IF YOU can’t get it from the horse’s mouth, don a horse costume.
It seems that is what Republic of Congo President Denis Sassou Nguesso has done with his book, Straight Speaking for Africa, available on amazon.com for as little as 13,20.
His “fascinating book, part history, part biography and broad political discourse”, is graced with a foreword from Nelson Mandela.
The Amazon site quotes from Madiba: “In President Denis Sassou Nguesso, I recognise a man who is not only one of our great African leaders … but also one of those who gave their unconditional support to our fighters’ demand for freedom, and who worked tirelessly to free oppressed peoples from their chains and help restore their dignity and hope...”. But there’s just this little problem — Madiba never wrote the foreword, nor did he lend his name to the book.
The Nelson Mandela Foundation was hopping mad yesterday.
“We condemn this brazen abuse of Mr Mandela’s name,” it said. “We will be taking appropriate action.”
Who will Nguesso get to endorse his next book, the Insider wonders. Mo Ibrahim, perhaps?
Try better, cheaper service
THE Insider doesn’t know whether women should be flattered, annoyed or totally underwhelmed by cellular operator Cell C’s latest offering.
The group has launched the first package designed exclusively for women, saying the services were put together by a female team, which knows what women want.
And that, evidently, consists of hot tips and advice, including horoscopes, health and financial advice and free calls to Lifeline.
It sensibly also includes a flat call fee of R1,50 across all networks, even during peak hours.
Last month, Cell C created its first niche offering, called Gospel Life, specifically for fans of gospel music.
The Insider just can’t help thinking that all this creativity would be better channelled into working out how to offer a better, cheaper service to all users, rather than fuss about creating specific packages to add further confusion to an already cluttered marketplace.
Women and children first?
SOUTH Africans have a very different outlook on life — and safety — than would be acceptable in most carefully regulated western societies.
Guests at an annual banquet hosted by the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry at the Johannesburg Country Club last week were told that, in case of fire, there were no fire escapes … it was a case of “every man for himself”.
Women could either “follow the men or go their own way”, said the MEC, who was a woman.
“I’ll look after the minister,” she said, referring to Trade and Industry Minister .
More wise words
“THE world is governed more by appearances than realities, so that it is fully as necessary to seem to know something as to know it.” US diplomat, lawyer, orator and politician Daniel Webster (1782-1852).
Wise words
“A STUPID man’s report of what a clever man says can never be accurate, because he unconsciously translates what he hears into something he can understand.” British author, mathematician and philosopher Bertrand Russell (1872- 1970).
n E-mail gossip to: insider@bdfm.co.za