Lerato Serero
The issue of having a media tribunal is totally out of the question! I say that this is only a technique to restrict the media from releasing information to the public that they have a right to know about.
  There has been a backlash of editorial comment directed against the three or four ANC and Alliance comrades who have had the audacity to raise the tribunal proposal, again believing that they are negative.
  The tribunal, if implemented I think will favour certain individuals, particularly those who are calling for it with stern voices. But then again this issue is broad and should be thought about wisely. Joe Thloloe, the press ombudsman, is there to deal with issues that displeases people, but now it seems that he alone is deemed not enough to handle such delicate matters.
  I think that some of the members of this profession, in other words journalists, are the ones that started the debate on this nonsense in the first place. If we were having honest and dedicated members in this career who were not greedy to the point where they write for the sake of pushing certain politicians to higher positions, thus getting kickbacks for portraying certain individuals as holier than others, we would not be debating this tribunal nonsense.
  I certainly agree with the SACP's Jeremy Cronnin when he writes, "Media stories, especially sensational allegations about prominent personalities, have legs of their own. Saying sorry after the event is just not good enough. Sorry doesn't undo the damage, whether the sorry is prominently displayed or obscurely tucked away". The media needs to be a watchdog, but not at other people's expense, finish and klaar.
  So why do we need to consider having an independent media tribunal? It should certainly not be about taming the media into being docile lapdogs for the ruling party or government.
  We cannot go back to that pre-1994. Nor should it be about getting even with individual journalists. One of the reasons I believe that the tribunal is asked for are the erratic journalists who write only what comes from their heads; those that have not even seen the inside of a higher institution; those that cannot separate an introduction and an end; and those that, when the story is printed today, will be forced to write a retraction tomorrow. These are the imbeciles that tarnish all of our good names.
  After all is said and done, the only thing I know is what is enshrined in the constitution of this country -freedom of speech!
  PS: I am watching the Mzilikazi Wa Afrika story with interest....
  Let us spin again next week.

Lerato Serero
I have said this before and I have been proven right numerous times: the power of the written word can never be underestimated.
  The number of correspondences both negative and positive has shown how correct I am to that effect.
  This week I would like to say big up to a group of inmates at the Groenpunt Maximum Prison who have decided to make a difference in the lives of children in the area. These guys have contacted me to let you the reader know that they are undergoing serious rehabilitation.
  These guys are a group of twelve inmates who have realised and accepted their mistakes and the crimes that they have committed and through the rehabilitation processes that they underwent, they felt it is their duty to engage themselves in an outreach project where they will donate their own money to buy school uniforms and food for needy children.
  They have taken this initiative to reach out to the community and making a positive difference.
  It is guys like these that I think should be given a second chance in life to redeem themselves. It takes a man and a whole lot of guts to apologise to those that one has wronged. Therefore it is only fair that I believe that even if it is with caution, when one asks for forgiveness they should be pardoned.
  In one of my past pieces I mentioned the fact that we realise too late what should have been done and this is when the damage has already been done. I also mentioned that we should teach ourselves to say "PLEASE", "THANK YOU", "SORRY" and "I LOVE" at almost all times when required.
  The guys call this project "Paying back to the community and making a difference in the lives of the orphaned children". They could not have named it better, I believe.
  The guys deserve to be supported through this initiative and that is exactly what they are asking for - support and nothing more. If you or anybody else wishes to support this endeavour, please contact me.
  To Polite Sibanda, Mandla Ntuli and Jabulani Makgabong, the message is out, Guys! Keep focused.
  Let us spin again next week.