Hogarth: 09 October 2011

09 October 2011 - 03:19 By Hogarth
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President Jacob Zuma
President Jacob Zuma

Motive emerges visa vis the Arch's dashed birthday wish

Children can be very perceptive. And so, as the country remained shocked by the government's failure to grant the Dalai Lama a visa so that he could party it up with birthday boy Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu in Zilleland, Hogarth turned to a book of children's letters to the president for an understanding of what drives the Kangaman's administration.

One of the kids whose letters made it into the book, 11-year-old Kgothatso Mathibe, had this advice for the president: "And don't be sad because your birthday is not popular like [that of] Nelson Mandela; just calm down and just smile forever ..."

Since Tutu is arguably the second most famous South African, after Mandela, could it be that the powers that be tried to spoil his party by not letting his friend come because of jealousy?

The 11-year-old may be on to something.

Hu's the boss?

AT The New Age business breakfast on Monday, Kangaman finally confessed to one thing most right-thinking South Africans have known about him for a while now - that he is not in charge.

His "How do I know" response to a question about whether a visa would be granted to the Dalai Lama in time for him to attend the Arch's birthday celebrations should not have surprised anyone, really.

But if the president is not in charge, who is? Many have suspected that Juju and the ANC kindergarten are the ones running the show. Kangaman was, however, emphatic in his denial of this.

Perhaps he is right: neither he nor Wee Julius controls the country. South Africa's sovereignty has long been sold to Beijing.

Get well soon ... as possible

WEE Julius's admission to a non-nationalised hospital for "flu-like symptoms" did not only keep him out of the Dalai Lama debacle this week, it also saved him from another long weekend of tortuous questioning by Derek Hanekom and other members of the ANC disciplinary committee. On hearing that Wee Julius would not be attending the hearing because of ill-health, Hanekom was quick to issue a statement on Wednesday wishing the ANC kindergarten head prefect "a speedy recovery".

Hogarth believes this is because the committee can't wait for Juju to return to the grilling chair.

Minus marx for you, lads

IN Julius Malema's absence, the SA Communist Party's Western Cape wing saw fit to take on the role of the ruling party's barking dog.

Angered by Tutu's warning that South Africans might soon pray for the ANC's downfall, SACP Western Cape spokesman Khaya Magaxa accused the Arch of declaring "a cold war" on government.

"We find these innuendos and utterances by the Archbishop to be un-Godly," wrote an angry Magaxa in a statement.

"Un-Godly"? Aren't communists supposed to be atheists?

Not meeting obligations

SO the IFP has, for the umpteenth time, decided to postpone its "annual" national conference to a future undisclosed date.

Not that Hogarth is surprised, but we would have thought that NotGatsha would finally realise that putting off the conference again - the last one was held in 2008 - does nothing at all for his ever-waning political profile.

Where the rubbers hit the road

THE good news from Faulty Towers is that although His Master's Voice may be in financial difficulties, it is exceeding its target in at least one aspect of its performance.

It was reported this week that, although the broadcaster had set itself the target of distributing 2500 condoms to its staff members during the past financial year, it had managed to outdo itself by giving away close to 4000 of the things during the period under review.

The corporation's bosses are apparently patting each other's backs over this achievement.

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