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Battlefield Harare as Mugabe's men run riot Harare - Supporters of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe stoned the headquarters of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) as they rampaged through the capital Harare on Monday. Opposition members who left the building were arrested by riot police massed in the city. The pro-Mugabe militants were seen shattering the ground floor windows of the MDC office building and the window of a nearby shop. The attack on the MDC headquarters came shortly after militants stormed the seat of city government, where MDC candidates were filing nomination papers for municipal elections, witnesses said. Police sealed off the Town House building, where several ambulances were seen leaving. Vendors at a market across the street said the attack sent throngs of people fleeing, only to be chased by pro-government militants brandishing sticks, shovels and bricks. Most vendors at the market quickly packed their wares and shut down. Crowds of others fled in various directions from baton-wielding riot police deployed on the city's main streets. Several groups of pro-government liberation war veterans and members of the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF) crisscrossed the city. A witness said militants also caused panic in a posh high-rise office building and shopping mall where MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai keeps an office. Several passers-by were beaten with sticks, the witness said. Police spokesperson Tarwireyi Tirivavi said he had no details on the attacks or their cause. It was unclear what sparked the militants' attacks in downtown Harare, but on Sunday a war veterans leader, Patrick Nyaruwata, had threatened to take action if the government took too long to prosecute Tsvangirai in an alleged plot to kill Mugabe. The attacks came during the increasingly tense run-up to the presidential election set for March 9-10, when Mugabe faces his toughest-ever challenge from Tsvangirai. Zimbabwe has suffered widespread political violence for almost two years, but it has mostly been confined to the countryside and the urban townships, rarely touching the capital. At least 19 people have died in politically motivated attacks since December 24, most of them MDC supporters. Thanks to IOL.co.za [ Top ]  Kytie Koekblik ColumnKytie Koekblik Washington D.C. - Dis vroeg-oggend en buite lyk dit soos ‘n reenerige Kaapse dag maar dis actually net nog ‘n vrek-koue dag in Washington DC. Ek is soos altyd in hierdie land in a state van konstante ongemak: dis of buite te koud en binne te warm of binne te koud en buite te warm. Ek sluk my bagel en cream cheese af met ‘n 20 ounce cup met slegte filterkoffie en half ‘n half creamer. Begin 2000 sou ek instant Nescafe koffie met ‘n sny toast in Suid-Afrika gedrink het; en ek sit so en dink aan hoe ek Washington DC my Home gemaak het, toe die Big Cheese instap met ‘n sak biltong wat hy van Biltong USA in North Carolina ge-order het. (Dis nou die biltong makers wat destyds stof in die oe geskop het van ander biltongmakers op Loftus versveld.) “I’m getting the taste of South Africa now, my tastebuds are saying Hello South Africa.” se die Big Cheese. “I feel like Suidwes game biltong, or koedoe, springbok or eland net nie giraffe nie.” Dis 9:30. Ek sluk aan my koffie met ‘n stuk swaar, rou tough vleis in die hand en skeur daaraan asof ek ‘n predator is. Ons eet die eerste halfpond op asof biltong out of fashion gaan (well dit was nog nooit eers fashion in die VSA nie). “Things are getting totally out of hand” se die Big Cheese toe hy die twee pak oopskeur met sy boxcutter. Ek kyk die storietjie so: Kyk die Big Cheese het mos major tand-probleme, so major dat hy volgende week op ‘n dental trip na Suid-Afrika vertrek waar ene Dr Pieter Mussman van Durbanville sy drie tande gaan stop en kroon as dit nodig is. Binne ‘n week gaan die Big Cheese kan pies eet en in biltong shops inloop om droewors te koop maar ons eet desperaat verder voort aan die half-breed biltong USA. “My tastebuds are tasting my country,” se die Big Cheese. En my tastebuds se dieselfde storie. Ek proe Suid-Afrika. Net ‘n ware Suid-Afrikaner sal swaar stukke rooi droe vleis eet so vroeg in die oggend. (Amerikaanse honde sal nie eers biltong eet nie; hulle eet mos gourmet blikke hondjiekos in hierdie land. En k hond-eienaars trek ook hulle neuse op vir ‘n goeie tjopbeentjie. Maar jy kan actually spesiale DOG JERKY koop vol gestop van preserveerdmiddels dis nou nitche marketing in hierdie consumer-oriented land.) Binne ‘n week loop jy in die strate van die mooiste Kaap rond, se ek vir die Big Cheese en my hart trek klein. “I think perhaps my image of Cape Town will be tarnished by the crime and poverty.” Se die Big Cheese hartseer “Mbeki’s put a damper on my feelings… But Cape Town was never beautiful. Yo’d have to live in a bubble to think so.” Ons dink mos altyd aan die Kaap as die mooiste plek maar die Big Cheese meen net soos ‘n vrou kan skoonheid nie net van buite kom nie. Met al sy toeriste attraksies staar die sosiale realiteite van ons landjie ons in die oe: niks verander vir die massa armes nie. En mense word afgemaai, en van gedispose. Hoe voel jy nou dat jy huis toe gaan vir die eerste keer in 5 jaar, vra ek die Big Cheese. Hy het destyds, toe hy 28 was, na die VSA geimmigreer. Sy home is nou hier saam met die Alpha female en sy twee Yankee kinders. “Is South Africa still home for you, do you FEEL it?” vra ek. “I still get that feeling when I’m sitting here in the US, thinking or dreaming about South Africa,” Se die Big Cheese en ek weet sy gedagtes dink ver terug aan die dae toe hy ook net ‘n kommerlose youth was wat surf op Big Bay, sommer net ‘n doodgewone Cape Town boytjie. “I suspect when I’m there on the ground, smelling the air, that the crime and the ugly news which I’ve mostly been able to isolate myself from living in the states - that is going to be in my daily consciousness and in every newspaper. I’m scared that is going to tarnish the reputation of my mother city in my head.” Se die Big Cheese. Ek voel effe anders as die Big Cheese, sien sy Suid-Afrika in sy kop van 15 jaar terug is ‘n miskien ‘n crimelose plek; in my SuiD-Afrika was girls nog altyd bang om alleen in die nag rond te loop. Ek dink nie ek isolate myself van crime hier in die States nie, ek dink meer as ooit daaraan, dis ‘n soort sluimerende paranoia in my agterkop. Dis weird, as ek in Suid-Afrika is leeeeef ek net, in ‘n soort bubbel van happy ignorance en denial en jy vermy die N2 snelweg snags . Jy doen soveel moontlik om jouself te beskerm en dan vergeet jy maar van die vrees want dit is beter so. “Cape Town was never beautiful,” se die Big Cheese weer. “It is a tragic place. I am going to confront that, see it face to face, and I’ll try my best not to pass any judgements or comments because I’m realising more and more I’m just a visitor.” In ons altwee se koppe sien ons die Suid-Afrikaanse koerante se headlines en die squatterkampe langs die N2. “New democracy is supposed to bring more choices to impoverished masses and their lives haven’t changed at all,” se die Big Cheese met die soort passion wat ‘n mens net vir jou home land kan he, al voel jy ook soos ‘n toeris daarbinne. Die Big Cheese was laas in 1996 in SA; en ook in 1994 toe hy ‘n election observer was. Nou significantly down the road and into the new South Africa, gaan die Big Cheese terugkom met nuwe impressions. Eerstens gaan die Big Cheese bly in ‘n flat in Seepunt, wat mos deesdae genoem word “Langa by the sea.” Hy is nogal geworried oor sy rental car omdat hulle nie vir hom ‘n 100% car insurance wil gee nie obviously will hulle nie want daar is probably ‘n 70% kans dat daar by jou kar ingebreek gaan word. In Amerika kry jy natuurlik ‘n 100% assuransie. “Kry ‘n guerilla lock,” se ek vir die Big Cheese. “En moet niks in jou kar los nie. En kry ‘n radio waarvan jy die gesiggie kan afhaal sodat dit lyk asof daar geen radio in jou kar is nie.” Die Big Cheese kyk na my met groot oe. “Does the government think people want to be tourists in a country where they have to have guerilla locks.” En mace ook, dink ek. Veral as jy ‘n vrou is. Die Big Cheese kry so ‘n hartseer uitdrukking op sy gesig en ek kan sien sy kop loop ver paaie. Kyk, elke expat het mos bittersweet gedagtes as jy aan Suid-Afrika dink. Elke Suid-Afrikaner wat ek hier in die VSA teekom, se Suid-Afrika in sy kop is besoedel met gedagtes aan apartheidspolitiek en die daaropvolgende Mbeki-katastrofe. Die Big Cheese se Return to the Motherland gaan vir hom hartseer wees. Alles wat hy altyd gedoen het in Suid-Afrika kan hy nie meer vandag doen nie. Die Big Cheese sou graag Lions head wou uitstap op ‘n volmaannag saam met sy goeie vriende. Daarvan bo-af sou hy na die stad se liggies wou kyk en filosofeer oor die lewe met ‘n bottel Tassies. Of hy sou met sy Tassies by die Rhodes Memorial wou gaan sit- hy’t destyds altyd sy girlfriends soontoe geneem, t.s.v. die occasional knock on the window deur ‘n stoerige Afrikaanse boertjie met ‘n flits wat jou hande se kleur wou uitcheck. Net dalk, breek jy mos die Immorality Act. Hy sou ook graag die trein wou vat Kalkbaai hawe toe om in die nag na die dronk vissermanne se gevloek te gaan luister. “Will some of my friends be prepared to do that? Some of them say they won’t take the train if you paid them.” Die Big Cheese is nie geintereseerd in Kaapstad se nuwe shopping mall of die nuwe theme park Ratanga Junction nie of die nuwe dobbelpaleis waar die ou Goodwood showgrounds was nie. Hy wil sy ou self gaan soek in ‘n plek wat hom nie kan toelaat om dit te doen nie die kanse is te groot dat hy homself sal verloor en net nog ‘n crime statistiek gaan word. Gevind in ‘n bos. Doodgesteek met ‘n mes. Geskiet. Ek is nogsteeds kwaad. Ek sit hier en ek proe Suid-Afrika in die biltong en dit proe selfs effe bitter in my mond. In die dae voor ek na die States gekom het, was dit vir my normaal om nie in die nag gou-gou na die grocery store te hardloop nie; of om nie girl-alleen die N1 of N2 Kaap toe te vat nie; of om te se, ag wat my goed is gesteel, ses inbrake in die laaste twee jaar maar sou what ons is mos nie dood of gerape nie. Watter soort normaal is dit vir enige mens? En die arme vrouens en kinders in die townships is off worse. En die government hou vol: Ons het nie ‘n probleem met crime nie, die probleem is rassisme. Ons het ‘n probleem met crime; dit neem ons land van ons af weg. 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 ] New S.A. ID lets your fingerprints do the talking The identification details of all South Africans are to be transferred from paper to a computer database, within a year, under a new system officially handed over to the government on Monday. The Home Affairs National Identification System (Hanis), would form the foundation for many efforts the government is to undertake in years to come, Home Affairs Minister Mangosuthu Buthelezi said at a ceremony in Pretoria. "Hanis is a clear example of how South Africa can leap-frog ahead and set the basis to redress our grave and many shortcomings by implementing solutions which are ahead of the times." Buthelezi said the system would boost the delivery of public services and help eliminate identity document duplication and fraud. It was expected to cut by 80 percent the current waiting time of about six weeks for a new identity document or passport. The government has budgeted R800-million over five years for Hanis, which was developed by the MarPless consortium, a joint venture between Japan's Marubeni Corporation and Plessy of South Africa. Home Affairs director-general Billy Masetlha said about R438-million of the money budgeted had been spent so far, and the department did not expect to exceed the available amount, despite pressure on the rand. The next phase of the project was the introduction of so-called "smart cards" containing all an individual's identification details, including fingerprints. Buthelezi said South Africans would be able to use these cards at all branches of government, or private entities which adopted a system to read them electronically. This would make "a great contribution to the development of public sector initiatives as, for instance, it can be used for identification purposes in building access control or by vending machines which intend to restrict their products, such as cigarettes, to adults only." It was also envisaged that pensioners would be able to use the card to get their monthly grants. Buthelezi said this stage of the project would be outlined in a few months, pending the recommendations of a commission advising on the tender process. The commission, headed by Professor Fink Haysom, is to ensure the process gave no opportunities for fraud, corruption or waste, and that government received the best value for money. "As you know, with a project like this which involves billions of rands, people smell a rat even if there is no rat," the minister said. At a media conference later, neither Buthelezi nor Masetlha was prepared to elaborate on the projected costs of the smart card phase. A figure quoted in the media of R2,5-billion was a "wild guesstimate", with the department's own figures indicating an amount "far below that", Masetlha said. He said South Africans might have to pay about R60 per card if the cost of the project was to be borne solely by citizens - but this figure could not be used to calculate the overall cost as there were many other expenses. The government was still deciding whether or not to subsidise the cards. They would also not speculate on a date for the introduction of the cards. Buthelezi described the Hanis system as an example of technological investment needed to boost the country's economic growth. "E-governance may now become a reality, and I suspect that in ten years more applications will be based on the foundation of the Hanis programme and the use of smart cards than we can even envisage at this juncture." The system would make it easier and faster for people to obtain services they were entitled to, and fraud extremely difficult. He added the system could make it possible to delegate the delivery of certain services directly to municipalities. People could one day get identity documents, birth, marriage and death certificates from local councils. The Hanis system would also help with updating the voters roll, and could one day be used to control the movements of foreigners in the country. Buthelezi warned that any greater measure of power opened the door to abuse. For this reason, he had asked the Haysom Commission to make recommendations on preventing abuse. It was expected to propose on how to protect every citizen's right to privacy. "Their recommendation will identify whether administrative measures to deal with these issues, including the establishment of an ombudsman or dedicated grievance office, will be sufficient or whether there will be a need for additional legislation," the minister said. Thanks to IOL.co.za [ Top ] Name changes: 'We're not aiming at Afrikaner' Lebowakgomo - The renaming of the Northern Province and its towns is not aimed at humiliating the Afrikaner, says Premier Ngoako Ramathlodi. "Those who argue that we have no right to use our own name because it is too expensive to do so or is an insult to their history are missing the point," he said, opening the province's legislature. The legislature on Tuesday approved Limpopo as the new name for the province. Ramatlhodi said the proposed name was submitted to parliament to allow for the necessary amendments to the constitution. The premier also announced that Warmbaths would become Bela-Bela, Nylstroom would be Modimolle, Potgietersrus became Mokopane, Pietersburg would be Polokwane and Messina would change to Musina. Not all the names due for change had been altered. It allowed more time for consultation, he said. The total cost of the name change was estimated at R40 million. An amount of R2 million for initial promotion and marketing would come from the premier's discretionary fund. Provision was made for the remainder of the costs in the normal budgets of departments and parastatals, said Ramatlhodi. To mitigate the cost, the province would take a phased approach to introduce the new names. He said there was no intention of imposing new number plates on residents. "Should a change occur, it will be phased in over a period of five years. Those willing to change will be free to do so immediately." Ramatlhodi said that in the process of Africans' subjugation to colonial rule, they lost everything, including their right to their own names. "With that, our sense of self-esteem suffered a massive blow. Part of the task of the liberation struggle is to regain the humanity of the Africans, including their right to call themselves by their own names," he said. "What we seek and hope to achieve, is to elevate the status of the African to that of their fellow compatriots. We are thus discharging our obligation under the constitution by freeing the languages that were shackled by colonialism and apartheid. "This is nothing less than an act of self-affirmation. By this act, we are also saying to our ourselves and to our compatriots, that none is superior and none inferior in this, our common motherland." The premier said the history before 1994 was characterised by unequal relations between the conquerors and the conquered. "The miracle of 1994 created a new set of relations, where all South Africans would, at last, become one family and equal before the law. Implications of these watershed events are, among others, that those who have been denied by law to use their own names should be free to do so. "It is this right - the right to choose what to call ourselves, our province and our towns that we are invoking." Varity merger welcomed Those who were genuine about reconciliation would readily support an act which affirmed the humanity of their fellow citizens, said Ramatlhodi. "As for those who believe that their selfworth would be too expensive to purchase, one can only express a sense of deep disappointment. In the name of our people, we are prepared to pay the price." Ramatlhodi also referred to a proposal by the national working group on the restructuring of higher education that the universities of the North and Venda should merge with the Medical University of SA (Medunsa). "We are... concerned about the brain drain of professionals, specialists and qualified nurses from our province. We need to develop strategies to retain and develop these vital skills. "The proposed merger of Medunsa, University of the North and University of Venda feels like a pocket of fresh air in this context. Accordingly, we welcome and support it." Thanks to IOL.co.za [ Top ]  Nel's KitchenRagel Nel Ragel Nel Washington D.C. - People, we are all in grave danger. That is the startling discovery I made when I paged through one of those Time/Life A – Z self-help medical books written in layman’s terms especially for the general public, thus enabling us to diagnose ourselves with an alarming array of illnesses without any assistance from a doctor. This book is any Hypochondriac’s dream. You can start off optimistically enough on page one – as I did – thinking that you are in excellent health, never suspecting that an all-consuming illness is slumbering inside you just waiting to rear its feverish, poisonous head when you least expect it to. But trust me, no matter how optimistic you think you are in terms of your own health and well being: by page two you will firmly believe that you are definitely dying. I’m so bewildered right now (and I’m only at the chapter on Osteoporosis. Page 188. And I have just as many pages left to go, not counting the glossary.), I have completely forgotten why I picked up this book in the first place. I’ve FORGOTTEN?!? Must be the first sign of Alzheimer’s. Yes, what do you know! There it is, on page 50 under Head & Nervous System and next to Headaches (and if you have a headache right now, I’m afraid I have very, very bad news for you: you possibly have a brain haemorrhage, or Meningitis, or a brain tumour, or a temporomandibular disorder, or… Oh, just call an ambulance.): "Alzheimer’s Disease: Signs and Symptoms: Memory problems that become progressively worse! And Confusion, faulty judgement (according to my parents, I most certainly have both of those.) and an increasing tendency to lose things!" I’m convinced. That’s me! I have all those symptoms! The car keys have been gone since last Thursday and my mom always says if my head wasn’t screwed on… Well, even that is of no help anymore, because here goes my mind anyway. The book starts off pleasantly and helpful enough. "We want to show you how you can best take care of yourself and your family." (Ha ha. That last bit is very funny. I think my family would rather expire than allow me to come near them with medical advice! I can hardly follow a basic cooking recipe, let alone step by step instructions on how to correctly apply first aid under pressure during an emergency.) But halfway through that seemingly sincere introduction, they start dropping the hints – that you are about to find out that you are actually very ill – as subtly as nuclear bombs. In order to best terrorise you, they list all the things that can possibly be wrong with you (and, if it isn’t already, will be soon!) in alphabetical order: from Animal Bites to Appendicitis, to Yellow Eyes to Xenophobia. (Okay, Xenophobia isn’t REALLY listed in the book, but it might as well be, because I’m a foreigner in the United States, and right now I’m terrified of myself!) Here’s what I’ve learned from the book so far: If you are feeling a little bit blue, you are actually manic-depressive. If you are exceptionally happy… well, you must be deliriously insane then. If you are thirsty, you’re dehydrated. If you are hungry, you are either malnourished OR you are imagining it, which signals a definite obsession with food, in which case you are: Obese, About to be obese, Anorexic, Bulimic or – once again – Manic-depressive. If you have two glasses of wine in one sitting, you are an alcoholic. If you have NO wine, ever, you will definitely die soon because that means you never get any of those important antioxidants found in red wine and which the French seem to flourish on. Too much exercise can lead to such severe and multiple injuries, I tremble just thinking about it. (Trembling – the first indication of Parkinson’s.) Mild exercise isn’t good enough, so don’t bother. No exercise is terrible and will also kill you soon. If you’re too hot, you have a fever (which indicates many other things, none of which is ANY good.). If you’re too cold, it means you have the chills, poor circulation or – I hate to break it to you – that you are simply not alive anymore. See what I mean?! (And if you don’t, you probably have cataracts.) I’ve just read that my freckles, which I’ve always naively assumed to be nothing more (or less!) than an unfortunate side effect of having red hair, could actually be skin cancer. I think I’d better lie down now and wait for the ambulance to arrive. See you at the hospital, but take care not to include any Self Help Medical Books in your stack of bedside reading material. You may not last through the index. © RSA-Overseas [ Top ] Manuel's Budget may leave you better off Finance Minister Trevor Manuel delivers his Budget this week. He has indicated quite clearly that the nation is in for good news. So, by the end of this week, you should be better off. In the last few years Manuel has put billions into the pockets of the public with this tax-cutting regime, and all indications are that he is expected to do the same this year. With state coffers full because revenue collection has far exceeded projections, Manuel is expected to announce significant and wide-ranging tax cuts. Some economists have indicated that the finance minister could cut taxes by about by two percentage points and that he will also have good news for business on company taxes. SG Securities chief economist Nico Czypionka said he expected a "political" budget with no attempt to be "populous". The extra revenue collected would be used to marginally cut taxes but also focus on areas of need such as reducing the cost of debt financing. "It will be a broadly neutral budget. We have seen an excessive collection of income tax and it will have to be given back," Czypionka said. He saw an increase in social infrastructure spending as well as a marginal increase in tobacco and alcohol excise duties. Manuel may also reward companies that create jobs with tax incentives. Econometrix economist Tony Twine said his wish list included the increase of the threshold on interest earned on savings above R4 000, a rise in tobacco and alcohol taxes, and elimination of secondary tax on companies. Twine said good revenue collection had given Manuel enough to cut VAT by 1 percent to 13 percent, but did not expect him to do so. Instead the extra revenue would be used to neutralise fiscal drag and provide relief for low-income earners. Thanks to IOL.co.za [ Top ] |
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