A school of thought assumes that the current mode of sensitivity is no more than politically correct shamming That is wrong. Nonetheless, “regret” is a sentiment that would have been unthinkable even a few years ago.At the time of the war, indeed at all times in history with the sole exception of our own time, it has been simply taken for granted that this was a planet of tribes and frontiers; that if your bunch had the strength to donder some other bunch, and a halfway reasonable excuse, why then, you went ahead and dondered.Things have changed and continue to change. May the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting deliver the goods.The StarEven before she arrived, we knew that Britain’s head of state was about to “express regret” over the loss of life in the Anglo-South African War.What a new world this is. [The Anglo-South- African] war was deeply inexcusable even in the context of the invariable banality of war. Colonial Britain and other industrialised Commonwealth countries reaped obscene profits by exploiting (in the very harshest sense of the word) the resources of Africa – from slaves and cheap labour to gold and ivory And all in the name of the Empire. The Commonwealth has played a key role in South Africa’s own history over the past three decades, culminating in the Harare Declaration – which set out the conditions for democracy in South Africa. In a world fraught with division and violence, the Commonwealth seeks peace and upliftment, mutual support and democracy.

Long may it continue.Daily NewsA new era of international renewal has dawned with the dismantling of the former Soviet Union and the democratisation of numerous former dictatorships, many in Africa The time for change is ripe. Cape Argus

On the eve of the new millennium, with our own freedom signalling the end of decolonisation, what point can there be to such a multicoloured beast lumbering across the global landscape for another 50 years? The importance of the Commonwealth, and the necessity of its continuance, lies in the realisation of the very dream which we in South Africa now hold so dear: strength through diversity.
It is because the Commonwealth is such a disparate group of nations that it can focus resources and speak with authority on conflict resolution, international co-operation and poverty relief. He may well have the last laugh yet.Mahir can be found at http://members. xoom /_XOOM/primall/mahir/index.html. He has already admitted that advertisers from all over the world have been knocking on his door, and for Mahir-watchers, the big question is whether the temptation will prove too hard to resist and this new site will turn out to be a banner-strewn money-making exercise.The first sign of a mercenary Mahir came the other day when it was reported that he had demanded $50,000 from CNN in exchange for an interview. At the end of his message, he invites everyone to visit his new site, with new pictures, which he says will be appearing in a few days’ time. How much of these did you share with hungry, poor, naked and homeless people?” Perhaps it’s no surprise that one website is now organising a petition for Mahir to be nominated as a UN Goodwill Ambassador “in recognition of his efforts to promote world peace and love”.But there are signs that Mahir may have decided to cash in on his fame.

My messages ran over a number of 1 million, and still going on. New web-pages including my photos were running over the internet. There were people hanging my photos on their walls, and sending me messages that they love me… I’m too happy that I made lots of people laugh and for a minute I could take them away from their private problems.”At this point, Mahir takes a philosophical turn as he asks us to consider the starving and under-privileged people of the world “Please, think for a minute. How old are you? Where are all your past years? Can you return back? Please, look at your family, yourself, your life, your clothes, your beverages and food, and your fun. Indeed, a hamster even makes an appearance, popping up from beneath the ping-pong table, although the site’s most notable feature is undoubtedly the bulge in Mahir’s swimming trunks, which takes on an alarming life of its own.Despite having become a worldwide laughing- stock, Mahir remains sanguine.