Friday, 26 September 2008
Wednesday, 24 September 2008
Monday, 22 September 2008
The Other Frontrunner: Kgalema Mothlante
The other MP tipped for the job of Caretaker President is ANC deputy prez Kgalema Mothlante, his track record is a bit better:
In February 2006, auditors revealed that a total of about R2 billion in loans by the Land Bank, a government institution established to help farmers, had gone sour. Earlier, a R800 million (about $112 million) 10 year loan was given to Pamodzi Investment Holdings, a company whose shareholders include Motlanthe. This amounted to nearly one-third of the Land Bank's total assets, and was a non-agricultural investment. There is no suggestion that this particular loan was non-performing. Pamodzi chief executive Ndaba Ntsele denies there was any wrongdoing. The government has since fired the Land Bank chairman and agreed to inject R700 million to keep the Land Bank operative.
Sources: ANC, Wikipedia
Baleka Mbete for President?
Chances are that Speaker of the National Assembly Baleka Mbete will be announced to stand in as caretaker President until the next election, here's a taste of her track record:
Mbete is a shareholder in Dyambu Holdings which is involved in building the massive Gautrain public transport project in the province Gauteng. Dyambu Holdings is reported to have had links with murdered magnate Brett Kebble.
In April 1997, Mbete was found to have received an improperly issued driver's license but not charged with any wrongdoing. This after investigators uncover widespread corruption in Mpumalanga regional driving license testing centers, where licenses are being issued in exchange for bribes. Mbete said that she had been "too busy" to stand in queues.
In 2007, Mbete suspended DA member Mike Waters after he attempted to ask what was being done about the Manto Tshabalala-Msimang scandal. Waters had asked about a reported conviction for theft of the Minister of Health, while the latter had been a nurse in Botswana.
Mbete was one of more than 200 South African parliamentarians found to have misused subsidised travel privileges in the Travelgate scandal. She is reported to have paid back all moneys due in the liquidation of the travel agency former providing services to parliament.
In 2006, Mbete chartered a jet at a cost of R471 900 (around US$60 000) to fly to Liberia for the inauguration of Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf as president. The only other passenger on the plane was a member of her staff. Then president Thabo Mbeki and foreign minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma also travelled to the inauguration - Mbeki in his private plane and Dlamini-Zuma by commercial flight.
She has been a staunch supporter of Tony Yengeni, a former ANC Chief Whip in parliament, who was convicted of defrauding parliament in 2004, even accompanying Yengeni to Pollsmoor Prison when he reported to serve his sentence.
If the ANC is going to use the corruption card to redeploy Thabo Mbeki, not casting it's gaze inwards without prejudice is inexcusable.
Sources: ANC, Wikipedia
Friday, 19 September 2008
New Kings of Leon
Somehow three brothers and a cousin from Nashville managed to insinuate themselves into our lives and provide the soundtrack to last summer with their second album 'Because of the Times', Ed O'Brien from Radiohead has called them 'the greatest band on earth'and I don't think he's far off. Moody Rock n' Roll that's as relevant in the South as it is in Oxford and Africa.
The Kings new album 'Only By the Night' is set for release in the States next week. Here's the first single, 'Sex on Fire':
It's dirty, sweaty, heartfelt and born of the humidity of some backwater swamp, but I like it, and so will you.
Check out the video here.
Wednesday, 10 September 2008
We're all still here!!!
The biggest and most expensive civilian experiment in the history of science is finally underway.
Google are even in on it:
At 8.32am UK time, scientists at the CERN particle physics laboratory fired a first beam of particles into the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the £3.6 billion “Big Bang machine” that will open a new window on the Universe.
Fears of creating an earth-swallowing black hole and /or mysterious 'dark matter'can be put on hold for a little while.
Well done nerds!! now go find the Higgs-Boson!
V in SA
Richard Branson this morning confirmed dates for South Africa's own V Festival.
Here they are:
Jozi: 13 December
i-Kapa: 16 December
Check back here tomorrow for the Line-up!!!!!
Thursday, 4 September 2008
Wednesday, 3 September 2008
I'm a Desmond and the Tutu's kid!
It's the band with the coolest moniker in the whole world of Rock n' roll Indie Kwela Punk Pop!!
Here is the awesome video for the instant dancefloor destroying classic 'She Hangs the Pictures on the Wall':
Makes me wanna do the German Modern Swagger!!
In true fuck-you to the Big Labels Indie style, the Tutus have released their debut album 'Tuck Shop' on their own Awesomeland Records.(Cut to footage of slightly retarded A&R guy with a hearing-aid trying really hard to kick his own head.)
Check out the Tutu's blog for remixes by local and international artists, news and sweet merchandise.
and
Show some love on the 'I'm a Desmond and the Tutu's Kid' FB page.
Monday, 1 September 2008
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