* Goodbye, David Moyes. In an earlier edition, I referred to him as a square peg in a round hole. The sight of the Grim Reaper wielding a scythe in the direction of Manchester United manager David Moyes when he returned to Everton was part publicity stunt and part black humour. And yet, with all manner of irony, it was the humiliation Moyes suffered at his former club that sounded the death knell for Moyes and provided the signal for United’s owners, the Glazers, to mark the end of an error. Moyes was also guilty of throwing the baby out with the bath water when he assembled his backroom staff. The sacking will also be a personal embarrassment for Ferguson, whose endorsement of Moyes has proved to be a flawed one. United may now be regretting taking the unusual step of allowing a manager who was, after all, an employee (no matter how successful) to hand-pick his successor in an organisation of such scale. If there is blame to be apportioned, Ferguson must take his share.
* The poverty-stricken son of a sex worker is going from red light to Red Devil – after being offered a dream trial with Manchester United. ‘Slumdog’ soccer protege Rajib Roy (16) flew to the UK on April 25 to train with the Premier League side’s academy team, after impressing scouts during a school football tournament in Goa last month. The teenager has endured a tough childhood – even by India’s standards – growing up in a brothel in Kolkata’s notorious Sonagachi neighbourhood. The largest red light district in the whole of Asia, the neighbourhood is home to over 12,000 sex workers and a mere visit to the area is considered taboo. A promising striker, Rajib was relentlessly bullied because of his mother’s profession and now attends Rahul Vidya Niketan in Sealdah, a special school for children of sex workers.
* A well-deserved feather in the cap for South African democracy is the announcement that our Public Protector, Thuli Madonsela, has been named in Time magazine’s annual list of the most 100 influential people in the world. The list, now in its 11th year, recognises the activism, innovation and achievement of the world’s most influential individuals. The magazine describes Time 100 as “a list of the most influential people in the world” and not a list of the most powerful or smartest people in the world. Others included on the list were scientists, philosophers, leaders, icons, artists and visionaries. These are people who use their ideas, their visions and their actions to transform the world and have an effect on a multitude of people.
* Simply put, schoolchildren are grinning from ear to ear. The second term has been interrupted by a number of public holidays, as well as special school holidays. And as if that’s not enough, there is the Election Day break next Wednesday. It will take some effort on the part of educators to get our children into full steam before the term ends on June 21. Don’t forget that June 16 is also a long weekend.
* An added attraction at this year’s Ladysmith Show will be the performances by the famous Max My Ride team. The team will feature local drivers as well, in order to unearth more talent to feature on national meetings all over the country. It’s an opportunity not to be missed!
* A recent study by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) estimates that nearly half of South Africa’s population live below the upper poverty line, which is set at just over 600 rand ($60) per person per month.
* May Day, known as Labour Day, is celebrated on May 1 each year. It corresponds to International Workers’ Day which is celebrated in many countries around the world, proclaiming the international labour movement. Workers are the lifeline of our country as well, and it is about time that employers extend due respect and acknowledgement to their employees.
