The rivers in the Transkei are different to those in KwaZulu-Natal. The difference lies in the sugarcane farming along the KZN coast and the natural grasslands along the Transkei coast. Most KZN rivers and their lagoons are silted up by the soil washing off the sugar cane lands. The rivers in the Transkei are not, …
Peter the cockroach killer
The Principal of the University of Natal during much of the 1960s, Professor Owen Horwood, and I had a less than cordial relationship and we had several run-ins. (For background, Horwood later joined the National Party (apartheid) Government as the Minister of Finance. He was married to Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian Smith's sister. Quite a …
Next week’s budget – between a rock and a hard place
When it comes to the budget next week, newly elected President Cyril Ramaphosa, and his promise of renewal, finds himself between a rock and a hard place. The government needs a budget to be passed timeously. But the budget before parliament will essentially be a Zuma Corruption budget. How can he or the ANC defend or …
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King Zuma’s reign ends
I had expected to feel excitement and even elation. But by the time King Zuma finally announced the end of his reign, I felt no excitement, only sadness and relief. It reminded me of Richard Nixon's resignation many decades ago. Sadness at the decade that Zuma had stolen from South Africa and her people. Sadness …
Thoughts and Memories - Peter Mansfield 