Stories from the 4-5 Feb ’06 Weekend: What You Missed

SA Blog brings you South Africa news from the weekend which you may not have seen. (Note: over time, some links may expire, as stories are archived.)

• Tsotsi, the film version of Athol Fugard’s 1980 play, received an Oscar nomination for best film in a foreign language. Let’s hope it can leap the final hurdle, unlike its predecessor, Yesterday. Mail&Guardian | Cape Argus
• Australia defeated South Africa in the latest ODI Down Under. The Proteas now have to win their final game against Sri Lanka to return for another beating in the triangular series’ final, in which Australia has already gained a berth. Aussie Media | Calcutta Telegraph | News 24
• The Cartoons-of-the-Prophet controversy, which has seen Western embassies burned elsewhere in the world, reached South African shores, when a High Court judge preemptively prevented newspapers from pubilshing the offending images, causing censorship to rear its reptilian head. IOL | Sunday Times
  • Recognising that, in the Era of the Internet, the curtailment of free speech is a matter of degrees, and not an absolute proposition, SA Blog directs those who are curious to see the inflammatory, offensive, islamophobic images by visiting free speech blog Newspaperindex.com. Warning: this blog publishes the images in question (shall I say it again? the blog publishes the images), so don’t click the link if you’re likely to take offense.
• A baboon mauled a young boy near Gordon’s Bay, provoking fears that baboons’ habitualization toward humans is making them too dangerous to be tolerated near developed areas. The boy survived, and remains in stable condition. IOL | News24
• The luxury La Couronne Hotel in Franschhoek burned down. The fire was unrelated to the many blazes that raged in the Western Cape last week, apparently starting in one of the rooms. Cape Times