I think that the decision of the Vice-Chancellor of the Univ of the Free State to withdraw the charges against those Reitz boys should be reviewed. It really looks to me like this man did this to appease the people that run and fund the university and to prove that that he is loyal despite being black. He talks about forgiveness and reconciliation and how the boys should not be blamed because they are victims of a system and institutional culture that condoned this type of thing for so long. What about all those people that were involved in racially-motivated crimes and killings during apartheid? Things were much worse back then, BUT we all recognised that the only way to move towards reconciliation and healing was if the perpetrators publicly told the truth about what they had done and showed remorse and asked THE VICTIMS for forgiveness. In this case, there has been no public statement or apologies by these young men to the workers and to us about what they did. Instead, their VC has taken the fall and apologised and asked forgiveness on their behalf, as if they dont have some sense to distinguish between right and wrong, no matter how twisted they have been taught to be. If the VC really wanted to make this about healing and forgiveness, he should have allowed the proceedings against these boys to continue to make sure that all sides had their say in this. The boys themselves should have been required to do something (or things) to show that they were sorry. The university’s paying for compensation to the victims and turning the residence into a centre for reconciliation really should be secondary to the boys initiative to take responsibility and do something to redress. This whole thing goes to show how the dignity and worth of black people does not mean much in South Africa, because we all know that such a decision would not have been made if these victims had been white! In Shona we have a saying: “zvinotsengerwa mwana, iye omedza” (literally, you can chew for the child, but the child must swallow for him/herself) which means that adults can only help children to a certain point, but they must ultimately take responsibility. Vice Chancellor Jansen, shame on you! You have chewed and swallowed on behalf of these kids? What kind of example are you setting for the youth? By doing what you have done, you are only breeding more racial hatred and tension.
By Pamhidzai Bamu
RICA is the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication-Related Information Act. The customer registration section of the RICA, as set out by the South African Government requires everyone who has an active cellphone number or purchases a new Prepaid Starter Pack, to register their SIM cards from 1 July 2009.
Now there is nothing wrong with this act as its aim is to help law enforcement agencies to track criminals using cellphones for illegal activities, thereby contributing to make South Africa safer for everyone. What I wonder is, why is this only being implemented now? Something of this nature should have been done when the cellular network operators were setting up in South Africa.
What I find to be even more interesting about RICA is how it will apply to foreigners in South Africa. Take for example a visitor coming from Germany for the World Cup in 2010. He needs a SIM card so he can stay in touch whilst he is in South Africa. Now RICA requires one to produce some form of identification. Now the visitor from Germany will have his or her passport which is fine. Now the second requirement for RICA is to produce proof of residence. Now where does a visitor to South Africa get proof of residence from? They are only visiting. So does this mean that they can not purchase a SIM card in South Africa?
So I went to task yesterday to test this out. I wanted to purchase a new SIM card. So I told them that I am a foreigner visiting South Africa so I do not have proof of residence. The sales person was now confused. They did not know how to handle this situation. He insisted I produce proof of residence which I do not have. He then went to the back to ask his superior and he came back and said it is not possible to make the purchase. So I left and went to another shop and guess what, same response. Then a third shop… Same response.
So to sum it up, I was not able to purchase a SIM card as a foreigner from a shop which is emphasising on RICA. I knew if I really wanted a SIM card I could just go to the vendors on the street and they would sell me one. So I tried that and I easily got a SIM card and did not have to produce any form of ID or proof of residence.
Now besides foreigners, how are they going to get every South African with a SIM card to register for RICA? RICA started on 1 July 2009 and I wonder how many people who already have SIM cards have willingly gone to register for RICA. I guess not many. If the said something like, “If you do not register for RICA by 31 December 2009, we will cut off your line.” I am sure that would get people running to register with RICA.
We know who we are. Our ancestries are part of a delicate tapestry; interwoven, we find a touch of European flair, the spice and mystery of the East and the magic and beckoning of Africa. No matter where we, or our forbearers, have come from, we all have the privilege of calling ourselves ‘South African’.
We are so fortunate in that, we are exposed to so much diversity; nobody has to teach us tolerance and acceptance. We are steeped in environments where, over time, this thing that has to be learnt by others, is inherent in us.
A melting pot? No, not really. I prefer to think of us as a large, sweet-smelling garden – all of us are flowers: colourful, different, some living in the shade, others providing it … a multitude, a variety … That’s what South Africa is …
However, in some other countries, homogeneity is the order of the day. Korea is one such country. Everyone, aside from looking similar (which is probably one of the reasons they call themselves the ‘family society’), shares a similar cultural background, similar food preparation techniques, as well as taste. Most teenage girls have their hair cut in the same ‘mushroom-bob’ style and don the same sneakers (some may argue that this trend of conformity is rife amongst all teenage girls everywhere, but, I think, this phenomenon is especially disturbing amongst girls who look so identical, they could be mistaken for clones).
Koreans are so homogeneous that when people who look different visit their country (whether they are darker, taller, fuller-figured, or simply speak a different language), they are awestruck. They point, their jaws drop to the floor, they stare and stage-whisper ‘Buyeyo?’ (What is that?). As an African living and travelling there, I was often treated as though I was dirty, inferior, primitive or not as ‘evolved’ as they were. There was even an incident in which young children imitated monkeys as I passed by; that was a particularly bitter pill to swallow.
As South Africans, we know it is impossible to garner exactly who a person is (stereotypes aside) by looking at their skin colour or examining their hair textures. All prejudice is rooted in ignorance; people don’t know any better, they make assumptions and are scared of losing their culture. But do these flaccid excuses hold water in 2009, almost a decade into the 21st Century?
Apathy. This is a word associated with a ‘don’t-care’ outlook, an attitude of simply not caring about what is happening around one, disinterest, disengagement (or an apparent ‘checking out’) from society and a refusal to try and change what has gone wrong; sometimes, it’s the ignoring of a problem, burying one’s head in the sand, so to speak.
Picture a world in which every person you knew, regardless of their race, culture, religion, sexual orientation and gender fitted this description. Now, picture a world in which this trend was passed from one generation to the next. Seems bleak, doesn’t it? Tragically, this is exactly what is happening right now, at this very moment …
I am struck particularly by the apathy of young people; however, what’s worse is the apathy invading all generations. It seems that apathetic parents give rise to apathetic children. Today’s youngsters lack focus, motivation, determination and drive. A broad generalisation? Take a look at the calibre of today’s public school education graduates; aside from a handful who excel (despite being subjected to a painfully inept education system and syllabus), the vast majority pass by the skin of their teeth (or not at all).
Today, in general, young people have done the unthinkable; they are taking the freedoms our predecessors fought for and, ultimately, died for, for granted. It becomes glaringly obvious when one looks at most South African schools, from the appalling conditions of the classrooms (defaced desks, broken windows, stripped linoleum, and so forth) to the blatant disrespect for teachers.
I am the elder part of this same generation, yet even I am confounded by this dire and terrible shift. Teenagers of colour who lived during the 1950s and 1960s would have given anything to be afforded the opportunities scoffed at by today’s youth.
We live in exciting times; with enough diligence, the sky’s the limit as to what can be achieved. To echo the words of President Barack Obama, ‘where there’s breath, there’s hope’ – it is up to us as the younger generation to find it within ourselves.
When the age of democracy in South Africa began almost fifteen years ago, people were sceptical … They were scornful, cynical … They scoffed, but here we are, very much still standing. We’ve attained such great heights; this apathy is but a stumbling block to us flying even higher. Can it be defeated? Can we prove our critics wrong, yet again? The power lies with those, who are not even aware that they have it …
Our country stands out as a pinnacle of success and hope against a turbulent backdrop of corruption and violence that is the rest of Africa. As stated in a recent column by Mac Maharaj in the Sunday Times (dated June 7th, 2009) , “ [o]ur transition from white minority rule to democracy in 1994 has been hailed as the most successful power-sharing deal in Africa”. This alone, surely, has garnered us respect on a world-stage, and with regard to our African peers. With respect comes power, power to evoke change, to speak and be listened to …
South Africa has taken a stronger stance on Myanmar, asserting that Myanmar must make noticeable changes to the way in which the country is governed, with regard to their lack of basic freedoms, quashing and muzzling of political opponents and their blatant disregard of human rights.
I have a simple question: is the sudden change in attitude displayed by the Department of International Relations and Co-operation, with regard to Myanmar, promising and should we expect more interventions of this nature from them or is this step, this crawl, that they have taken merely a prelude to an imminent fall?
In my opinion, these baby-steps are too little, far too late. Why couldn’t we have made a stand like this earlier when the opportunity presented itself right on our collective doorstep? As a result of former President Thabo Mbeki’s policy of ‘quiet diplomacy’, we have blood on our hands – the blood of a nation. South Africa not only had the means, but the power, to intervene in Zimbabwe, before things spiralled so appallingly out of control – where was this apparent show of empathy and compassion when white farmers were forcibly evicted from land they had called home for generations? Where was this concern when Mugabe’s ZANU-PF attempted to kill off supporters of the opposition by threatening them with violence, imprisonment and even starvation?
The current situation in Zimbabwe, the power-sharing between the MDC and the ZANU-PF is tumultuous and rocky, to say the least – this is not necessarily because the system of power-sharing is completely flawed (for example, South Africa has blossomed in its wake). Indeed, power-sharing has become somewhat of a “knee-jerk solution” (as echoed by Mac Maharaj, in the same article); the reason for this can be attributed to the fact that it looks so good on paper – the former ruling party does not get shut out, while the voice of the opposition can also be heard. However, a system like this one, is like a knife; when given to a surgeon or murderer, each will use it differently (as we have seen countless times in the past).
Coming back, is what South Africa has done enough of a step in the right direction? Indeed, can what our Department of International Relations and Co-operation has done even be classified as a step? Aung San Suu Kyi has been muzzled for almost two decades in Myanmar; is this recent development even a stagger?
The recent spate of striking has left most people, especially those who require doctors the most, divided on the issue. People understand that doctors work in unhygienic, cramped conditions; work without substantial-enough pay and examine patients without basic equipment (gloves, towels, etc.), and yet they are angry that doctors have been striking for weeks. Is it fair to ask these brave doctors to endanger their lives everyday?
I think we all need a shot of empathy, change in perspective – a proverbial shoe-exchanging. Would these people, who are so critical of our medical staff, be able to work in nurseries (in which the air-conditioning isn’t functioning) for over forty hours, without a break, and without access to a shower? How about examining and treating HIV- and AIDS-infected patients without syringes, surgical masks and gloves?
I think not.
The government has offered a 2 – 26 percent increase, as opposed to the 50 percent requested by the striking medical personnel. This offer is an insult; doctors provide a service that is sorely needed, especially in a country like ours where violence-related injuries are a daily occurrence, and where our HIV-infection rate is scraping the ceiling; no wonder they are seeking greener pastures overseas. It’s sad that we only appreciate their services now that they are not providing them.
Sadly, this sentiment of appreciation and compassion (as I’ve pointed out) is not shared, and is even resisted, by our government. They even had the audacity to fire the people who have refused to go back to work! Talk about adding fuel to the fire, already raging out of control …
It is stark and unfortunate that those who have done nothing wrong, the patients (the elderly, the terminally ill, and so forth especially), have to suffer because of their belligerence.
It is yet to be seen how this will play out: doctors are now caught between what they swore to do when they took the Hippocratic Oath, and putting their own lives in peril – the proverbial battle between Life and Death rages on …
People all over the world have been in awe of South Africa’s seemingly seamless transition into democracy, the passing of the baton from the previous government to, the then and current ruling party, the ANC and, most of all, they have been impressed with our Constitution, which has been deemed the most liberal in the world. Indeed, it is a thing of beauty, as was its predecessor, the Freedom Charter.
Every person has a right to life, basic amenities, freedom of choice … To education. Sadly, fifteen years into democracy, cracks are starting to show in the stone on which these beautiful sentiments were carved. The deepest crevices I have seen are, tragically, in the realm of education.
Aside from the mind-numbing format and newly-revised ‘more easily understandable’ syllabus and terminology, I am shocked to the core at how the principles echoed in this document have been perverted and twisted in South African schools. We are all aware that the rights of children are guarded closely in all schools (specifically, because of the ways in which children had been abused at the hands of teachers and fellow students in the past); even now, they are regarded as being vulnerable and often fall victim (South Africa is notorious for its shockingly high levels of violent crimes).
Understood.
Having said this, I often wonder if teachers are afforded the same rights spoken of in our Constitution. Teachers have decades of experience (in terms of educating and, indeed, life itself), but they are rendered almost children themselves.
Children must not be shouted at, belittled or hit because it diminishes their self-esteem and stunts their emotional and psychological growth but a 52-year old educator, with 30 years of experience can be completely ignored (or shouted at) by a class of arrogant 17-year olds. Teachers have been threatened, almost pummelled and sworn at, for merely doing their jobs. How is this being true to the Constitution?
Children must not be thrown out of the classroom if they are making noise and disrupting a lesson; instead, they should be allowed to stay and disturb the handful of learners who are paying attention. What of their rights?
What angers me is not just the apathy displayed by students, but the seeming lack of value and respect given to teachers by everyone. According to Hindu scripture, there is a hierarchy with which one approaches the people in one’s life:
Matha (Mother) Pitha (Father) Guru (Teacher) Deva (God)
As can be seen from this structure, one’s teacher is supposed to come before God. This is an indication of the high regard once held for teachers.
As South Africans, where is our spirit of Ubuntu? The principles of ‘I am, therefore you are’ have been forgotten by this generation. Teachers play a role of tremendous significance in shaping the futures of those whose lives they touch. Unfortunately, their students do the same for them …
The death of Michael Jackson, the King of Plastic and Pop (some may argue that both these areas are not wholly mutually exclusive and, hence, may consider this description of him redundant), as we have seen as consumers of any and all media, has been just as overly publicised as his life.
Why?
Sure, he wrote some perfectly-pitched, sappy, catchy songs with emotively-charged lyrics; he even sold millions of albums the world over. People called him an idol, an icon. But, ultimately, he was just an entertainer – he brought tears to many an eye; he managed to elicit many a smile from his fans but while he was tucking little boys in, sleeping in oxygen chambers and frolicking around with the llamas and chimpanzees at his Never Land ranch, he didn’t do anything that ‘made the world a better place’, as he himself so eloquently put it.
His eccentricities, mind-blowing excesses and apparent self-loathing (a shadowy, somewhat sleazy part of which, I may add, that was hidden from public view) fascinated us all. We all watched as voyeurs, transfixed, to see what ridiculous thing he would do next. His career was as much about his music as it was about his crazy antics.
People who have passed on, people who have made more of an impact (in terms of environmental protection, human rights, free trade, and so on) have fallen through the cracks in the media, nowhere to be found, not even between the lines …
This warrants an examination of our own lives and values; we need to ask ourselves which qualities we consider worthy of admiration in the people we look up to.
To put things in perspective, while most mourn the death of this performer, this one man, spare a thought for the millions dying of AIDS, those who have lost their lives during the Zimbabwe crisis and those fighting and dying in the name of freedom in Darfur and Myanmar. These are the real idols.
I am highly disturbed by Helen Zille’s remarks about the President of the Republic. How can you comment in such a way about the head of state? Her remarks were absolutely uncalled for and daring at a head of state. What upsets me more is the manner in which Jeremy Maggs sees nothing wrong with this woman. In his line of questioning he only makes note of the youth leagues retaliation. How in the world can you in this country appoint and all white male cabinet and then say they are best fit for the job? It is another way of wanting to keep this Western Cape white as a possible and every time she seems to promise the coloured electorate of big dreams.
I, in no way condone the remarks of the Youth League but I understand their anger towards this neurotic woman who is in on a one way course to send this province to the depths of hell. With major changes coming to Cape Town I am really considering whether this province will be able to accommodate black people like us here. Her continued remarks even in the past have always surprised me like when visiting one of the townships she remarked that we “blacks” should return to the Eastern Cape in buses we came with .
Mr Zuma is the President of this country and as a head of state he deserves the respect .
Fezile
Cape Town
So…. JZ’s our president after a particularly (I think it’s safe to say) controversial rise to power. I mean, how many guys do YOU know can get kicked out of office as the deputy president, ALMOST stand trial for all kinds of debauchery and treachery, be accused of rape somewhere between all of THAT, AND STILL emerge smiling as the president of the country???? Big up Msholozi! This guys obviously got the drive and determination that so many of us lack. Talk about rising from the ashes.
So where to now for the South African’s that DIDN’T believe???? I’ll be the first to admit that I DID NOT vote for the ANC (I went for COPE) and I certainly didn’t (and still don’t) agree with some of Msholozi’s deeds of the past - yes, I AM a fickle friend of the ANC I suppose but at least I’m big enough to admit it.
I’ll even be ballsy enough to say that I haven’t changed my views about many things when it comes to the ANC, but dare I say that I think that MAY just change…Jacob Zuma’s ascended into the presidency knowing full well that those opposed to him and his presidency are watching him like hawks and waiting for him to mess up. For THAT reason, I think he’ll bend over backwards to make a difference and to shut all the critics and those who DIDN’T vote for him (myself included) up.
Call me a sell-out if you want to (my apologies to COPE and Rev. Dandala), but the man IS in power now, and I think it’s something to be excited about.
As for the DA…well, I like Helen Zille, no really - I do. Lol, this lady has a voicemail message thats in English, Afrikaans and Xhosa… she’s certainly got character and can create quite a stir if she so pleases. That aside though, she would make a great leader (I think), but I JUST don’t think the world is ready for female power (bar the 1 or 2 small countries who’s names escape me now that have women presidents)….I mean, if a super power like America is only ushering a black president in now, I think we’re ALL going to have to wait a while before taking the next step of having a female president, yes???
And then there’s COPE. Oh, my dear beloved COPE… Well, I think they did bloomin’ well for a party that’s only been around for 200-odd days, but lets face it…we all knew they wouldn’t win but at least now they’ve managed to establish themselves and a 3-million strong support base. And with the whole election pressure off of them, they can at least focus on what THEY actually stand for and NOT on slandering the ANC and Jacob. Maybe I’ll see you at the polls again next time chaps.
I guess what I’m trying to get at here is…well… If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. NO, I’m not saying we should all band together outside of Luthuli House and sing Mshini Wam’ at the top of or voices, but let’s all work TOGETHER to make this whole democracy business work. Ultimately, we all want the same thing don’t we? We all love our country, don’t we? So…lets just help make it as great as it can be, even if it IS under the guidance of a president who dances during press-conferences. Maybe we could even learn a few moves along the way????
Just MY opinion though, what’s yours?
- by Portia Palesa Rantsho