Latest news with #Boer
National Post
11-07-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Geoff Russ: Macdonald's critics don't just hate our first PM. They hate Canada
Article content In many cases, the national holiday of 'Australia Day' has been cancelled, with calls to rename it 'Invasion Day.' Article content Like Canada, Australia is increasingly portrayed as a primordially evil settler state that is irredeemable until a sort of bureaucratic cultural revolution takes place. Article content Last year, a school field trip in Toronto resulted in students of ' colonizer ' ethnicity being asked to wear blue to set them apart from their classmates. Article content It was an inappropriate, if not dehumanizing, decision by the school staff, who should have lost their jobs over it. That is all part of the process of demoralization and alienation. Article content This racial division of society is a branch from the same tree that sprouted 'Kill the Boer' in South Africa. Article content For context, 'Kill the Boer' is a song that emerged during the apartheid era in resistance to South Africa's white-minority government that ended in 1994. Article content The tune was revived in the 2010s by far-left political leader Julius Malema, who routinely accuses the remaining white population of hoarding their wealth and continuing to oppress the country's Black majority. Article content Article content Malema has insisted that the title of the song is a metaphor, stating that, 'we've not called for the killing of white people, at least for now.' Article content That sort of extreme discourse has not been broached in Canada, and people should not expect mass violence anytime soon. However, the underlying assumptions about the value of 'colonizers' hardly differ from Malema's. Article content Take the reaction from the hard-left to the massacre of Israeli citizens by Hamas on October 7, 2023. Article content Former Ontario NDP MPP Sarah Jama's first reaction was to issue a statement accusing Israel of apartheid and engaging in 'settler colonialism.' Article content Jama made sure to mention that she, too, was 'a politician who is participating in this settler colonial system.' Article content The inability to wait until the victims' blood was dry before equivocating was telling. Article content Others, such as a lecturer at Langara College in Vancouver, celebrated the ' amazing, brilliant offensive ' as an act of liberation, and have been unapologetic about doing so to this day. Article content 'Kill the Boer' is not an isolated phenomenon, it is part and parcel of the global decolonial movement. Article content Macdonald is being wiped from the public eye for two reasons. Article content The first is that he was once commemorated with more monuments in Canada than any other prime minister, and was thus an easy target. Secondly, his efforts created the country that so many people despise. Article content It is not so much Macdonald whom they seek to dishonour as it is Canada itself. Article content Article content Article content
The Citizen
04-07-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Synagogue and storefronts: One man's mark on Krugersdorp's past
In the eighth edition of Echoes of Krugersdorp, which the Krugersdorp News partnered-up with the Krugersdorp Heritage Association (KHA), we explore the life of one of the town's earliest, and arguably most fascinating, pioneers, Abner Cohen, who helped transform a scattering of iron shanties into the Krugersdorp we know today. Co-founder of the KHA, Jaco Mattheyse, shared Cohen's story with the News, which started in London. Cohen was born to Jewish parents around 1860, and like many others of his time, decided to immigrate to Southern Africa, arriving in 1881. He soon made his way north toward the diamond fields and, after the discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand, travelled to the Transvaal Republic. Remarkably, he even took the time to learn the local 'Kitchen Dutch' (early Afrikaans) spoken by the Boers. On his journey to Johannesburg, Cohen pitched his tent on a rocky outcrop about 30km west of the town, a spot that would later become the heart of Krugersdorp. In doing so, he became the first English settler in the area. Besides the Paardekraal Monument, he built a humble wattle-and-daub hut and opened his first business, the Monument Hotel and Store. Unfortunately, the conservative Boer government under Paul Kruger viewed this as an irreverent intrusion upon sacred ground. • Also read: Through war and worship: A church's 135-year story 'He was swiftly ordered to vacate the site and was effectively cast down into the profane mining camp forming in the valley below,' Mattheyse said. Cohen made a contrite journey on foot to Pretoria to plead with the authorities for forgiveness. 'Eventually, his efforts bore fruit. He was granted a commercial stand in the newly laid-out town, where he built his Court Bar and a second Monument Hotel. His was the only commercial stand in the entire government block, bounded by Monument, Ockerse, Kruger and Commissioner streets. 'Ironically, his new saloon stood right next to the courthouse, a symbol of secular Boer authority, where a commemorative plaque marking the location still survives today. Though displaced from the original monument site, he had re-established himself in the rough-and-tumble heart of Krugersdorp's early mining settlement.' Years later, Mattheyse said, Cohen sold the Court Bar to make room for the expansion of the court buildings. He used the proceeds to purchase several erven, consolidating them into a small peri-urban estate that he proudly called Homelands. • Also read: A burning passion: The story of Krugersdorp's fire station 'Cohen felt welcome and secure enough to plant roots so close to the very monument from which he had once been evicted, which speaks volumes about the spirit of reconciliation in early Krugersdorp. 'The Monument Hotel passed through several hands, and in the 1930s, the present Majestic Hotel was constructed on the same corner. A foundation stone there still pays tribute to Cohen.' Among his many contributions to the town, Mattheyse believed that Cohen helped establish the Krugersdorp Jewish community in 1894. 'As president of the congregation, he successfully petitioned President Kruger for two valuable freehold sites for communal use. 'Cohen was on friendly terms with President Paul Kruger, but he felt slighted when Kruger granted only two stands to the Jewish community. When Cohen questioned this decision, Kruger reportedly replied that the Jewish faith only followed half of the Bible [the Old Testament as found in the Torah] and they would receive only half the number of church stands typically allocated by the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek.' He pointed out that, in 1903, Cohen laid the foundation stone for Krugersdorp's first synagogue, right in the town centre. 'Cohen also played a role in the development of Bulawayo and Rhodesia. Though he was not involved in the 1895 conspiracy against the Boer government, he maintained close ties with members of the Reform Committee. Some indiscreet remarks he made led to a brief period of imprisonment, and he later passed away in 1937 at the age of 77. He is buried in the Jewish section of the Old Burgershoop Cemetery.' At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
IOL News
04-07-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Letters to the editor: We need a good attitude to work together and fix South Africa, no 'holier-than-thou' sentiments
We need a better attitude to fix SA The visit to America by Freedom Front+ leaders is an undermining of the authority of the President and his cabinet. As a sovereign state, South Africa has the right to make its own decisions and not be 'coerced' by American requests'. Being 'coerced' is the impression I got, because the implication is, if we don't meet their demands, our economy will suffer'. The President has already made himself clear on the denouncement of 'kill the Boer'. It should not be taken up literally, because if it were so, we would have already seen a real genocide. The small group of Afrikaners who exchanged their identity to become 'Amerikaners', is testimony to the fact that there is no genocide. The colonial conquest of South Africa included acts of genocide by a 'Christianing' Europe against the Khoi and San people. I speculate that descendants of these colonists (possibly AWB, FF+, their family and circle of friends) have probably shouted during apartheid 'slaan die hotnot' and 'skiet die k****' People of colour have lost more lives during the Struggle due to police brutality, than present day farm murders. As a product of 1976, other students and I had to run for our lives across a field when the police shot at us. Who can forget the brutal murders of Ashley Kriel, Robbie Waterwitch, Colleen Williams, the Cradock 4, Chris Hani, Steve Biko, Hector Pieterson, et al? If they (the FF+ and other colonialist descendants) are genuine in getting South Africa back on track, I would appeal to them not to fly to America, but to come forward on home soil to repent for the sins of their forefathers and start the process of restoration, reconciliation and restitution. This will lay the platform for the spiritual, social and economic revival to eradicate poverty, inequality and unemployment. Let's leave the holier-than-thou attitude behind and be humble enough to get our hands dirty in order to clean up the mess that the majority of South African find themselves in 'Helping Hands for A Better Future'. | Clive Solomon Goodwood Poultry vaccination a game changer The Democratic Alliance in KwaZulu-Natal welcomes the announcement by Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen that South Africa will begin its first-ever national poultry vaccination programme against highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). This is a decisive step in protecting the agricultural economy – and in KZN, it could be game-changing. KZN is home to a significant and growing poultry industry. From large-scale commercial operations to emerging black farmers and subsistence producers in rural municipalities, poultry farming remains the single most important source of both affordable protein and agricultural employment in the province. Recent outbreaks of avian influenza have devastated producers across the country. For KZN, where rural livelihoods are often centred around backyard poultry operations or smallholder commercial ventures, the economic risks of HPAI are immense. By proactively rolling out vaccinations, Minister Steenhuisen is not only protecting South African poultry – he is safeguarding food security, rural incomes, and economic stability in provinces like ours. We further call on the KZN Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to: ■ Ensure full alignment with the national rollout plan, with special emphasis on rural and small-scale poultry producers; ■ Deploy veterinary support and training teams to all districts to assist with safe vaccination and biosecurity awareness; ■ Prioritise emerging black farmers and cooperatives to prevent inequitable access -to disease control interventions. We are especially encouraged by this action as a signal of a more responsive, science-based agricultural policy environment under the new Government of National Unity. The DA, in its role in the Government of Provincial Unity (GPU) in KZN, will continue to monitor implementation and provide oversight to ensure that this programme reaches every farmer – not just the biggest, but also the most vulnerable. | SAKHILE MNGADI, MPL DA KZN spokesperson on Agriculture AI being willfully misused in law As a practicing attorney and someone who has been at the side bar for almost 40 years, I'm seeing more and more attorneys using Artificial Intelligence for not only their research but also their letters. Fortunately, their letters are completely see through and one can pick up the stultified manner in which AI writes letters. In one particular case, acting Judge DJ Smit had the lawyer (advocate) admit that the citation emanated from AI. In a previous case lawyers have been referred to be disciplined at the Legal Practice Council. We are probably going to see more and more of this. However, what is becoming a real nightmare is that when you do see clients and they ask for an opinion on a legal issue or on the strength of their case, they come armed with AI advice to not only challenge you but also to second guess. The advice that they pick up is sometimes enormously problematic and wrong. I have had quite a few clients advising me that they are going to go rather with the AI advice because it suits them better. This has had enormously destructive consequences for the clients. I suspect that they don't even bother to go and get the advice checked out by a lawyer. | MICHAEL BAGRAIM Cape Town LETTERS
The Age
03-07-2025
- Business
- The Age
Everything I wish I knew before becoming a landlord
Simone Boer has seen a thing or two as a landlord. Since buying her first investment property — in her own neighbourhood of Lara, near Geelong, during the GFC in 2008 — Boer has gone on to become the owner of nine residential and two commercial properties, spread across the nation. A 43-year-old mindset and business coach, Boer says being a landlord continues to throw up surprises. 'I can confidently say that I am still learning every day,' she says. However, she has, over the years, developed some non-negotiable practices, based on experience. Here are three things she wishes she knew when she was starting out. A good property manager is recommended 'It's tempting to go with the cheapest option, but a good-quality property manager is worth their weight in gold,' Boer says. 'They can help provide you with accurate appraisals and proper marketing, and get tenants in in a timely manner. 'Not only that, but they also ensure that the tenant's rights and responsibilities are explained to them, so expectations are set from the get-go.' Boer learned the value of a good property manager early in her investing journey, when one of her properties was leased to a young couple with no rental history. They got a large dog without permission, and by the end of the tenancy, the carpet was eaten, internal doors needed painting and external doors needed replacement. 'A better-quality property manager would have flagged these issues earlier, enforced boundaries and escalated sooner.'
Sydney Morning Herald
03-07-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Everything I wish I knew before becoming a landlord
Simone Boer has seen a thing or two as a landlord. Since buying her first investment property — in her own neighbourhood of Lara, near Geelong, during the GFC in 2008 — Boer has gone on to become the owner of nine residential and two commercial properties, spread across the nation. A 43-year-old mindset and business coach, Boer says being a landlord continues to throw up surprises. 'I can confidently say that I am still learning every day,' she says. However, she has, over the years, developed some non-negotiable practices, based on experience. Here are three things she wishes she knew when she was starting out. A good property manager is recommended 'It's tempting to go with the cheapest option, but a good-quality property manager is worth their weight in gold,' Boer says. 'They can help provide you with accurate appraisals and proper marketing, and get tenants in in a timely manner. 'Not only that, but they also ensure that the tenant's rights and responsibilities are explained to them, so expectations are set from the get-go.' Boer learned the value of a good property manager early in her investing journey, when one of her properties was leased to a young couple with no rental history. They got a large dog without permission, and by the end of the tenancy, the carpet was eaten, internal doors needed painting and external doors needed replacement. 'A better-quality property manager would have flagged these issues earlier, enforced boundaries and escalated sooner.'
