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Last Update: June 11, 2001 |
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First South African aid flight lands in Iraq Baghdad - The first South African humanitarian aid flight to Iraq arrived at Saddam International Airport on Monday morning with five tons of medical supplies, the official Iraqi News Agency reported. Jeff Radebe, South Africa's minister of public enterprises, led a delegation of more than 100 officials, doctors, community leaders, business people and activists. Also on board was South Africa's deputy foreign minister Aziz Pahad and a technical team from South Africa's electricity company that was to examine Iraq's electricity infrastructure, which was severely damaged during the 1991 Gulf War. The mission is a joint project of the South African government, the South Africa-based Iraqi Action Committee and a private Jordanian group known as Fact International. The South Africans chartered a Jordanian Airbus 320 to fly to Iraq in a show of support for Iraqi civilians suffering under 11 years of United Nations sanctions. During their three-day stay, the South Africans will meet Iraqi officials, INA reported. Sanctions imposed after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990 have crippled Iraq's economy. The sanctions cannot be lifted until the UN Security Council certifies that Iraq is free of weapons of mass destruction. Iraq demands the sanctions be lifted unconditionally, saying it has fulfilled all the UN resolutions, including the one on weapons. Thanks to IOL.co.za [ Top ]  Kytie Koekblik ColumnKytie Koekblik Washington D.C. - By my huis kon ek weer hulle dogtertjie wees. My ma het met my geraas oor my kamer deurmekaar is en vir my koffie in die bed gebring. My broer het my sy sussie genoem al is hy ook 'n twee jaar jonger as ek en die honde het met hangende stertjies in hulle huisie gaan sit en bewe toe ons my bagasie in die kar pak. Vir oulaas het ek 'n fantasiestiese sonsondersgang gehad en die reen het sowaar opgehou sodat ek nog 'n laaste keer Maandag op Blouberg se strand kon gaan stap. Elke goodbye is soos 'n eerste goodbye. Ek dink net dit was die slag erger. Dit het gevoel soos 'n laaste goodbye. Ek dink dit was erger omdat ek nou aan die magic van 'n nuwe avontuur en 'n nuwe land gewoond geraak het, ek het geweet wat op my wag toe ek daai op daai plein klim, 'n alleen lewe. Ek het vir twee ure aanmekaar op daai vliegtuig gesit en huil en huil, ek kon nie eers meer Kaapstad se liggies sien nie, toe ruk my lyf nog. Die arme man langs my het naderhand gese, is jy okay. "Nee," het ek van voorag begin. Ek het dit lomp aan hom probeer verduidelik, dis iets soos, ek moet ' n lewe vir myself skep want ek kan nie vir altyd iemand se dogtertjie of 'n ewige kommerlose student op Grahamstad wees nie. Ek het 'n regte lewe nodig, met sy stres, sy lang werksure, sy hartseer en sy goodbyes. En dit is wat dit so moeilik maak, daai grootmenslewe is 'n alleenlewe. En veral op hierdie kontinent in hierdie stad waar almal na iets jaag omdat hulle daarvoor betaal word. Dalk is ek bedoel om 'n huisvrou te wees, of 'n hippie iewers in die Transkei. Dan sal ek dalk altyd so rustig wees en sonder stres en omring deur geliefdes, nie hierdie alleenheid wat so aan jou eet nie. Ek is na Kaapstad 2001, eers vir 'n dolle vyf dae na Amsterdam en London, ek wou weer onafhanklik gaan word. Ek wou weer my eie tasse dra, stres om deur die Immigrasie desks van die wereld te kom en alleen my pad vind tussen klein gragte en moltreine en weet: Kytie kan, Kytie is tough. Ek het al my toughheid verloor in Suid-Afrika want daar kon ek net ek wees in my land waar almal lag as ek se, bliksem en waar almal weet wat ek bedoel as ek praat van biltong. Die United Kingdom het my nou eers laat lei aan die Kaapstad blues. Dit is nou 'n klomp onvriendelike mense in een plek, van die busdrywer tot die man met sy neus in die koerant op die underground. Ek dink hulle het die weer as verskoning. In Holland het ek weer vir Kytie Koekblik raakgeloop tussen die gragte en die ou huisies. Kytie was alleen en sy het haar eie geselskap geniet tussen die mooiheid van die wereld. En ek het besef ek is sterker as wat ek gedink het toe ek sulke lang, lang trane gehuil het op daardie vliegtuig. En ek het geweet, ek sal wel weer aanpas hier in die Verenigde State, en ek is nie alleen nie alhoewel ek so voel. Ons voel mos almal so, op 'n manier. Soos halwe mense. Ek sit vanoggend op kantoor en lees deur die e-mails wat aan my gestuur is deur expats wat almal deur presies dieselfde motions as ek gaan: die Groot Depressie na jy in Suid-Afrika was. Baie dankie vir al daai e-mails, en ek belowe ek gaan probeer om almal terug te beantwoord, want hulle le my baie na aan die hart. Die e-mails het my sommer vanoggend in trane, hierdie eerste oggend terug op kantoor. Juis vanoggend dink ek aan die vriendelik gesigte in die Spar en in die Disa Kem apteek en die carguard se tandlose glimlag en ek vergelyk dit toe met die Maandag-oggend metro gesigte in Washington. Dit was asof die verlang sommer my hart op 'n punt laat trek na daai kontinent toe. Ons is 'n wonderlike klompie mense daar aan die voet van Suid-Afrika. Ek weet ek is partydae baie hard op die Afrikaners en die Suid-Afrikaners en ek veralgemeen soms gruwelik en ek baklei met my Volk soms soos ek met ma baklei. Ek skryf oor tannies wat politiek praat saam met die oggendtee en eintlik is ek trots daarop, ek dink ons Suid-Afrikaners het 'n sosiale en politieke bewustheid wat van ons 'n uitsonderlike groep mense maak, mense wat omgee. En 'n mens baklei mos as jy omgee, met die mense vir wie jy die liefste is. Dis juis wat ons so 'n wonderlike lotjie maak, ons gee om, vir ons land, ons mense, vir mekaar. Dis nie net elke ou vir homself nie, ons het mos nie verniet elke Maandag-oggend tydens skoolbyeenkomste vir jare gesing "Ons vir jou Suid-Afrika nie." Ek sou baie graag wou hoor by al die ekspats, hoekom dink julle ons Suid-Afrikaners is so spesiaal? Wat is dit wat ons so na mekaar en na ons land laat verlang? Hoekom dink ons ons boereworshumor is snaakser as die sitcom-humor van die Amerikaners? (en jammer as ek alweer veralgemeen….ek dink dit is 'n emosionele soort foolproof beskermingsmeganisme) Kytie K. Kytie Koekblik would like you to respond to her tongue-in-cheek running commentary on suburban life in America in this editorial. Fresh off the boat, she is ready to explore and experiment with American bath plugs and to drive on the other side of the road. You can contact her here. © RSA-Overseas & Matheson Communications [ Top ] Kruger millions turn up on Ermelo farm A portion of the Kruger millions may have been found in Ermelo, in the southern part of Mpumalanga, by local farm workers, The Citizen reported on Friday. The Ermelo Town Council went into an emergency meeting to discuss security measures to protect the farmer and workers at the centre of the drama, the newspaper said. A Zulu family living in the area for more than 100 years has been confirmed to have dug up "at least 4 000 Kruger pounds", three kilometres from the farm of JJ Scholtz where a statue of President Paul Kruger was found last month. Analysis of the coins apparently show they were minted in 1889. It is believed that thousands more Kruger pounds could lie buried on the farm, where they were transported during a trip from Pretoria to Durban via Ermelo by two wagons during the South African war. Athol Stark, an Ermelo councillor who heads up the Tourism Board in Ermelo said: "We looked into our local history following the discovery of Paul Kruger's statue last month. This led us back to a Zulu family who contacted me in 1999 to assist them in selling Kruger pounds. Stark has been in constant contact with the family who had been labourers on the farm and found the treasure in the 1960s. With the fortune hidden and sworn to secrecy they have kept quiet about it and have been living off it since. Stark says the family is believed to have sold at least 400 Kruger pounds during the past years to a man in Tembisa for R200 000. Thanks to IOL.co.za [ Top ] 7 new 'Boks announced Plettenberg Bay - Andre Vos will captain a squad that includes seven new faces and marks the return to international rugby of Bob Skinstad, De Wet Barry, Rassie Erasmus and Johan Ackermann. The Springbok selectors on Saturday confirmed a squad of 26 for the forthcoming two-Test series against France. The squad will be reviewed after the second Test. South African Rugby Football Union president Silas Nkanunu was presented with the squad on Saturday afternoon and the selectors took a decision to release it to the media immediately. The new faces are winger Dean Hall, utility back Conrad Jantjes, centre Adrian Jacobs, flyhalf Butch James, scrumhalf Neil de Kock, prop Ettiene Fynn and hooker Lucas van Biljon. Fynn has played for the midweek Boks, but is yet to play a Test match. Springbok coach Harry Viljoen, in announcing the squad, emphasised how difficult it had been to trim the training camp number of 32 to a Test squad of 26. Deon Kayser, Gaffie du Toit, Charl van Rensburg, Francois Swart, Wayne Julies and Lawrence Sephaka were omitted. "Some very good players have not made the squad. The six players to miss out are still very much a part of my plans. All six are naturally disappointed, but equally committed to force their way into the 26-Test squad. I think the camp was a tremendous experience for all 32 and I am particularly pleased at the attitude of the players during the camp," said Viljoen. "We planted the seeds for 2003 over the past fortnight and each player knows what will be required of him in the next two-and-a-half years. I cannot fault one player for commitment or attitude and that is among the most pleasing aspects of the past two weeks." Swart, the SA Under-19 flyhalf, will join Rudy Joubert's SA Under-23 squad in Cape Town on Sunday, as will Julies and Sephaka. Viljoen is delighted that Joubert agreed to accommodate his request to involve Swart. "Francois has enormous potential. The camp was a brilliant experience for him. He got exposed to a culture he wants to be a part of and it is important his development is continued," said Viljoen. "I asked Rudy if he could include him in his plans. Fortunately, Rudy also attended the camp for a day and had a chance to see Francois first-hand. He liked what he saw and it is a boost for our rugby that he was willing to support my desire to see Francois play at a higher level. Wayne and Lawrence were both superb during the camp and are very much a part of our future plans. Both are still Under-23. Lawrence, in particular, has responded to the challenge." Kayser, Sephaka and Du Toit, who were contracted at the beginning of the year, will remain on contract. "I have picked a squad with a two-fold purpose. One is to beat France and the other is to introduce new talent at the highest level. Neil de Kock, Dean Hall, Conrad Jantjes, Adrian Jacobs and Lucas van Biljon are all very talented players. They have impressed me at the camp and it is an exciting time for our rugby to see young talent coming through. I have to develop a strong squad culture. This squad is about 26 players and not 15 starting individuals." The Test 22 will be named on Wednesday, June 13. Springbok Squad to play two-Test series against France. Fullbacks: Percy Montgomery, Thinus Delport Wings: Dean Hall, Breyton Paulse Utility back: Conrad Jantjes Centres: Japie Mulder, Robbie Fleck, De Wet Barry, Adrian Jacobs Flyhalf: Butch James Scrumhalves: Joost van der Westhuizen, Neil de Kock No 8s: Andre Vos (captain), Bob Skinstad Flankers: Rassie Erasmus, Corne Krige Utility forward: Andre Venter Locks: Mark Andrews, Johan Ackermann, Albert van den Berg Tighthead props: Ettiene Fynn, Willie Meyer Loosehead props: Robbie Kempson, Ollie le Roux Hookers: John Smit, Lucas van Biljon. Thanks to IOL.co.za [ Top ]  Ragel Nel ColumnRagel Nel Ragel Nel Washington D.C. - This week I've decided to elaborate on last week's topic and to regale you with more immigration perks. Apart from the whole "exotic accent" thing and odd spelling rules (in the States), there is the fascination with the weather. And I don't just mean our astonishment when we see snow for the first time. (And no, that unseasonable dusting in Jo'burg in 19-whatever doesn't count.) Many fellow-South Africans in the States have remarked how weather often features as a main topic in conversations. And not just in chats between "us" and "them", but also among the locals. It used to be the strangest thing to me, until I realized with shock one day that I was chiming in with all the rest. Whether the weather is good (Alright. Lame pun.) and sunny, or rainy, icy and windy, you can be almost certain that you will be talking about it. Or at the very least, you WILL hear about it. Whether you like it or not, it's a hot topic. (No more intentional puns, I promise…) Take the local television news for example. It's not like back home, where we used to have one weather forecast per news bulletin. Oooh, no. In a typical hour-long news programme, the Americans can easily devote five slots to the weather. And that is on a temperate day, weather wise. If there is a storm, you can bet your bananas that it will feature at the top of the newscast, shoving any other potentially news worthy items - like the drinking habits of the Bush twins - into a distant second place. In fact, in Baltimore, they sometimes can't even wait until the news broadcast. You can be innocently watching "Oprah" on a perfectly sunny afternoon to get a cure for your uncontrollable female angst, when suddenly Oprah's voice will be drowned out by a succession of long, high-pitched beeps. As your dog starts to desperately howl at the sound and you start looking up emergency television repair teams in the Yellow Pages, you glance at your screen once more. You are just in time to see the words "Instant Weather Alert: Ominous Looking Clouds Will Soon Be Looming Outside. Stay Tuned For More Information From Our Expert Meteorologist Storm Thunderman." flashing to the beat of those beeps, before the sound abruptly stops and you are tuned in to "Oprah" once more. Let's face it, though. In America everything happens on a great, super-size scale. The weather here is no different: when it rains it almost always pours and an innocent enough breeze may very well have hurricane potential. At least you'll always have something to gab about to your neighbours! So when the weather strikes again, find comfort in the following phrase by George Gissing: "For the man sound in body and serene of mind there is no such thing as bad weather! Every sky has its beauty, and storms which whip the blood do but make it pulse more vigorously." * Let me know about the idiosyncrasies in your neck of the woods for future "Immigration Perks/Oddities" stories. * We are now in the home stretch of the "name the column" contest. You have until this Friday to grace me with your brilliance. Submit your ideas to redafrica@hotmail.com © RSA-Overseas [ Top ] US imam praises Pagad for war against crime The organisation People Against Gangsterism and Drugs (Pagad) was on the right track in declaring war on drugs and gangsterism, but it should devise a strategy to prevent being in confrontation with state authorities, a cocaine kingpin-turned-imam told a Pagad meeting on Monday. Addressing more than 600 people at a hall in Ottery, Abdul Alim Musa of the Al-Islam mosque in Washington DC, who once imported cocaine from Colombia to the United States, said Pagad had a vital role to play in the community and it needed strength and unity. "Pagad has the correct idea. They view the fight against drugs and gangsterism as a war - a war that is attacking their families, their communities and breaking the community. "I know Pagad has lived under a gun for years. But every group or movement goes through some trial and retribution. When no one stood up against gangsterism and drugs, Pagad stood up. Don't worry about your problems now. You have a big role to play. In a few years, people will be calling 'Bring back Pagad',"said Musa to loud applause. He said he had been the don of the Black Mafia of Northern California, but he said he stopped dealing in drugs when he realised the harm he was causing his community. He gave his money to causes fighting for liberation in the US. "I quit because of consciousness reasons and because of Allah. It was not because of the government." Turning to the media, Musa said they also had a huge role to play. "You have to join the struggle against gangsterism and drugs. If we don't stop drugs and gangsterism, we won't have the bright future we have struggled for. All our aspirations towards a brighter future will go up in a smoke." Thanks to IOL.co.za [ Top ] |
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