Week in Quotes

The Point is pretty disappointed with this week's lackluster offering of verbatim stuff. about 2 seconds ago.

Okay, okay, fine. The Point is not actually on Twitter. I don't tweet. But I could, dear readers, if you felt that it would enrich your life.

Helen Zille, for one, is a tweeter. So too, apparently, are Julius Malema and Jacob Zuma, but the latest posting on the therealjz page (I'm so proud of Sbu. Giving back his Merc means I can buy him an even nicer one with taxpayer funds) leads me to suspect that the realjz is, well, not so real.

Luckily, The Point is only occasionally concerned with authenticity…

Helen Zille isn't friends with the media anymore. Not even on Facebook. 5 days ago.

"When various ANC affiliates use the most vile sexist slurs against me various commentators seek to establish a 'moral equivalence' between our contesting positions by quoting — entirely out of context — one sentence from the middle of a letter I wrote to a newspaper responding to ANC attacks.

"In this way the media can accuse us equally of 'mud-slinging' and 'descending into the gutter'. They can also manufacture a 'major row', as if both sides, equally, are spoiling for a fight."

Bad, bad media. Spoiling for a fight? Helen Zille? Never! And, seriously, quoting both the ANC and the DA out of context? At least pick a side…

Floyd Shivambu just finished Communications 101 and hopes to wax that course on 'The side-effects of head trauma' soon… 4 days and 12 hours ago.

"The threats and intimidation of racist Helen Zille and DA supporters will not stop us from articulating what we decide to articulate."

Unfortunately. But in order to claim to articulate, one needs to at least speak coherently or intelligibly.

"We further believe that her behaviour and sentiments are symptomatic of someone who was dropped on her head when she was a child."

I rest my case.

Association of spaza shops welcomed one new member today, but lost the city of Cape Town. 2 days ago.

"Enough is enough, Pityana must go. He is running Unisa like a spaza shop. On Thursday, we will render the University of South Africa ungovernable until our call has been implemented to fire Barney Pityana," said Young Communist League spokesperson Castro Ngobese.

"It's about competence," said new Cape Town Mayor Dan Plato about his decision to include five women in his mayoral committee. "We're running a business, a business with a massive budget of in the region of R19-billion, so people (have) got to be careful. This is not running a spaza shop at home and that sort of thing. This is a macro business."

Hmm… I expect a sharply-worded rebuke from the Congress of Spaza Shop owners. Perhaps even a nation-wide strike.

"The president advised that I should follow the code of ethics, which is to declare within 30 days, but I did speak to him and say my personal feeling is that I should return it," said new Transport Minister S'bu Ndebele about the Mercedes Benz that he received as a gift.

"I've had 15 fairly good years in government and the only thing I really have is my good name…The DG (director general) tells me that we have a very good car scheme. I can get a car to the value of more than R1-million and I think for deputy ministers it is R850 000."

I suspect premiers get a similar deal. They also get a pretty hefty salary. If a good name is all that Ndebele has after 15 years in government, I suggest he gets a new financial advisor.

Cosatu has changed their help line number from 082 1234 567 to 083 7654 321…2 days ago.

"We welcome the support for such a campaign by the SA Communist Party, and will appeal to other unions to join the boycott and shift all their cellphone accounts to other operators," said Cosatu in objection to Vodacom's listing on the JSE.

Hmm… yes, I can see that happening.

An equally demanding and vocal alliance partner: the YCL. Admittedly, living forever in the shadow of the imbecilic ANCYL must be tough, but attempting to out-dumb them may not be the best way to win acclaim.

"We call on the JSC to save face and halt its 'shenanigans' by discontinuing with the hearings and their intentions for an impeachment on Hlophe…We also call on the minister of justice to conduct hearings to find out if indeed some of the judges were conniving against Hlophe and bring those to book if found to have transgressed."

Now, this sounds familiar.

Schabir Shaik is still very, very sick. Gravely sick. And a little peeved with Yunus for not calling… about 1 second ago.

"I cannot comment on how he is doing because I don't know," said concerned brother Yunus when asked about Shaik's condition. "I live in Johannesburg and he doesn't."

But later…

"He hangs around the house every single day. He only went out once to visit his father-in-law and that was it. He never leaves the house. This sort of illness won't improve, he just has to take medication and he will continue to take it for the rest of his life."

Which may be short or long… depending on your definition of 'terminal'.

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