The Rise of Deepfakes: It's Time For A Reality Check

You may or may not have heard of the Gorilla Experiment.
Regular readers of my articles will remember it highlights what scientists call selective perception – the tendency of our brains to slightly close the curtains on the windows of our minds and focus only on the thing we expect to see/hear/experience at that moment.
In itself, selective perception is not a bad thing. Quite the opposite, in fact. It’s a critical function of our brains. 

Enough is Enough - The Time to Take A Stand Against Corruption is Now

While assassinated whistleblower Babita Deokaran is surely turning in her grave, countless corrupt individuals continue to dance on it.
Whoever coined the phrase “Crime doesn’t pay” clearly never lived in South Africa.
The injustice of the situation is absolute, and the insult to Babita Deokaran’s memory is breathtaking.

The Power of One

If you think one second doesn’t make a difference, talk to the Comrades Marathon runner who finished the race in 12 hours and 1 second.
If you think one day doesn’t make a difference, speak to the person who’s just lost their life partner and would give anything to have just one more day with them.
On the surface, one is a small number, and yet it has exponential potential many of us don’t fully appreciate, understand or capitalise on.
 

The Weaponisation of Water

Is it just me, or is anyone else getting a distinct sense of déjà vu right about now? I can’t be the only one drawing parallels in my mind between our more recent water crisis and the electricity catastrophe that’s plagued South Africa to a lesser or greater degree since 2008.
 

Forget Bermuda - Welcome to the Fraud Triangle

Developed in 1951 by criminology researcher Donald Cressey. 
Cressey concluded that all the cases he studied conformed to the same three-step process, which makes up the three sides of the Fraud Triangle:
Pressure
An opportunity to violate trust.
The rationalisation that defines the behaviour as appropriate for the specific situation.

South Africa’s Lost Billions – Imagine What Could Have Been Done With The Money…

What could have been done with the hundreds of billions of Rands that have been lost in in South Africa over the past few years in “fruitless and wasteful expenditure?”
From payments for mammogram services to a hospital that does not even have a mammogram machine to payouts to dead people, the list of financial farces that litter our government departments seems endless.
Not to mention the money sacrificed to blatant corruption.
 

Never Go To War With A Man Who Has Nothing To Lose

As our long lockdown continues, with no immediate end in sight, the edges are starting to unravel. We hear more and more, on various media platforms, how people are growing increasingly restless and frustrated, challenging the Government’s decisions on what is and isn’t permissible under level 4 restrictions. Why, for example, can we buy winter clothes but not underwear? Why can’t we buy cigarettes? Of course, these are only some of the frustrations for South Africans.
Underneath it all, a deep and dangerous fear is growing. Companies are cutting jobs, cutting salaries or putting people on unpaid leave. Livelihoods are being threatened. People are hungry. As is often the case, individuals will bear the brunt of any recession, and we can expect to see an increase in improper conduct as people cross the line to protect their positions. The longer the lockdown continues, the more the pressure will build.

The ANC Integrity Commission. Agent for Change or Shameless Electioneering?

The ANC has said it believes the Integrity Commission will play a crucial role in sanitising the ANC’s image leading up to the 2024 elections. This is interesting, as its main function should surely be to find and prosecute government officials guilty of corruption, fraud and other wrongdoings.
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Is Eskom Too Big To Fail?

PetroSA charges Eskom around R1 per litre more than it costs you and me to buy diesel from our local petrol station.
Eskom has previously tried to obtain a wholesale diesel licence from the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy which would save around R4 billion a year. This application was denied
You just can’t make this stuff up.