http://www.andrewlagrange.com Mon, 16 Aug 2010 21:11:14 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I really love the quaint civil society assertion that they will somehow be able to defeat this most vulgar attack on our freedom of speech and constitutional dispensation being perpetrated at present by the ANC, both in their roles as the party of government and supposedly the party of freedom. ... http://www.andrewlagrange.com/?p=276 Classic Zapiro from a recent copy of the Mail and Guardian http://www.andrewlagrange.com/?p=275 As originally written for Feint and Margin: It's been a spicy few weeks for media freedom in South Africa. From the arrest of Wa Afrika, to the hearings on the Protection of Information Bill, as well as the Media Appeals Tribunal being supported by all manner of cadres – ... http://www.andrewlagrange.com/?p=274 South Africa’s freedom to know what those, who we have entrusted with the powers of the State (namely the ANC) are doing,  with our common property,  is under siege. The ANC, which should be simply a caretaker of the government, has misunderstood its place in relation to the state, and ... http://www.andrewlagrange.com/?p=273 Not to prejudge matters, because he may in fact be guilty of an offence, but Sunday Times’ journalist Mzilikazi wa Afrika has been arrested by a gang of cops at the Avusa offices. Whilst the charges are apparently related to a fraudulent document in his alleged possession, it doesn’t ... http://www.andrewlagrange.com/?p=272 South Africa has a political problem. It is the problem which many plural societies face – the one in which the majority lives a life of poverty and yet continue to return a small elite to power in mostly free and fair elections, resulting in a breakdown in democracy as ... http://www.andrewlagrange.com/?p=271 A few weeks ago I was having a quiet evening with friends, drinking some coffee and talking politics. I was asked what I thought of the toilet saga. Besides the horrible situation for the people on the ground which is beyond question – I thought from a political angle the ... http://www.andrewlagrange.com/?p=270 Well known HIV and political activist Zackie Achmat explored yesterday his feelings about the Democratic Alliance congress yesterday on the Centre for Law and Social Justice blog, Writing Rights. There is much I disagree with in Mr. Achmat’s analysis of the DA, it’s politics, it’s internal workings and ... http://www.andrewlagrange.com/?p=269 The African National Congress’ (ANC) constant framing of South African political life in terms of race, quotas and segmentation of the population into groups is a natural extension of the black nationalism that increasingly overtakes the many forms of political expression that once found a home within the broad church ... http://www.andrewlagrange.com/?p=268 This weekend saw the Democratic Alliance host its Federal Congress in my home town of Cape Town. As a member of a branch within the city, I had the privilege of being nominated by the ward branch to represent us the congress as a delegate. It was ... http://www.andrewlagrange.com/?p=267 So besides a few attempts at looting, etc, the large scale rumoured ‘uhuru’ of foreign Africans living in South Africa did not commence today. The security apparatus of the country is in full flight in swatting the few incidences were the rightly named criminals hiding under the cloak ... http://www.andrewlagrange.com/?p=266 Just launched a new site for a initiative within GBO, called Trade Settlement Services. Not simply a systems and information technology company, this initiative is focused on delivering a broader set of trade settlement related services, providing a supply of leads and prospects to our clients. ... http://www.andrewlagrange.com/?p=265 Can you guess that I wrote the title of this post before Bafana’s 3-0 drubbing by Uruguay? While the result was disappointing, I have to say that I remain very proud of our boys. Few countries with a national team that is going through a rough patch like ours, have ... http://www.andrewlagrange.com/?p=264 In 1856 a young Xhosa girl made a prophecy. That prophecy resulted in the famine and destruction of a great people. By encouraging the Xhosa people to destroy their crops and livestock she set her entire people back for decades. Over 25 000 died from starvation. Hundreds of thousands of ... http://www.andrewlagrange.com/?p=263 After Good Friday, the news online is filled with the expected hand wringing over how the meaning and true understanding of Easter is being lost and not understood. This is the kind of pre-written drivel that newspapers churn out at Christmas and Easter to assuage the feeling that we all ... http://www.andrewlagrange.com/?p=262