Friday 29 August 2008

Moral regeneration

I always here of South Africa needing moral regeneration…do we really understand that. I think I am one of those who just about to throw in the towel in this one. South Africa is riddled with corruption, those who are meant to fight crime a actually leading crime to money laundering, ATM bombing people don’t know who to turn to.

Most interestingly now I remember one man who was trusted with moral regeneration of our youth actually helped himself.

Walking down Noord Street and Plain streets in Johannesburg is like walking on Adults only streets as people unashamedly and proudly selling pornographic movies for R10.00. Listen to this police were browsing through and I thought the guy was just about to be arrested when one of them reached into his pocket took out R20.00, took one movie and his colleague to take one.

When I was stopped by the police on my way to Pretoria west I chose not to stop and I knew they could shoot, but I wanted to stop where there were other motorists. I am sure I am not alone on this one Police do crime on police vehicles you never know when you going to be their next victim.

There is corruption at all levels, go to church you will religious big wigs calling others names because they dare to ordain Gay priests. Anglican Church is divided into two those who follow American way of doing things and those who follow the African way of doing things where is the country going? Moral regeneration... what regeneration

Wednesday 27 August 2008

Invest in Africa

Is investing into other countries imperialistic by nature? Is there any thing wrong with rich nations buy stakes in companies of less fortunate countries? Around 1995/96 when Lauren Kabila was closing down on Zaire Nelson Mandela had tried asking Mabutu Seseseko to come to South Africa and avoid bloodshed. It made economic sense given minerals and hydroelectric power of that country. When Kabile Senior came closer Mandela heard that he already had a deal with Canada, which was supporting him with Arms then South Africa turned against him.

It is the truth that can’t be denied that a new democracy in South Africa opened floodgates for international companies to go to Africa under the disguise of South African companies. I think of companies like Vodafone, which fro a very long time wanted to invest in Africa until Vodacom opened the doors form them forget that they failed dismally though.

Travelling to African countries you feel like an American seeing McDonalds and Coca-Cola everywhere. I was speaking to a Tanzania trade unionist yesterday, he told me that South Africa figuratively and literally runs their economy. Railways, telecoms, Banks and big business what more do you want. Shoprite in Malawi pay they staff quarter of what they pay their South African counterparts even though they don’t pay well even here.

What is really sad is that all the money made from these countries flow to South Africa. South African Companies like your Shoprite and Game shops don’t use local production, they import staff from South Africa. That directly kills the economy of those countries, as they can’t compete with us. When Zim was reeling from ever increase inflation rate Pick n’ pay, Makro, Game etc never used Zim industries instead they kept on importing from South Africa, this has destroyed their industries. This pushed 12000 Zimbabweans across the boarder weekly in 1996. Law of migration says people follow money. Maybe that is why every one wants to go to Europe or US I am not sure though about those who go to Australia and New Zealand. South Africa attracts migrants more than any other country in Africa.

We doing this in the name of investing in Africa, is it not surprising that PetroSA is doing business with Mugabe government, Equatorial Guinea of Theo Nguema? One might think that South Africans then benefit, no we don’t instead we are punished just like them. Can you explain what make SASOL petrol to cost the same as Shell petrol? I heard that they produce a barrel from coal at around $40/50.00 but sell it at the price of the Brent crude oil. To add salt in the wound they also get someone from government.

How can we loot Africa and expect that foreigners won’t come to South Africa. But the Truth is that African elite doesn’t want their countryman to come to South African because “they want South Africa for themselves’ Maria in one of the Seminars held at SABC. They want private hospitals, private school and tertiary institutions. Go to any former whites only University or high School and will be amazed how many children of the foreign elite mainly from Africa are in those schools. At least they help to improve the demographics in schools. The Elite from Mozambique live in Nespruit and drive one hour to their native land. South Africa benefited from the crises in Africa, maybe let me rephrase SA big business benefited big time from crises in Africa even though they won’t admit (based on moral values that is if they do have them).

Monday 25 August 2008

Tumi

Around August in 2008 I bought FIFA 08 so I could play with my boys. The music that play in the background when you are still making your selections sounded familiar. There is one song that the Artist calls African countries, Angola, Lesotho, South Africa,etc. initially I thought they use Africa in their lyrics to appease have Africa because there are South African teams after all Mamelodi Sundowns, Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates. Over the last weekend I took sometime to look at some of the artists and I was surprised to see that it was actually a well known South African Artist who is singing. I guess I am getting old I don’t listen to youth music anymore. The Artist is Tumi and the Volume and I felt so proud that our musicians are recognised so far abroad. Maybe this has something to do with 2010 I will take note when FIFA 09 is published this year.

Wednesday 20 August 2008

War or Cold War

I did Geography and I believe my teacher was amongst the best at primary level. We new all the mountain ranges highest peaks, grass lands and major river I am still not sure what for, but I have never had of Georgia. It seems this insignificant state according to me is the most important for the US to get oil without bombing and causing collateral damage to other nations. Georgia decided to take on mighty Russia with the hope that US might come to the rescue and teach Russia a lesson or two. What a miscalculation… maybe not because America still believe they are innocent. Apparently Georgia expected to be attacked by Russia early when they that didn’t happen they took it upon themselves to be the aggressors.

Almighty Russia could the turn down the invitation, as it always wanted to teach its former satellites state a lesson. I think they over stepped the mark though, how can they kill people like that even if they were retaliating. The US is raging about the autonomy of Georgia and always forgetting that they are the aggressor this time. Instability in Europe and in the Mideast is fuelled by the US and its Hunger for oil. When I heard that Georgia was the US ally I know they must have something to do with oil boy I was right. Georgia is the only major route for oil and Gas that doesn’t via Russia. So “Almighty Bush” as Mugabe would say, wants to keep it that way. US media talk with conviction when they refer to the invasion of Georgia but we know where they stand anyway. Russia was wrong to crush such a small state like that, but the US is the trouble maker.

Thursday 7 August 2008

Corrupt or Corruptee

How often do you hear people talk about Traffic department in Gauteng? Actually people don’t even listen to you any more because there is nothing new you will ever hear. Whatever you new experience you have someone probably thousands have been trough that. Gauteng has become another Eastern Cape where corruption is part of official work. Traffic ever since I came to contact with them that is since I started driving, there was always bribery there corruption there but not to the magnitude of what we are witnessing today. When my wife took driving lessons her instructor told him that she would have to pay some extra fee for to get a date through his driving school. She ignored him and booked via Call centre.

There are so many stories about that call centre… to cut the story short she was told there was no date available, but she must keep on calling at least every hour. Fortunately she had a job where she had a phone. Little did she know that she will call every half an hour for 5weeks and hear the same line over and over “we are sorry there are no dates available” Seeing that her learners license might expire before She can even test once she joined the throngs to Rustenburg. There was no luck either as they only take a certain number of people per day, but interestingly over whelming majority on those people are Gautengers who spent their money to be there because their province failed them. I am told call centre was introduced to curb corruption, but the unemployed in our town ships cannot they really afford to call every half an hour for more than five weeks.

At long last she got a date but unfortunately there is no guarantee to pass so she failed. Would she start all over again with call a centre? Her friend from the Eastern Cape told her she has already paid someone in the Eastern Cape but he disappeared with her money and she can’t report him to the authorities. Desperate times call for desperate measure my wife was told of a guy in Jozi who can save her from her misery. They met at a secret spot and I was on call if anything untoward could happen to her.

This is where this became very interesting for me.

  • For R500 One can actually buy a date no questions asked (in the mean time people are calling day in day out and being told there are no dates.
  • For a refundable R2000 one can by the actual pass.( if you fail you get you money back)
  • Are you afraid to drive but you want a drivers license? You can have yours without lifting a finger… that is if you can fork out R6000.

I am sure so many people who will read this knew about it, I must admit that “amagent e kasi” (township dudes) have said this many times, but I don’t believe most of their crazy stories and this sounded like one of those. Can we really beat corruption? A friend of mine ask me if there is more corruption now than during apartheid….my answer was I can’t really compare the two. For me that government was a corruption on its own so what ever was happening below them was a picnic of four in a Monday working hours.