kate whitfield

[Nicholas Woode-Smith @NWoodeSmith]

Real genocides don't need 18 month extensions to compile evidence or make arguments. They're self-evident.

[Kanthan Pillay 🇿🇦 @KanthanPillay]

This is what the ANC fears most about Starlink — a rural populace with access to knowledge will no longer be voting fodder.

[Farai Mazhindu @FaraiMazhindu]

Elon Musk: "If I were black, Starlink would have received a license to operate in South Africa years ago... They have very racist laws."

He is 100% correct, and the people defending this gatekeeping are entirely out of touch.

While other regional markets are opening up and actively competing for innovation, SA politicians would rather trap its people in a digital dark age than abandon their rent-seeking patronage frameworks.

Forcing tech giants to cede ownership to a tiny, politically connected elite under the guise of empowerment doesn't help the average person.

It just protects overpriced, underperforming local cartels that charge people what they can't afford for basic connectivity.

[kate whitfield @katieg5555]

@RediTlhabi The most ridiculous article. Starlink is in 166 countries - SA citizens should be allowed to choose their services. If Starlink agreed to our BEE laws and possible wasn't owned by Musk - we would not be having this debate

[Farai Mazhindu @FaraiMazhindu]

The defense put forward by South African officials and their puppet supporters regarding the Elon Musk and Starlink standoff is deeply embarrassing.

Arguing that extortion is acceptable because other corporations silently paid the gatekeepers is a masterclass in intellectual shallowness.

The B-BBEE framework laws are no longer about empowerment or rectifying past injustices. They have mutated into an elite enrichment scheme for politicians and their immediate circles to extract unearned rents.

You cannot build a modern, competitive economy by demanding bribes from the people holding the keys to global innovation.

Packaging theft as public policy doesn't legitimize it, it just drives innovation and capital away.

[kate whitfield @katieg5555]

@ChrisHatt11 @ALETTAHA Easy to spend money on nonsense when it’s not your money ..

[kate whitfield @katieg5555]

@MaxPatricius What a great story!

[Zac Goldsmith @ZacGoldsmith]

This is the single most shocking testimony I have ever seen. 

Even more shocking is that so many people that I (& probably you) know decided on that day that the people behind this perversion deserved their active public support.
It is hard to have any faith in humanity when we see how easily large groups of people can be manipulated into supporting activities too cruel and disgusting even for the devil.
And not because they understand it, but simply because they see that as the fashionable position to take.

[kate whitfield @katieg5555]

@Am_Blujay Love love love

[kate whitfield @katieg5555]

@Abramjee Utterly disgraceful behaviour

[Yusuf Abramjee @Abramjee]

SANParks has launched an investigation to trace and identify a man seen in viral social media footage allegedly engaging in dangerous and unlawful driving inside the Kruger National Park. They described the incident as deeply concerning and condemned the driver’s actions as reckless, irresponsible and a serious violation of conservation laws.

According to SANParks, the footage shows the individual illegally crossing rivers with a vehicle, driving on roads that had officially been closed, and operating the vehicle recklessly within the protected area.

Authorities said the conduct displayed a blatant disregard for public safety, environmental protection measures, conservation regulations and the authority of park management.

SANParks stressed that national parks are protected under strict environmental legislation, including the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) and the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act (NEMPAA).

These laws prohibit activities that could damage ecosystems, threaten biodiversity, endanger wildlife or compromise visitor safety.

The organisation warned that violations could result in criminal charges, substantial fines, imprisonment, civil claims for damages and administrative sanctions.

The agency highlighted that driving through rivers and ignoring road closures can severely damage sensitive ecosystems and infrastructure, while also putting both humans and animals at risk.

Road closures in the park are often implemented for critical safety reasons, including flooding, poor road conditions and wildlife movement.

SANParks confirmed that officials are actively working to identify the suspect and warned that once located, he could face the full might of the law, including fines and a possible ban from all SANParks-managed protected areas.

SANParks said, “We are looking for this individual, and he will face the music.”

The organisation also confirmed that gate officials allegedly seen in the video encouraging or supporting the conduct will face consequences for violating park regulations and staff conduct rules.

Members of the public with information that may assist investigators have been urged to contact SANParks or the nearest law enforcement authorities.

@SANParks

[BSAT Properties @BSAT_Properties]

I was on a train in Tokyo. We stopped between stations. Announcement in Japanese, then in English: "We apologize for the delay. We will resume shortly."

The delay was maybe 3 minutes. Not a big deal.

When the train started moving again, another announcement: "We sincerely apologize for the delay. We were stopped for 3 minutes and 20 seconds. This is unacceptable. Thank you for your patience."

Three minutes and twenty seconds. They measured it exactly. And called it unacceptable.

When I got off at my stop, there were station staff on the platform bowing and handing out delay certificates.

I took one out of curiosity. It was an official document stating that the train had been delayed by 3 minutes and 20 seconds, signed and stamped.

The staff member said in English "for your employer. So they know the delay was not your fault."

I said I'm a tourist, I don't need it. He looked confused. "But the delay affected you. You deserve an apology."

Three minutes. They were treating a three-minute delay like a major incident.

Later I mentioned this to a Japanese friend. They said "oh yes, delay certificates are normal. Trains are supposed to be exactly on time. If they are late, they must apologize."

I said three minutes isn't late, it's nothing. My friend said "in Japan, three minutes is late. On time means on time. Not approximately on time."

They said the train company probably investigated why there was a 3-minute delay. "They will find the cause and fix it so it doesn't happen again."

I kept the certificate. It's framed in my apartment now. A reminder that somewhere in the world, people care about three minutes.

© 6IX.

[Garry Kasparov @Kasparov63]

Socialism is like polio, it comes back when people forget about the horrible damage it did last time.

[Wayne Duvenage @wayneduv]

One has to ask, why is the President taking so long to recall Minister Tolashe? Watch – Minister Tolashe’s state-funded nanny and the daughter who took half her salary https://t.co/FIUwpy1PQM

[NW Morrow @morrow_nw]

Must say, Andre de Ruyter must be feeling vindicated
…the corruption at Eskom continues unabated and ANC cadres are still feasting. Seems they’ve got themselves a tame CEO and Chairman ….and we just pay more and more and more…..

[Magatte Wade @magattew]

Telling an entire generation they're victims is the fastest way to rob them of their dignity. You can be a victim of something without making victimhood your identity.

I despise victimhood with everything I've got, not because I don't recognize suffering, but because staying in that place makes you controllable. 

And the people promoting it know that.

[Mossad Commentary @MOSSADil]

WOW—Emily Austin revealed a television producer asked her to remove her Star of David necklace because a Muslim athlete on the program might be offended by it.

Her response: “The way he’s proudly Muslim, I’m proudly Jewish,” refusing to take it off.

A powerful stand for Jewish pride, and against Muslim supremacy. 👏✡️

[Sandra R @SandraJayn]

Exactly - while ordinary South Africans are crushed by loadshedding, R21bn Eskom diesel corruption, exploding food prices, mass unemployment and families selling their homes just to survive, ANC cadres are living in obscene opulence: luxury mansions, fleets of supercars, overseas jaunts, champagne and designer everything.

The question is: are we really okay with this because it’s ‘the way of tribalism’ and patronage politics? Or have too many voters simply never internalised what democracy actually demands - accountability, not lifelong loyalty to a liberation party no matter how rotten it becomes?

Corruption isn’t a bug of the ANC - it’s the entire business model. Until voters vote for good, clean governance in sufficient numbers, the suffering will only get worse.

[Dr. Maalouf ‏ @realMaalouf]

Nadia was kidnapped, raped and sold by ISIS.

Her brothers were killed for refusing to convert to Islam. Her mother was killed for being too old to be a sex slave.

Her event to share her story was canceled in Canada because the local Muslim community deemed it “Islamophobic.”

[kate whitfield @katieg5555]

@julianrademeyer That's not going to buy those sports cars!