Letters to the Editor: Ode to the Hollywoodbets Durban July and Let's fix SA first, then Palestine

IOL News

10 hours ago

Ode to this year's Durban July
Sir,
Here is my contribution to the fashion, fabulous fillies and flamboyance of this year's Hollywoodbets Durban July which will be run at Greyville on Saturday. I hope your readers enjoy it!
GLADATORIAN, celebrates ROYAL VICTORY at Club EIGHT ON EIGHTEEN.
The NATIVE RULER of SELUKWE was a worried man. His twin sons, THE REAL PRINCE and SON OF RAJ had been kidnapped. He announced in SEE IT AGAIN Magazine: 'I swear, ON MY HONOUR, that whoever rescued them would be rewarded with my prized painting, PURPLE PITCHER. As an added bonus, I'll include my POMODORO'S JET."
From OKAVANGO to MADISON VALLEY they all came hoping to land the spoils. However, many, including the wily, ATTICUS FINCH, lost their way at the final hurdle – coming up against the CONFEDERATE.
Eventually, a GLADATORIAN, who just escaped LITIGATION on RAINBOW LORIKEET Island saved the day. He used his ORIENTAL CHARM and soon celebrated a ROYAL VICTORY at Club EIGHT ON EIGHTEEN.
'Others may have had the IMMEDIATE EDGE, but I gave it MY BEST SHOT, ' he quipped when asked about the secret to his success. | ANAND-JAY Phoenix
Let's fix SA first before Palestine
As sympathy is demanded for the Palestinians by the likes of Essa and Alaa Nassar, I fail to understand how, when Hamas attacks Israel at a music festival, any sane person would demand undeserved grace for the people of Gaza.
Israel gave the Gazans multiple chances before for the acceptance of democratic autonomy, but they blew it by electing the Neanderthals who would act as proxies for the IRGC.
Since 1979, the Iranian leaders had one agenda in mind: suppression of their people – especially women – and the destruction of Israel and so-called Zionism.
What is happening in the UK, with so many Islamic ministers taking charge, is a full-on assault on Western civilization.
The longer we sympathise with false pro-Palestine propaganda, the further we will find ourselves from the truth! Terror acts committed by the proxies of Iran, should be called out for exactly what are: Terrorism.
We must stop fooling ourselves by trying to sympathise with a people who have little or nothing to do with South African people! The mere fact that there are rumblings about the ANC having been compensated by either Iran or Qatar for taking Israel to court, leaves a very bad taste in our mouths!
Not to mention the changing of a street name in Sandton to some terrorist who is only celebrated by those who value acts of terror.
When are we going to learn that siding with terror and hiding behind the mask of a cause so falsified by socialist and Marxist tendencies, only brings pain and division. I may not be a Jew, nor a Zionist, but I know the difference between right and wrong, the difference between propaganda and facts, the difference between truth and lies and refuse to accept this narrative of Israel committing genocide.
Let's fix SA before we say anything about 'freeing Palestine. | L Oosthuizen Durban
Credit to the DA for governing well
I READ Mr Parker's article in your sister paper, The Mercury of June 25, with interest on his take on what the Government of National Unity (GNU) has delivered in its year of existence.
Why does he never give credit where it is due?
He rants about the GNU cabinet singing from different song sheets because of a lack of talent through no fault of their own. But he doesn't say who lacks talent. He calls the DA MPs cronies when a lot of them are doing what the ANC hasn't done in years: Jacking up their departments. And doing it well.
He says that whenever the DA rears its ugly head, they are dancing to the tune of the Pied Piper of Mar-A-Lago. What is he trying to say? Where Ramaphosa and his cohorts not at the White House meeting as well?
I'm sorry, Mr Parker but your article says it all! Your hatred for the DA comes out in every sentence. You quite rightly say the tragedy of what has happened to our country is largely due to state capture under the Zuma years – corruption, cronyism, self-enrichment and the inability of the Ramaphosa administration to extricate itself from this legacy scourge through ineffective state prosecution and enforcement often involving ANC cadres and even sitting ministers.
So, as I said, give credit where it is due and thank the DA MPs who are doing their jobs under difficult circumstances without fear or favour. We all need to pull together to save our country and not have this continuous carping from afar. Talk is cheap. | BARBIE SANDLER Constantia
ANC outsmarted truculent GNU ally
The ANC outsmarted out-thought and outmaneuvered the DA by luring them into the GNU fiasco.
The once meaningful DA is today nothing more than window dressing in an ANC shop window.
The DA was a fighting force on its own with John Steenhuizen firing from the trenches and keeping the ANC ­hopping around from one foot to the other. It was always destined to be a powerful opposition party and a thorn in the side of the ruling party.
The once-powerful Steenhuizen is wasted as agricultural minister with the ANC putting him in a corner. His leadership has been eroded and watered down. Participation in the GNU is meaningless without teeth.
Time for the DA to shake off the shackles, resign from being a junior partner with no say and get back into the trenches as the powerful opposition party they once were. | Colin Bosman Newlands
A tall order but the alternative is worse
South African leaders face a baffling conundrum: On the one hand, they are still battling for the basics – affordable electricity, functional infrastructure, and operational ports. On the other, the global business landscape is being rapidly reshaped by advances in AI.
It is forecast that, within just two years, AI systems could outperform top research engineering experts. This would fundamentally transform how companies around the world conduct research and development – making it faster, cheaper, and more efficient.
It's understandable that local business leaders might feel disconnected from these developments. After all, their day-to-day challenges include load shedding, water interruptions, and impassable roads. But while South Africa struggles to stay operational, global competitors are investing billions into AI to accelerate product development and improve their ability to deliver goods and services globally.
South African business leaders must now do the seemingly impossible: Remain engaged in national efforts like the recently announced National Dialogue to improve the local business environment while simultaneously leading the adoption of new technologies that will define the future of work.
This is a tall order, but the alternative is far worse.
Falling behind in AI adoption will only deepen the existing crises of low growth, unemployment, and inequality.
Our leaders must resist short-term thinking and begin preparing our workforce and businesses for a world that is changing at exponential speed. | Daniel Novitzkas Chairman, Specno Digital Innovation Agency
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