With a week that provides a turbulent background of grotesque human rights abuses in Burma, an ongoing scrum for pole position in the ANC presidential succession, riots at Wits, a blizzard of intrigue in the barracks of our national police force and much wailing and gnashing in the Shaik family camp, there is one issue which has whipped the rug out from under me like no other.

Tom Eaton has written his last column for the Mail & Guardian.

Damn. There goes my Friday cackle.