Upcoming Gautrain Launch
I will be at the official launch of the Gautrain. Since I have a media pass I will be expected to uh, report on it. So you can follow me on Twitter, and possibly on Facebook. My username on Twitter is @Francoisjvr, the hashtag is #Gautrain, For more information follow @TheGautrain on Twitter. After the launch I also hope to write about the Gautrain here on my blog and post photographs of the event, so be sure to check in here as well!
UniteSA
I am reposting this as part of the UniteSA campaign on Twitter, Facebook and the South African blogosphere. The recent comments by Julius Malema combined with the murder of extreme right winger Eugene Terre'blanche has stoked tensions in South Africa to high levels. It's time for South Africans to unite, and reject the extremists who are hard at work undermining our precious democracy.
UniteSA
South Africa stands at a crossroads – a time in which racial tensions run high and the world is focused on us. Neither the people of South Africa nor the country itself can afford to have negativity and irrational outbursts rule our daily lives.
To that end, UniteSA is an attempt to bring people from all corners of our nation together in a call for peace, calm and rational thought.
Various ministers have called for restraint as has President Zuma – certain organisations have chosen to use this time to push a political agenda and we appeal to them to allow the authorities the chance they need to resolve the issues.
We urge the people of South Africa to express faith in the police force and the justice system at this time.
We call upon the ANC to rein in Julius Malema appropriately and urge him to behave responsibly.
We call upon the AWB to continue to act responsibly after the tragic death of Eugene Terre’blanche.
We call upon the National Government to plan for protection of farmers as they worry about their futures.
We express our solidarity and empathy for those who have suffered because of crime and corruption in our country.
We are far stronger united than we are apart.
Blogroll
http://blogs.timeslive.co.za/gatherer/
http://www.dreamfoundry.co.za/
http://www.robsramblings.co.za
Don’t Feed the Trolls, or Why South Africans aren’t ready for Broadband
The latest Julius Malema Facebook scandal has annoyed me for reasons that have very little to do with Julius Malema. For those of you who don't know what it's about: a Facebook user calling himself "Thato Mbateti Mbateti" posted some rather unsavoury (and poorly written) comments on a Julius Malema Facebook fan page allegedly calling for whites to be raped and slaughtered. Predictably, many media outlets, including News24.com, Die Volksblad and Die Beeld, soon posted sensationalist news articles about this newest example of Malema related hate speech. In no time at all there was a massive outrage and a furious response on Facebook, Twitter, blogs and news sites.
Unfortunately it was all a load of rubbish. Not long afterwards News24.com posted an article quoting several "experts", who informed the South African public that hate speech is fairly common online, and should not be taken too seriously. What bothers me about this latest scandal has nothing to do with Julius Malema or his supporters. Rather it bothers me that an evidently large section of the South African public is extraordinarily gullible, especially when dealing with anything related to either the internet or Julius Malema. What is especially disturbing is that these stories have been spread by mainstream media outlets who should probably know better.
*Every* page on the internet that allows comments or posts- whether it is a blog, a news site, or a Facebook page- is inevitably inhabited by people whom veteran internet users nickname "trolls". A troll is a web user who delights in writing offensive articles or comments, the goal being to invoke an online argument and an emotional response. Trolls use the relative anonymity of posting online to cause as much offence and hurt as is possible. Don't believe me? Visit a website like News24.com, go to the opinion section and read the comments on any article posted there. It doesn't really matter which article you are reading- even the most innocuous article is likely to cause a torrent of insults, and possibly a few death threats. This is not just a South African phenomenon- go to any U.S. news site and you will see the exact same thing going on in the comments column.
Now, this level of naked aggression and hatred frequently expressed on the internet is not a good thing. But it is an everyday occurrence, and does not signal the end of the world. "Thato Mbateti Mbateti" is not going to kill or rape any white people, he is simply a troll, thriving on the chaos that he has caused online. The response of News24, Die Volksblad , Die Beeld and the South African public has merely empowered him. One of the most important rules you will ever learn when interacting with people online is DON'T FEED THE TROLLS. Unfortunately, that is exactly what South Africa has gone and done.
Come on, South Africa. Don't be so gullible. Trolls are neither a threat to our safety, nor remotely newsworthy. The only worrying thing about the past few days is that some South Africans are still far too naive to use the internet. The internet is a chaotic and confusing place, and not everything you read there should be taken seriously. The general public and the media alike should be aware of this. And remember, don't feed the trolls!
SpeakZA
I am reposting this letter as part of an important online campaign called SpeakZa which is protesting against the increasing threats to freedom of speech and freedom of the press in South Africa. For more information about this campaign visit Sipo Hlongwane or Chris Roper's blogs. Here is the letter:
SpeakZA
Bloggers For a Free PressLast 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 Rollhttp://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/.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
First Entry
Please be patient. Designing a new blog is tiresome work, especially if you have no idea what you're doing!