Human evolution still makes way for God’s work
THE furore surrounding the Homo naledi bones in South Africa’s very own back garden is understandable. In a palaeoanthropological world of missing links, cut-throat “cave” competition and fabricated frauds, genuine hominid hideouts of any kind are like cave hen’s teeth, forgive the pun.
They walked among us, indeed. As did Homo erectus, Homo habilis and the Neanderthals. And when they did not wander or walk upright, they laid down with our Homo sapiens ancestors and interbred
Buthelezi right to speak out on Zuma
ON APRIL 3, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi stated clearly that the ANC can remove President Jacob Zuma out of office through the motion of no confidence in him.
Shenge said “the president has failed South Africa and we recognise that action must be taken to avert disaster… and it is common knowledge, that this is a futile exercise until leaders within the ANC find the courage to vote with their conscience”. We therefore hope that this time around the ANC members of Parliament will follow their minds, not hearts. President Zuma has done inexplicable political damage and the more he is in power South Africa loses its reputation across the African continent and the entire international community.
Zuma will go down in history as a leader of a party and head of state who kept on ramming himself down our throats when people were no longer trusting his leadership.
He failed to read between the lines that his time is up. Had he resigned earlier he would have saved what little political presence and dignity he had left.
We are grateful to Prince Buthelezi for continuing to tell the truth as it is irrespective of how they judge him for calling a spade a spade, not a garden tool. We know that he always suffers for his conviction. MFANA KHUMALO Durban
Zuptafication finally being rejected by SA
WHEN informed about the recall of the Saxonwold shebeen frequenter to the power utility, I immediately enquired as to the date as this had to be a belated “April fool’s” joke being played on the public.
After receiving confirmation of this reappointment I am now convinced that the only required qualification for deployment by the President (and note, not the ANC), is having a pending inquiry into some form of dishonesty in which you are implicated, and “Bob Mugabe is your uncle”.
To prove this point just scrutinise the security cluster. We have the newly appointed minister and wife, the newly suspended head of the Hawks and police commissioner all being investigated for some form of vice committed during their tenure of public service.
I do commend the Northern Cape branch of the ANC for their outright rejection of the current status quo, brought about by the Zutoxicated bunch who “saw the writing on the wall” and withdrew from nomination. They must have realised that Zuptafication is being rejected not only by the populace but all sober minded members of the organisation.
This little ray of light in a rather gloomy political playing field is however a little too late for an organisation, which has become inept at curbing the damage the presidential wrecking ball is enacting upon them.
I refuse to “wallow in the doldrums of pessimism” and just like my ANC regalia, which I once proudly wore, this organisation is condemned to the garbage heap.
“The chickens are coming home to roost” and these leaders will be held accountable for the wrong they have endorsed against the poorest of the poor. with them, according to palaeoanthropologist Professor John Hawks (Mercury, 10 May).
Although interbreeding – the production of fertile offspring – between different species is possible, it is certainly not the norm. It is therefore likely that Homo sapiens and Homo erectus were the same species.
US evolutionary biologist Douglas Futuyma argues that the word “species” is sometimes used simply as a name for a morphologically distinguishable form. He believes that Homo erectus and Homo sapiens are To the people of this great country do not despair, “radical political transformation” is inevitable come 2019. A luta continua. DARRYL VAN ASWEGEN Buccleuch
Cronyism is set to compromise SA
LET us applaud the Gedleyihlekisa Zuma Family Regime, camouflaged as the ANC for not fearing to portray its ills of incumbency, nepotism and cronyism. Congratulations to President Jacob Zuma, Dr Ben Ngubane and the Eskom boss for returning Brian Molefe. Long live our banana republic.
The agent of the Saxonwold Shebeen returns to Eskom after Minister Lynne Brown refused to give him a R30 million pension package. Brown is on record endorsing a Commission on State Capture which is also supported by the Cyril Ramaphosa faction in the ANC, SACP, Cosatu (except S’dumo Dlamini), Sanco, opposition parties, SA Council of Churches and entire progressive faiths and the nation.
The “real” deployment committee, the Guptas, gave him a seat in Parliament and the Ramaphosa faction and Gwede Mantashe didn’t object. Who is indebted to Molefe? It’s the president and the Zuma family, not the families of Chief Albert Luthuli, Oliver Tambo, Nelson Mandela, Govan Mbeki, Ahmed Kathrada, Joe Slovo, Harry Gwala, Solly Sachs, Griffiths, Victoria Mxenge, Petrus and Jabu Nzima, Hector Pieterson, Steve Biko, Robert Sobukwe and Neil Aggett. SIYANDA MHLONGO
KwaDukuza names for different, distinguishable stages in the same lineage, not a separate biological species.
Would the same not apply to the other hominid “species”? Would it not make sense that our relatively refined and brainy appearance simply reflects the different challenges we face in a technologically ever advancing environment? We evolved, yes, but are still genetically virtually the same as our (in many respects not so primitive) ancestors.
Which takes us to humanity’s original posse. The theory is that
Cherry-picking history problematic
THE letter from EM Jadwat, “Pope is trying to repair damage”, refers.
Many of us are guilty of cherry-picking scripture and history to match our outlook but he seems to be a bit economical with the truth stating: “There is no recorded persecution of Jews and Christians until the catastrophic creation of Israel.”
My perception of history points to Jews, Christians and Pagans living in this region for centuries before Prophet Muhammad introduced Islam hundreds of kilometres to the south. Islam spread into this region – and other parts of the world – not by peaceful conversion but by the sword. I quote Islamic scriptures:
“Fight and slay the Pagans (Infidels) wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem of war. Believers (Muslims), take neither Jews nor Christians to be your friends. Whoever of you seeks their friendship shall become one of their number, and God does not guide (those Jewish and Christian) wrongdoers.You will fight against the Jews and you will kill them until even a stone would say: Come here, Muslim, there is a Jew (hiding himself behind me); kill him.”
And in conclusion, maybe he would like to explain the mufti of Jerusalem’s dubious relationship with Nazi leaders in the 1930s and 40s. Rather than be a Holocaust denier (which seems to be a popular standpoint in Islamic circles these days) he seems to have taken an active involvement in this genocide. On March 1, 1944, while speaking on after a population has been founded, genetic diversity increases over time. Hence Africa, with the greatest genetic diversity, “beat” the peoples from the Middle East to second place to become the Cradle of Mankind.
One of the assumptions, however, is limited or no interbreeding with other populations. This was the case for Africa but not for the Middle East, which has seen numerous people groups migrate through and back. So it would be very unlikely that peoples of the Middle East Radio Berlin, he said: “Kill the Jews wherever you find them. This pleases God, history, and religion”, four years prior to the creation of Israel. DAVID LAWSON
St Lucia
Act now before country implodes
THE RECENT violent protests have struck fear into South Africans and should be condemned in the strongest possible terms.
In Coligny, Eldorado Park and Richards Bay and in other parts of the country, there has been huge damage to and loss of personal and public property.
These protests should serve as a lesson and a warning to the ruling party, politicians and political elites to seriously study how the apparent corruption, nepotism, cronyism, political infighting, lack of service delivery, tender-driven fraud and the different unfulfilled promises made by politicians to get votes is fuelling anger and tension in the country.
The masses are hungry, unemployed, living in miserable conditions and tired of coping with socio-economic difficulties.
Protests could, in the long run, destabilise South Africa. If the government fails to take heed and address the trigger factors, we’re in for some very challenging times.
To prevent the rapid breakdown of our country, the government needs to act fast on service delivery and boost economic growth.
Citizens can help improve service delivery by holding leaders accountable and pointing out abuse. MOHAMED SAEED
Pietermaritzburg would have the greatest genetic diversity of modern humans, even if humans originated there.
For me, that leaves enough space to believe the correctness of the biblical creation story, which places the Cradle of Mankind near the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. We are one, entirely separate and special species made in the image of God. And have been so for less than 10 000 years. But that’s a story for another time. ROBERT DE NEEF Howick
Political slogan will create more fat cats
ANY design, scheme or project is only as good as its details. This is true of the ANC’s call for radical economic transformation, whatever that may mean.
Until the details of this mythical scheme are clearly defined, explained and understood, it remains nothing more than that, a mythical pipe dream.
It is doubtful whether the ANC has any idea what it means since no clear and comprehensive explanation of its meaning, implications and means of implementation has ever been given.
But as a political slogan it probably sounds good to many.
If it means handing over existing businesses to black control, all that it would achieve is to create a few new fat cats, but it will do nothing for the poor and jobless masses because it will not create any new jobs. No jobs for the unemployed masses will be created but a few more fat cats will be created.
If these businesses appoint more workers or pay their existing staff substantially higher wages they are unlikely to survive.
Only if more capital can be made available can more jobs be created, but at present the ANC is successfully doing its best to frighten away foreign investment.
What is required, is to encourage and give financial support to all new potential and deserving entrepreneurs, regardless of colour. Their projects must be carefully vetted by a panel of experts so that scarce capital is not wasted. PETER NUTT Robindale