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Last Update: November 26, 2001 |
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Thousands march after another baby is raped Thousands of South Africans went on the march against the abuse of women and children on Sunday - only hours after the rape of another baby had shocked the country. The crime-weary nation was still reeling from the rape of a nine-month-old girl, allegedly by six men, in Louisvale, Upington, earlier this month, when an eight-month-old baby was raped in Elsies River on Friday night. In Cape Town on Sunday, hundreds of men supported White Ribbon Day by marching through the streets of Observatory in protest at the abuse of women and children. Marches also took place in Gauteng and Durban. Police spokesperson Rod de Beer estimated that 2 000 men took part in the march, which began and ended at the Hartleyvale Stadium. At the stadium, about 1 000 women took part in a rally against the abuse of women and children. March organiser Paula Chaplin said 31 busloads of women, some from as far afield as Bredasdorp, took part in the event. The march was part of a 16-day campaign, organised by the government and civic groups, against violence against women and children. Among those at the rally were Anglican Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane, PAC MP Patricia de Lille, Deputy Minister of Justice Cheryl Gilwald, acting mayor Belinda Walker, and representatives of the Muslim Judicial Council and Jewish Board of Deputies. Before the march, Ndungane said: "Abuse is reaching levels it has not reached before. We see the rape of babies. But today we want to say real men care, real men don't abuse women and real men don't rape." While the men marched, Women Demand Dignity presented 12 White Ribbon awards to people who had made "a breakthrough in reducing violence against women". Among the recipients was Alix Carmichele, who took legal action against the government for failing to protect her from being assaulted by a convicted rapist. "I'm deeply honoured and I accept this on behalf of all crime victims." Goodwood child protection unit chief Jan Swart accepted an award on behalf of the 14-year-old unit. "This year we have had five life sentences. It's never happened before." At the rally, an agenda for change was handed to the Minister of Social Development, Zola Skweyiya. It calls for the speedy promulgation of the Sexual Offences Bill and for rape and sexual abuse to be recognised as crimes equivalent to murder. Skweyiya called on all South Africans to be involved in the crusade for moral regeneration. Thanks to IOL.co.za [ Top ]  Kytie Koekblik ColumnKytie Koekblik Washington D.C. - Die Big Cheese deel my vanoggend mee dat hy oppad is na NOG ‘n dokter toe vir ‘n afspraak. Ek dag, maar die Big Cheese is mos ‘n hypocondriac, of hoe? Die Big Cheese was nou al by die kidney doctor, die computer doctor, die diabetes dokter, die general check-up, die dokter wat jou spiere oppas en in jou neusgate loer, hy was nou by die hele ou spulletjie. Hy moet nog net die eye doctor gaan sien. Waarom gaan jy na al die dokters toe, vra ek vir die Big Cheese. “That is the Standard American check-up,” verduidelik die Big Cheese. “It involves all the peripheral stuff.” Standard check-up se kleintoon. Die Big Cheese het dan selfs vir ‘n colonoscopy gegaan . Dit behels ‘n scope wat in jou colon rondgewoel word. Klink nou glad nie vir my plesierig nie. Die Standard check-up klink in elk geval vir my soos net nog ‘n manier waarop die Amerikaners kan geld maak. EK weet met die laaste standard check-up het die dokter ‘n rare kidney-disease in die Big Cheese ontdek maar gerieflik vergeet om vir hom te waarsku dat hy ‘n high risk kandidaat vir diabetes is. Toe gee die Big Cheese se pankreas in en hy kry diabetes en tydens sy laaste check-up kon die kidney dokter nie meer tekens vind van die rare kidney disease nie! Die Big Cheese reken die diabetes was ‘n “blessing in disguise” omdat dit hom geforseer het om sy leefstyl te verander. Vandat hy nou gesond eet en gekrimp het tot ‘n middelmatige cheese, hoef ons nie meer te worry oor gerekte knie-spiere of hoe bloeddruk of sy ekstreme cholestrol vlakke nie. “So have they found anything wrong with you?” vra ek vir die Big Cheese na sy besoek aan die cardiologist. “Its just a check-up,” se die Big Cheese. As die dokters vir hom “preventative measures” sou voorstel sou ek dalk dink die check-up is ‘n goeie idee, maar ons weet mos hulle gaan dit nie doen nie. Anders sou die Big Cheese mos geweet het hy is ‘n diabetes kandidaat.’ Die Cardiologist het niks fout gevind met die Baas se hart nie. Sy kon glo selfs sy hartklop heel maklik vind vandat hy soveel gewig afgeskud het. Soms sukkel hulle maar met oorgewig patiente. Die dokters moet die patiente selfs op hulle rug draai om ‘n hartklop agter die blad - waar daar minder vet is - te probeer vind. Partykeer, as daar glo sowat ‘n voet of wat vet oor die hart is, kan hulle geheel en al nie ‘n hartklop vind nie. Ten spyte van al sy standard check-ups is daar toe wel iets fout met die Big Cheese. Dis niks nuut nie en die check-up het ook boggerol gehelp geen dokter het eers besef dier Big Cheese het ‘n pynlike probleem nie. Die Big Cheese maak toe vir homself ‘n afsprakie met die “Podiatrist.” Hy is in soveel pyn en dit gaan ten minste ‘n “minor surgical operation” wees, meen die Big Cheese. Wat op die liewe aarde is ‘n podiatrist, wonder ek. ‘n Voetdokter. “You’re in pain?” vra ek aan die Big Cheese. “I have an ingrown toenail,” se die Baas. Volgens die Big Cheese, kon hy in sy pre-diabetes dae nie sy voete bo-oor sy maag sien nie. Hy was te embarrassed om vir iemand te vra om vir hom te help. Daarom word ‘n gewone toonnael toe ‘n Probleem Toonnael. Vandat hy soveel gewig verloor het, nurse die Big Cheese toe die Probleem Toonnael met sorg. Maar die ding is al die afgelope paar maande so seer dat hy dit nie kon knip nie. Toe die Big Cheese se toonnael ‘n sentimeter te lank is en omkrul soos ‘n curly french fry, toe besluit hy om die dokter te gaan sien. Ons almal wag toe in spanning om te hoor of die minor surgery toe goed afgeloop het. Die Big Cheese was ge-worry dat hulle onder anaesthetic die toonnael sou moes uithaal. Gelukkig vir die Big Cheese, het die dokter toe een groot voordeel. Sy toonnael-clipper is skerper as elke Jan Rap en sy maat se apteek-special. Die dokter het dus die toonnael netjies en versigtig afgeknip en vir my baas $100 gecharge, dus ongeveer R1000 om jou toonnael met ‘n skerp skoon naelknipper te laat knip. Ek is oortuig daarvan die Koreaanse salon op die hoek waar jy ‘n pedikuur vir $15 kan kry, sou ook met hulle skerp instrumente die Probleem Toonnael kon afknip. Dit is dus hopelik die einde van die Probleem Toonnael. Die Podiatrist, wat voorheen bekend was as ‘n “chiropodist,” vertel toe aan die Big Cheese dat talle patiente wat hom kom sien aan diabetes lei. Sommige verloor gevoel in hulle voete en ander kan nie hulle voete sien nie. Dit gebeur dus gereeld dat diabetes lyers ‘n skrapie of blaas kry of hulleself raaksny, maar hulle weet nie daarvan nie en kry dus ‘n “diabetes voet.” Die Podiatrist vertel daar was op ‘n dag ‘n ou man wat gekla het van ‘n pyn in sy voet. Die ou man kon nie fout vind met sy eie voet nie maar dit was so ‘n verlammende seer gevoel, binne in die voet. Na die Podiatrist x-rays van die voet laat neem het, ontdek hulle toe ‘n twee-inch spyker binne sy voet. Die ou man kon nie voel toe die spyker ingaan nie, en die vel het toe bo-oor toegegroei! My baas het dus vir my ‘n pamflet in die hand gestop om vir myself te leer om my voete op te pas. Die “Diabetic Foot Care” pamflet help jou ook om meer te leer van algemene voetsorg. En Kytie pleit baie skuldig. Soms dra ek skoene wat my voete dood maak omdat ek te lui is om vir my nuwes te gaan soek. Of omdat ek nie wil geld spandeer aan skoene wanneer daar soveel ander wonderlike in hierdie lewe is om te koop en te doen nie. En ek gaan mos op 15 mile rollerblade eskursies saam met Misterieuse Rollerbladers of ek ysskaats tot die velle hang. My arme voete vat al die punch vir my altdy-aan-die-hardloop of spring of dans leefstyl. So ondersoek daai voete. “The Feet Probe”. Dr Wie-ook-al se voetsoute doen jou die wereld se goed. Knip daai toonnaels mooi reguit en knip hulle gereeld en droog tusse jou tone af. Selfs in die Boy Scouts leer die boytjies van kleins af hoe omblase mooi op te pas en reg te dokter. En onthou wat my ma gese het, ‘n mens kry net een paar voete. PS: Die Baas se disclaimer Daar was 'n tyd toe ek my voete opgepas het, dit was tydens my army dae. Ek het in die army boots gehad wat twee sizes te groot is so ek het 3/4 pare sokkies gedra. 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 ] Hello Houston, we Boks have a problem The Springboks were a sad, sorry-looking lot when they arrived from London and took up unwilling residence among the towering skyscrapers of downtown Houston. A week that was supposed to be a vacation that would culminate in a light workout against the US Eagles has now been rendered a painful, meaningless chore by the losses to, first France and latterly, against England. The homesick, fed-up Boks looked like a troop of bears with sore heads after a journey that embarked from London at 5.30am, with 10 hours of flying time then sandwiched between two hours of security checks on either side of the Atlantic. And to cause additional severe irritation, on arrival at Houston airport the players were forced to wash every pair of shoes/boots in their possession -including the ones they were wearing - as a precaution against foot-and-mouth disease. "The mood is pretty sombre," admitted coach Harry Viljoen as the squad checked into a 40-floor monolith in the heart of Houston's glistening CBD. "It has to be after a performance like that but no matter how much our thoughts are turning to home, the reality is that we have to overcome the disappointment and focus on finishing the year off on a postive note. And the opportunities are there for fringe players to state their case after a number of players disappointed in London." Certainly the team to play the Eagles will bare no resemblance (thank goodness) to the team that was routed 29-9 by England. For a start, five players have been left behind in London to participate in the Barbarians v Australia game at Twickenham this week, leaving Viljoen with a squad of just 24. Missing the first Bok trip to the USA since 1981 are: Mark Andrews, Breyton Paulse, Percy Montgomery, Corne Krige and Braam van Straaten. The big scorer this week will be loosehead Lawrence Sephaka, who will make his Test debut. The Lions prop will form a brand new front row with Lukas van Biljon and Cobus Visagie, both of whom were on the bench against England. Viljoen is looking to start ring- rusty tourists Andre Venter and Albert van den Berg in the second row - again a new combination. The loose trio may have a more familiar look. Viljoen wants Skinstad to captain the team but the No 8 is struggling with a badly bruised shoulder. If Skinstad plays, the flanks will be Joe van Niekerk and in-form AJ Venter, with weary Andre Vos taking a deserved break. But if Skinstad is unfit, Vos will captain the team. The backs will be just as much of a mix and match. Joost van der Westhuizen will be replaced by Deon de Kock, Louis Koen will continue at flyhalf but their will be a new midfield. The exciting Adrian Jacobs will introduce some blessed relief at inside centre and he is likely to be partnered by Andre Snyman. Pieter Rossouw will come in on the wing, with the under-utilised Dean Hall and Conrad Jantjes continuing at left wing and fullback respectively. [ Top ] I love Cape Town, says Easy Rider star Hopper "Cape Town? I love it. It is more beautiful even than I imagined. The people are wonderful, the food is incredible, and the film crews are as good as anywhere. "You're in an ideal situation - everyone should be proud of where they live." This was the rave review of Cape Town by film actor Dennis Hopper, famed for his sinister, brooding roles in cult movies such as Blue Velvet and Easy Rider. Hopper is in Cape Town for the filming of The Piano Player, an action drama, with co-star Christopher Lambert, the star of the Highlander series and Greystoke, The Legend of Tarzan. Over the past week, Hopper and Lambert have been filming scenes on the Aspinall family's estate, De Goede Hoop, in Noordhoek, and on several locations in Kenilworth and in the city bowl. Much of The Piano Player is set in a 1950s South African mining village. A film set village is being built in the Cederberg, where filming is to begin in about two weeks. Hopper plays Robert Nile, who has a deep connection with the underworld and is preparing to testify against mobster kingpin Christo Nicol. Christopher Lambert is Alex Laney, the piano player of the title, whose parents were murdered when he was a child. Laney is employed by Nile as a bodyguard and knows about his criminal connections, but continues to protect Nile and his daughter Erika. After an attempt is made to murder Nile, the three of them have to run for the only safe haven left to them - the remote village in which Nile grew up. Hopper lit a giant cigar and called for some "strong" tea before sitting down for a conversation on Sunday. He said the scenery around Constantia Uitsig, where he had just had lunch, was "very beautiful". He said it was like California. "It would be easy to shoot California here." Thanks to IOL.co.za [ Top ]  Nel's KitchenRagel Nel Ragel Nel Washington D.C. - The holiday season has officially arrived in the United States. It kicked off with Thanksgiving last Thursday. Despite having been in the country for the last five years, I still can't get used to some of the strange traditions Americans have. (And no, having turkey dinners with odd and long lost - but in many cases apparently not lost for long enough - relatives year after year, isn't even on that list!) The day after Thanksgiving is always a Friday (and no, I don't have amazing calendar calculating abilities allowing me to tell which date will fall on which day. I merely know this because who ever authorizes American holidays, always see to it that Thanksgiving will be on a Thursday) , and it's ominously known as Black Friday, and with good reason too, I tell you! You see, my friends, on this day known as Black Friday, Americans flock to shopping malls (or anywhere else they can find a shop and a sale) to take part in a nightmarish tradition: to do their Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa shopping. On this day, merchants compete more aggressively for clients, because this one and unofficial day of holiday shopping can make or break their annual revenue, believe it or not. Therefore the implications of a bleak Black Friday are serious stuff, and a bad one could easily lead to a stock market crash. I know I've written about the American shopping phenomenon before; about the fact that it's a national past time in this country (in some instances elevated to an art form) and the only opportunity for many to leave their houses for something other than going to work. Well, if shopping had been a sport, the BFSM (Black Friday Shopping Marathon) would have been its Olympic Games. In case you're still unable to wrap your mind around the idea, let me give you some hard core statistics: The American population (when I checked last Saturday at noon) stands at 285,603,678. (And while I was online, it increased by 22 in about 5 seconds.) Now, while you let that sink in, imagine all 285,603,678 men, women and children (and infants WILL be there, you can be sure. They start them off early in this country. Straight from the incubator into the baby seat of a shopping cart.) out shopping. Hopefully not at the same shopping mall, but if you look at some malls on Black Friday, it's hard to imagine that everyone isn't convened at just one mall! (And if you've ever wondered why the parking lots at malls are so vast, now you know.) I promise you, for once in the brief history of my column writing career, I'm not embellishing! In some places, people start queuing up as early as 3 am on the morning of Black Friday so that they can be the first to get their hands on the latest gadget for a fraction of the going rate. (Because on this day, the term On Sale gets a whole new meaning.) I think many store managers derive a sadistic pleasure from the whole affair. I'm sure that on every Black Friday, they sit snugly in their manager's booth with a view over the entire store, rubbing their hands with glee at the chaotic sight of manic shoppers trampling each other in the crowded aisles below. I'm also positive that on the Saturday after Black Friday - before even tallying up their profits of the day before - they already start making plans for the next year's Black Friday. I don't really know what this should tell us about the American psyche. For the life of me I can't imagine why Americans get up at indecent hours once a year to travel to the nearest shopping mall along with everyone else, only to stand in line for hours in the freezing cold in order to snatch up the device of the moment. I'm not really a traditional kind of gal, but I normally have respect for people who like to stick to the comfort (or whatever it is they derive from it) of their own traditions. But really, if a tradition is so incredibly stupid, I have to wonder if laws shouldn't prohibit them from being kept up. Think about it: isn't it a little strange that the same Americans who are quick to admit that they hate being stuck in rush hour traffic on their commute to work would WILLINGLY subject themselves to the above? (Rest assured, though, all you marathon shoppers out there, Black Friday won't go anywhere, because too big a part of the American economy depends on it.) In case you need more proof that I'm not exaggerating: on the news that night, footage was shown of two women involved in a vicious argument (the kind during which the features on their faces are so contorted, you'd be unable to identify them under normal circumstances.). At first I thought it was footage from a soap opera cat fight that had mistakenly been slipped into the news bulletin, but then the anchor said that it was two regular women in Washington State. They had apparently lost their tempers (and minds) after standing in line for two hours to buy CD players on sale for $45. How's THAT for capturing the true spirit of the holiday season? Another news bulletin told the story of a man in Illinois who went to a local mall, doused himself in gasoline, and set himself on fire while shouting anti-war slogans or something. Although I think he should be nominated for the Darwin Awards, I have to admit that he picked a good time and place to stage a one-man protest. He couldn't have had a larger audience, even if he had pulled off the same stunt in the middle of a football field during the Superbowl match. But as amused and astounded as I am by the whole Black Friday shopping tradition, I'm also very happy about it. You see, it means that from now until Christmas, the stores will be virtually deserted. Okay, it won't really be entirely empty, but at least all the really crazy types have already finished their shopping on Black Friday which leaves me free to do my own shopping in relative peace. And peace - even peace of mind - is what the holidays are all about after all. © RSA-Overseas [ Top ] Welcome to SA, cheapest country in the world The latest fall in the rand means that South Africa has become the first country in the world where a Big Mac hamburger costs less than a United States dollar, an economist said here on Thursday. Tradek economist Mike Schussler said a Big Mac cost R9,95 - while the exchange rate against the dollar was R9,97. "Along with this we have also just become the cheapest country in the world, according to the Big Mac index," Schussler said. The Big Mac index is an unofficial, global barometer that uses the ubiquitous McDonalds product to measure the purchasing power of the currencies of countries around the world. "In fact we are just over 13 percent cheaper than the second cheapest country on the list - the Philippines - and 20 percent cheaper than China," he said. "In April this year a Big Mac still cost less in the Philippines than in South Africa by a 2c margin. Now Big Mac burgers in South Africa are nearly 14c cheaper than in the Philippines and 21c cheaper than in China." Schussler said Big Macs in South Africa cost 40 percent less than the same product in the US. "This shows that the internal purchasing power of the rand is holding up quite well as the external purchasing power falls like a stone. "Sooner or later the two must meet, with either inflation or the rand recovering somewhat," he said. The Big Mac index also shows that the rand is about 61 percent undervalued when compared to the dollar. Thanks to IOL.co.za [ Top ] |
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