MONEY MATTERS

PLAYING TRUANT: YOU'RE FINED ONE COW

Pres Thabo Mbeki has been hauled over the coals and fined a cow for having failed to honour a wedding invitation.
Mbeki, who commands the South African armed forces and influences the destiny of more than 40 million people, missed the glamorous wedding Lesotho's King Letsie III in February 2000. He broke "protocol" when he was represented by Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the minister of home affairs, at the ceremony.
The king, by virtue of Mbeki's links to Lesotho (his mother Epainette was born there) has the "right" to fine the South African president for any conduct that he deems to be "unbecoming".
And Letsie, put out that Mbeki had missed his big day, unceremoniously slapped a fine of one cow on the president, which he now has to deliver in person - and on foot.
The fine was paid in the middle of April 2001 when Mbeki personally delivered the cow to Letsie. Immediately after being handed over, the cow ran amok and lunged at the spectators, as a result of which both the king and the president had to scramble for safety.

NEW PROPOSED BANKNOTES FOR THE RAINBOW NATION
 

THE FLYING DOCTOR

Never mind the cost: if he can fly overseas, he will fly overseas. Dr Barney Pityana, chairperson of the Human Rights Commission, is doing his best to promote South Africa's image in the wide world. During 1997 and 1999 he undertook no less than twenty overseas trips. During these two years he left very few overseas destinations unvisited in execution of the Human Rights Commissions official task, namely "to establish a constitutional democracy in South Africa".
Pityana was, for example, in September 1997 in Rio de Janeiro at a conference about racism, a week later in New Delhi, a month later in Peru, and thereafter in Gambia. Other destinations between 1997 and 1999 included Denmark, Ireland, Ethiopia, Canada, Switzerland, France, Illions (US), Argentine, Uruguay, England, Algeria, Norway and Sweden. Finally, Phalaborwa is also listed as one of Pityana's foreign destinations, where in July 1998 he was guest speaker at a mining company.
The reasons for his numerous overseas visits range from study purposes to delivering speeches. Questions regarding the cost of these visits went unanswered in Parliament.
(Pityana was appointed Vice-Chancellor of UNISA during 2002)