Hear me out.... a collection of commentary

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9819045562164434412011-09-10T12:07:57.751+02:00Hear me out.... a collection of commentaryEverything goes... current affairs, travel, work and play.Tumi Mphahlelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491360830893954440noreply@blogger.comBlogger211100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981904556216443441.post-71874457110682742442011-09-09T22:50:00.006+02:002011-09-10T12:05:05.191+02:00"Why should white guys have all the fun?"

Do not let the heading mislead you – this book is not about prejudice or racism. This book is about how Reginald F. Lewis created a billion-dollar business empire in the United States in the eighties, at the time when African-American billionaires were unheard of.Reginald Lewis used this phrase “Why should white guys have all the fun?” when he was growing up and when it was becoming apparent to

Tumi Mphahlelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491360830893954440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981904556216443441.post-48372289826184866212011-01-17T22:11:00.003+02:002011-01-17T22:16:37.208+02:00Remembering Martin Luther King Jr.

The third Monday of January every year marks the celebration of the life of Martin Luther King Jnr., born on the 15th of January 1929.To celebrate this day, I thought of sharing three of his quotes that I brought back with me (in a form of cards) from the Martin Luther King Jnr Heritage Site in Atlanta that I had a privilege of visiting recently (see photo below):“Rarely do we find men who

Tumi Mphahlelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491360830893954440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981904556216443441.post-36136987948417395182010-05-25T22:54:00.002+02:002010-05-25T22:56:40.176+02:00Bless Africa and her children

My wish today, on Africa Day, is that we start learning in earnest from our collective past, take full ownership of our future and refrain from being our own worst enemies.My hope is that we develop, support and encourage the type of leaders that have only the interest of Africa and her people at heart.My dream is to wake up tomorrow and see our people united as one, vigorously fighting against

Tumi Mphahlelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491360830893954440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981904556216443441.post-19476593581211039092010-05-12T07:58:00.004+02:002010-05-12T08:00:41.664+02:00Thumbs up for National Service

I applaud Minister Sisulu for bringing the National Youth Service (NYS) debate back on the table – albeit with a military slant and perhaps with an urgent ring to it. Detailed planning is said to start in earnest after the Soccer World Cup later this year.The concept of NYS in South Africa is not new – it was discussed a lot at the time when Mahlengi Bhengu was still National Youth Commissioner.

Tumi Mphahlelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491360830893954440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981904556216443441.post-20134105113571187752010-03-03T23:31:00.002+02:002010-03-03T23:37:33.834+02:00CSS – Culture Says So

The issue of polygamy is on the spot light again in London this week where President Zuma is on state visit. And yet again, the president’s justification remains the same, CSS, because “Culture Says So”. And I think that is the point at which most people both side of the debate lose one another.We all know that practices that become irrelevant are simply left behind as we move forward as a

Tumi Mphahlelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491360830893954440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981904556216443441.post-72168831705164962092010-01-28T22:22:00.006+02:002010-01-28T22:39:50.905+02:00The Red Hill – views certainly worth the pain!

“The road to Durban has started indeed”, was the overused phrase at the Red Hill Marathon in Cape Town last Saturday by this runner from Top Form, on of the clubs well-represented at the race.Everyone around him knew exactly what he was referring to – the Comrades down run to Durban at the end of May. I could not agree more, especially because he muttered the phrase every time we had to negotiate

Tumi Mphahlelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491360830893954440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981904556216443441.post-46330550290771272022009-12-13T21:52:00.004+02:002009-12-13T21:59:17.029+02:00Who are these people?

Without a doubt there exists a good market for stolen goods in South Africa – anything ranging from cell phones to items such as paintings, antiques and furniture acquired through truck hijackings.My car was broken into and my front-loader and other loose items such as sun glasses were removed. So I was left wondering - who are these people?Which members of our communities find it beneficial to

Tumi Mphahlelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491360830893954440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981904556216443441.post-74449832807235669002009-10-21T22:39:00.002+02:002009-10-21T22:42:42.010+02:00The other side of Paradise, a Memoir

My intention is not to spoil it for anyone intending to read Staceyanne Chin’s book “The other side of Paradise, a Memoir”, but kindly allow me to say a word or two, I promise to be short.This is a story of triumph against all odds. I am wary to say I enjoyed reading the book; the story was much too sad to use such words to describe it. A few times I’ve had to close my eyes temporarily to just

Tumi Mphahlelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491360830893954440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981904556216443441.post-5515969883719794972009-10-01T22:18:00.002+02:002009-10-01T22:20:59.664+02:00Why the gold medal, why now!

At the root of the controversy surrounding Athletics South Africa is the apparent pressure to return a gold medal from the IAAF championships in Berlin in August 2009. But why the gold medal and why in August 2009? Caster Semenya is 18 years old – she potentially had more than ten years of IAAF championships to compete at – yet Leonard Chuene decided he was not going to miss an opportunity to

Tumi Mphahlelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491360830893954440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981904556216443441.post-55678442720944061262009-08-25T23:24:00.004+02:002009-10-01T22:24:28.558+02:00Spirit of the Marathon

I watched this movie/documentary “Spirit of the Marathon” at Cavendish Cinema Nouveau in Claremont on Sunday – and enjoyed watching how close to “home” the events and some of the characters were to me as a road runner. It features six individuals preparing to participate in the Chicago Marathon 2005 – two of them elite athletes and the rest “completers”. For those who have not ran a marathon (

Tumi Mphahlelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491360830893954440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981904556216443441.post-64187192041930193382009-08-17T22:23:00.003+02:002009-08-17T22:32:11.125+02:00What change of government?

“What change of government?” - is the question that the communities that are protesting against service non-delivery are probably asking themselves.As far as they are concerned – and I am only speculating here – they have voted the ANC back in. If they strongly believed that they had voted a different party in, would they not have given the "new government" a fair chance to start from scratch

Tumi Mphahlelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491360830893954440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981904556216443441.post-25218437682517521242009-08-07T23:21:00.008+02:002009-08-08T00:05:09.788+02:00Till next time, Maputo

My weekly trips to Maputo have sadly come to an end. It has been about seven months of commuting and I will remember with fondness some very unique and charming little marvels:- After you land in Maputo – look out for your luggage on two conveyor belts. Your bag could be on any of the two.- Before you leave the airport, you get your luggage scanned. I am not sure why this is done…..- When you

Tumi Mphahlelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491360830893954440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981904556216443441.post-70818919568724112692009-07-27T08:19:00.005+02:002009-07-27T08:30:55.863+02:00Fantastic Performances at the Urban Voices International Arts Festival 2009

If you enjoy the spoken word and you missed the Urban Voices international Arts Festival 2009, forgive yourself this time, but I suggest you make a promise not to commit that mistake again!!!As usual, there was a wide variety of poets who came with their unique thought-provoking views, creativity, and great performances.In Johannesburg at the Baseline, Tsoana Nhlapo’s poems in Zulu, Sotho and

Tumi Mphahlelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491360830893954440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981904556216443441.post-51056196886145560052009-07-20T20:31:00.007+02:002009-07-26T14:21:28.130+02:00Our Minister of Correctional Services is awake now

Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula must have been incorrectly placed at the Department of home affairs. A change of scene to Correctional Services seems to be paying some dividends now – or perhaps the home affairs had significantly tougher cookies she had to deal with.Busting the Home Affairs officials was becoming rather boring for the investigators at Special Assignment on SABC Channel 3. You could be

Tumi Mphahlelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491360830893954440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981904556216443441.post-40663850765919516782009-07-11T21:30:00.001+02:002009-07-11T21:32:47.825+02:00It did not have to end that way for Michael Jackson

Undoubtedly, Michael Jackson is one of the most talented artists the world has seen so far. He was brilliant, period, and he sold the most number of albums by far! Everyone will need to respect that, the old fans and the new, the old friends and the new.There is no model ending to any story, but for Michael Jackson, if I could, I would have chosen a different ending.At age 50 Michael Jackson was

Tumi Mphahlelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491360830893954440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981904556216443441.post-3072580587804947002009-07-03T08:08:00.001+02:002010-06-06T16:04:48.788+02:00Oh no not another R Kelly scandal!

Can you believe R Kelly is in yet another under-age girl scandal - http://www.thecelebritycafe.com/features/29786.html – gracious, if this is true then he must be playing stupid. Surely his manager, publicist or lawyer must have explained the significance of the number 16, as it relates to him?R Kelly is a great artist though, that we have to give it to him. His show at Sun City on the 27th of

Tumi Mphahlelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491360830893954440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981904556216443441.post-4335204790059193732009-06-30T18:26:00.001+02:002009-06-30T20:56:44.708+02:00Viva Vuvuzela – for World Cup 2010 and far beyond!

I am glad Sepp Blatter closed the “to-ban-or-not-to-ban” debate on the Vuvuzela. This is good news and I see this instrument becoming one of the most recognized South African export in a long time – way beyond Soccer World Cup 2010.The vuvuzela is now commercial and the urban legend making rounds suggests it was commercialised by people who, a few years back, did not even know the instrument

Tumi Mphahlelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491360830893954440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981904556216443441.post-78485281191908526602009-06-29T08:48:00.005+02:002009-06-29T16:43:47.752+02:00Sun City chaos en Route to R Kelly

All praises to R Kelly’s performance at the Sun City on Saturday evening. His performance came as a great consolation after the traffic chaos we experienced en route to the venue hours before his concert.I was in shock as I watched the single lane to Sun City turn into six lanes because people who were at the back felt so important that they needed to reach the venue first.Black people, what were

Tumi Mphahlelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491360830893954440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981904556216443441.post-53614409312169441442009-06-22T22:59:00.012+02:002009-06-23T21:14:38.555+02:00Credit and debits where they are due!

The South African Revenue Services (SARS) is an efficient operation – Agreed. In 2004, they collected over 90% of the South African Government’s revenue using only 1.5% of the revenue as administrative costs. Compare that ratio with 2% for developed countries and 4-5% for developing countries and our figure was not shabby at all.But SARS are not just efficient - they are very helpful, especially

Tumi Mphahlelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491360830893954440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981904556216443441.post-79825765238697604962009-06-18T23:00:00.007+02:002009-06-20T22:13:27.439+02:00We come from far, people!

While enjoying the South Africa vs. New Zealand game on Tuesday, I was reminded about the long, hard road that we have traveled in the football world. I watched the New Zealanders’ form and it resembled closely our national side of not so long ago. We could have given the New Zealanders the yellow/green jerseys and a few months back, no one would have noticed the error. Yes we have beaten a

Tumi Mphahlelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491360830893954440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981904556216443441.post-4305254375839934552009-06-16T22:53:00.000+02:002009-06-16T23:03:05.092+02:00Too much hassle at the Confederations Cup match and not much to munch

A dress rehearsal should not be like first practice and can never be a substitute for a thorough planning process. This is a lesson that SAFA should know – after all they have run events before. To put it mildly, all the Park and Ride issues that have cropped up at the 2009 Confederations Cup at Ellis Park should have been avoided and are inexcusable. Check out Lebo’s blog http://

Tumi Mphahlelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491360830893954440noreply@blogger.com