ICASA, the South African telecommunications regulator, has cancelled a proposed auction of radio frequency spectrum, in bands which would have been useful for wireless broadband services. Its reasons? It can’t decide what technology to dictate, among others. What a mess. Here’s my take, published at ITWeb yesterday: Just sell it already!

South Africa is not unique. The problems of violence and discrimination against immigrants is everywhere, and everywhere it has the same causes. My latest column at The Daily Maverick: Stop the handouts - end xenophobia

Three articles published this week, on wildly varying subjects.

The first, a column in which I argue that the right to strike amounts to legalised blackmail, and it needs to be balanced with the right to fire. It sparked some interesting discussion in the comments over at The Daily Maverick.

Then, I wrote a piece about a local employer who had built a flat for his Malawian foreman, who refers to it as his “asylum” from xenophobic threats to his life. It was published by the Christian Science Monitor.

And finally, this morning, I woke to the news that the South African IT company that I most closely followed during my time as a technology reporter was to be sold to Japan’s NTT. My thoughts on the Dimension Data deal published at ITWeb. For once, I have reason to be nice to the company that was the butt of so many jokes over the years.

Thanks for all the comments on the orange dress. Time for a return to normality, now that the World Cup (and therewith the Boycott FIFA series of columns) is over.

During Holland’s first match against Denmark, the FIFascists arrested a bevy of beauties sporting little orange dresses. This prompted a promise on 22 June 2010, in one of my numerous columns on FIFA’s exploitation of South Africa during what was otherwise an excellent World Cup tournament: if Holland makes it to the final, I’ll wear an orange dress and drink Bavaria.

The specific column in which I made the commitment can be found here. There’s a selection of my columns on the subject of FIFA in my previous post. Do read them, if only for an explanation of my uncharacteristic garderobe.

Well, it is final day, and Holland is playing in a final for the first time in 32 years. Therefore, I’m making good on my promise. Here are the official photographs. Photo credits go to my friend Tony Nathan, of Nathan Studios. My thanks also to Trish Nathan for being an invaluable stylist. (Click through for larger versions.)

Go ahead, laugh. It’s all worth it just to be able to watch Oranje challenge for the 2010 World Cup.

It is time! As a consequence of my columns about how FIFA exploits South Africa, and Holland’s amazing success in reaching the final, I find myself having to wear a short orange dress during the World Cup final on Sunday.

To shed light on why I might do such a thing, here’s a summary of what led up to it. In essence, my columns have argued that we should boycott FIFA and its sponsors, for having hijacked our government, gained special rights including not paying tax, excluded South African businesses from the World Cup bonanza, and generally having proven themselves to be corrupt, exploitative and downright racist. These columns also contain the caveats: South Africa will (and did) run a great World Cup, and there’s nothing that stops us from celebrating that, or supporting our national sides. FIFA might own us, but that doesn’t mean we should act accordingly.

This is a selection of my columns on FIFA, as published at the always excellent online news magazine, The Daily Maverick.

5 January 2010: Boycott FIFA — It’s 2010. Adverts blare from every TV and radio telling us how marvellous the World Cup will be. Why, because FIFA hijacked our government?

20 April 2010: Who is ripping off whom? — South Africans are being admonished not to gouge tourists. But we’re not the real FIFA World Cup profiteers.

1 June 2010: The FIFA conquistadors are coming! — The moment we’ve been waiting for has arrived. Fifa is in town, with its batallion of jackbooted lawyers. Assume the position.

15 June 2010: Secretly, Match blames South Africa — The contempt in which Fifa and Match hold South Africans is astounding. Still, we’re an amazing country.

22 June 2010: I ordered an orange skirt — Who is incapable of hosting a World Cup now? While South Africa sails through with flying colours, FIFA stumbles at every hurdle.

6 July 2010: FIFA’s heart of darkness — With the tournament’s climax upon us, FIFA has shown its true colours: one of condescension, greed and ill-disguised racism.

So, to honour the commitment I made after the second round of group-stage matches, long before it was in any way clear that the Netherlands really would make it to the final, I have procured an orange dress, along with the necessary accessories. I have ordered Bavaria beer, in order to annoy the FIFascists. I have retained a non-FIFA-approved stylist and a retired glamour photographer who used to ply his trade in Soho, London. None of my expenditure will go to FIFA or its sponsors.

The product of these efforts will be published right here, on Sunday 11 July 2010. During the final itself on Sunday night, I will be wearing the orange dress at Bosuns Pub & Grill, on George Rex Drive in Knysna. I trust you will not embarrass me by actually swinging by for a laugh. I will be cold, not to mention ruthlessly mocked by the regulars. But for Holland’s first final in 32 years, it’s all worth it.

The second parallel for FIFA president Sepp Blatter is King Leopold II of Belgium, aka Leopold of the Congo. In it, I wrap up my series on FIFA with the observation that FIFA may claim philanthropic intent, but is intent only on exploiting Africa, and its racism is very thinly veiled. FIFA’s heart of darkness.

In the first of two comparisons that seemed apt for FIFA president Sepp Blatter, my recent ITWeb column considers his Luddite resistance to simple and effective technology that would improve refereeing and get us to talk about the game instead of about controversial decisions. Read more: King Ludd Blatter

My thanks, in my Daily Maverick column this week, goes to the Treatmen Action Campaign, Cosatu and Doctors Without Borders, for embarrassing South Africa during the World Cup, while US vice president Joseph Biden was in town, under a balloon that said “the world is watching”. Read it here: Have some self-respect.

While South Africa has passed its World Cup tests with flying colours, FIFA has proved to be rather less competent at staging such a big, global event. For some reason, this led me to promise to wear an orange miniskirt should Holland make it to the final: I ordered an orange skirt

Meanwhile, in more macho territory, a couple of Dutch fans arrived at my local in Knysna last night, on their way to Cape Town. They had with them a load of donated shirts and other goodies, and asked if we could arrange an early morning match in a local township. Of course we could. South Africans can arrange any match, anywhere, anytime. Click on the image for more pictures of this morning’s impromptu football in White Location.

A conversation involving a Match employee recently crossed my desk. In it’s rude dismissal of South Africans who feel short-changed, it shows our new overlords have nothing but contempt for us.

The Daily Maverick: Secretly, Match blames South Africa

It is also archived on the Boycott FIFA website, which links to all my columns about FIFA, along with other news and resources on the World Cup exploitation of South Africa.

This ruffled a few feathers. It appears to be tactless to dare criticise aspects or question details of a project when it’s supposed to prop up “national pride”.

Well, though I think the Gautrain is pretty cool as big engineering projects go, it still doesn’t mean public works projects are a good idea, or that this one is free of its questionable aspects. Besides, I find organised “national pride” a repellent idea, which reminds me of the fascist indoctrination we suffered at school under the old National Party.

I prefer critical thinking to mass hysteria. I prefer to celebrate the achievements of individuals, not nations.

So, my take on the Gautrain, over at The Daily Maverick: The stupendous Gautrain, a rare marvel!

Here’s a fairly comprehensive summary of why we should support our country and our team, but have nothing to do with the exploitation of FIFA: The Fifa conquistadors are coming!

My other columns on FIFA have been collected in a previous post: Boycott FIFA

I will have more to write concerning FIFA and Match, some of it in their own damning words.

PS. Here’s a #boycottFIFA ribbon for your Twitter avatar or Facebook profile picture.