Recently I got into a slight argument with a radio producer from a major national radio station. I shot off on this guy something like “why do you guys and other radio stations promote Facebook so much instead of your own websites”. I pretty much said what I wanted to say in that sentence. Said producer wasn’t impressed with my tone, shot back something like “why are you so foolish as to say that I promote Facebook when I’ve only ever mentioned twice on my show”. Well, I tried to explain to this guy that as I said, it wasn’t him personally I was referring to, it was his DJs and his radio station as a whole. And other radio stations’ DJs and on-air presenters. Day in and out when I tune in I hear words like “we had such a great time at that do last night, if you log on to Facebook you can check out our pictures there. We’ll post them up as soon as the show is over”. Saying this to what are usually millions of listeners.
Most radio stations in Mzansi have their own websites, virtual homes where information like DJ profiles and schedules are posted. Other stuff like who runs the station, how they can be contacted and so on is also found on these sites. Such stations include metrofm.co.za, 702.co.za, yworld.co.za and gagasi995.co.za. Where individual DJs/ presenters have their own space, a biography of the said personality may appear next to their picture. Isn’t this sort of where these pictures of last night’s bash should be posted then? The point of a website is not just to promote the station but to promote the personalities involved. And if fans of the station can be entertained daily by logging into this website, its listenership could grow, thereby growing its advertising revenues. This is why radio stations are in business. You know Facebook is the 7th busiest website in the world? There’s over 100 million users on Facebook and growing at a rapid rate. The top five Facebook users come from the US, UK, Canada, Turkey and Mzansi. In that order. The site doesn’t need any more marketing, especially at the expense of Mzansi-based websites.
And no, I’m not anti-Facebook, although I’m not on it and never will be. It could have been any other website, it could have been Youtube or MySpace. Point is, these guys could certainly spend those marketing budgets much better by beefing up and promoting their own sites, instead of actively promoting other people’s on air. If there’s a feature you like about Facebook then “borrow” that features and use it on your website. Don’t send people off to another place when they could be spending time at yours.
13 September 2008
12 September 2008
JZ CASE: IS IT FINALLY OVER?
Big day today. Friday the 12th, luckily not the 13th. We learnt late last night that a deal between the fighting factions of Zimbabwe had been reached, that President Robert Mugabe would remain in his seat and that Morgan Tsvangirai would assume the role of Prime Minister, which was abolished by Mugabe in the 1980s after he took power. Some reports have even suggested that Tsvangirai in his position would take control of the police force, while Mugabe retains his reign over the army. No official document to support any of these claims has been released as yet, but we wait.
A few things have come out of this Zim situation and subsequent talks. Firstly, President Thabo Mbeki’s role as mediator may finally be vindicated after long months of criticism from all sides, involved or not. He was accused (and rightly so) of neglecting his domestic duties to concentrate on helping Africa, especially Zimbabwe, regain its footing. He was seen more as an inter-continental dealer than a homeboy. Charity does begin at home Mr President, always. Now, will Mbeki be the knight in the shiny suit or will people “playa hate” and say things like “but it was his job to mediate. He did it and that’s that”? Will he regain some of the credibility he had lost in the years of Jacob Zuma’s legal woes, for which he was solely blamed by the JZ brigade? The man has done a very good job of this Zim process I’d say, and if he is not remembered for anything else when leaves office in 2009 then he must be remembered for this particular achievement.
The second important thing that happened today of course is the escape from prosecution of JZ himself, at least for now. Today Judge Chris Nicholson handed down judgment that claims of a political conspiracy against JZ may not be as far-fetched as many believe. He ended up saying the NPA’s decision to prosecute the man were invalid. NPA of course can still come back and recharge JZ, a third time. But should they choose this route the conspiracy theory will just balloon into a universe of theories. And get people even more mad than they already are. You thought you heard too much of “kill for Zuma”, “lay my life down for Zuma”? This will be new. Completely new. The likes of Zapiro are just fanning the flames and personally I just don’t need that kind of drama in my life.
In a strange sort of way most people wanted to see this trial go ahead, not only because they had/ have doubts about JZ’s innocence but also because they are interested in the outcome. That he may not be tried again means these opportunities are now lost in space, maybe for good. But it also means that no matter the outcome of a case against JZ, guilty or not, opinions about him have already been made thanks to our robust media, and confirmed by the entire country. I think this is what his allies mean by an unfair trial, that we all have some sort of opinion on his guilt/ innocence already, and that even a judge handling his case would not be immune to these opinions. Would I be happy with a JZ presidency? I don’t know. I would answer that question in April 2011, two years into his administration, when I could properly assess on whether he has provided for enough hungry children, whether our employment rate has increased, the rate of HIV infection, if we are producing enough of really smart kids from ALL schools across the country, the number of pensioners who will be queuing up every month for their money. I’ll judge JZ by how he treats the media, the very poor, how he interacts with issues of BBBEE. They say we can recognise the devil as he walks up towards us. Unfortunately I am not that perceptive a judge of human character and I can only see the devil only months after we’ve moved in together.
A few things have come out of this Zim situation and subsequent talks. Firstly, President Thabo Mbeki’s role as mediator may finally be vindicated after long months of criticism from all sides, involved or not. He was accused (and rightly so) of neglecting his domestic duties to concentrate on helping Africa, especially Zimbabwe, regain its footing. He was seen more as an inter-continental dealer than a homeboy. Charity does begin at home Mr President, always. Now, will Mbeki be the knight in the shiny suit or will people “playa hate” and say things like “but it was his job to mediate. He did it and that’s that”? Will he regain some of the credibility he had lost in the years of Jacob Zuma’s legal woes, for which he was solely blamed by the JZ brigade? The man has done a very good job of this Zim process I’d say, and if he is not remembered for anything else when leaves office in 2009 then he must be remembered for this particular achievement.
The second important thing that happened today of course is the escape from prosecution of JZ himself, at least for now. Today Judge Chris Nicholson handed down judgment that claims of a political conspiracy against JZ may not be as far-fetched as many believe. He ended up saying the NPA’s decision to prosecute the man were invalid. NPA of course can still come back and recharge JZ, a third time. But should they choose this route the conspiracy theory will just balloon into a universe of theories. And get people even more mad than they already are. You thought you heard too much of “kill for Zuma”, “lay my life down for Zuma”? This will be new. Completely new. The likes of Zapiro are just fanning the flames and personally I just don’t need that kind of drama in my life.
In a strange sort of way most people wanted to see this trial go ahead, not only because they had/ have doubts about JZ’s innocence but also because they are interested in the outcome. That he may not be tried again means these opportunities are now lost in space, maybe for good. But it also means that no matter the outcome of a case against JZ, guilty or not, opinions about him have already been made thanks to our robust media, and confirmed by the entire country. I think this is what his allies mean by an unfair trial, that we all have some sort of opinion on his guilt/ innocence already, and that even a judge handling his case would not be immune to these opinions. Would I be happy with a JZ presidency? I don’t know. I would answer that question in April 2011, two years into his administration, when I could properly assess on whether he has provided for enough hungry children, whether our employment rate has increased, the rate of HIV infection, if we are producing enough of really smart kids from ALL schools across the country, the number of pensioners who will be queuing up every month for their money. I’ll judge JZ by how he treats the media, the very poor, how he interacts with issues of BBBEE. They say we can recognise the devil as he walks up towards us. Unfortunately I am not that perceptive a judge of human character and I can only see the devil only months after we’ve moved in together.
21 August 2008
WHERE IS USAIN KHUMALO?
That boy Usain Bolt, he reminds me of my little brothers. You’ve seen him haven’t you, at the Beijing Olympics? Yeah, he’s the quick one, runs 100m and 200m events. At the 100m final he’s broken the record, set by himself, from 9.72 to a staggering 9.69 seconds. How do you run 9.7m per second? Tick, tock, tick, tock, and he’s halfway there… In the 200m final he slashed Michael Johnson's long-standing 1996 record to post 19.30 seconds. Again, 9.7 metres per second.
He listens to his iPod at the track before an event, dances too, and not just a bobbing of the head but a real dance like you do at the club. He looks up, pounds his own chest, pulls on his vest to show us the word “Jamaica” and then his fingers pull up one, one, one. Today he came up close and personal on the camera “I am number one, I am number one!” Human beings get turned off by such behaviour, we think it’s uncouth, disrespectful, we detest it. On some level we are also jealous of it. Maybe some day when his records get broken, when a newer, younger, faster version of himself emerges, Bolt won’t be so cocky. Maybe.
And maybe that guy will be from our very own Mzansi. Eish, don’t laugh. It’s possible. You know Bolt and the man he’s dismantled so ruthlessly Asafa Powell, are from the same neighbourhood in Kingston, Jamaica. It’s a very poor area which can easily be substituted for another area called Katlehong or Meadowlands or Langa. Yet Mzansi has no Olympic champs in the 100m and 200m sprints. Hell, at the moment we are still dizzy from celebrating our only Beijing medal so far, a silver from that tall boy Khotso Mokoena in the long jump. How come? How come there are no Usain Khumalos out there?
The best explanation I could think of was that we have no development at all. None. And today I will refrain from dishing out blame and instead offer a bit of light on the situation. Firstly, money doesn’t buy success. Ask Mamelodi Sundowns. Secondly, determination doesn’t bring success. Thirdly, Father Time is a man who never looks back nor does he ever walk backwards. Never. So if we want a Usain Khumalo to at least appear for the 100m final, we need to realistically think about 2016. In 2012 it will not happen. Bolt has been running this way since he was a junior at school. He ran a time of under 20 seconds for the 200m as a junior, first time that’s ever happened. That was seven years ago and he was still 15 years old.
Development is not a knee-jerk reaction, it’s not a plan B or C, and it’s not a money issue. Funny enough Mzansi has way more money than Kenya or Ethiopia. But on the Olympics medal table, Mzansi ranks 60th while Kenya is 20th and Ethiopia 25th. Even Zimbabwe (30th) is outdoing us at the biggest games meeting in the world. No offence to Zim but y’all know what’s been happening there. I have been saying to someone that we need to expand our repertoire, include sports like weightlifting, judo, water polo, handball etc. Not just for a few but in places where these did not exist before, places like kwaMashu and Botshabelo, in Tzaneen or kaBhokweni. Schools are the leaders here, we need to follow their lead but they must then take the initiative. Obviously government and business leaders must fund this party otherwise come 2016 we’ll still be asking “how did this happen to us”? The value of hard work and sacrifice needs to be engraved into our psyche. Once I had a conversation with a top photographer who happened to be white. He said he was looking for a black “apprentice” so to speak, had found a few potentials but they weren’t willing to do what it takes, which is early mornings, deadlines, late payments, prima donnas etc. Long hours of course and at first, very little pay. That started me thinking about our sports stars, particularly the football okes who leave the country as hot shots but fall on their own swords overseas. It’s not that we are less talented or less capable. We just don’t want to put in the required hours into it.
I know we can do it so let’s be realistic about things, put in the blocks one by one, take the time and Olympic glory will be ours. Promise.
19 July 2008
THE MINISTER HAS LEFT
Surprisingly there seems to be a lot of news surrounding the sacking/ non-sacking of two of the country’s Premiers, Ibrahim Rasool and Nosimo Balindlela. Rasool and Balindlela are rumoured to have been fired out of their posts by the ANC’s NEC over the weekend, but no official word has come out yet. The two run Western Cape and Eastern Cape respectively. These provinces are among the bunch that usual score low marks either on delivery issues or on the fact that an ANC government isn’t in sole power there. There are one or two others in these categories, Free State and Mpumalanga come to mind.
What surprised me on this occasion was, firstly the reaction of DA leader Helen Zille who, only two weeks ago was lambasting Rasool for not taking active steps in helping people affected by the recent floods of the Cape, forcing the city of Cape Town to stretch its own resources. She is now saying Rasool should fight the ANC legally because he has a case against such a firing, if there is one. This week a foe, next week a friend. Oh, what do we have in Zille? Rasool is an ANC man and my feeling is that he will not go this route at all, either out of pure loyalty to the party or for fear of being retaliated against at a later stage. Remember, we are only months away from the 2009 elections and all the soldiers are positioning themselves for higher positions in government. Rasool will not be a fool and fight his bosses when they ask him to step aside. Neither will Balindlela for that matter. Both would have watched Dr Alan Boesak and learnt from him.
As for being “Mbeki supporters” as it has been reported, this is neither here nor there because the ANC gave the President the powers to hire Premiers at his whim. Therefore by extension, all the Premiers currently working in the country, are Mbeki’s people, so to speak. The ANC later lived to deeply regret this decision bestowed upon its former president. What has not been said is whether Jacob Zuma will also have the same powers or not. And yes, I am assuming Zuma will be the next President of Mzansi. Let’s not for one second, be hoodwinked by the impending trial and all that surrounds it; the man is coming into power come April 2009.
Major reshuffles are coming too and we will see these prominently in parliament, but mostly in the public figures that are the cabinet ministers. It goes without saying that Mrs Mlambo-Nguka will not be in the same position by this time next year for one. Mantombazana Tshabalala-Msimang and Mosiuoa Gerard Patrick Letoka are also on this list. I am told too by those who know best that more than half the current crop will not be returning, willingly or otherwise. A few the public will not miss, but the biggest question is about Trevor Manuel at Treasury, for he is now a darling in the world of finance. People who have lots of money care only about this guy and these folks often have the loudest voices. His partner Maria Ramos is probably not renewing her contract at Transnet towards the end of the year so it could be a fresh new start for both of them, somewhere.
A Premier reshuffle is nothing new, especially in this country. Noise cannot be made when this is done, but I suppose questions can be raised if it is done before a Premier’s term in office has expired. Why not wait until the elections? The only reason I could think of is that the ANC is now very nervous about the Western Cape, having won it by the narrowest of margins last time and still not ruling Cape Town itself. They therefore probably feel Rasool is not the man to win them these two constituencies. So who is?
What surprised me on this occasion was, firstly the reaction of DA leader Helen Zille who, only two weeks ago was lambasting Rasool for not taking active steps in helping people affected by the recent floods of the Cape, forcing the city of Cape Town to stretch its own resources. She is now saying Rasool should fight the ANC legally because he has a case against such a firing, if there is one. This week a foe, next week a friend. Oh, what do we have in Zille? Rasool is an ANC man and my feeling is that he will not go this route at all, either out of pure loyalty to the party or for fear of being retaliated against at a later stage. Remember, we are only months away from the 2009 elections and all the soldiers are positioning themselves for higher positions in government. Rasool will not be a fool and fight his bosses when they ask him to step aside. Neither will Balindlela for that matter. Both would have watched Dr Alan Boesak and learnt from him.
As for being “Mbeki supporters” as it has been reported, this is neither here nor there because the ANC gave the President the powers to hire Premiers at his whim. Therefore by extension, all the Premiers currently working in the country, are Mbeki’s people, so to speak. The ANC later lived to deeply regret this decision bestowed upon its former president. What has not been said is whether Jacob Zuma will also have the same powers or not. And yes, I am assuming Zuma will be the next President of Mzansi. Let’s not for one second, be hoodwinked by the impending trial and all that surrounds it; the man is coming into power come April 2009.
Major reshuffles are coming too and we will see these prominently in parliament, but mostly in the public figures that are the cabinet ministers. It goes without saying that Mrs Mlambo-Nguka will not be in the same position by this time next year for one. Mantombazana Tshabalala-Msimang and Mosiuoa Gerard Patrick Letoka are also on this list. I am told too by those who know best that more than half the current crop will not be returning, willingly or otherwise. A few the public will not miss, but the biggest question is about Trevor Manuel at Treasury, for he is now a darling in the world of finance. People who have lots of money care only about this guy and these folks often have the loudest voices. His partner Maria Ramos is probably not renewing her contract at Transnet towards the end of the year so it could be a fresh new start for both of them, somewhere.
A Premier reshuffle is nothing new, especially in this country. Noise cannot be made when this is done, but I suppose questions can be raised if it is done before a Premier’s term in office has expired. Why not wait until the elections? The only reason I could think of is that the ANC is now very nervous about the Western Cape, having won it by the narrowest of margins last time and still not ruling Cape Town itself. They therefore probably feel Rasool is not the man to win them these two constituencies. So who is?
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