Daniel Arap Moi led Kenya for 24 years. It was a time of peace and democracy in Kenya but behind the scenes there was corruption on a huge scale and the slums of the poor grew larger. As the Land Rovers toured the Masai Mara and Serengeti with khaki clad millionaires the average Kenyan began to sink into poverty. The slums grew as Moi and his henchmen filled their pockets and promised reform that did not come. Moi's successor, Mwai Kibaki, promised to uplift Kenyans and provide employment and...

Benazir Bhutto was assassinated earlier today and the aftermath is likely to unsettle an already volatile Pakistan. This courageous woman, called the Angel Of The East and Champion Of The Poor, was a natural leader who rallied millions of Pakistanis behind her. I have always admired her courage and her determination to unite Pakistan. I leave any speculation about the perpetrators of her death to Political commentators who are more savvy about the politics in the country than I am, but it ...

Today is the special feast of Eid Al Adha on the Muslim calendar. It is the day when those who can afford it slaughter a sheep as a sacrifice soon after sunrise and enjoy the meat with family. Most importantly many portions of the sheep are given to the poor as this is one of the intentions of the feast--to succour the poor according to the wishes of the Koran. Some Muslims, who are wealthier, may sacrifice a cow or even a camel. The intention is to share. As a person who married a farm gi...

I read the Daily Mail because it is accessible in Egypt. It is a Tory paper but it also has the most vile gossip and the writers have no thought of any decent comment. The vitriol rolls out from their writers like sludge from an aged sewage plant. Here are some recent headlines (which I've tweaked in the name of humour): " Kill her, Kill her", reaction of Sudanese to the British teacher who mis-named Teddy Bear. Don't they know they've killed thousands in Darfur? " President pardons Briti...

Forgive me but I'm a South African and therefore not really entitled to question choices made by the US Government. I can't figure out why Ahmedinajad is allowed to speak to Columbia University but not pay homage at Ground Zero. Before you hurl missiles I believe the little Iranian has no right, as Rice said, to pay any sort of homage at Ground Zero. So why does he have the right to speak at a prestigious university? Are there double standards here? He has a right to speak for his country at ...

Where in the American judicial system or that in Britain, would you find two people listed as suspects in a crime, then offered a deal for a confession (two years jail only if you confess to homicide), and then NO CHARGES ARE BROUGHT! Add to this a silent bunch of bumbling Clouseaus who give the public no information but the Portuguese press does! This morning the papers in Portugal said that "police sources" had told them that Kate McCann was unsound of mind;that Kate and Gerry had hidden...

I know all about smoking. It is bad for you and it is bad for others who have to put up with second-hand foul air. It is a habit that became very popular after the first World War and was deemed socially acceptable right up to the seventies. The figures that show cancer and emphysema fatalities from smoking are not disputed. They are fact and the healthy eighties and nineties saw a downward trend in smoking to levels where only 25% of Brits , 25% of South Africans,18% of Americans and 16% of ...

Salman Rushdie, he of the Satanic Verses and the ridiculous fatwa, is to be knighted by the Queen of England for services to literature. A writer of high repute and sensible logical discussion, Rushdie deserves his honour. However the powers that be (or is that the powers of irrationality?), in Iran and Pakhistan have condemned Britain for granting this knighthood. They are mortified and insulted by the knighthood. Who gives a F**k. Do we all have to bow to Islamic countries and kow-tow...

Mother Africa is a beautiful continent. Unfortunately it is let down--disgraced actually--by leaders who treat their flock like animals. There are a handful of countries here who rule ruthlessly and stupidly and have learnt no lessons from the past or their neighbours. Many African countries have taken a lead in democratic processes and I am pleased to say that Ghana, Botswana, South Africa, Mocambique and various others have used progress and democracy to enhance the image and economy of the...

As the 15 British sailors captured as hostages by Iran are paraded by the Iranians ad nauseam on TV, one wonders whether either side has a "calming down" policy that will resolve the situation. Iran is a revolutionary state with enough hidden agendas to confuse the brightest of diplomats. Little Ahmed (Ahmadinejad), is the President of Iran but I'll venture he's a figurehead way down in the pecking order of Iranian politics. He is probably a puppet President but very popular for his outspoken...

Hurrah! President Ahmedinejad of Iran has found a perfect excuse to hit back at his detractors.Kidnap 15 British marines (who may or may not, have trespassed into his waters -although the Iranians themselves seem confused about the exact co-ordinates), then use them for propaganda and ask the Brits for an apology. This man has an axe to grind and he sure has a strange outlook on global etiquette. He is so embroiled in his oil superiority and nuclear ambitions that he does not realise that, a)...

Skynews today flighted a march in Britain to celebrate the Bi-Centenary of the abolition of slavery. One clip featured a group of people marching in chains with "So sorry" written on their black T shirts. Should we, Joeusers, be saying sorry for something that happened over two hundred years ago? Are we so riddled with guilt that we must apologise for something we had nothing to do with? Wait, I hear voices saying that saying sorry will improve relationships between the races. Really? Should'...

I read the most bizarre story today on Google News. Apparently if an elderly or ill passenger dies on a British Airways flight the corpse is moved to First Class to avoid "distress in economy". The airline (and probably other airlines too), has no other way of disposing of the body while in the air. This, of course, conjures up various silly situations in the First Class cabin, like: Air Hostess: "Would sir like white wine or red? Perhaps a little water? (Reminds me of Shelley Berman's "Co...

In my previous post I ventured to suggest that Zimbabwe was sliding into the mire as surely as a hippo in quicksand. Quicksand is not the right word at all. A hell-hole would be closer after yesterday's events. I'm really angry and upset by the blatant bullying and plain unadulterated assault perpetrated on MDC (the opposition party), supporters and the leader, Morgan Tsangvirai. The United States has issued a warning to the polecat Mugabe that he release the MDC prisoners and desist from as...

I blog regularly about Zimbabwe--not to seek points or because of a personal vendetta---it is because I feel deeply for a country that was my neighbour for decades. It is also because I have close friends in the teaching profession who are Zimbabweans and now live in South Africa. The pensions they draw now would not buy a cup of coffee or a doughnut (if they are available). Two items of news caught my eye today: Morgan Tsangvirai, leader of the opposition MDC party, spoke on Sky News this...