Interesting story: the Valoyi clan, who live near Tzaneen, has just got its first female chief. Now, while that’s all rather nice, it’s hardly ground breaking. This kind of thing has been going on in southern Africa for hundreds of years; the most famous female chiefs being the Modjadji dynasty who (until recently) ruled over the Lobedu of Limpopo. So, while it’s unusual to have a female chief, it’s not that interesting. What really caught my eye, however, was the manner in which she got appointed. Continue reading
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Author Archives: David Fleminger
Mamma Mia! Here it goes again…
It was a scene to thrill the heart of Dancing Queens all over the world. After decades of no-speaksies, the four members of spangled Swedish supergroup, ABBA, have appeared in public together for the first time in more than 20 years.
Oh joy! Oh bliss! Oh Fernando! It’s more than any of us could have wished for; the four ABBA-maniacs, full of their old ABBAloney, smiling at the cameras and waving regally at the adoring throngs. Thank you for the music, you glorious quartet of Scandinavian songbirds! What a bunch of Supa-pa Troupa-pa’s. Continue reading
The high Prius of living
Oddly enough, I bought a new car last month. By the look of things, I was the only one in the country crazy enough to do so, but my trusty 13-year old Audi was on its last legs and the time had come.
So, what to buy, and where? The second-hand market is in freefall and the numerous car repossession auctions are good places for people with a bit of liquidity to get great deals at the expense of those who have fallen on hard times. Sounds perfect! Why then, oh why, did I go and buy a new car from a dealer? Well, you see, I wanted a Prius. Continue reading
Mbeki’s turning Japanese, I really think so
Once upon a time, I was prepared to give Thabo Mbeki the benefit of the doubt. He was a clearly intelligent man with noble aims to revive Africa and extract the dark continent from the dismissive rhetoric of western, post-colonial discourse. Admittedly, he did this by evoking the quinesstentially European concept of ‘renaissance’ and his speeches were somewhat academic, but the big lug had his heart in the right place. Continue reading
Going to hell in a Lohan-basket
Well, whichever way you look at it, it’s been a helluva year so far. Honestly, I haven’t had a chance to catch my breath. In fact, I’ve become a bit of a news junkie. Every afternoon, when I wake up, I dash to my computer and hit the news websites to see what happened in the previous 8 hours, and I’m never disappointed. There’s always something new, something big, to worry about. I kinda knew that news was just entertainment for grown-ups, but lately it’s become a series of cliff-hangers that would shame a soapie. Continue reading