning that anyone
who failed to comply with an evacuation order
could face jailtime. About 250,000 New Yorkers
were evacuated, along with 750,000 New Jersey
residents. New York airports were closed to
arriving fights and 90 emergency shelters
opened. Authorities were worried in advance that
because storms so rarely threaten the east coast
of America, citizens would lack the necessary
information in order to cope. New Yorkers were
urged to help disseminate the Federal Emergency
Management Agencys updates on the path of
the hurricane. A 28-year old New Yorker called
Irene Tien, Twitter handle @Irene, donated her
Twitter feed for FEMA to use for hurricane-
related information after being besieged by tweets
begging the hurricane to cease and desist.
Hurricane Irene was downgraded to a tropical storm, but not before causing havoc and killing at least
12 people. A state of emergency was declared in New York, North Carolina and Virginia this weekend.
New York ground to a halt on what would have
been one of the citys busiest tourism weekends of
the year. Mets baseball games were called of and
Broadway closed for the frst time since 9/11. New
Yorkers were witnessed panic-buying torches,
batteries and food, with grocery stores seeing
queues around the block.
Yet many felt the panicky response to the
hurricane was entirely over-the-top. Comedian
Andy Borowitz lampooned the Weather
Channel's alarmist reporting, tweeting: "Weather
Channel: Powerful Graphics and Scary Fonts to
Continue Throughout the Day". And then there
was conservative radio host Glenn Beck telling
listeners that the hurricane was "a blessing from
God" a view not shared by the victims
read More:
1. Hurricane Irene downgraded to tropical storm as rains batter
New York, in the Guardian
world united states
us conservative watchdog investigates
Michelle os african safari
Judicial Watch, a conservative American
government watchdog fled a lawsuit late last
week against the US Air Force to obtain records
of Michelle Obamas trip to southern Africa in
June this year. Judicial Watch is investigating
whether the First Ladys short trip to South
During her short sojourn in southern Africa, First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama
captured much attention and front pages. She visited with Madiba before she closed the
motorway on her way to the Apartheid Museum and then proceeded the following day to
enrapture the countrys attention with a stirring speech that called on South African, and African
youth to involve themselves in the future of their countries. She was so serious about making
America look good, she got down on her knees to dig up carrots at a youth centre in Soweto. For
all who followed her trip, it was clear she had hoisted the American fag wherever she went. One
government watchdog, however, disagrees. By KHADIJA PATEL.
Photo: Michelle Obama in Botswana. (Reuters)
Africa and Botswana was really necessary,
considering a ballooning federal debt and a
sinking economy. Supporters of Judicial Watch
believe Mrs Obama traipsed through Africa on
world united states
a family safari trip and cleverly billed the nation
for the pleasure.
In response, Mrs. Obamas communications
chief Kristina Schake said in a statement: "The
First Lady's visit to South Africa and Botswana
was an ofcial trip focused on youth leadership,
education, health and wellness. Judicial Watch
takes issue with Obamas companions on the
trip. Her mother, nephew and niece accompanied
her on the trip to South Africa and Botswana,
which concluded with a private safari. Judicial
Watch feels that the nature of Mrs Obamas
trip, which included trips to the Apartheid and
District Six Museums and a visit with Nelson
Mandela, indulged her personal aspirations
instead of furthering the American cause.
Signifcantly, this is not been the frst time
Judicial Watch have nosed through Obamas
afairs. In 2009, it successfully obtained
documents through the Freedom of Information
Act (FOIA) from the US Secret Service
documenting $11,648.17 in security costs related
to a "date night" the Obamas enjoyed in New
York City. The group also has an FOIA pending
with the Secret Service on Mrs Obama's Spanish
trip last year. It is telling then that with the
notable exception of Fox News, most mainstream
American news media have ignored the latest
round of rabble rousing from Judicial Watch.
While the trip to these parts certainly did force
the American government to dig into a shallow
pocket, few can doubt that, in the PR stakes at
least, Americans came of as the winners.
*Khadija was one among 76 women who
participated in Michelle Obamas Young African
Women Leaders conference during her trip to
South Africa.
read More:
1. Judicial Watch Seeks Answers on Cost of First Lady's Family
Trip to Africa in Fox Nation
Photo: Michelle Obama in Soweto. (iMaverick)
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The Standard Bank of South Africa Limited (Reg. No. 1962/000738/06). SBSA 72902
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www.standardbank.co.za/cib
world wikileaks
Julian assange and wikileaks:
in the search of long-lost attention
The nebulous thing about relying on the full
glare of international media as a business
strategy is that the medias attention invariably
moves on after a while. Especially if what youre
selling turns out to less salacious than you
promised it would be.
When WikiLeaks announced in November
last year that it would be releasing hundreds of
thousands of cables from United States embassies
around the world, the immediate reaction was
It was bound to happen. WikiLeaks thought that they could hold media interest for months on end by
publishing their US Embassy diplomatic cables cache in drips and drabs. But after almost a year, almost
no-one really cares anymore. In response to that, theyve resorted to dumping the documents in large
quantities. That wont work either especially not after Julian Assange himself became the story at
WikiLeaks. By SIPHO HLONGWANE.
Photo: Wikileaks' Julian Assange (Reuters)
that this would be searing gossip, and behind-
the-scenes revelations from the worlds corridors
of power. The actual results were less than so.
Most of what the embassies were sending back to
Washington was already known in the countries
of origin. A lot of the cables based their reports on
publicly available information.
WikiLeaks biggest blunder wasnt the
world wikileaks
insipidity of the diplomatic cables it was that
they took the decision to release the documents
very slowly in hopes of keeping media attention
for as long as possible. It hasnt worked. There
is just no way that they would have been able to
successfully compete for attention against the
Tunisia and Egypt revolutions, Japanese nuclear
disaster, the killing of Osama bin Laden, the
Libyan civil war, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the
News of the World scandal, the US debt ceiling
crisis and other stories in what has turned out
to be a turbulent 2011.
So far, they have only released about 143,000
cables out of a promised 251,817.
At one point, WikiLeaks was trying to
coordinate its cable leaks with hot-spot
countries around the world. In early 2011, they
started releasing cables that were focused on
Egypt and Tunisia, and angered quite a few
people in those countries by suggesting that
the leaked documents was what sparked of the
Maghreb revolutions. Commentators pointed
out that the people in Egypt and Tunisia already
knew how corrupt their governments were.
In a bid to regain their prominence in the
public eye, WikiLeaks is now resorting to their
old strategy of dumping the information online
in large batches. Last week, they announced
that they would publish 35,000 documents at
once, which they said were embassy cables from
US embassies in Taiwan, China and Libya.
According to Reuters, a person in contact
with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assanges inner
circle said that the reason for this was that
they worried about lost focus from the world.
A person in contact with Mr Assange's inner
circle told Reuters the rationale behind the
mass release of documents was dismay among
WikiLeaks activists that media organisations
had lost interest in publishing stories based on
the material, the Telegraph said. The source
described Mr Assange and his associates as
frustrated at the lack of media interest.
It doesnt help that WikiLeaks apparent
founder Julian Assange has turned out to be
an even bigger story than the activities of the
organisation. In September last year, he was
accused of sex crimes in Sweden, and handed
himself over to the police in London after an
European Union warrant was issued for his
arrest. Assange has spent most of this year
under house arrest and is currently fghting not
to be extradited to Sweden, where he says the
investigation is politically motivated.
Assanges trial in London became the
obvious focal point, a nice way to keep the
in early 2011, they started releasing cables that
were focused on egypt and tunisia, and angered
quite a few people in those countries by suggesting
that the leaked documents was what sparked off
the Maghreb revolutions.
WikiLeaks story alive a long time after
the diplomatic cables had passed their
newsworthiness expiry date.
WikiLeaks complaint about media coverage
is somewhat surprising, given how Assange
has fallen out with major media partners in the
past. In December last year he had words with
The Guardian, one of the media organisations
that helped redact and publish the diplomatic
cables, over how it reported his fght against
extradition to Sweden. Assange also fell out
with the New York Times to the extent that he
refused to share the US cables leaks with them
prior to public release.
WikiLeaks could have been trying to prolong
the cable leak because they have run out of
material to publish. All their major leaks in the
last 18 months have originated from Bradley
Manning, who is in jail now.
If WikiLeaks was a response to the excesses
of the powerful, it is one that has failed in one
very important regard: the masses have not
taken to it. We could very well be seeing the
last gasps of a phenomenon that is struggling
for relevance in an age where people are feeling
empowered to topple governments that dont
move in tune with them.
read More:
1. Frustrated WikiLeaks releases thousands of US cables in
the Telegraph
2. WikiLeaks releases thousands of new cables in Washington
Post
world wikileaks
Photo: But there were times when media hanf onto Assange's every word.
The photo was taken at Diss railway station in Norfolk, England December
18, 2010. REUTERS/Paul Hackett
world united states
Hurricane irene and 2012 election compete for media
attention
In unprecedented eforts to be prepared,
evacuation orders were issued in the states
and cities in Irenes path, subway and urban
rail systems were shut down in New York
City, Broadway theatres dimmed their lights,
baseball games were postponed, and the
Pentagon and state governments put the
National Guard and full-time military
units on standby to be used as needed to
restore transportation, communications and
conduct rescues.
Although the storm ultimately came in
It takes a lot to upstage a US presidential election in the media and in the national conversation. But
this past week, Hurricane Irene managed it. Replacing one sustained wind with yet another was Irenes
impact as the frst sustained hurricane to batter the mainland since 2008. By J BROOKS SPECTOR.
Photo: A tree rests on the roof of a home after being knocked over by wind
in Amagansett, New York August 28, 2011 (Reuters)
under the level of fury initially predicted,
its grinding, slow-moving path produced
major storm surges and signifcant fooding,
dumped major amounts of rain on cities and
the watersheds of major rivers (producing the
prospect of yet future fooding once that water
comes downstream) and left well over a million
people without electricity in and around the
nations capital.
Given the fact that this is pre-election
disasters like this can make it
tougher than usual for small-
government republicans to insist
the federal government must
be downsized. suddenly, their
supporters, too, want disaster
assistance, rebuilding loans
and federally subsidised food
insurance.
world united states
America, politics couldnt be kept out of
Hurricane Irene precautions entirely. New
York City mayor Michael Bloombergs vigorous,
proactive stance, ordering evacuations of low-
lying parts of the city and transport system
shutdowns was at least partly in response to
the fack he had taken as a result of his citys
lackadaisical response to a blizzard last winter.
And Barack Obama made sure the federal
government was ready for anything a posture
startlingly diferent from George W Bushs
indiferent response to Hurricane Katrina.
This included an Obama visit even before
Irene made landfall to the Federal Emergency
Management Agency, with statements about
citizen preparedness and coordination
prep with the federal agencies involved in
disaster response.
It is fun to speculate how the leading
Republican candidates might have responded
to Hurricane Irene, had one of them been
president. Would Rick Perry have convened a
gigantic prayer meeting to seek Gods assistance
to hold back the water and destructive
winds, rather than drive federal emergency
activity to help people? Or, would Michele
Bachmann have argued the hurricane was a
sign of divine displeasure with New York City
and Washington because of their obvious
similarities to Sodom and Gomorrah? Would
Ron Paul have insisted that if the Fed had been
abolished, citizens would have spontaneously
found a way to take care of the damage all
by themselves? And would Mitt Romney
have argued the hurricane was a heaven-sent
opportunity for private enterprise to power new
jobs? Disasters like this can make it tougher
than usual for small-government Republicans
to insist the federal government must be
downsized. Suddenly, their supporters, too,
want disaster assistance, rebuilding loans and
federally subsidised food insurance.
The threatening weather did, however,
generate at least one stumbling block for
Obama. The ofcial dedication of the new
Rev Martin Luther King, Jr. monument on the
Mall in Washington, DC on 28 August had
to be postponed because of the weather. The
Obama administration had anticipated the
presidents presence at this event would have
been helpful in viscerally reconnecting Obama
with African-Americans, a major constituency
of the Democrats and a key constituency for the
coming presidential election. Obama had hoped
to harness this moment to draw attention to
his emerging jobs-driven national agenda,
scene-setting Obamas upcoming speech on the
economy, scheduled for just after Labour Day
the holiday that traditionally marks a return to
work, back to school and the start of business
after summer vacations in America. This year
will be a bit complicated for political messages
- 11 September will mark the 10th anniversary of
the 9/11 attacks and so peoples attentions may
be divided more than usual at this point in
the calendar.
This upcoming week is the lull before the
political storm many people will be focused
on cleanup after Hurricane Irene or they will
be squeezing in one last week of indolence
before summer ends. However, both Obama
and Mitt Romney have already scheduled major
addresses on the economy for the week after
next, although it remains unclear which man
will go frst up in setting out the agenda versus
who will take the second spot to make their
speech a rebuttal of the frst.
However, Obama can take some heart even
from the generally bad news in the polls. While
potential voters give Obama little to cheer
about on how well he has done on the economy,
they say they have even less that is positive
to say about how Congress has responded.
Somewhat surprisingly, Obama gets a nod
for his eforts on terrorism. This is a cruel
juxtaposition for a Democratic president. Since
the Great Depression, Democrats have made
their victories from a popular understanding
that they are the go-to party in tough economic
times. In contrast, in the post-Vietnam War
world, Democrats usually have had to contend
with charges they are weak on national defense.
Given this mood, Obama is being pressed
by his political allies, constituency groups and
more liberal commentators and newspapers
and now from crucial independent voters that
he needs to create a vigorous jobs agenda, even
if it means taking the fght to Republicans,
charging them with blocking the nations
recovery. Or as journalist Greg Sargent wrote
in the Washington Post: But what if crucial
independent voters actually want Obama to
be more confrontational with Republicans,
and dont see compromise as a virtue in and of
itself? Thats the conclusion suggested by the
new Pew poll.
First, the key topline fnding. Among
overall Americans, theres been a rise in
the number who want Obama to challenge
Republicans more aggressively: A 37% plurality
now contends that Obama should challenge
the Republicans in Congress more often; 25%
say Obama should go along with GOP leaders
more frequently, while about the same
percentage (26%) say he is handling the
situation about right.
If this is how the political landscape is
trending, stay tuned for a less compromise-
oriented Obama, beginning with his jobs
speech in early September. Watch for him to
challenge his putative Republican opponents
to explain in specifcs how shrinking
government is going to make life better for
unemployed and under-employed voters who
want an adult take charge in Washington.
Gloves of time.
read more
1. Independents WANT Obama to fght GOP harder in the
Washington Post
2. Wanted: More bite from Obama the Great Nibbler in the
Washington Post
3. Bachmann: US king daddy dogs in energy resources, but
environmentalists locking them up in the Washington Post
4. With Katrina in Mind, Obama Administration Says Its Ready
for Irene in the New York Times
5. Pentagon: 6,500 troops on notice for storm help in the AP
6. AP-GfK Poll: Obama faces trouble with key voters in the AP
7. Did We Drop the Ball on Unemployment? (Nick Kristofs
column)
world united states
BUSINESS
business bRieFs
sA
The JSE All Share Index closed
up 0.3% to fnish the week at
29,425, up 0.2% from Monday.
Airline services provider Co-
mair closed up a staggering 21%
on Friday, with coal producer
Optimum Coal gaining a fur-
ther 5% after confrming it had
received bids for a controlling
stake in the company. Adcorp
Holdings and Grand Parade
Investments both fell 5.5%.
Of the Top 40 counters,
Naspers led the positive mov-
ers up 2.4% after releasing re-
sults on Friday and saying it
would rather pursue strategic
investments than return cash
to shareholders. Anglo Ameri-
can led the laggards losing
1.8%.
GlobAl
uK
The FTSE index closed fat on
Friday at 5,130 with ITV the
television broadcaster closing
up 3.6% and Investec gaining
2.8%. Royal Bank of Scotland
continued its wild ride on the
London Stock Exchange, shed-
ding 5.2% and leading a host
of fnancial services companies
into the red.
EasyJet, the low-cost airline
carrier, is considering a once-
of special dividend in Novem-
ber to main shareholder and
founding member, Stelios Haji-
Ioannou, who, along with other
family members, still holds
38% of the company. Analysts
believe the dividend could be
as much as 100 million.
Britains chancellor of the ex-
chequer, George Osborne,
announced plans to step up
pressure on British tax evaders
after reaching agreement with
Switzerland to tax money kept
in the country in secret bank
accounts. Osborne said the
agreement was just the start
of eforts to track down tax
dodgers.
Google executive chairman,
Eric Schmidt expressed the
companys commitment to its
fedgling TV business and ex-
pects many more partners to
join the technology behemoth
in its new project. Schmidt
told an Edinburgh television
festival audience that the lack
of progress was due to the long
lead time before consumers re-
placed TV sets, approximately
fve years.
us
The Dow Jones Industrial Aver-
age had its frst positive week
of trading in the last fve, as it
closed up 1.2% for the day to
fnish at 11,285. Boeing and Mi-
crosoft led the positive charge,
both closing up 2.8% while
Hewlett-Packard led the losers
with a 0.8% drop.
Ben Bernanke kept his cards
close to his chest when ad-
dressing fellow central bankers
in Wyoming on Friday. At the
annual Fed conference, many
were looking for a clear signal
Google's Eric Schmidt (Reuters)
business bRieFs
he was willing to engage in
further stimulus packages, but
Bernanke was coy in his state-
ments without ruling out fur-
ther action.
The largest exchanges in the
US along with regulators, were
assessing the damage caused
by Hurricane Irene, that at one
stage look as though it may
cause some markets to remain
closed for Monday trading.
Although winds of more than
100km/h lashed the east coast
and areas of upstate New York
were fooded by rising tides
and heavy rains, the NYSE and
Nasdaq expected to open for
normal business on Monday.
Manufacturing in the US con-
tracted for the frst time in two
years as Americans lost faith
that the economic recovery
would be sustainable. The un-
employment rate held steady at
9.1% for July, although the out-
look for the second half of the
year shows further weak trends
in the economy.
Christine Lagarde, the new
managing director of the IMF,
warned the fragile world econ-
omy was entering a danger-
ous new phase which could be
easily derailed if no action was
taken. The former French f-
nance minister called for a sub-
stantial recapitalisation of the
worlds largest banks, through
frstly fnancial markets and then
public monies if need be.
Facebook is getting out of the
daily deals business, just four
months after initial testing of the
concept. Industry leaders Grou-
pon will no doubt be ecstatic the
social network failed to make a
dent in the market.
euRope
Chief of the European fnancial
stability facility, Klaus Riesling,
expressed hope the eurozone cri-
sis would be over in two to three
years, if countries brought their
fnances in order. This would
entail member states continuing
the road of reform and resolving
budgetary shortcomings. He also
criticised German pessimism
and denounced the idea of the
eurozone breaking up.
The Spanish soccer league
locked radio reporters out of sta-
diums this weekend, after broad-
casters refused to pay the new
live broadcast fee of 15 million.
La Liga introduced the charge at
the end of last season, with radio
broadcasters having covered live
matches for free since the 1920s.
Economics have delayed the start
of the season with players hav-
ing engaged in strike action over
wage security. The biggest chal-
lenge faced by La Liga is that half
the revenues earned by TV rights
sold, go straight to Barcelona and
Real Madrid.
Christine Lagarde (Reuters)
business google
google TV To launch soon in europe
We seek to support the content industry
by providing an open platform for the next
generation of TV to evolve, the same way
Android is an open platform for the next
generation of mobile, said Eric Schmidt, the
CEO of Google. We expect Google TV to
launch in Europe early next year, and of course
the UK will be among the top priorities.
Schmidt was speaking at the MediaGuardian
Edinburgh International TV Festival, and
sought to mainly calm the fears of broadcasters.
Google TV has struggled to gain a foothold in
the US since its 2010 launch due to broadcasters
blocking their content from the service.
Google TV combines television with the
functionality of the web to allow browsing and
Google CEO Eric Schmidt announced that Google TV would be arriving in Europe in the next
six months. This is the confrmation, if you ever needed any, that the marriage between the
internet and television is going to be a long and fruitful one. By SIPHO HLONGWANE.
consumption of web content such as Netfix
from a television set. It works via either a set-
top box or on a specially made television.
Consumers of services like BBCs iPlayer will
be pleased by the news.
Google TV follows in the footsteps of Apple
TV, the other Smart TV platform that was
launched in Europe four years ago.
The idea may be somewhat ahead of its
time, but it is certainly here to stay with Google
and Apple at its vanguard.
read More:
1. Google TV to launch in UK in Telegraph
2. Schmidt says Google TV heading to Europe in CNet News
business nomu
uncompromising quality helps nomu
launch into outer spice
Velvety, decadent and flled with cocoa richness.
Thats what NoMUs hot chocolate tastes like.
Made with one teaspoon from a slender tin, the
brand bucks tradition when it comes to diet
fare because it is the Dita von Teese of hot
chocolates. Anything that tastes so wicked must
be verboten, but with no aspartame or glycaemic
response, the drink is defantly wholesome for
anything that tastes so luxurious.
NoMUs a name thats getting good global recognition. Long established as a premium
product in SA, the spices, rubs and other gourmet items have been featured by Vogue,
Harpers Bazaar and sought out by Harrods. How does this local brand make good?
By MANDY DE WAAL.
Photo: Tracy and Paul Raphaely.
Whats surprising is that Paul Raphaely,
a partner in NoMU with his wife Tracy, says
the diet hot chocolate was launched as a lark.
Tracy was watching me pump fve or six
teaspoons of the other stuf into a mug day after
day. We thought it would be great if we could
create something that could be made using just
business nomu
one teaspoon of ingredient, and decided to give
it a crack, says Raphaely, who was born into
that famous publishing clan.
A former marketing man whos with NoMU
fulltime because of the massive growth the brand
has enjoyed, Raphaely calls the sugar-free hot
chocolate the stealth bomber of the business.
The food industrys been hit by the recession,
particularly as customers cut back on indulgent
lines, but NoMUs hot chocolate has brought
cheer during hard times. That sugar free hot
chocolate has contributed to our doing reasonably
well during a tough time, Raphaely says.
In December 2000 Tracy (not yet Raphaelys
wife back then) was thinking about opening
a deli, and the couple were musing about a
name. Tracy, an avid foodie and caterer, was a
vegetarian at the time and the name no moo
(no beef, get it?) evolved to become NoMU.
While Tracy waited for options to clear on a
lease she launched 12 products which were the
beginnings of the brand.
Tracy was a caterer so the stores she
approached gave her shelf space because they
had worked with her before, says Raphaely.
The very frst products were olive tapenade,
harrisa paste and an oriental dressing that was
retailed exclusively to Giovannis in Cape Town
where the couple live.
We had a problem with the oriental dressing
because we couldnt create it with a stable shelf
life and didnt want to put additives in it, so we
stopped producing it because we couldnt run the
risk of anyone having a bad experience with one
of our products. The result was a picket outside
Giovannis deli because customers had become
so addicted to the taste.
Tracy and Paul Raphaely have an obsession
with product excellence and Tracy is the taste
custodian of all the rubs, dips, Dukkahs and
NoMUs other items for foodies and chefs. When
we started we had no marketing budget, yet we
were picking fghts with Robertsons and Ina
Paarman who were active for many years before
us. Raphaely got to act on a piece of advice given
to him by local advertising legend Mike Schalit
who once said: If you are not breaking through
the clutter you are adding to it.
Says Raphaely: Everything we do
deliberately redefnes the category in which
we are playing. In a hot chocolate dominated
by purple or red we took the view that diet
products dont have to look revolting. Not
adding to the clutter has been a very good
central tenet.
When marketing the NoMU brand, Raphaely
says having no marketing budget has meant
having to do everything better than the
established players. We knew we could beat
the big guys on quality, authenticity and a
true background story. When you dont have
a marketing budget, your individual product
has to be the marketing soldier, you have to
pay attention to every single aspect of the sales
unit, he says. If you expect your consumer
to believe in your product you have to believe
a former marketing man whos
with nomu fulltime because of
the massive growth the brand has
enjoyed, raphaely calls the sugar-
free hot chocolate the stealth
bomber of the business.
in it frst. We have invested our integrity and
hopefully thats what people have bought into.
Raphaely believes NoMUs greatest beneft
is that he and Tracy have been able to take
risks, be bolder and invest themselves into the
business a lot more aggressively than a brand
manager at a corporate would have. When you
have a massive budget its a matter of playing it
safe, going to an agency, ticking all the boxes.
Those checks and balances can easily stife
creativity, he says.
NoMUs big break came in 2004 when Spar
started supporting the brand which led to a
proper listing with the retailer. Unlike other
retailers, theres a lot more freedom at Spar and
you can approach the outlets store by store.
Thats why most of the people who start out
in the food industry frst break through at the
delis and at Spar, because they encourage new
brands to grow. Today NoMU has a listing at
all the national retailers with the exception of
Clicks and Makro.
But like all emerging brands, particularly
those in the food industry which is notoriously
tricky, NoMU has had its growing pains. From
just 12 products the range has expanded over
the years to include over 140 product variants.
Eighty of these are made under the NoMU
brand while the remainder are white-label
type products where NoMUs factory sets up a
special production line for retailers.
We had 23 rubs listed with Pick n Pay, but
this proved to be a huge headache for buyers so
we have culled the in-store range and removed
half from general retailers who now only stock
our core range. Our extensive range is better
suited for special stores and for foodies who
want to buy our products online. Yes, we have
made some mistakes, but these were mostly
driven by wild enthusiasm, says Raphaely.
Then theres the story of the olive oil that
never reached stores. NoMU was looking to
produce olive oil in beautiful packaging, but
when tens of thousands of tins arrived at the
NoMU factory which all had a small, but to Tracy
very noticeable, crease in the tins it became a
no-go. We refused to send the tins out because
it just didnt look good to us, and while we were
going through this Tracy let it slip that she didnt
like the olive oil that much. This was a crucial
lesson to us. Tracy needs to love the product.
So the olive oil shufed of and died in a corner
because we didnt buy into it.
Quality and excellence have underpinned
the brand from day one, and the Raphaelys
have done well to guard against diluting their
best marketing asset, which is the product
itself. Were looking very healthy, have come
through the recession well and cemented our
relationship with retailers. Weve a strong
footing in more stable export markets and have
expanded massively into private labels, which is
a major component of what we are doing now.
In December NoMU started doing
ecommerce business at www.nomu.co.za which
acts as a knowledge hub and recipe index for
foodies who love the brand. Online sales are
doing nicely and for the past three months
these numbers have outstripped sales fgures
for Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal combined.
The NoMU factory works to capacity six days
a week, 24 hours a day which is a salute to the
truism that a brilliant product is the best brand
ambassador a company could ever have.
read more:
1. Delicacies from home in Financial Mail
business nomu
business man united listing
manchester united goes for non-broke in singapore
Six years ago the Glazer family bought
Manchester United for 790 million. In a couple
of weeks they hope that little asset will be
valued at 3 billion. That will allow them to pay
of some of the debt that is crippling the club,
and maybe leave a little on the side to lure new
star players.
In a little over two weeks, Manchester United Football Club hopes to be a public company.
If things run according to the script, happy fans will be showering it with money, then never
selling out ever again. But victory will go to the Glazer family, as measured by its suddenly
quadrupled investment. By PHILLIP DE WET.
Photo: Reuters
Man United is worth a lot of money, that
much is sure. Revenues stand at around 300
million, and earnings before interest, tax and
depreciation probably at around 100 million
and that was before it sold the branding rights
to its training kit (not actual match gear, mind
business man united listing
you), for a rumoured 10 million a year. Forbes
values it at $1.86 billion, and traders are happy
to bandy about a $2 billion fgure. If either of
those are even close to accurate, never mind the
1 billion for 30% that is being rumoured, the
Glazers are about to make one hell of a proft.
When the family bought the club, they used
a highly leveraged deal structure, efectively
borrowing 500 million against its assets. That
debt has been keeping it in the red ever since,
much to the disgust of a great many fans who
complain they are being extorted with high
ticket and merchandise prices to pay for the deal.
That is partly why Man U is hungry for an
initial public ofering. A bond issue in early 2010
helped ease some of the strain, but the club, and
the Glazers, are fast running out of refnancing
options. Hence, apparently, why it chose
SIngapore over Hong Kong for the IPO; because
the former could get the listing done more
quickly. If all goes according to plan, that could
be by mid-September, though there are many
regulatory issues that could delay things for a
month or two, which would be a more reasonable
period of time between application and approval.
And then we'll get a value. Not an ofer to buy
(such as the 1 billion rich fans apparently ofered
as a buyout, or the 1.5 billion ofer from the Qatari
royal family), but an actual market price. Except
perhaps not. If the club succeeds in attracting die-
hard fans as retail investors by the millions, things
could get interesting. Will a bad season see them
sell in disgust, or will they cling to their shares
even if the price dictates selling? And just how will
they react if anyone starts ofering a derivative that
implies a downward trend?
Much depends on investor appetite, and how
much money Asia is willing to invest in it. The
club believes that just over half its fans hail
from that part of the world, and there is a sense
that foreign fans are somewhat more rabid
than the English. While that makes for a large
potential number of rats and mice investors,
though, it doesn't necessarily add up to big
money. Institutions in Asia may be less likely
to swallow a large valuation for a business that
could see its fortunes change in just a couple
of bad seasons. Then again, while institutions
will have a hard time valuing players, fans have
a better grasp of what just one major transfer
can mean, in cash terms, like the 80 million
United made by selling Cristiano Ronaldo three
years ago. It would take a brave analyst to try
marking an asset like that to market.
American businessman Malcolm Glazer
bought his frst small stake in Manchester
United in 2003, at an efective value of just over
300 million. His takeover bid pushed the then-
listed company above 700 million in 2004. Even
assuming substantial losses since then, it's not
looking like a bad return, not even considering
all the hatred directed his way since.
read more:
1. Manchester United Picks Singapore IPO Over Hong Kong for
Speedier Approval at Bloomberg
2. Glazers eye Hong Kong listing for Manchester United at
Guardian
a bond issue in early 2010 helped
ease some of the strain, but
the club, and the glazers, are
fast running out of refnancing
options.
LIFE, ETC
life, etc BRiefS
liBYA
Unesco, the UN's cultural body,
has warned art dealers to watch
out for artefacts pilfered dur-
ing the Libyan fghting. Libya
has fve World Heritage sites,
and there's a precedent for this
kind of thing: statues were
looted from the Egyptian Mu-
seum in February. A telltale
sign of a looted antiquity is if
it has a sticker saying: Muam-
mars property, hands of.
USA
Filmmaker Sofa Coppola got
married to musician Thomas
Mars this weekend. The wed-
ding took place in the south
of Italy, with the usual celebs
in attendance George Lucas,
Johnny Depp, etc. Francis Ford
Coppola, her dad, was seen
signing autographs at the cer-
emony: all class.
USA
Still on the Hollywood couples
update: psycho Mel Gibson
and his former girlfriend Ok-
sana Grigorieva have reached
a settlement after a year's dis-
pute. Grigorieva is presumably
getting a big fnancial pay-out,
but the terms and conditions
will only be announced on
Wednesday, when they meet
in court. Let's hope Gibson can
restrain himself from punching
her in the face or threatening
to "bury her".
USA
The dedication of the Martin
Luther King memorial was
supposed to take place this
Sunday in Washington, but
Hurricane Irene put an end to
that. They've postponed it till
late September, which was a
bit of a burn for the thousands
of people who had planned to
travel up for it. The monument
was in the news for two other
reasons this week: it was re-
vealed it's been made in China,
and one of the MLK quotes
inscribed on it isn't actually
his work.
USA
There are "rumours" of a Fleet-
wood Mac reunion. Frontwom-
an Stevie Nicks might be tired
of going her own way, because
now they're saying that they're
considering a tour and a new
album. Don't stop, Stevie.
Dont stop.
USA
The world's oldest person has
just turned 115. Besse Cooper
lives in Georgia and saw in
the big day with a party at her
nursing home, where she ate
two small pieces of cake. Besse
used to be the second oldest
person Brazil's Maria Gomes
Valentin was 48 days older but
died in June. Convenient.
RUSSiA
It's been a while without a top-
less picture of Vladimir Putin,
but we're glad to see the dry
streak is over. The Russian
Mel Gibson (Reuters)
life, etc BRiefS
prime minister visited a doctor
in Smolensk for a consultation
after he sustained a judo injury
and brought the media along
to document him stripping
down. The stunt was presum-
ably partly to show Russians
that the health system works,
and partly to impress them
with his muscly virility.
tAiWAN
South Africans are invading
Taiwan, according to a dip-
lomatic cable published on
Wikileaks. South African fsh,
that is. The Mozambique Ti-
lapia (which is, confusingly,
South African) was released
into Taiwanese waters in 1946
as part of a cultural belief that
this brings good fortune. But
the naughty South African fsh
are now so widespread and
powerful that native species are
under threat. Makes you a bit
proud, doesnt it?
UK
British sports commentator
Tony Cascarino is in a seri-
ous dwang after referring to
an Arsenal footballer as "hav-
ing a holocaust" during the
team's defeat by Man United
on Sunday. Cascarino applied
the description to French de-
fender Armand Traore while
commentating on the game for
Sky Sports. Presenter Natalie
Sawyer immediately issued an
apology. Apart from anything
else, what a bizarre grammati-
cal construction.
SOUtH KOReA
With Usain Bolt and blade
runner Oscar Pistorius hog-
ging the headlines, you may
have missed 17 year-old Soge-
lau Tuvalu's performance in
one of the 100m heats at the
world athletics champion-
ships. The American Samoan,
who by anyone's reckoning is
quite pudgy, trailed the lead-
ers in the heat by 40m at one
point, but fnished a full six
seconds behind the winner. It
was the second slowest time in
the event's history. Tuvalu was
put in the race after he failed to
qualify for the shot putt.
Russia's Vladimir Putin, sans shirt (Reuters)
life, etc twitter
twitter and the tower of BaBel
On 21 March 2006, Jack Dorsey famously sent
the frst Tweet ever: just setting up my twttr.
It was, you will have noticed, in English or
an approximation thereof. However, since
then, the service has expanded far beyond its
monolingual beginnings: you can now access
Twitter in Dutch, French, German, Italian,
Indonesian, Korean, Japanese, Portuguese,
Russian, Spanish, and Turkish.
Users are currently working on Malay,
Filipino, Hindi, simplifed Chinese, and
traditional Chinese versions at Twitter's
crowd-sourced Translation Centre, with more
languages to be added soon. Of course, this
doesn't mean users aren't able to tweet in a
multitude of other languages just that these
aren't fully supported, yet.
Spanish-speaking Tweeters were pretty
proud recently when the Twitter en espaol
Users can now access Twitter in 12 different languages, and there's some competition among linguistic
communities as to whom are the biggest Tweeters. But when it comes to micro-blogging, the Chinese are
catching up fast, with a platform all of their own called Weibo. By THERESA MALLINSON.
[@twitter_es] account surpassed the original
English Twitter [@twitter] account in number of
followers. On Sunday afternoon, @twitter had
5,944,024 followers, and @twitter_es 6,430,313.
These numbers, however, don't make it clear
which languages are used most on Twitter. A
study in February last year found that 50% of all
Tweets were in English, and only 4% in Spanish.
But the English-language tweets were down
from 67% in the frst half of 2009, and it's a safe
bet that they've continued to fall since then.
As Twitter continues to expand its language
base, the real question is when its Chinese
versions will be ready and whether it'll be able
to lure users away from the Far East knock-of,
Weibo. While the original micro-blogging site
has more than 200 million accounts, Weibo,
which launched only two years ago, has more
than 140 million.
MONDAY 29 AUGUST 2011
life, etc astronomy
DiamonD planet DiscovereD
Astronomers in Australia have announced the
discovery of a dense planet some 4,000 light
years away, which they think could be made of
highly compressed carbon that is in crystalline
form, or diamond.
The evolutionary history and amazing
density of the planet all suggest it is comprised
of carbon -- i.e. a massive diamond orbiting a
neutron star every two hours in an orbit so tight
it would ft inside our own sun," said Matthew
Bailes a director at the Swinburne University
of Technology Centre for Astrophysics and
Supercomputing, which is in Melbourne.
The planet is orbiting a pulsar, a spinning
star about 20 kilometres in diameter, which
emits radio waves that can be detected on
earth. Reseachers in Australia, the US, Germany
and Italy noticed that the arrival of the radio
Astronomers say that they have discovered a planet that is made out of the compressed
form of carbon we call diamond. This news might bother King Bhumibol Adulyadej of
Thailand, the current owner of the worlds largest faceted diamond. By SIPHO HLONGWANE.
pulses were systematically modulated.
They concluded that this was due to the
gravitational pull of an orbiting planet. They
think that the planet has slightly more mass
than Jupiter, but is 20 times denser.
In terms of what it would look like, I
don't know I could even speculate," said Ben
Stappers, a senior lecturer and researcher at
the University of Manchester. I don't imagine
that a picture of a very shiny object is what
we're looking at here.
This is all sciency speculation of course, as
we cant exactly fy out there to see what this
crystalline planet actually looks like.
reaD more:
1. Astronomers discover planet made of diamond in Reuters
2. A planet made of diamonds found in Hindustan Times
life, etc time-space continuum
uKs atomic clocK is the worlds most accurate
If youre keeping score on this sort of thing, a
caesium fountain clock at the National Physics
Laboratory in London is the worlds most accurate
clock, according to a report in the Metrologia
journal. That makes it twice as accurate as
previously thought. The CsF2 clock is one of
several used around the world used to make sure
that someone out there has the right time.
These caesium fountain clocks are known as
the national primary standards for measuring
time, and the average reading of these clocks
gives us the International Atomic Time and
Universal Coordinated Time.
According to the BBC, the ticking of
the clock is provided by the measurement of
the energy required to change a property of
caesium atoms known as spin. By international
defnition, it is the electromagnetic waves
required to accomplish this "spin fip" that
The UKs National Physics Laboratory has the worlds most accurate clock. It will take the
clock some 138 million years to lose or gain a second.
are measured; when 9,192,631,770 peaks and
troughs of these waves go by, one standard
second passes, the BBC said.
Dr. Krzysztof Szymaniec, the project leader at
NPL said that they had fddled with the clocks,
and managed to reduce their margin of error.
Together with other improvements of the caesium
fountain, these models and numerical calculations
have improved the accuracy of the UK's caesium
fountain clock, NPL-CsF2, by reducing the
uncertainty to 2.3 10-16 - the lowest value for any
primary national standard so far, he said.
The chances that this will mean people will
start being on time for appointments also hover
at around 2.3 10-16.
read more:
1. The worlds most accurate clock belongs to Britain in
International Business Times
2. UKs atomic clock is worlds most accurate in BBC News
life, etc offbeat broadway
offbeat maybe, but offbeat broadway is spot on-target
This is a sharp and irreverent romp through the
best and worst of Broadway, packing together
all the musicals you could never aford to see.
And since its now in its fourth iteration, Im
kicking myself for missing the previous three.
Ofeat Broadway is a small, intimate show
Satire can be a most delightful creature. A skilful turn of words, a twist on something familiar to render
the ordinary extraordinary. Its not an easy art form to do well, and Offbeat Broadway doesnt do it well
- it does it superbly. LESLEY STONES may go back for more.
sending up musicals and the theatre industry
in general. Yet you dont need to be a theatrical
luvvie-darling to get the full beneft of this
bright humour.
The cast of Anton Luitingh, Lindy
Abromowitz and Paul du Toit bill themselves
life, etc offbeat broadway
as Older, Fatter and Slower than before, and
Im laughing from the frst minute when they
waddle on stage with walking sticks and
drip feeds. A hilariously reworked version of
Saturday Night Fever turns Staying Alive
into barely alive, as they complain My voice
is getting creaky and my bladder getting
leaky, and were barely alive, barely alive. The
only trouble with lyrics like that is theyll be
burrowed into my brain for days to come.
Performer Paul du Toit has rewritten the
lyrics and crafted the script that propels
it along, and there are some moments of
genius. This still-young veteran of the
stage has selected the most famous tunes
with which everyone is familiar and given
them biting twists. Luitingh as pianist and
singer is responsible for the madcap musical
arrangements. A highlight is a wicked Cats
spoof, which anyone who has sat through
that exasperating fur-ball of a show will
instantly appreciate.
The Phantom of the Opera is reduced to a
hilarious eight-minute scramble that captures
all the best bits, saving you a few hundred rand
and several hours. More glorious moments
come in A Royal Rip Of, a Lion King
parody thats pure Elton John goes Londolozi.
This budget-Broadway show also includes a
wonderful skit of Les Miserables with rapid-
fre wig changes as the trio plays numerous
parts in a Mini-Miz.
Theres plenty of social satire too as the
singers keep up a great banter between
themselves, with a script as witty as the
rewritten lyrics. A question-and-answer session
where the audience can pose musical questions
gives us some entertaining ad-libbing too. Its
a simple stage set with a piano, chairs and a
few props, and creative lighting to fuel the
atmosphere. Facial expressions and a little
choreography enhance the show and, since
all three have excellent voices, we enjoy some
lovely harmonies as well as a huge amount
of laughs.
Ofeat Broadway is directed by Alan
Committie, who is always great value for money
whether hes on stage or guiding other people
around it. The result is a crackling yet well-
balanced afair, with some serious medleys that
have the audience applauding the quality of
singing alone rather than the humour.
Near the end a lovely reworked version
of Olivers Reviewing the Situation pokes
fun at theatre critics who are reviewing this
abomination. Dont worry, guys, I adored it. So
much so that I may do an Oliver Twist and go
back for some more.
Ofeat Broadway runs until 30 September at
Montecasino Theatre, and from 10 29 October
at Cape Towns Theatre on the Bay.
www.leselystones.co.za
the result is a crackling yet
well-balanced affair, with
some serious medleys that
have the audience applauding
the quality of singing alone
rather than the humour.
life, eTC 'all good Things'
all good Things are noT whaT They seem
A flm that has largely fown below the radar,
All Good Things is a fctionalised account of
the mysterious disappearance of a young New
Yorker, Kathleen Durst, and the bafing series
of events that followed. The story centres on
an initially happy couple, Kathleen and Robert
Durst, and follows them through the gradual
Director Andrew Jareckis 2010 flm All Good Things treads a thin line between fact and fction.
This story, built around allegation and insinuation, weaves a fascinating and disturbing tale about love,
privilege, mental disorder, abuse and murder in a true-crime mystery that spans nearly three decades.
By CARIEN ELS.
Photo: Robert Durst in 2001. (Reuters)
deterioration of their marriage into a deeply
unhappy relationship, rife with emotional
and physical abuse, culminating in Kathleens
disappearance in 1982. To this day no trace of
her has been found, dead or alive.
The flm straddles a rather uncomfortable
The flm straddles a rather
uncomfortable divide between
true crime and fction,
especially as robert durst has
not been convicted of any of
the crimes the flm implies.
divide between true crime and fction,
especially as Robert Durst has not been
convicted of any of the crimes the flm implies.
To avoid the virtually inevitable defamation
charges, director Andrew Jarecki tactfully
changes the names of his characters. Robert
Durst becomes David Marks (played by Ryan
Gosling). Kirsten Dunst plays Katherine
McCarthy, representing Kathleen McCormack,
Dursts former wife.
Dunst is excellent as McCormack/McCarthy
and shows a depth of acting that hasnt been
present in many (if any) of her previous
flms. She gradually deteriorates from a
sunny, cheerful character into a cracked and
fearful shadow of her former self, masterfully
conveying the confusion of a wife who watches
her husband unravel into someone she does not
know. Similarly, Ryan Gosling as Marks/Durst
starts the flm as a likeable, if shy, character
that only gives the subtlest of cues to indicate
the troubled character it eventually becomes
clear he is. The eerie collapse of his character
into something resembling a monster is both
unnerving and brilliant.
The tragic tale of a love story gone wrong
and the best part of the flm may have ended
with the disappearance of Kathleen Hurst, but
the weirdness of the real-life story was only
just beginning.
Following the adage that fact is stranger
than fction, this simultaneously fascinating
and horrifying flm gives a mere taste of the
bizarreness of the events surrounding the life of
the man on which it is based, the heir apparent
to the Durst Organisations real estate empire,
Robert Durst.
Born in 1943, Robert Durst claims when he was
seven years old he watched his mother fing herself
from the roof of their Scarsdale family mansion.
Though psychologists attributed a range of
possible mental disorders to this event, his younger
brother Douglas denies this ever happened. The
flm depicts Robert, or Bobby, as being averse to
entering the family business, much to his fathers
chagrin. When he meets and falls in love with
middle-class Kathleen McCormack, Bobby fnally
seems to fnd the escape he needs from a life he is
determined to avoid at all costs.
From all accounts, Durst and McCormack
were the epitome of young love. Kathy, only 18
when she met Robert, was a beautiful, vibrant
blonde who seemed indiferent to Roberts social
standing or background, something for which he
seemed to be profoundly grateful. Soon after the
two were wed in 1973, they headed to Vermont to
open a health-food store called All Good Things,
and settled into building a simple life far from
the New York city business hubbub Roberts
father expected him to enter.
The pairs blissful existence is rudely
interrupted when Roberts father, Seymour
Durst appears on the scene and pressures
Robert to join the family business. He submits,
and the couple return to New York.
The Dursts initial months spent back in New
York appeared to be happy. Kathleen became
acquainted with some of Roberts friends, most
notably Susan Berman, Roberts long-time
confdante and closest friend. Little did they
know what similarly tragic fates they would
sufer. The trouble is purported to have started
when Kathy, quickly bored of the aimless
New York high society living, told Robert
that she wanted children. His reaction was
uncharacteristically violent; he was vehemently
opposed to the idea. It appears the cracks in
their relationship started to show around this
time, and friends and neighbours became aware
of the fact that Robert had starting beating his
wife in violent fts of rage. Kathy fell pregnant
in the mid-1970s and was devastated when
Robert forced her to have an abortion. Deprived
of the family she so desperately desired and
feeling increasingly purposeless, Kathy enrolled
herself in a nursing school near their lakeside
home in South Salem, and moved there by
herself to attend classes.
Increasingly wary of her husband, Kathy
spent much of her time in separate apartments
when she went home to Manhattan. After
graduating from nursing school, Kathy was
accepted into the Albert Einstein College of
Medicine in the Bronx, and moved back to
New York. As his once-adoring wife became
increasingly independent and estranged from
him, Robert seemed all the more desperate to
maintain some semblance of control over her.
When they were together, their fghts quickly
escalated into violence.
By 1981, Kathy had had enough of Roberts
abusive behaviour and approached a lawyer to
prepare to fle for divorce. Robert immediately
reacted by threatening to cut of all funds to her
a devastating blow as this meant she would
no longer be able to aford tuition for medical
school. Kathy, defeated by the years of abuse,
chose to continue with her studies, and avoided
Robert as much as possible.
Kathleen Durst was having dinner with
friends in Connecticut on the evening of 31
January 1982 when Robert phoned the house
incessantly, begging her to come to him at their
lakeside home. They fought, but she eventually
went to see him nonetheless. Before leaving she
told her friends she was worried what Robert
might do to her. They never saw her again.
On 4 February 1982, Robert Durst reported
his wife missing. Robert claimed he hadnt seen
her since the evening of the 31 January when he
had dropped her of at the train station in South
Salem to go back to Manhattan. A doorman at
Kathys apartment building said hed seen her
The trouble is purported to have started when
Kathy, quickly bored of aimless new york high
society living, told robert she wanted to
have children.
the following morning. Because she was last
reported seen in Manhattan, all investigations
centred on the city and the Dursts lakeside
home was never searched. Now, almost 30 years
later, investigators believe that Kathy Durst
never left South Salem.
A missing persons case was opened, but
no trace of Kathy was ever found. Robert
was questioned in connection with the
disappearance of his wife, but never arrested.
Dursts behaviour was puzzling. He only
noticed his wife was missing four days after
she was last seen and police claim that despite
posting a $100,000 reward note for Kathy, he
didnt make an efort to push investigators
in their search for his missing wife. Within a
few weeks of her disappearance, he was seen
disposing of Kathys belongings. Despite the
fact that his abuse of his wife was well-known,
police never considered Robert a serious
suspect. Reports give no indication why. After
his wifes disappearance, Robert became
increasingly reclusive. Unbeknownst to Kathys
friends and family, he divorced her in 1990.
In 2000, New York district attorney Jeanine
Pirro reopened the Kathy Durst case. Roberts
close friend Susan Berman joined this decades-
long investigation soon after the case was
reopened. Police were planning to question
Berman on Durst when the news reached them
that she had been shot, execution-style, in
her home in California. There was no sign of
forced entry police assumed she had known
her attacker well. The daughter of a deceased
mobster with a penchant for writing about
her fathers associates exploits, the police
concluded Berman was a victim of a mob
murder. Despite speculations that Berman
might have been murdered to keep her quiet
about what she knew of the Kathy Durst case,
once again Robert was questioned, but
never charged.
On 30 September 2001 a 13-year-old boy
spotted black rubbish bags foating in Galveston
Bay, Texas while out fshing with his father.
Upon inspection they made a gruesome
discovery: the black bags were flled with the
dismembered torso of an elderly man, Morris
Black. The police investigation led them back
to a room in an apartment house in Galveston,
rented by a mute woman named Dorothy Ciner.
The hallway and foor of Ciners apartment
was covered in blood, a bloodied knife was
lying inside the apartment. Morris Black had
been Ciners neighbour, and Ciner, it was soon
discovered, was in fact a bewigged, dress-clad
Robert Durst.
It emerged that soon after the New York
DA had reopened Kathys missing persons
case, Robert had fed New York to Galveston,
dursts behaviour was puzzling. he only noticed his
wife was missing four days after she was last seen,
and within a few weeks of her disappearance, he was
seen disposing of Kathys belongings.
disguising himself as Dorothy Ciner, reportedly
to avoid the media furry he was sure would
follow the investigation. After the discovery
of Blacks blood in his home, Durst was
subsequently arrested, released on bail, and
scheduled to appear in court on the 16
October 2001.
Robert Durst, however, had no intention
of appearing in court, and instead led police
on a 45-day nationwide man-hunt. Becoming
an increasingly bizarre character with every
turn he took, Durst was eventually caught in
a Pennsylvania supermarket for shoplifting a
pack of Band-Aids and a chicken sandwich
despite the fact that he had almost $500 in his
pocket. Upon his capture, police searched his
rental car to fnd two guns, $37,000 in cash,
marijuana and Blacks drivers license.
In 2003, Robert Durst went on trial for the
murder of Morris Black. Despite admitting to
having hacked Blacks body to pieces with a
paring knife, two saws and an axe and dumping
the pieces in Galveston Bay, Durst pleaded
self-defence. The jury acquitted him of murder
on the basis that there was not enough proof
indicating that this in fact was not an act
of self-defence.
He did, however, spend a few months in jail
for bond jumping and evidence tampering,
before he was released on parole in 2005. In
2006 he was rearrested for violating his parole
conditions by visiting the house in which he
had killed Morris Black, but was released from
custody about four months later.
Today Robert Durst is a free man and lives in
Houston, Texas.
PS: As expected, the Durst Corporation announced its
intention to sue the flmmakers for defamation. Though
not, as youd think, for insinuating that one of their stable
was involved in a triple homicide. Not so. They raised
no objection to the flms portrayal of Robert as a brutal
murderer, but took issue with the flms portrayal of the
Durst Corporation as taking part in dirty real estate deals.
The Durst Organisation and the family broke all ties with
Robert in 1994. A 2010 New York Times review of the
flm quoted Durst in a telephonic interview that he
actually liked the movie.
The 2011 Blu-Ray DVD release of the flm includes
audio commentary by Durst himself, in which he
concedes the flm is the most accurate portrayal of his
relationship with Kathy to date. Feel free to draw your
own conclusions from all of this.
read more:
1. Thats Me on Screen, but I Still Didnt Do It in the New York
Times
2. Durst Calls A Shooting An Accident, Not Murder in The New
York Times
3. On the Run With a Fugitive: Tales of Aliases and Disguises in
The New York Times
4. Durst Jumps Bail, and a Nationwide Dragnet Is On in The
New York Times
5. A Real Head Case in the Time magazine
6. The Charley Project Organisation Kathleen Durst
despite admitting to having
hacked Blacks body to pieces
with a paring knife, two saws
and an axe and dumping the
pieces in galveston Bay, durst
pleaded self-defence.
Support the team that saves lives.
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42511 NSRI Percy Print_285x210.indd 1 2011/05/09 12:32 PM
SPORT
sport BrIEFs
sports
south AFrIcA
Rugby: The Golden Lions ex-
tended their lead at the top
of the Currie Cup table after a
fne 28-19 win over the Sharks
in Johannesburg on Saturday.
The home side's hero was im-
pressive fy-half Elton Jantjies,
who contributed 20 points
via six penalties and a conver-
sion. Apart from his fne goal-
kicking - he did not miss with
a single attempt - Jantjies also
impressed with his general
play.
In other results, Griquas beat
the Cheetahs, 23-20, while the
Leopards went down 20-28 to
the Bulls at Loftus.
GloBAl
south KorEA
Blade-runner Oscar Pistorius
captured a semi-fnal start-
ing place and the hearts of the
crowd as the double amputee
clocked a time of 45.39sec. to
progress to the next round.
Pistorius fnished third in his
heat, after a false start in the
400m event.
AustrAlIA
Australia were crowned Tri-
Nations champions for the frst
time in 10 years on Saturday
after overcoming New Zea-
land 25-20 at Suncorp Sta-
dium in Brisbane.
Tries from Will Genia, Radike
Samo and Kurtley Beale saw of
the All Blacks, who had looked
to be on a roll during the sec-
ond-half thanks to scores from
centre duo Conrad Smith and
Ma'a Nonu. However, Beale's
late efort sealed the victory.
A Sanzar judicial hearing
held in Brisbane on Sunday
has dismissed a charge of foul
play against Australian fy-half
Quade Cooper. Cooper had
been cited for an alleged con-
travention of foul play Law 10.4
(a): striking an opponent with
the knee. The incident, involv-
ing New Zealand captain Rich-
ie McCaw, occurred during the
second half of the Tri-Nations
Test on Saturday.
BElGIum
Mark Webber admitted his
pedestrian start put him on the
back foot during the early stag-
es of the Belgian Grand Prix.
The Australian produced an-
other battling display at Spa on
Sunday to fnish second behind
team-mate Sebastian Vettel. He
started third on the grid, but
was down in eighth place by
the end of lap three and made
Australia vs New Zealand (Reuters)
sport BrIEFs
a pit stop on lap four for a new
set of tyres. He fought back
and eventually caught up with
the front-runners. The Red Bull
veteran said his start wasn't up
to standard
uK
Rugby: Ireland will go into
the Rugby World Cup without
a warm-up Test win to their
name after they fell to a gritty
England side 20-9 on Saturday.
Defeat means Ireland have lost
all four of their pre-tourna-
ment matches, with the World
Cup just a fortnight away. What
makes things worse will have
been the sight of David Wallace
carried of with what appeared
to be a serious injury. England,
who had lost their last three
matches against Ireland, most
recently a 24-8 defeat in March
that cost the Six Nations cham-
pions a Grand Slam, had their
hosts by two tries to nil.
Football: Blackburn missed
two second-half spot kicks
before Mikael Arteta converted
one of his own in stoppage
time as Everton snatched a 1-0
victory. Referee Lee Mason
gave three penalties in the sec-
ond half, but only Mikel Arteta
was able to fnd the net from
15m. Blackburn Rovers had one
penalty saved and saw one hit
the post before the Spaniard
netted a stoppage time spot-
kick.
Rugby: Northampton prop
Brian Mujati has accused
Heinke van der Merwe and
Steven Sykes of making rac-
ist remarks towards him in
a match on Friday. Mujati
made the statement after a
pre-season game between
Saints and Leinster in Dublin.
"Steven Sykes and Heinke van
der Merwe were calling me
a baboon during the scrums
last night," Mujati posted on
his Twitter feed. "Racism is
still alive and things don't
change." Former Sharks lock
Sykes and Lions prop Van der
Merwe are now based in Ire-
land, while Mujati plays for
Saints in the Aviva Premier-
ship.
us
Tennis: Last minute prepara-
tions for the US Open were
aborted as Hurricane Irene
closed in on New York. Play-
ers were told to practice else-
where and press conferences
were cancelled as the tourna-
ment venue was on lockdown
to prevent any damage to the
facilities. Irene resulted in a
state of emergency been de-
clared in nine US states by
President Barack Obama.
Golf: Big-hitting American
Dustin Johnson carded a six-
under-par 65 to claim his frst
PGA Tour title of the year at
The Barclays on Saturday in
an event shortened to 54 holes
and started much earlier than
usual to avoid the approaching
Hurricane Irene. The 27 year
old from South Carolina fn-
ished at 19-under over the three
rounds to win by two shots
from defending champion Matt
Kuchar, a fellow American who
was the overnight leader and
his playing partner. Kuchar
closed with a 3-under 68.
Tennis: John Isner claimed his
third ATP World Tour title on
Saturday, beating Julien Ben-
neteau in the Winston-Salem
Open. Isner, who grew up in
nearby Greensboro, had the
support of family and friends
as he was pushed to the maxi-
mum by his French opponent
to take the match 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Golf: Michelle Wie will be
looking to defend her Cana-
dian Women's Open title after
grabbing a share of the lead
on Saturday. Wie shot a four-
under-par 68 at Hillsdale Golf
& Country Club in Quebec to
lead alongside fellow Korean-
American Tifany Joh, an LPGA
Tour rookie who shot a 65,
and Japan's Ai Miyazato, who
led after two rounds and kept
herself in the running with a
one-under 71. The trio lie on
12 under par for the tourna-
ment through 54 holes, only
one shot clear of Americans
Brittany Lincicome (69) and
joint-overnight leader Angela
Stanford (72).
SPORT aThleTicS
can PiSTORiuS OuT-Run The haTeRS?
Pistorius fnished third in his heat in 45.39
seconds, thus qualifying for the semis at the
athletics meet in Daegu, South Korea. The
Daily Mail reported a great deal of support for
Pistorius in the stadium, with a lot of South
African fag-waving and chants of "We love
Oscar" before the race. Outside the stadium,
though, reaction has been mixed.
Writing for the UK Independent on Sunday,
Alan Hubbard asks "Am I alone in being
less than comfortable about the presence of
Oscar Pistorius in the current world athletics
championships?" Ruing "these politically
correct times", Hubbard says "There is no
doubt that Pistorius deserves every accolade
going for his incredible triumph of will but
his proper place surely is the Paralympics.
Hubbard fudges exactly why he doesnt approve
of Pistorius being there, but he hints that he
doesnt believe scientists who say that the
Oscar Pistorius made history on Sunday by qualifying for the 400 metres semi-fnal at
the World Athletics Championships, but the blade runner still has to face the carping of
those who say he shouldn't be there. By REBECCA DAVIS.
athletes prosthetics do not give any advantage.
As support for his view, he presents the
opinion of Tanni Grey-Thompson, a former
British Paralympic champion. Grey-Thompson
has a diferent objection to Hubbard she thinks
letting Pistorius compete in the Olympics would
undermine the Paralympics. She says: "If Oscar
makes the Olympics, then his event shouldn't be
run at the Paralympics because the Paralympics
should never be a 'B' fnal.
Its a bit of a churlish perspective, because
Pistorius has done a great deal to raise the profle
of both disabled athletes and the Paralympics.
But Pistorius has a legal ruling that protects his
right to compete, so his critics will have to get
used to the sight of the South African on the
starting blocks.
Read MORe:
1. Blade runner deserves Oscar but has no place in Olympics,
in the Independent
sport formula one
Vettel leads home a red Bull 1-2 at spa-francorchamps
The challengers to Sebastian Vettels crown as
Formula One drivers world champion arrived
at Spa feeling pretty chipper. Vettel hadnt won
in three races and during the weekend press
conferences, he and Red Bull Racing sounded
like they were more interested in conserving
their lead rather than winning outright.
Fernando Alonso said Ferrari would take
more chances as, unlike Red Bull, they had
At the risk of premature eulogising, Vettel and Red Bulls clean sweep at the Belgian Grand Prix is the
nail in the coffn of other drivers and constructors challenge in this seasons title race. OSIAME MOLEFE
delivers the last rites as he looks back at the weekends race.
Photo: Red Bull Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany races
during the Belgian F1 Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps, August 28, 2011.
REUTERS/Thierry Roge
nothing to lose. And this weekends odds-on
favourite, Lewis Hamilton, was full of beans
on the back of strong performances from his
McLaren in the previous races, despite the
teams suspect race strategy.
But when the carbon fbre shards settled
sport formula one
on Sunday afternoon, Vettel had extended his
lead in the drivers championship to 92 points
and ended his winless streak with victory at an
incident-flled race. He led home his teammate,
Mark Webber, to give Red Bull maximum
points and end, surely, any hopes their
rivals had of taking the top spots in this
years championship.
As usual at Spa, the weather was a factor the
entire weekend. Friday and Saturday practices
were rained out, and qualifying happened on
a wet-but-drying track. Vettel kept his head in
the tricky conditions and secured his ninth pole
position (out of 12 races) ahead of Hamilton
and Webber.
The Pirelli rubber was as big a story as the
rain. Some of the teams who qualifed in the
top ten, particularly Red Bull, pleaded with the
FIA to allow them to change the tyres, which
had blistered badly by the end of the session.
The FIA refused, forcing the teams to start their
cars on suspect tyres.
When the lights went out on Sunday, some
drivers may have still been in holiday mode.
Mark Webber bogged down badly, forcing his
rivals to take evasive action around him. And
as the drivers headed into the frst corner at the
La Source hairpin, Bruno Senna, racing for the
frst time since last season, clattered into Jaime
Alguesauri and caused a chain reaction that
damaged a few cars, including Jensen Buttons.
Nico Rosberg took the early lead, but began
to fall back as the race settled down. Red Bulls
tyre problems became apparent when Webber
pitted in the fourth lap and Vettel in the ffth.
But after the stop, the pair seemed to manage
their tyres better and Vettel used the safety car
period (caused by Kamui Kobayashi crashing
into and taking out Hamilton at the turn into
Les Combes) to steal a pitstop.
Vettel passed his teammate and took the lead
from Alonso after the safety car period, and
never looked under any threat for the victory
after that. Alonsos early pace deserted him
once he was on the medium compound Pirellis
and eventually fnished fourth. Button, whod
been making rapid progress through the feld,
put in what was arguably the drive of the day
to fnish third after failing to make the top ten
shoot-out during qualifying.
The other drive of the day came from
Michael Schumacher, who, having crashed after
losing a left rear tyre during frst qualifying,
turned back the years to race from last to secure
ffth place ahead of his younger teammate
Nico Rosberg.
It may not have been a classic Belgian grand
prix of endless laps of wheel-to-wheel racing,
but it was enjoyable. The long DRS activation
zone unfortunately made overtaking too easy,
and will again draw criticism from purists
who have been calling it nothing more than a
gimmick.
The one-two fnish puts Red Bull 131 points
ahead of second placed McLaren and 195 ahead
of third placed Ferrari.
Vettel has notched up seven victories this
season and has not fnished lower than third.
Only a brave or foolish man would bet against
him now. But F1 drivers, like airline pilots
estimating arrival times, are known for their
optimism. All four of Vettels rivals Webber,
Alonso, Button and Hamilton are still in
with a mathematical chance, which should be
enough to motivate them to keep Vettel honest.
Well, at least for a few races more.
SPORT new zealand Rugby
SOnny bill williamS and Rugby uniOn:
end Of a bRief buT dazzling affaiR?
Having been signed by the Rugby League Sydney
Bulldogs straight out of high school in 2002,
the talented Mr Williams was enticed north by
the paycheques of French Club rugby in 2008.
On his return to New Zealand in 2010, Sonny
William Williams became only the second dual
international to represent his country at both
Rugby League and Rugby union.
SBW, as the formidable centre has come
to be known, was one of the outstanding
players of this years Super Rugby tournament.
Leaving defences in tatters, or drawing the
extra defender to allow teammates to take the
accolades, SBW was the form midfeld player,
by a long shot. He scored fve tries in 15 starts
for the Crusaders, and directly assisted in many
more as the men from Christchurch wandered
the globe and into yet another fnal.
Yet his consistent performances and his
After setting the Super Rugby tournament alight with compelling performances week in and
week out, the most sought after player in Rugby Union could be quitting New Zealand or even the
game. By STYLI CHARALAMBOUS
1.91m, 104kg frame have not been able to secure
the rugby league convert a starting place in the
All Black squad, let alone the run-on team. Now
his agent is claiming that of-the-feld issues are
adding to the stars frustration as he contemplates
his sporting future.
SBW is currently at loggerheads with the NZRU
over an endorsement deal for an energy drink
that does not belong to team sponsor Coca-Colas
stable of products. The NZRU has refused SBW
the endorsement although Richie McCaw and Dan
Carter endorse their own bottled water brands.
Graham Henry has made it clear his favourites
in the midfeld are Maa Nonu and Conrad Smith,
giving SBW very limited opportunities to prove
himself in the black jersey. All these issues have led
to stalling negotiations that have seen SBW delay
the signing of a one-year contract extension to stay
in New Zealand once the World Cup is over.
SPORT NZ Rugby
Read aNd ThOmPSON lead NZ iNjuRy wOeS
Number eight Read sufered an ankle injury
and blindside fanker Thomson damaged
his elbow as New Zealand went down 25-
20 to Australia in the Tri-Nations decider in
Brisbane on Saturday.
Coach Graham Henry said he was hopeful
Read would be able to play at least a limited
role in the World Cup, but he was less
optimistic about the chances of Thomson, who
hyper-extended an elbow early in the frst half.
Both players are to have scans when the All
Blacks return home from Australia.
Read has been diagnosed with a high
ankle sprain, but Henry has been told the
Canterbury Crusaders forward is likely to be
able to play some part in the World Cup, which
starts on September 9, when the All Blacks
play Tonga in Auckland.
"We're pretty positive really about Kieran.
The doctor thinks he'll be able to play in the
Less than a fortnight before the World Cup, the All Blacks have serious injury concerns
over loose forwards Kieran Read and Adam Thomson.
World Cup," Henry told reporters on Sunday.
"It may be a slow start for him but really I'm
only speculating. I'm hopeful."
But Henry was not so positive about
Thomson's prospects.
"It doesn't look good, we'll just have to wait
and see," he said.
Henry would not speculate on who would be
called in if either loose forward needed to be
replaced, but Liam Messam is a likely candidate.
Skipper Richie McCaw emphasised Read's
importance to the combination with Jerome
Kaino, who was rested from Saturday's Test.
"Kieran's a big loss. He's a hell of a good player
when he's ft and running around," said McCaw.
"That's the challenge you get in rugby isn't it?
When guys get injured," he said when asked
about the signifcance of Read's potential long-
term unavailability.
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how not to strike for dummies gadaffi & africa's misplaced loyalty wikileaks nomu

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