From
mg.co.za
Email Address
ampersand@mg.co.za
Sent On
Wed, Sep 1, 2021 11:03 AM
Email Preheader Text
How the South African Liar Bird mimics a revolutionary September 1, 2021 Hi there, Lyrebirds are a s
HTML
How the South African Liar Bird mimics a revolutionary [View this email in your browser]( September 1, 2021
[Mail & Guardian]( [Mail & Guardian]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [YouTube]( Hi there, Lyrebirds are a species of passerine Australian birds that are known for their amazing ability of mimicry. Theyâre been known to [replicate natural and artificial sounds from their environment]( including the sound of musical instruments, crying babies, other animals, car alarms and, in one stunning instance, the sound of a chainsaw. A study suggests their calls arenât always âhonestâ signals. Australian researchers found that when a female lyrebird attempts to leave a male who is trying to mate with her, he mimics the sound of a flock of birds, sounding an alarm that a predator is nearby. One canât help but think of our own liar birds in South Africa. According to Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale, Zamaswazi Zinhle Majozi was arrested on Saturday 27 August on charges of inciting public violence through content she circulated on social media, namely via her Twitter account under the name âSphithiphithi Evaluatorâ and the handle â[@_AfricanSoil](. Law enforcement authorities believe her social media utterances led to the looting and burning of Brookside Mall in Pietermaritzburg. On Monday Majozi was released after posting R3 000 bail. Bonginkosi Khanyile, who [rose to infamy for his role in the fees protests of September 2016 at the Durban University of Technology]( will spend the rest of the week behind bars; the judgment on his bail application is expected on 7 September. Khanyile is charged with two counts of inciting public violence, two counts of holding an illegal gathering and one count of not wearing a face mask while in public. The state has put forward video evidence showing Khanyile at a bus stop in eThekwini, allegedly inciting crowds to continue looting and blocking roads until former president Jacob Zuma was freed from prison. The videos were allegedly made during the bloody unrest in July. âWe are very angry as a family; we are very bitter in how things are unfolding with the issue of Bonginkosi Khanyile; and we are saying they must release him here today, because if they donât release him, hell will break loose. I am telling you now that if they donât release him today, hell will break loose; we are not going to accept this thing to happen in our country,â said Philani Nduli, the spokesperson for Khanyile and his family. Sounds familiar doesnât it? These words are similar to those allegedly tweeted by former president Jacob Zumaâs daughter Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla. An unverified Twitter account under her name encouraged people to protest against her fatherâs incarceration on contempt-of-court charges. She hasnât distanced herself from the posts. Her brother, Duduzane, insists that his words calling for those who were protesting and looting to do so carefully and responsibly were taken[out of context and blown out of proportion](. For the QWERTY thugs among us, we ask that you seriously consider whether a stint in a cop shop is worth it. According to the Cybersecurity Act, any person who unlawfully makes available, broadcasts or distributes, using a computer system, a data message to a specific person, group of people or the public with the intention to incite violence, or call people to be involved in the destruction of any property, is guilty of an offence. The Act states that people who engage in such acts will be liable for criminal offence and can receive a fine or be sentenced to imprisonment for a period not exceeding three years. Let us remind anyone tempted to follow in the footsteps of Majozi and Khanyile that those they defend are not renowned for sincerity or integrity â at least not when it comes to fighting for the rights of those who have given them power. When Majozi appeared in court on Monday, she was alone in the dock. Ace Magashule and the Zuma twins were nowhere in sight. Given her sizeable following on Twitter, the expectation was that thereâd be some support present in court. That didnât happen. Politicians by their very nature are slick orators; able to mimic a sense of togetherness by twisting words and bamboozling the vulnerable. More often than not, speeches do not translate into action â a lesson todayâs protagonists have learned the hard way. Where are the generals of the Zuma faction to support them when they need it most? They have served their purpose and, thus, have become expendable. In total, 18 arrests have been made in connection with the violence. Of these 18, six people â Majozi, Khanyile, former Ukhozi FM DJ Ngizwe Mchunu, West Rand Patriotic Alliance mayoral candidate Bruce Nimmerhoudt and Themba Mnisi â are said to be instigators. We doubt the veracity of that claim. It remains to be seen if the security cluster will also be held accountable for dropping the ball so spectacularly. Until Friday,
Kiri Rupiah & Luke Feltham [Subscribe now]( Enjoy The Ampersand? Share it with your friends [Share]( [Share]( [Tweet]( [Tweet]( [Forward]( [Forward]( [Share]( [Share]( Copyright © 2021 Mail & Guardian Media LTD, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you opted in to receive communications from the Mail & Guardian either at our website or by taking out a print subscription. Our mailing address is: Mail & Guardian Media LTD 25 Owl St
BraamfonteinJohannesburg, Gauteng 2001
South Africa
[Add us to your address book]( Want to change which mails you receive from Mail & Guardian?
[Update your preferences]( to tell us what you do and don't want to receive, or [unsubscribe](. *If you are a paying subscriber, we recommend updating your preferences rather than unsubscribing, as you may miss important information relating to your subscription.
EDM Keywords (158)
worth
words
website
wearing
want
vulnerable
violence
videos
veracity
unsubscribing
unsubscribe
unfolding
twitter
trying
translate
togetherness
today
thus
think
things
thing
telling
technology
taking
taken
support
subscription
stint
state
spokesperson
spend
speeches
spectacularly
species
sound
sincerity
similar
served
sentenced
sense
seen
saying
said
rose
role
rights
rest
responsibly
renowned
remains
released
release
receiving
receive
purpose
public
protesting
protest
protagonists
proportion
property
prison
preferences
predator
power
posts
pietermaritzburg
person
period
people
opted
often
offence
nowhere
need
nature
monday
mimics
mimicry
mimic
mate
male
majozi
mails
made
lyrebirds
looting
like
liable
leave
least
learned
known
khanyile
july
judgment
issue
involved
intention
integrity
instigators
infamy
incarceration
imprisonment
holding
help
hell
happen
guilty
going
given
generals
freed
footsteps
follow
flock
fine
fighting
father
family
expected
expectation
enjoy
engage
email
dropping
doubt
distanced
destruction
defend
court
context
content
contempt
connection
comes
claim
circulated
charges
charged
change
chainsaw
carefully
calls
burning
blown
bitter
bamboozling
ball
ask
arrested
angry
also
alone
alarm
acts
action
according
accept