GOVERNMENT chief spin doctor Jimmy Manyi, he of the "there's an oversupply of coloureds in Western Cape" infamy, will one day complain that there is an oversupply of newspapers in the country.

That is, if his sustained onslaught and threats against the media are anything to go by.

Since his appointment as chief spin doctor the man has accused the media of everything you can think of, so that Guluva is now afraid Manyi will end up believing everything he says about the fourth estate.

Tersely threatening to deny sections of the media he perceives to be anti-government access to the state's R1billion-a-year advertising boodle, Manyi claimed many media houses did not trust the government and accused them of deliberately avoiding writing positive stories about it.

He described the media as being hostile to the government and claimed that their editors had "cartel-like tendencies".

This reminded Guluva of a tirade by the Woodwork Boy, aka Juju, when the man from Seshego threw a BBC journalist out of a press conference at the "revolutionary house" in April last year, barking: "Don't come here with that white tendency."

No wonder the Ain't Seen Nothing Yet's kindergarten was the only organisation to support Manyi's anti-media tendencies when it issued a statement accusing the media of spreading lies.

"The notorious tendencies of personal hatred towards the ANC are unwelcome," the kindergarten's statement said.

We now know that Manyi and the Ain't Seen Nothing Yet have the same tendencies.

Daily fish and chips

THERE is nothing fishy in famous soccer players investing in business opportunities outside football because they have to secure their futures and those of their families when they retire from the game.

Bafana Bafana midfield wizard Siphiwe Tshabalala does not only know this too well, but also fully understands the Chinese proverb: "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."

That probably explains his decision to invest in and become a brand ambassador of a fish-and-chips chain, The Fish & Chips Co, which started operating a few months ago.

Tshabalala has seemingly set his sights on becoming a full-time fishmonger when he hangs up his soccer boots in the not-too-distant future, hook, line and sinker.

There is nothing fishy about this move, except that it might one day end up with his club, Kaizer Chiefs, becoming a butt of jokes.

What will stop rival fans, for example, from taunting and mocking Kaizer Chiefs' supporters by referring to their favourite team as Kaizer Chips, especially when the chips are down?

An association with a business venture such as this might even inspire newspaper headlines such as "Bucs fry Kaizer Chips" and "There's something fishy in the Chips camp".

Caption writers will similarly have a field day, coming up with captions like "Distraught Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune fishes the ball out of the net after Mamelodi Sundowns increased the goal tally to 4-0".

In fact, the club will be so hard-pressed to win all their games to ensure that they don't become fiercest rivals' "daily fish and chips".

• Column written by Bathathe Guluva.
• E-mail Guluva on thatha.guluva@gmail.com