Monday 14 July 2008

Fuel saving Tips

I am not driving due to petrol price and I am saving big time, but if you are still driving here are some of the important tips when you are on the road.
  1. Avoid prolonged warming up of engine 30-15 second isa plenty of time.
  2. Don't stop and start engine needlessly...did you know that idling your engine for one minute consumes the same amount of fuel as starting it.
  3. Avoid "revving" the engine especially just before switching off your engine.
  4. don't do jackrabbit starts, accelerating slowly after you have stopped saves fuel.
  5. Choose type and brand of fuel that does not burn quickly.
  6. Don't fill the fuel tank to the top...never let petrol atendent fill your tank past the automatic first "click" of fuel nozzle.
  7. never exceed legal speed limit, they are set for your traveling safety and also save fuel.
  8. Traveling fast in low gear can consume up to 45% more fuel than it is needed.
  9. Keep your windows closed when traveling at highway speed. wind can your mileage by up to 10% which too high given the situation we are in as motorists.
  10. Drive steadily up or high, speed start wast fuel.
  11. Avoid tailgating: not only is unsafe, but it affects your fuel economy.
  12. Accelerate before you reach the hill not while you're on it.
  13. Resting your foot on the pedals whilst driving puts a "mechanical drag" on engine parts and also demand more fuel.
  14. Avoid rough roads if possible because it will rob you of up to 30% of fuel mileage.
  15. Compare traveling distances or roads with less traffic congestion.
NB: When you fill up next time remember to ask your attendent for your tips to save fuel as it will help you to use a point of reference all the time.

Friday 11 July 2008

Living big on meagre salary

South Africans are a very interesting bunch. Most of us especially Africans we like expensive clothes expensive cars yet we all know we can’t afford them. Tito Mboweni says that we must tighten our belts but if you go eKasi where one would think that people would be more conscious about the economy given the realities around them it is astounding to hear people talking about Hammer and BMW’s. Contrary to that whites are downgrading to smaller cars renting out their houses and living elsewhere. Again given our belief that whites are rich and have it all I was expecting this to be happening to our people.

When Kulula .com was introduce into our Skies I thought that was the opportunity for us to fly. Instead I head my fellow Africans saying they can never take cheap flights on Kulula, Mango and 1time. And indeed when you take BA and SAA you see a lot of Africans and go to Kulula or other cheaper airlines you find them full of pale faces. So Africans don’t know the meaning of savings?

Recently Metro rail introduced business express between Soweto and Jozi and Between Pretoria/Tswhane and Jozi. I am not sure about the SOWETO line, but the Pretoria line is busy. Fair enough Africans are there, but given the demographic of this country they are still way less than one would expect instead they choose to drive their x5 in Ben Schoeman highway. If you think back there was a metro plus express from the Nigel/Spring line sometime ago. The service failed as people chose to use their cars and it was stopped. A friend of mine who lives in Nigel now want that express to come back it Probably the reason why we have price fixing problems in the country is this obsession with big life. This is not the time to live big it is time to live an affordable life amid high prices all around us.

Wednesday 9 July 2008

...basis point

What I asked myself is how is a hiking interest rate helping the economy or the people. People are still waiting for RDP houses Tito is kicking out those who already have house to go and join the queue. When oil goes up automatically inflation will do the same and “raising interest rates won’t bring the price of petrol down “ said one economist and I believe the price of food is not going to relent either. The stats suggest that food make 40% of inflation. Why should the majority be punished because those who can afford are reckless? Target them and punish them not everyone. Maybe targeting inflation is not meant for a developing country like ours. I think targeting poverty would be more appropriate rather than monitoring what the rich are doing and ignoring the poor who become victims of the governor’s venom in the end. The poor are caught in the crossfire, when Tito raises interest rates business colludes to fix prices and make more profit. They go out to buy more and the poor would be punished again. Whose fault is it that Eskom, Gas, paraffin, Crude oil and food prices are going up?

Monday 7 July 2008

When ANC sneezes even the Judiciary catches the flu

It looks like changes in the ANC are affecting all our institutions, but in a bizarre turn of events Judge president Hlophe made he feeling known about his politics something unheard of in this country.What I will never understand is why Judge president Hlophe always make news for the wrong reasons. Is there a vendetta against him? By who? Initially I thought he was a victim of circumstances we all know our history, but this time Hlophe has gone from ridiculous to outrageous. I read he letter where he is trying so hard to convince everyone that he is a victim. What I didn’t understand is why every time he chats with his colleagues (Japhta, Nkabonge and Ngcobo) a Zuma case would just come up, that is still boggling me. May be is time for the Judge president to step-down before damage is done to Judiciary and his reputation. By now we all know he thinks that there is no case against Zuma, which on its own is not a sin, but he didn’t have to go around selling his feeling to Judges that are dealing with this case.

As for Judge Pius Langa, he made a mess out of a storm in a teacup. I n my view this case could be solved within Judiciary. The public didn’t necessarily have to know about it. It is not the first time Judge Langa makes a mess. He is the one who saved him when he faced an impeachment. Ironically Hlophe is targeting him as his enemy number one.

In 1998 Judge Langa headed a commission of enquiry into the Lesotho elections on behalf of SADC. He was supposed to give Basotho the results but he chose not to. He kept the results and came back to South Africa with them. Back in the country when he was supposed to give them to President Mandela he kept them to himself. By that time all this already disconcerted Basotho. They were openly saying the results were being doctored in South Africa even though Pakalitha Mosisili said he would be bound by the results. Few weeks later he sent back to Lesotho. Few days later the acting President Mangosuthu Buthelezi sent the troops to raid Lesotho before the results could be made public. So Hlophe issue is not a coincidence.

Moseneke is no angel according to the ANC so is the host of others who presided over apartheid. Is our Judiciary in crises? Can they really come up with some encouraging results? I don’t think so.

Friday 4 July 2008

Wimbledon finals again

Once again the Williams sisters Venus and Serena are contesting Wimbledon. I am a fan of these sisters I am not a tennis fan, but I have my favourites whom I can spend the whole day watching them from way back starting from John McEnroe, Stephie Graafe, Martina Navratilova. Later the likes of Amanda Coetze for being a South African I could hardly see her play, Pete Sampras and the Williams sisters were the latest on my list. This Wimbledon was full of Surprises one of the Russian heavy weights was eliminated very early except Dementieva who lost to Venus Williams on the semis. Serena faced the sensational hard working Zheng Jie whom I thought won’t give Serena much problem, but she did. Serena had to dig deep into her experience to beat her.

I have heard people say they don’t like it when finals become a family affair others went as far as suggesting that the final will be decided over the Williams dinner table. Honestly the experts never gave the Williams sisters a chance. When they joined professional ranks sceptics called for their father to leave them to the pros if he wanted them to succeed. He ignored all those calls and succeeded then they moved on and said he won’t sustain the high standard he had set for the girls it is time to go. When they dominated the circuit people began to talk of family affair that is boring, that they don’t give their all or the final is decided at home. I wish for Venus to win this time her sister dominated her in all the finals in England.