WHEN YOU ENTER THE AL-AQSA SANCTUARY, you are spoilt for a choice of where to go’, said my diary. It was certainly true; for commemorative domes, moulded outdoor mimbars, ceremonial ablution fountains, ancient schools, mausoleums and musty reception rooms dotted its precincts. An un-named pilgrim had noted centuries ago that[…]

Julius Malema, ANC Youth League President, part-time millionaire, Presidential poodle and populist lap-dog, has yet again defied his party bosses. And yet again, they will cough into their expensive shirts and look the other way, saying that Julius is only a young man – and shame – young men say[…]

If you’re a budding student of surrealism, I would recommend Israel. It will prove to be your greatest project. I can assure you that Israel’s bizarre political landscape will provide you with material beyond your wildest dreams. Described by the Oxford dictionary as an “expression of the sub-conscious mind through[…]

    Habib Umar ibn Hafidh, one of the Hadramaut’s most celebrated spiritual leaders, conducted a successful tour of South Africa recently, lecturing in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town.   As a 39th generation descendent of the Prophet Muhammad (s) through the lineage of Sayyidina Hussain (ra), he hails from[…]

Habib Umar ibn Hafidh’s historic visit to Cape Town Media interviews can be predictable things. People who are famous for being famous can hardly utter a sentence. Those who are well-known might be worth a few sound bytes; and those who are really famous might, if you’re lucky, reveal something[…]

Just who exactly is this ‘Majlis’? Whilst the strict lexical term for the word is a ‘sitting’, in reality the Majlis is a ghostly ‘presence’. Its ether, in the form of Post-Box 3393, has haunted us for decades.   And lest I be accused of playing the man, rather than[…]

    Can it be twenty years, already? I must admit that the 20th anniversary of the release of Nelson Mandela has caught me by surprise. It’s still the biggest event I’ve covered.   So why would I regard it the biggest?   Silly question, maybe. But as a journalist, I’ve[…]

When I was younger, and bright-eyed about the wonders of the world, I would read about UFO’s or Unidentified Flying Objects. I was fascinated by the idea that we were not alone in this huge universe. I delved into all the conspiracy theories of my youth: extraterrestrials were our friends;[…]

As a journalist, a natural disaster – which is defined in the insurance industry as “an act of God” – is always something that catches you by surprise. Due to its unexpected nature, our emotional shield we so often call “objectivity” is momentarily dropped. Our human condition is such a[…]

The other day I was chatting in a shopping mall when my cell-phone rang. “Aren’t you going to answer it?” asked the person. “No,” I replied, “the caller can leave a message.” “But, I don’t mind, you can answer your phone,” he insisted, surprised that I was just letting it[…]