SA Rocks

This is possibly one of the most entertaining videos that I’ve seen in ages from South Africa.

The video depicts a Springbok fan going through the touring bus of Bokke trophies acquired and held by the Boks right now.

Fantastic. Truly.

Thanks to Pienaar for sending this one on!

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Do 2010 has arrived. Some are calling it the beginning of a new decade but I am battling to understand the math on that one. Others are calling it the end of an era – which I tend to agree with. But one thing that many people all agree on is that is going to be one hell of a year for South Africa.

Here’s a blog post from Constitutionally Speaking written by Pierre De Vos that I found on what went right in 2009:

(1) South Africa had another free and fair election (it’s fourth!) without any serious violence and the fourth democratic President was inaugurated soon afterwards.

(2) The government decisively changed direction on HIV/AIDS and President Jacob Zuma appointed a health minister who clearly understands that the problem of HIV needs to be dealt with in a comprehensive manner.

(3) Nkosazana Zuma has begun to change things around at the Department of Home Affairs. A friend of mine received her passport only 4 weeks after submitting her application!

(4) The South African banking system weathered the international financial crisis very well and the SA government did not need to pump billions of dollars into the system as was required by the USA, the UK and some European countries.

(5) A free press and independent electronic media continued to thrive and to present a variety of news, exposes and opinion, sometimes harshly critical of the foibles of the governing party and sometimes singing its praises.

(6) Some members of the tripartite alliance began exposing Julius Malema as the self-serving, headline-grabbing, tenderpreneur that he is.

(7) The selection of a new Chief Justice and four new judges to the Constitutional Court proceeded without unnecessary controversy and several good candidates were appointed to the positions while a certain Judge President were clearly not a serious contender for appointment.

(8) A vibrant civil society continued to thrive and to challenge seemingly unlawful decisions made by the President and y constitutional institutions such as the Judicial Services Commission in various courts across South Africa.

(9) South Africa successfully hosted the Confederations Cup and the various soccer stadiums for 2010 Fifa World Cup were completed on time.

(10) Many South Africans quietly continued to build bridges and build the nation by giving of their time and money to address the poverty and deprivation of fellow South Africans.

These are all great things to comment on and take note of.

From a personal perspective I was extremely proud to vote in yet another democratic election in South Africa. I am also noticing a massive influx of young South Africans returning to SA to make their lives. This bodes well for us I think.

I’m not going to dwell on too much suffice to say that 2010 is going to be an invigorating, busy, crazy, manic, massive and important year for South Africa and South Africans all over the country.

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Ed’s note: This post is a guest post from Rich Laburn who has worked extensively in the South African bush and currently at Londolozi Private Game Reserve. This is the first of four posts that Rich will be writing.

There is nothing quite like South African wildlife. It is impressive and has endured long before the first seeds of the country were sown. In South Africa the opportunity to spend uncluttered time with this wildlife is phenomenal because of the accessibility and diversity of game reserves. South Africa hosts many concessions and reserves that provide exclusive opportunities to experience wildlife in its purest form and in uncrowded freedom. Frustratingly though, with so much wildlife around, it’s impossible to experience all of the remarkable encounters that occur every second of every day. Instead, all you can do is pick one animal at a time and give all your energy, thoughts and appreciation to moments spent with that being.

Where I work, at Londolozi Private Game Reserve, the animal that is most frequently picked is the leopard. After 30 years of continual respect, habituation and game viewing, these elusive cats are content to allow us to view them for hours on end. Following them down dry riverbeds and gazing up at them whilst they fall asleep in the cradle of large trees, the leopards viewed by the rangers, trackers and guests are plentiful. From the 17 year legacy of the recently deceased Female leopard to the muscular Camp Pan Male. The Nyeleti female with 3 tiny cubs and the Nottens Female who has just taken over her mother’s territory, these leopards are iconic. They are stars in their own unwitting way, yet still wild animals working with the pure existence of nature for their survival.

For me, there is one leopard that I feel the most affection for. The Maxabeni Young Male, so called owing to the spot pattern on either side of his shiny pink nose. Unlike his more evasive twin brother, this young male is willing to share his journey into adulthood. Cocky and cheeky but still desperately trying to learn where his place in the world is, every moment spent with him is different, interesting and thought provoking. I have watched him hunt his first antelope, leap away in fright from prowling hyenas and how his body language shifts from fear to confidence in momentary flashes. He has taught me lessons of persistence, courage and the value of cutting your losses. He is only a year old, yet he is wise.

This leopard is just one of many different animals that we as South Africans are lucky enough to have on our doorstep in the game reserves throughout this country. I don’t know where else in the world people are granted access to the exclusivity of spending time alone with wild animals, deep in the bushveld. It is here that the madness of the daily grind fades, the pollution of noise and carbon dissipate, and the seamless progression of days into nights into days allow you to just sit, enjoy and possibly learn something small from a moment with that being. It’s moment such as these that make South African wildlife truly rock.

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This was sent to me via twitter (courtesy of Mr Singe!).

What a great way to visually explain the South African national anthem for those of us who firstly don’t know it by now, secondly know it but might not know how we are pronouncing it and thirdly don’t speak the languages in the anthem.

So here goes:

Enjoy and pass it on to those people who can only sing the English parts!

UPDATE: Source is iBurst – www.myanthem.co.za

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Last night I was fortunate enough to be involved in an extremely interesting debate involving the owner of the zasucks blog (I’m still not going to link to that racist blog as I don’t want to promote it on this platform).

Blogs like zasucks helped me start SA Rocks. It’s because of people like those behind these racist and ignorant blogs that I do what I do.

So it was with great intrigue that I was called by 702 talk radio last to sit in on a debate centered around Bert Oosthuizen and the zasucks blog.

The story goes as follows:

Uhuru Guru was arrested this morning at around 06h30 on trumped up charges regarding an alleged offence dating back to 1993. His door was ripped off, his wife was not allowed to make calls, his children’s cell phones were confiscated, his little daughters were were ripped out of their beds, you cannot believe the cruelty!!!!!!!

A massive contingent of police from no less than five different specialist units, ranging from Organised Crime, Cyber crime, vehicle theft, etc; raided his home and confiscated all his computer equipment.

This arrest is motivated ultimately by the State. No doubt it has to do with zasucks.

When they finished the raid, two very grey, shady looking characters sat him down and questioned him about the blog. White, Afrikaans men, to boot.

They were told he would not answer any questions re the blog. They persisted and they were again, rudely this time, told to pack it in.
They then asked him what far right meetings he attended. The answer was none.

Then, shockingly, they started questioning him about no less than Dan Roodt. They were again told no questions about Roodt either.

– source: zasucks blog.

I feel very sorry for Bert’s children and wife who had to be put through that ordeal. I do.

But moreso I am concerned that one man was able to trump up and waste police time on someone like Bert. While these police from 5 different departments were knocking his door down, real criminals were getting away with crimes on people who need protection.

Back to the talk show last night.

I have waited over 3 years to find out and talk with whoever was behind zasucks and I had to wait more than an hour to eventually have my say.

There are a few things that I need to say: Bert Oosthuizen is extremely intelligent. Oosthuizen managed to paint himself in a wonderful light, focusing himself as a victim.

In the entire 90 minutes that I was on 702 the only time the word “racist” was used was when I mentioned. I was extremely frustrated that Bert Oosthuisen was not once called what he and his website are. The appropriate words were avoided like the plague. I had no worries in changing the tone of the debate from one of pat, pat on the back to accusatory.

Bert seems to think that he is a citizen journalist. Let me just say that his delusions of grandeur are absolutely astounding. As a journalist and citizen journalist I am horrified and offended that Oosthuizen can actually consider himself to be a citizen, let alone a journalist in South Africa.

Bert said that he is ashamed to be South African, don’t worry South Africa is ashamed of people like Bert and his readers.

I am not going to get in to Bert’s comments about the media and conspiracy theory that they (yes, the entire media in SA) are out to dupe the Afrikaans public in to thinking there is no crime. In fact, I think crime is probably one of, if not the most, covered topic in SA media.

Oosthuizen seems to think that it’s OK to hate black people but it’s not OK to hate Jewish people. So he moderates the one but not the other on his site. He also claims that his site is not moderated. I’ve personally been moderated on zasucks numerous times.

What of plagiarism, slander, hate speech and inciting of violence? Let’s not get in to that.

He also mentioned that the website can’t be so bad if so many people visit it, well child-porn is massive on the internet and that’s not too good I’d say…

But I digress.

This is an issue that has played on my mind since the inception of SA Rocks years ago. These people still exist in South Africa. It’s shocking, but it’s true. Now, South Africa knows who they are. Clients, work mates, friends, acquaintances all know their names. There is no hiding any more. I think Bert is about to realize that he and his cronies are the exception in SA, not the rule.

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And this it is:

I am still not 100% convinced that I LOVE the new brand, but it’s clean, simple and definitely stands out enough to catch an eye.

What do you think?

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It’s taken me a bit of time to write about Silicon Cape at all, let alone on SA Rocks.

I do, however, feel that it’s about time that I gave this initiative its due on this blog.

Yesterday I was able to have a fairly long chat/debate with one Matthew Buckland (who Chaired the events at the Silicon Cape launch). He was able to talk me in to a firm supporter of Silicon cape.

Before I continue let me try to provide a brief overview of what Silicon Cape is, or is aiming to be:

The initiative is founded by Vinny Lingham and Justin Standford. But it is, at every turn, emphasized that the concept and organisation is owned and driven by the community of Cape Town. From SiliconCape.com:

THE VISION
The Silicon Cape vision is of an ecosystem in the Western Cape of South Africa, that serves to attract and bring together local and foreign investors, the brightest technical talent, and the most promising entrepreneurs, to foster the creation and growth of world-class IP start-up companies in an environment that competes with other similar hubs around the world against the backdrop of one of the most beautiful settings and pleasant places to live, work and play on the globe.

THE CONCEPT
The concept of the Silicon Cape is not owned or controlled by any single entity. It is a living community and an organic, ever-developing concept in the hearts and minds of every participant, which endeavours to catalyse the local IP entrepreneurial community. As a community member, come and be a part of the genesis of turning the Silicon Cape into reality.

THE INITIATIVE
The initiative aims to start a conversation — to plant a seed and foster the concept of the Silicon Cape in people’s minds and on their lips around the world as the emerging Silicon Valley of Africa, and to create an environment and a perception of the area as a world-class location and destination that is not only capable of delivering but already is. This will in turn create real benefits for the Cape and it’s residents and stakeholders, and assist in attracting further foreign direct investment into South Africa.

I approached Matthew with a few concerns about the concept of Silicon Cape. I wanted to know why it wasn’t being pitched as “Silicon SA”, I wanted to let him know that Silicon Cape was othering Joburgers with this initiative and I wanted to know “what next?”. In fact let me go so far as to say that I felt completed isolated by the tech industry in Cape Town and pushed out and pushed away by Silicon Cape. All of this simply because I live in Johannesburg. I don’t feel that this is right. I think there is great value in the various other tech-hubs in South Africa and I think that Silicon Cape as an organisation should have reached out to the other areas of the country and the other techies out there to attend and take part and contribute to the concept.

I think these feelings are still somewhat justifiable. But the point is simply that investors and geeks alike are attracted as much to quality of life as they are to a good business plan. The hope for Silicon Cape is that the combination of Cape Town’s stunning setting and the entrepreneurial minds and start-ups in that region will attract enough Venture Capital to make Cape Town the start-up hub of Africa.

Now nothing is ever as simple and clear-cut as it initially appears to be so I would like to offer some feelings of support and quiet concern. Don’t let this idea rise up with enthusiasm and die out just as quickly due to lack of follow-through. This is a reality but people need to understand that Silicon Cape is an organisation that is trying to facilitate effective ways of growing and developing a VC culture in Cape Town and invariably the rest of SA and Africa.

Congratulations to all of those involved in Silicon Cape, to all of those who will benefit and to all of those who are taking this idea seriously and running with it. Our country needs precisely this sort of faith from successful entrepreneurs who are willing to return to SA and invest in the country’s people, companies and landscape.

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I am a massive fan of Rolling Stone Magazine. Even more so now that they’ve featured the BLK JKS in their latest feature entitled: Artist to Watch 2009: BLK JKS .

I have blogged about this rocking band before and it’s fantastic to see that they are still going from strength to strength globally.

Here’s a little titbit from the article but let’s not give too much away:

It’s Saturday night at a Brooklyn recording studio, and BLK JKS are frustrated. The South African psych-rockers are recording a song for the 2010 World Cup, to be hosted by their home country — an update of an old Johannesburg street chant called “Zol After Zol.” (“Zol” is slang for spliff.) They’ve been tinkering with it for hours, but something still isn’t right. “This bassline,” frowns drummer Tshepang Ramoba, adjusting the pile of dreadlocks atop his head. “It’s kind of, like, very cheesy.”

Mpumi Mcata, the group’s lead guitarist, nods. “It’s not necessarily bad,” he says, taking care not to offend bassist Molefi Makananise. “It’s just, you know … traditional.”

You can head over to the article to get a sneak peak at one of their songs and a great article on the band.

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Two South Africans are flying around the world. Now that doesn’t sound like such a great plan in today’s day and age. Hell, everyone knows they can hop on a plane and make a few stops and be around the world. The site is called Airplane Factory. And it’s an interesting read let me tell you.

Yet this is different:

Mike and James, proud owners of The Airplane Factory, are flying the production prototype Sling from Johannesburg, South Africa, to the Oshkosh Airventure Airshow, Wisconsin USA, in July this year. They will return to Johannesburg by continuing their journey west, circumnavigating the globe en route. The journey, including 6 days in Oshkosh, is planned to take place over approximately one calendar month, commencing on 18 July and returning on 22 August 2009.

Now, Mr Jason Bagley alerted me to this via twitter, one of the pilots is actually his Uncle, which I think is pretty nifty.

Where are they now?

Mike & James are presently in Conakry, Guinea.
WEATHER: Variable clouds with scattered thunderstorms. Low around 24°C / 75°F. Winds SW at 8-16km/h / 5-10mph. Chance of rain 40%.
EXPECTED DEPARTURE: The next leg across the Atlantic will be Wednesday evening, the 22nd July 2009. We will advise as soon as we have the expected time of departure.

You can show your support on the site too, if you have any way of possibly helping them out or assisting them with plans of any sort then head over to the site for more info on how to help.

Be sure to head over to the Routes area of the site and follow their progress. It seems as though they’ve just completed the 3rd leg and are on to the fourth leg of the trip tomorrow. What an extraordinary thing to be doing. I am incredibly impressed with these two phenomenal gentlemen, and somewhat jealous!

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CueTV did an intriguing video on a production being put on at this years national arts festival. “Done London” is a story about South African’s experiences in London and returning home what it feels like.

From CueTV:

Been there, done that, seen the show. While you may still reminisce about mad house shares, job hunting and that ever-annoying voice repeating ‘mind the gap’, for many of you who have done London, South Africa seems to be where you end up. The grass is not always be greener on the other side and the cast of Done London at this year’s National Arts Festival in Grahamstown explain how their experiences in the big city influenced their roles in the play. cueTV went to see the show and all you got was this lousy clip.

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