SpeakZA: Bloggers for a Free Press

Last week, shocking revelations concerning the activities of the ANC Youth League spokesperson Nyiko Floyd Shivambu came to the fore. According to a letter published in various news outlets, a complaint was laid by 19 political journalists with the Secretary General of the ANC, against Shivambu. This complaint letter detailed attempts by Shivambu to leak a dossier to certain journalists, purporting to expose the money laundering practices of Dumisani Lubisi, a journalist at the City Press. The letter also detailed the intimidation that followed when these journalists refused to publish these revelations.

We condemn in the strongest possible terms the reprisals against journalists by Shivambu. His actions constitute a blatant attack on media freedom and a grave infringement on Constitutional rights. It is a disturbing step towards dictatorial rule in South Africa.

We call on the ANC and the ANC Youth League to distance themselves from the actions of Shivambu. The media have, time and again, been a vital democratic safeguard by exposing the actions of individuals who have abused their positions of power for personal and political gain.

The press have played a vital role in the liberation struggle, operating under difficult and often dangerous conditions to document some of the most crucial moments in the struggle against apartheid. It is therefore distressing to note that certain people within the ruling party are willing to maliciously target journalists by invading their privacy and threatening their colleagues in a bid to silence them in their legitimate work.

We also note the breathtaking hubris displayed by Shivambu and the ANC Youth League President Julius Malema in their response to the letter of complaint. Shivambu and Malema clearly have no respect for the media and the rights afforded to the media by the Constitution of South Africa. Such a response serves only to reinforce the position that the motive for leaking the so-called dossier was not a legitimate concern, but a insolent effort to intimidate and bully a journalist who had exposed embarrassing information about the Youth League President.

We urge the ANC as a whole to reaffirm its commitment to media freedom and other Constitutional rights we enjoy as a country.

Blog Roll

http://thoughtleader.co.za/siphohlongwane
http://rwrant.co.za
http://vocfm.co.za/blogs/munadia/
http://vocfm.co.za/blogs/shafiqmorton/
http://blogs.news24.com/needpoint
http://capetowngirl.co.za
http://thoughtleader.co.za/sentletsediakanyo
http://thoughtleader.co.za/davidjsmith
http://letterdash.com/one-eye-only
http://boyuninterrupted.blogspot.com
http://amandasevasti.com
http://blog.empyrean.co.za/
http://letterdash.com/brencro
http://6000.co.za
http://chrisroper.co.za
http://pieftw.com
http://hamishpillay.wordpress.com
http://memoirs4kimya.blogspot.com
http://thoughtleader.co.za/azadessa
http://watkykjy.co.za
http://fredhatman.co.za
http://thelifeanddeathchronicles.blogspot.com/
http://blogs.timeslive.co.za/common-dialogue/
http://www.clivesimpkins.blogs.com/
http://mashadutoit.wordpress.com
http://nicharalambous.com
http://sarocks.co.za
http://blogs.timeslive.co.za/stompies/
http://helenmoffett.book.co.za/blog/
http://01universe.blogspot.com
http://groundwork.worpress.com
http://iwrotethisforyou.me
http://fionasnyckers.book.co.za
http://attentiontodetail.wordpress.com
http://blogs.women24.com/editor
http://www.missmillib.blogspot.com
http://snowgoose.co.za
http://dreamfoundry.co.za
http://www.vanoodle.blogspot.com
http://www.exmi.co.za
http://cat-dubai.blogspot.com
http://alistairfairweather.com
http://www.zanedickens.com
http://www.nickhuntdavis.com
http://guysa.blogspot.com
http://book.co.za
http://baldy.co.za
http://skinnylaminx.com
http://blogs.african-writing.com/zukiswa
http://www.mielie.wordpress.com
http://blogs.timeslive.co.za/gatherer/
http://thoughtleader.co.za/sarahbritten
http://stii.co.za
http://blogs.news24.com/FSB_AP
http://twistedkoeksuster.blogspot.com
http://whensmokegetsinyoureyes.blogspot.com/
http://trinklebean.wordpress.com
http://commentry.wordpress.com/
http://matthewbuckland.com
http://blogs.news24.com/colour-me-fran
http://gormendizer.co.za
http://helenmoffett.book.co.za/blog/
http://www.harassedmom.co.za
http://ravingfans.co.za
http://khadijapatel.co.za
http://simon.co.za/speakza
http://gnatj.com
http://moralfibre.co.za
http://www.exmi.co.za
http://www.edgeofwhere.blogspot.com/
http://www.rahsrantsravesandquirks.blogspot.com/

Twitter is Dajjal**...

...it has one i and people follow it around.

(And all of Blog-ville guffaws collectively to multiple lines of LOL or some combination thereof)

Yes, I'm aware that that is lame, even by my awfully punny standards. But it's one of those half baked ideas sitting in my head for ages and ages now. I have several of them, which, time pending, I might gift you loyal few readers with.

But back to my original point. Since bloggers are to social media as gerbils are to Richard Gere,I thought I'd ask the relevant demographic if there really is any point signing up for Twitter?

Besides stalking Billy Corgan and telling him in 140 characters or less how he's destroyed key ontological and other philosophical ideas for me? Or finding Neil Gaiman and telling him what I thought of American Gods?

Is there any need for greater procrastination online, especially since my pet hate is reading ridiculously, inane status updates on Facebook. And yep, I'm one of those who have to stifle the urge to want to "fix" status updates, when the content doesn't fit in with the sentence structure beginning with the subject. I'm not sure if I do need help, fixing faulty sentences is my job. Literally.

Ah well, let me know. I'd like to see some of your arguments both for and against it.

Maybe I should experiment.Right...Errr...

Hmmm, so let's test this sign off to see if I can conclude this post in 140 characters to check just how elastically economical words really are.

What's the tally there? Eyeballing (from work experience) I'd say it's around 120 characters sans counting spaces because I'm not sure if Twitter counts spaces as characters or not.Including spaces it's probably closer to target? Perhaps one of you addicts can pop it in to Twitter and get something more substantiative than a guestimate.


The dearth of dormancy.It kills.
Ad herbetudo,
rah*

**Islamic/Arabic term for the AntiChrist.Regarded in popular culture as " the beast we call the Desolate One. ...The First of the Fallen. The Spoiler of Virgins, the Master of Abortions!"

(You may not confuse the ** with the single * next to my name, because whilst I may be regarded as postively wicked in some circles, I too realise that there are some powers out there superlative to my own :P)

Why Internet Access Should Be Limited Reason #395857

It's no secret that some of my favourite music comes from the period best described as the Grunge Years. However, when OH and I start having random conversations it is usually a good idea to have an empty bladder. Whilst we relive a never ending supply of cringe-worthy tunes, I thought it a good idea to think of a list of my personal worst songs. Yes, this includes the OST for Titanic.

In the process I found this**:


Spot the irony?

I will never understand what goes on in some people's heads.

Epic fails are always noted,
rah*

**Click to enlarge

Wasn't Boy George a Hare Krishna Devotee Too? Although, he gives a whole new meaning to "Bow Down Mister"..oh soz, actual post is below:

Am I the only person who wondered why this got to the front page of the Sunday paper? Or why the section of the paper targeted at an Indian demographic has such utter inane rubbish in it? Do people actually find this newsworthy enough to make it to the papers. Also, why does the Sunday Times Extra seem to revel in articles about people bringing on some kinda "embarrassment" to the religious groups they're affiliated with? Here's a ctrl+c, ctrl +v of the entire episode.

Rumpus over sex emails
Taschica Pillay

Hare Krishna devotee sorry for false claims

A Hare Krishna devotee claims he disseminated an e-mail containing salacious details of an alleged adulterous affair between himself and a fellow devotee as an act of “vengeance”.

The man, whose identity is known to the Sunday Times Extra, recently distributed a revealing e-mail entitled “Warning to Durban guys” containing details of an alleged affair between himself and a Phoenix mother of three who, he claimed, pleasured him like a “Bangkok prostitute”. He also attached a picture of the woman.

He claimed he sent the e-mail to warn other men about the woman and her wiles. After realising that his e-mail was being widely circulated, the man distributed another e-mail saying his claims in the original e-mail were untrue.

“I was angry and wanted vengeance on this lady,” he wrote in an e-mail he sent to the Sunday Times Extra and which is also being circulated.

“I fully and unreservedly take back what I said and apologise for the embarrassment I caused. I have apologised to her and she has accepted.

“She is actually a good person. I am the bad one,” he said.

In the original e-mail, he claimed he and the woman became friends after meeting at a shopping mall.

“She was pretty and seemed pleasant enough. Since I was trying to uplift myself spiritually, I thought it was nice to meet a like-minded individual.”

The pair then met at a shopping mall a few times and their relationship allegedly developed into a sexual one. He said he “reluctantly” slept with the woman a few times but should have known “something was not right when she kept insisting on doing it in hotel rooms and in the back of her car”.

“But being a man, I was too excited and infatuated with her that I lost all good sense,” he added.

He said he was devastated when the woman told him she was married.

The woman, who runs her own business, this week hit back in her own e-mail, dismissing the allegations as “utter rubbish”. “I was going to be the better person and not respond to this, but it is destroying the dignified reputation I once had.”

The woman, who said she was a happily married mother of three, said the man approached her at the temple for a job after he saw her company’s name on her car. A few hours after giving him her business card, the man called her at home asking if he could drop off his CV at her office the next day.

She then employed the man as a general worker.

“One morning he confided in me, saying he had feelings for another guy and he didn’t feel attracted to women.

“He wanted to test his hormones and wanted me to kiss him to see if he felt anything. But obviously I declined as it sounded fishy to me.”

She said that two weeks later “ he confronted me again, started getting personal and saying he has fallen in love with me, and that I should have fun with him”.

The woman said she was shocked by his advances and told him to concentrate on his personal life, rather than a relationship between them.

She said she did not tell her husband, a taxi owner, the “real story” for fear that he would become violent.

Champakalata Dasi, International Society of Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon) spokesman, said that the spiritual organisation “did not associate ourselves with an e-mail of such a derogatory nature.”

This guy sounds like a complete imbecile. The woman too. To the desperate demographic of my readership, perhaps if you'd also like to be "pleasured" by a "Bangkok prostitute" (totally LOLs name for a place which has a reputation for flesh pedlars btw), maybe your new pick up line can be "Hi, I'm gay, kiss me so I can test my hormones"? (Or a reasonable adaptation thereof?)

Seriously though, what planet do people like this come from??

-facepalm-
rah*

Oh, Sweet Irony I Do Love Thee So:

This is really old news. It's one of those I was meaning to... however, if, but, andthenthewindowbroke- type of posts. So I'm not sure if anyone else has played Spot The Irony with this news piece yet or not.

But really, come on now!

You can you have a rapist being convicted of rape anywhere else in the world, but only in South Africa will his name be- Innocent Khumalo.

Ladies and Gentlemen (not forgetting our retard in the back), I thank you all for your time and wish you a pleasant and safe journey home.

They do it to themselves I tell ye, walk right into a guest appearance on The Chronicles.
rah*

Stop The Presses!!!!

A very dear friend(who under normal circumstances cannot be taken too seriously) gives me the following piece of news:

Legend: AAAAAAAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAA Radio Religious news just now AHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAA they just said AHAHHAHAHHAHAHAA Shaytaan is having a conference for his shayateen!!!!!!!

qL: LOLOLOLOLOL are you serious???

Legend: Yes.

qL: you sure it's not like "is in conference with"?


Legend: No that's what they said AHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHA


qL: What kind of idiots believe that crap? And how and why is that newsworthy? LOLOLOL


Legend: I dunno, but AHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHA

qL: LOLOL quickly gimme their number, I'm gonna phone in and say "Hello, I just heard about the conference and I just want to say that I have a stationary store, should they require any personalised paper pads, pens, etc I will be glad to contribute towards this endeavour at cost price!!"


Legend: I dare you!!!!

qL: What's their number?

Legend: I dunno :/

qL: -_-

So if anyone wants to attend this historic and momentous occasion, give me a shout. Maybe we can organise a lift club or something and go together?


Seating place is tight so please RSVP asap.
Degh Akni will be sold at a nominal cost.

I think the Daily Sun just became tantamount to Gospel compared to this.

Friggin' Blaaaaahnians.

rah*

Shaytaan = Satan
Shayateen= Satan's minions