Thank you!

To all of you that heeded the call to vote to stop the Info Bill, my deepest gratitude. To those who haven't speak up! While you still can. FIGHT for your right!!!!!

VOTE AGAINST THE INFO BILL HERE NOW PLEASE!

To read why Click Here

Read my Lips! NO!

No to the Protection of Information Bill. NO!

You will never silence me!

Five Days to Stop the Secrecy Bill

VOTE HERE

In five days, MPs could pass an outrageous secrecy bill that undermines the constitution and South Africa's democracy -- helping the government keep wrongdoing from the people and enabling cover-ups of corruption and human rights abuses. But there are four people that could make or break this bill: the Chief Whips.


Despite top lawyers warning that the bill is unconstitutional, the majority of MPs are expected to vote it through. But it will be up to the Chief Whips to rally the MPs to vote for or against the bill. If we flood their inboxes with messages from across South Africa calling on them to respect the law and oppose the secrecy bill, they could think twice about pushing it through.

Let's appeal to the Whips' sense of democratic responsibility and call on them to protect hard-won constitutional rights and freedoms, and transparent government. Use the form on the right to send a message straight to their inboxes and urge them to say No to the Secrecy Bill, then share this with everyone -- we will release the number of messages sent to the media on the eve of the vote.

Stop the Secrecy Bill -- upcoming events

On Saturday 17 September from 10am to 1pm, thousands of South Africans will join in a march to Parliament to reject the final draft of the "Secrecy Bill". Join the march!

When: 17 September 2011, 10am-1pm
Cape Town: Starts on corner of Tennant St and Keizersgracht St (outside CPUT)
*** Come dressed in red, black and white! ***

On Monday 19 September there will be candlelight vigils in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg from 6pm - 8pm.

When: 19 September 2011, 6pm-8pm
Cape Town: outside Parliament, corner of Roeland and Plein Street
Durban: outside King's House
JHB: Kotze entrance to ConCourt on Hospital Rd

Wiki Wacky Who?

So WikiLeaks' recent publication of confidential communications between 274 embassies across the globe and the US State Department could push government into a stronger position to get The Protection of State Information Bill, which criminalises the release of classified state information enacted in its current format?

What exactly is contained in these WikiLeaks that affect South Africa so profoundly as to push our State to enact a diabolically sinister Act that serves one purpose and that is to silence?

Not that our State needs encouraging, having fared well enough, without prompting from an unexpected gifted excuse.

So a US legal adviser to the National Prosecuting Authority felt there was enough evidence to find Zuma guilty of corruption after Schabir Shaik was found guilty of trying to solicit bribes for Zuma from Thomson CSF to secure arms contracts?

So what? It’s not like we never knew that from local press and a highly publicised criminal trial?

With the Protection of State Information Bill, there would have been no trial and there would have been no debate.

That’s not to say there wouldn’t have been grumbling, mumbling, hints, allegations and things left unsaid.

Or, take the other cable “that made headlines” detailing ANC Youth League officials telling the US about leadership battles within the ruling party, indicating there were tensions between current president Zuma and then head of state Kgalema Motlanthe.

If this nugget of puerile gossip that was public knowledge and downright unbecoming in any event serves as grounds for bolstering the argument to gag an entire nation, then we have fallen to a level of immaturity and pettiness that defies belief.

Of course WikiLeaks also detailing how AT&T, Cisco, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, and Qualcomm argued leadership shortfalls within the Department of Communications hurt the sector is on the other hand not known and downright subversive and a definite threat to national security?

No-one knew leadership shortfalls within the Department of Communications hurt the sector and this information is profoundly damaging to our country.

If you believe this, and there are enough of you who do, then there is a strong argument for a new reality TV program.

The Wiki Wacky Who Show!

If cables, that disclose a playground spat, between two supposed dignified leaders, or disclose the fact that our Department of Communications, doesn’t errrrr..., seem to actually be able to, or, be capable of, communication, or, that an evidentiary Balance of Culpability Probability opinion, derived from public record findings, based on common law principle, serve as motivation to get The Protection of State Information Bill, enacted, then God help us all.

The Bang Bang Club were four photographers active within the townships of South Africa during the Apartheid era.

Two members won Pulitzer Prizes for their photography. Greg Marinovich won the Pulitzer for Spot News Photography in 1991 for his coverage of the killing of Lindsaye Tshabalala in 1990. Kevin Carter won the Pulitzer for Featured Photography in 1994 for his 1993 photograph of a vulture that appeared to be stalking a starving child in southern Sudan.

On April 18, 1994, during a fire fight between the National Peacekeeping Force and African National Congress supporters in Tokoza Township, cross-fire killed Oosterbroek and seriously injured Marinovich.

On October 23, 2010, João Silva stepped on a landmine while on patrol with US soldiers in Kandahar, Afghanistan and lost both legs below the knee. This was the second time he'd been injured in a war zone, with his first injury being hit by shrapnel in the face.

In July 1994, Carter committed suicide. A documentary entitled The Death of Kevin Carter: Casualty of the Bang Bang Club was nominated for an Academy Award in 2006.

The Protection of State Information Bill pours piss on the blood of these martyrs and the millions of others that gave us the postulated freedoms and limitations enshrined in our Constitution.

It is these men and women, who brought the true horror of our past into the living rooms of the world and into our collective consciousness and realities, that served more eloquently than any speech to help expose the Apartheid Regime and to bring about its downfall.

It is the men and women, who follow in their footsteps, men and women inspired by and in debt to those that have set the bar of what being a journalist entails, that bring us the truth today, that our current leaders wish to criminalise and imprison.

There is no doubt in my heart and mind that I am served by a Government that is fast becoming the very thing it set out to defeat and that I had come to despise.

There is a dearth inherent in our current leadership, of wisdom, of common sense, of vision, that cannot seem or somehow be capable of grasping the concept of historical consequence.

We will, irrespective of, or in spite of, but most certainly as a result of laws or acts such as The Protection of State Information Bill, reap the whirlwind one day.

If recent world events have taught us anything, it’s that the people will not be silenced and Governments will be held accountable, no matter how omnipotent they think they are, eventually...

Not so Choice ConvergeNet!

ConvergeNet CEO Pieter Bouwer Laments - "This is our first exposure to the black art of liquidation in this country".

I say kak man!

On 13 December 2009 I sent out a rather tongue in cheek Newsletter.

Quote: “Ruminating over these pages (SAICFM) and the Newsletter in general soon after reading this mornings electronic Sunday Times I was struck by a strong sense of déjà vu as the following headline caught my eye -Absa has bad news for its shareholders; BankNotes Dec 12, 2009 11:09 PM | By Stuart Theobald.

What struck a chord were the following paragraphs – “Apart from Blue, it also has a 26% stake in investment company Sekunjalo - that's carried at R71-million on the balance sheet but is now worth only R39-million. The last of the four headaches is ConvergeNet, on the balance sheet for R58-million but now worth R41-million.

When added to the first six months write-offs, the total for the year will be R1.5-billion of write-offs linked to the single stock futures debacle.” 

As my wife says, “The problem with free advice, is people attach no value, because it’s free and as such carries none”. 

Vesta Technologies Holdings, in which the majority of shares are owned by the Morrison Family Trust, was to be acquired by its CEO, Fred Morrison.

Vesta's performance over the past few years has been poor and its net asset value at the end of its last financial year was only R1,6 m.

But I notice this about some of the architects behind the revival of Vesta.

Deon van Rooyen, a chartered accountant (CA), resigned from ConvergeNet soon after the reconstruction of Vesta into ConvergeNet Holdings quote “happily retaining his shares in ConvergeNet Holdings” unquote.

Well why he left is apparently because he had some or other “conflict of interest” emerging.

So naturally I follow the accountant and find him taking up first a “consultant” position at Sekunjalo and then an “Executive Position” at a company in the Sekunjalo stable called…  “Synergy”.

Listed on the Board is one LC Jones?

In March 2007 ConvergeNet acquired 100% of the issued share capital of ConvergeNet SA (Pty) Ltd, 51% of the issued share capital in Structured Connectivity Solutions (Pty) Ltd in April, 51% of the issued share capital in Sizwe Africa IT Group (Pty) Ltd in June and 74% of the issued share capital in Telesto Communications (Pty) Ltd also in June.

Sometime later ConvergeNet Holdings acquire a further 5.2% in SIZWE Africa IT.

Then the entire matter starts becoming more convoluted than a re-run of Dallas .

On or about April 2006 Frederick Morrison, founder of Vesta Technologies, offered to buy out Bevdev, after which the company will change its name, restructure its capital and try to acquire new assets in order to maintain its JSE listing

Follow BevDev and you find more losses and failed deals than even Cliff Barnes could pull off.

I arrived at the appointment of two names to a company that appear directly linked to the Board of a company called ConvergeNet Holdings that grew from a company owned by the same man who left a similar trail of wanton destruction under another stock on the JSE - Vesta.

In fact the architect of the “ Phoenix ” ConvergeNet Holdings is a “Deon van Rooyen” a Chartered Accountant who promptly resigns from ConvergeNet Holdings on “conflict” grounds to act as consultant to Sekunjalo where he winds up on the Board of Synergy.

If it’s the same guy because I’m getting both a Martin Deon van Rooyen and a Deon van Rooyen.

It also seems that behind Marcape (Pty) Ltd as a nominee for Eagle Fund Managers (Pty) Ltd (EFM), “has acquired control of Emergent in terms of an agreement dated 15 February 2008” is, you guessed it again, a Mr. MD van Rooyen registered with the FSB as “Compliance Officer”.

Also on the Board of ConvergeNet Holdings appears a Sandile Swana also on the Board of Emergent.
It seems while confusing to some, to me at least that there are sinister forces at play on the Boards of ConvergeNet Holdings, Synergy (Sekunjalo), SIZWE Africa IT (and a host of Subsidiaries) and BevDev CC.

That “fleas” analogy springs to mind.

What’s my point in all of this?

The recent article by Nicola Mawson in ITWeb - JSE-Listed ConvergeNet is being sued for R37 million for pulling out of an 11th-hour deal to rescue the now defunct Choice Technologies about two years ago.

ConvergeNet CEO Pieter Bouwer laments – “This is our first exposure to the black art of liquidation in this country.”

Hogwash, I say Mr. Bouwer, you are surrounded by able bodied people who have left a trail of devastation in their wake for over a decade.

The cost to investors of all kinds, private and institutional, has run into the tens if not hundreds of millions.

So suck it up Mr. Bouwer . I’m sure you’ll defend the claim against Choice, who themselves weren’t, well very choice.

Just don’t pretend you’re not very good at it.

So what’s the free advice folks?

I just gave it.