|
She's a star athlete in Zimbabwe - sorry, HE is
HARARE (ZIMBABWE) - SHE was Zimbabwe's most successful young athlete. A multiple gold-medallist, the 18-year-old raised her country's flag in junior triple-jump, javelin, shot put and running events.
The teenage athlete has taken home millions of Zimbabwe dollars in winnings to buy cattle and several plots of land in her home town.
There is just one problem: Samukeliso Sithole is a man. Or both man and woman. Or, as the track star insisted, a man now but once and possibly again in the future, a woman.
Confused? So was the court which charged him with indecent behaviour and impersonation, in what local newspapers are calling one of the biggest scandals ever to rock Zimbabwean sport.
Sithole was exposed last month by an angry acquaintance at a railway station in Kwekwe, according to Wednesday's edition of Zimbabwe's Herald newspaper. The male acquaintance told four women with Sithole that their friend was actually a man.
Sithole tried to run but, for once, his athletic prowess failed him and he was handed over to police. A doctor at Kwekwe General Hospital examined Sithole and confirmed the athlete was a man.
One of the women he was with, Ms Melita Mudondiro, has complained to the police that her dignity was offended last month when she undressed and went to bathe in front of Sithole, believing him to be a woman.
But at his court appearance in Kwekwe, Sithole told the judge his current masculinity was an unhappy result of a billing dispute with a traditional healer.
He revealed he had been born with both male and female genitals and that his parents had turned to a traditional healer for help. The healer, he said, prescribed a mix of herbs that caused his male organs to disappear.
Unfortunately, he said, his parents paid only half the fee. When the healer got tired of waiting, he said, he caused the male genitals to grow back spontaneously as punishment.
Sithole said he had made arrangements to pay the debt and expected to revert to exclusively female status on March 3, when his trial is to begin.
He also insisted that, like other female athletes, he had undergone sex-determination tests before athletics meetings. He also had a boyfriend.
His appearance in court left few onlookers in any doubt that they were looking at a woman.
'The court has a problem,' a representative for the prosecution, said. 'She has everything of a woman - breasts, a woman's voice and the features of a woman.'
Which was why the court allowed his release on bail. It could not decide whether to remand Sithole in male or female holding cells. -- ASSOCIATED PRESS |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Korang baca ni, lepak sey.....
korang ada kawan2 cam gini ke???
Feb 13, 2005
My bouquet is bigger than yours
Valentine's Day becomes a competitive sport as women compare prices and sizes of bouquets
By Sarah Ng
Who says money can't buy love? How about $50? Yes, it's that time of the year when men say it with flowers.
POSED PHOTO: STEPHANIE YEOW
But that minimum order of six stems on Valentine's Day tomorrow will not buy romance with many working women these days.
The workplace now has a new sport on V-Day. And size matters in this race to be the object of greatest envy.
'Do you know how good it feels to have the whole office looking at you with envy?' said civil servant Irene Lim, 29, recalling her thrill at receiving a dozen red roses topped by a heart-shaped balloon last Feb 14.
'It may not be that special for an attractive woman used to getting attention all the time, but for a plain-looking girl like me, it is magical.'
Few will deny that feel-good feeling although shipping executive Susan Ng, 27, takes a dim view of the blooming competition.
'I had an ex-colleague who would put her giant bouquet in a prominent spot on her table and then lament loudly, 'Aiya, why must he send to the office, very malu (Malay for embarrassing) for me', but we all knew that she was enjoying it. It's so shallow and childish.'
Perhaps, but it's not peculiar to Singapore.
According to The Times of London women in Britain too love this game of one-upmanship: Whose bouquet is bigger? Whose present is more extravagant? Who is being taken to a more fashionable restaurant?
Like them, many women here view these displays of affection as a barometer of love. Marketing director Ling Tan, 31, is typical. She recalls her disappointment last year waiting and waiting for that bouquet from her boyfriend of nine months.
'My heart would skip a beat every time a dispatch rider walked through the door. I was hoping that since it was our first Valentine's Day, he would do something special, like send flowers to my office.
'But nothing came till I left at 6pm,' she said.
What made it worse, she added, was watching two colleagues become the centre of attention and the memory of previous boyfriends dutifully dispatching bouquets of red roses or white lilies to her office.
But an hour later, he surprised her. At dinner, in a posh hotel, he handed her half a dozen red roses.
Ms Tan, like many, is keeping her fingers crossed that tomorrow, big blooms will arrive at her office. 'Sure, it's shallow but which woman doesn't want to feel like a princess, especially when most around her are getting special treatment.'
Florists concur, saying eight out of 10 men want the bouquets delivered to their beloved's office. Said a Greeting Cuts spokesman: 'The wife or girlfriend is in the office most of the day... If the flowers are given when they meet for dinner, the day is almost over and it would seem a bit pointless.'
Raising the ante for the bachelor girls are husbands like Mr Kelvin Yeo. Said the 30-year-old advertising and promotions executive, who spent $150 on a dozen red roses last year: 'My wife doesn't demand that I send her flowers to the office, but some of her colleagues' boyfriends do, so I do the same. Better play safe and make her happy.'
Whatever the reason, love sure makes money for the petal pushers. On Valentine's Day, prices are doubled, with a standard bouquet of six roses starting at $50, one dozen from $80, and 999 stalks from $2,000.
They are also convinced that it's young love that sparked off the sport. 'It's usually in the beginning of the relationship when the guy wants to impress the girl. They say they want to make the girlfriend feel proud among their colleagues,' said Mr Kenneth Chee, 46, owner of Joachim Florist & Gifts.
But there is no denying the stress. Florists tell of single and unattached women sending flowers to themselves and spending beyond $100 on red roses, tulips or lilies. But they are rare, said Ms Sheila Salim, 39, customer service supervisor at FarEastFlora.com. 'Their reason is that they don't want to feel left out.'
Then there are those who get more than their share of attention. For these women, money certainly buys love. Said the owner of Dove Florist in Cineleisure Orchard, Ms Yow Lai Keng: 'When a woman calls about the value of bouquets, she often got flowers from different men.' |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
buat benda2 gini pon pada dia org best eh..
lebih baik beli some other tings..
dulu kat tempat keje lama pon ader jgk..
satu pompan ni dapat bunga drp boyfren dia la tiap2 hari pasal dia org tengah gaduh ke aper entah..
den yang surroundings tu jeles gaknyer.. alih2 berturut turut like 2-3 other gals got flowers from their bfs jgk hari2.. i tink eh.. mesti dia org yang mintak gaknyer.. kata org lain boleh send kat gf kat office.. abis tu asal dey cant send.. bf terus belikan aje la taknak dengar pot pet2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
matz_rockz This user has been deleted
|
last week papers tarok record temperature in singapore...
tu sebab asik ada bush fire.....
malam panas...tidor tak best......... |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
..... dan jerebu... or izit my nose
.....pedih.. mata pon nampak berkabus......... |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
bangun ajer selsema .. :kant: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Originally posted by dilah21 at 14-2-2005 12:41 AM:
buat benda2 gini pon pada dia org best eh..
lebih baik beli some other tings..
dulu kat tempat keje lama pon ader jgk..
satu pompan ni dapat bunga drp boyfren dia la tiap2 hari pasal dia org t ...
kalau dorang soh bfs belikan takpe jugak...kalau yg beli sendiri n asked to send to their office....lagi desperate...:lol :lol |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Originally posted by dilah21 at 14-2-2005 09:25 AM:
bangun ajer selsema .. :kant:
myra dari saturday morning selsema...tadi tak gi keje...amik urgent leave...
tido tak cukup.....mcm mana nak tido properly...tgh ada blocked nose...smp dua kota tisu myra abiskan..:kant: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
matz_rockz This user has been deleted
|
kat straits time ada gambar fire engine antique...kalo anyone boleh tolong tampal gambar.thanks
photo on H6/HOME section straits times 15/2/05 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
matz_rockz This user has been deleted
|
private eye jailed over death of lover's baby.......
ni pulak story front page on HOME section..... |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Originally posted by myra81 at 14-2-2005 09:38 PM:
iisshh...one dozen harga smp $80?: kalau 99 stalks tu agaknye baper eh :hmm:
few mths back ada satu kelig ni bday...myra yg gi collectkan bunga tu kat recep for her...then me n another fre ...
tak membazir ke?? patut the gerl bising eh apsal buang duit kat bunga banyak2..
some people betul2 loaded la....
yang prada tu teringat ceta White Chicks, yang dia kejar snatch thief tu sampai dapat, skali tu pencurik cam cakap "its just a bag" , skali tu si hero cakap " no its not, its a prada " |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
BABI SALAI DIBALUT PLASTIK BERLOGO HALAL
PETALING JAYA - Gara-gara mengidamkan daging salai, seorang lelaki bergelar 'haji' hampir termakan daging babi salai yang dibungkus pengeluarnya menggunakan plastik mempamerkan logo halal Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (Jakim).
Mangsa terbabit didakwa mengirim daging itu menerusi seorang rakan yang sudah terbeli makanan sama tahun lalu berikutan yakin ia berstatus 'halal' berdasarkan logo Jakim digunakan.
Rakan yang terbeli daging itu, Encik Azlan Nordin, 30 tahun, berkata beliau pernah membeli daging berkenaan yang dijual di sebuah pasar raya di Bandar Utama, di sini.
'Tahun ini saya datang semula ke pasar raya itu untuk memesan daging sama sebanyak tiga kilogram untuk saya dan rakan yang juga seorang 'haji'.
'Namun jurujual di situ memberitahu syarikat terbabit memperluaskan pasaran daging itu ke Kepong sempena sambutan Tahun Baru Cina,' katanya.
Encik Azlan berkata, beliau kemudian pergi ke cawangan gerai terbabit di Kepong sebelum hatinya tergerak untuk bertanyakan jurujual di situ mengenai daging yang dijual.
'Saya amat terkejut diberitahu ia daging babi. Saya segera bertanya adakah ia kali pertama dijual dan terkejut apabila jurujual itu memberitahu daging babi itu dijual sejak tahun lalu,' katanya. - Harian Metro. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
sedih ah... ni mesti kes speeding... tapi apa boleh buat.. dah ajal mereka.. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Originally posted by Browneyes at 15-2-2005 09:10 AM:
BABI SALAI DIBALUT PLASTIK BERLOGO HALAL
PETALING JAYA - Gara-gara mengidamkan daging salai, seorang lelaki bergelar 'haji' hampir te ...
maknanya....
ikut cerita ni, pembeli ni beli dari kedai cina la????
Apsal dia tak suspek, cuma boleh dapat bungkusan tu dari kedai cina ni aje??
then selalu nak makan daging salai, at least mesti tanya " beef ke" chicken ke" beef spicy ke"....
Apsal main rembat aje .... ;) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Originally posted by deaf4ever at 15-2-2005 09:13 AM:
korang tahu pasal 4 beradik meninggal sama2 kan?
kat sokkabar msia ada more news... Sedih siot aku baca pasal ni....
dorang smua high fliers, high fliers background, lawa2 lak tu....
dah ajal. : ...
sedih sey.. bila baca kisah ni.. tapi malaysia punya raod accidents selalunyer very2 scarylah.. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Originally posted by Browneyes at 15-2-2005 09:19 AM:
sedih ah... ni mesti kes speeding... tapi apa boleh buat.. dah ajal mereka..
mercedes SE320 tak salah......
ni mesti those besar2 and powerful punya....
memang dah nak ajal, kira masa bapak dorang kat dalam mesjid dengar khutbah n get ready nak semayang jumaat, anak2 skali 4 actually ngah keadaan nak meninggal... |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Originally posted by deaf4ever at 15-2-2005 09:41 AM:
maknanya....
ikut cerita ni, pembeli ni beli dari kedai cina la????
Apsal dia tak suspek, cuma boleh dapat bungkusan tu dari kedai cina ni aje??
then selalu nak makan daging salai, ...
Tak boleh di salahkan jugak Dep, dia tengok dah ada logo halal tu, so dia tak was was... |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Originally posted by deaf4ever at 15-2-2005 09:41:
maknanya....
ikut cerita ni, pembeli ni beli dari kedai cina la????
Apsal dia tak suspek, cuma boleh dapat bungkusan tu dari kedai cina ni aje??
then selalu nak makan daging salai, ... nanti kalau aku cakap aku takut orang marah... tapi aku nak cakap jugak.. gelojohnya orang melayu.. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Category: Negeri & Negara
|