So close and yet so far

I read with a great joy the news of the legalisation of the Marijuana herb in Washington State, up in America.

To me it registered a new hope for the many men and women who have been at the receiving end of police abuse due to them possessing a certain amount of ganja. I have voiced my opinion regarding the use of ganjah on many instances and at worst I was called an addict of the herb, to which I would always laugh.

For many an educated people, Ganjah is said to be a drug but I promise you (and I bet you) that many many people, including the ones who criminalise it, use it for smoking, more than anything else. They are too ashamed of themselves to come out to the public they so love being a part of, and tell us they smoke the weed (not that its any of our business). They are so scared of what their friends and peers will think and say of them, that they too have began believing that the use of Ganjah is the worst thing they could do.

Honestly? How many people crash their cars when they are smoked? How many crash their cars and murder people when they are drunk? In fact, the clever people of our country smoke weed themselves and go and produce a statistic that says that of the many road accidents and road fatalities, more than half are caused by drunk people and their drunk siblings.

On the last post to this blog, under topic "Police run our Country", I charged that I had experienced ill-treatment at the hands of police for allegedly possessing the herb, but to later realise that they use it more than I was alleged to have. In South Africa, most people know where the plantations of ganja are, even the political leaders, but none had ever said to government agencies "hey, let's go to my home, there's a ganja farm there that we should destroy". Never!

South African politicians and government people know who farms, who buys in bulk and they know where the consumers are and who they are. They don't have any reason to have the weed criminalized except only a couple of know-it-all scientists whose heads are also heavy with the highest meditation from the herb.

However, my aim for this post is not to talk about how much our politicians protect the weed but rather I want to urge even our government to look, as usual, to the Americans and take example from there, if they fail to do so with Holland. Ganjah must receive the status of a medicinal herb and must be freed to adults for recreational use. People of the world use Ganjah for recreational purposes but those who seek to demonstrate their control over the rest of the world are consistently jailing people for something that does not cost any government a cent.

Although it may take the longest of times for the official and much anticipated legalization of the herb, the Dutch and the American (although just proportionally) have come out of the closet to admit to the world that they smoke the weed and they wish to do so legally, without being constantly questioned by your very subconsciousness about what fate would befall you if the clever people got you.

"There will be no more illegal humiliation, no more police brutality and there will be no more need to smoke and hide, when you know you're taking a legal right" said Peter Tosh in the song Legalize Marijuana.

I have seen a thousand people smoke Ganjah for decades none of the stuff they say Ganjah does ever befell any of the people in the thousand I have spoken of. The governments are run by liars and they seek to hide the truth from the masses. Now let them tell us why they fight so hard to keep Ganjah illegal when we know that everybody wants it to be decriminalized.

It is during these times that we need the Americans to influence the affairs of Mzansi; when an issue of international interest like this must be talked about.

Now, let us speak.

Police run the country

This topic is essentially inspired by my experiences, experiences from others and the recent report in the City Press (Sunday November 11, 2012) headlined "Khayelitsha Cops Exposed".

Firstly, I must and I have, expressed shock with the ever-growing number of police recruitment. I have asked the question of what is the reason we have so many cops roaming our streets? The answer I got from one of the clever people was that "because crime is escalating". Granted then, but I reminded him that even in the old days of white-supremacy rule, Botha and his pals never directly came to the townships to abuse the people, rather they sent police to do that bidding.

I have been on the receiving end of police injustice once where the cops supposedly smelt burning marijuana and approached my soldiers and I, only to be met by a burning bicycle tyre and some weeds. The manner in which we were approached suggested that we would only speak when spoken to, like little kids, and when one of my companions refused to abide, he got a smack of his life. Mind you, we had nothing like ganja there, yet one of us got a smack.

We were unceremoniously searched "for illegal substances" and verbally abused in the process. We stood there watching with awe the actions of our protectors and servants, not fearing to assault them back but fearing the guns they hold on their waists. That was in Mpumalanga.

I came to Cape Town and subsequently resided in the same Khayelitsha the Sunday paper made mention of. Here, cops are the lords. They roam the streets fulfilling the mandate of visible policing which is nice but many unreported cases of police misconduct occur here. It was late in 2010 when myself and a couple of friends were driving to Mfuleni, and if you know the place, you will know the open space where Mfuleni residents travel by foot to Site C train station. On this night, a police van was parked there, and because I was working as a newspaper journalist at the time, I had to investigate.

We pulled our car to a halt and I approached the police van, pretending to be lost and looking for directions. Before I could get any closer to the vehicle, a male constable came out to meet me. I am a kasi-boy and believe it or not, I know what ganjah smells like. I looked past him into the van where two of his colleagues had remained. I was sure that these guys were indulging in the ancient tree of wisdom. But because I was not clad in any uniform, let alone the blue, I could not attempt at these guys. I kept it to myself and my friends.

One of which immediately recalled an event where his friends herb had been taken by cops, and we came to the conclusion that since cops can't buy the stuff without anybody asking questions, they take the ones they strip from the public and go lick it where they think they won't be seen.

"At Khayelitsha, 138 officers were disciplined in those six months (January to June). between January and December of last year, 291 officers were disciplined at the station", reports the City Press. The paper also reveals that although the Harare police station has a staff complement of 195, 205 officers were disciplined between January and December last year. This means that some officers here are repeat offenders, yet we keep them in the system.

I am among those who have lost all confidence in the police and one day many will realise that the current crop of cops must be fired. All of them, including Minister Mthethwa. They have been watching boys in Khayelitsha murder each other. Boys under the age of 20 are calling themselves gangsters and the cops are watching from the stands. They fail to chased and apprehend real criminals and instead, they come after a bunch of school kids smoking weed, beat them to pulps and then feel satisfied that they did their jobs.

It is time we rise and revolt against police brutality, police negligence, police corruption and police criminology. I will not even speak of the Marikana slaughter of mankind. They are the most dangerous criminals but can not be viewed as such so long as they are clad in the blue uniform.

Start the revolution. I will publicise it.

Plastics Piss on Biko's Legacy

I have been trying hard to understand the concept of Black Consciousness and more so, I am still trying to understand this concept from Steve Biko's view.

This, I do, because I have seen on many an occasion how many followers of this concept have attempted to bring it into the politics of the day. Not that this is a bad thing, but it raises questions when those who are not happy about the state of affairs use this concept to drive their narrow ideas and agendas.

Biko's BC did not promote hatred against a white people, as some who claim to be followers of Biko, have done. A guy on facebook said the tour guide who laid his life to save a tourist, when their boat capsized in Cape Town, was "dumb". His logic was that the tour guide should have let the tourist die because the tourist is not BLACK and that the tour guide would not have done the same for a Black person, so he deserved to die. When I interrogated this statement I was called names, which does not really bother me, given the fact that I, Rastafari knows more than he does.

The tone in that conversation was that Black people should offer no help to the white people, that the white person must be treated like dirt "because we are/were treated like that too by white people. This, to me, did not make sense. I failed to understand the type of a nation we are trying to be. It made me think that some scholars within our education system, especially higher education, are more stupid than they should be. I say this because many of the guys who claim alliance with Biko's BC are at universities and other sectors of higher education.

Their idea is that Blackness, as Biko saw it, should be the tool to perpetuate injustices of sorts. White people are also not helpful in this instance because, as it was when Biko lived, they still patronise the Black majority with their liberal ideologies. This, you will see everytime Zille goes to a poor area; her dancing there, her speaking that Xhosa of hers and the simplistic manner in which she implies that the lives of the poor shall be changed for the better under her rule.

But still, none of what the new followers of the BC concept say, is helping Black people achieve the liberation Biko spoke of. Hatred and insults are not representative of the Black person, but he who this is Blacker than all of us will differ on this. Hatred is not spoken of in Biko's teachings, posing the question that "Who's teachings are these guys following?" I am not trying to attack people here but I am concerned about what the youth will learn. Nkrumah, Nyerere, Selassie I, Lumumba, Kenyatta and even Sankara never had this type of Blackness. This type of Blackness, reactionary blackness, is not what Black people should be define as.
None of the African leaders I mentioned here would take seriously such consciousness as Black. This is hatred, not BC. In fact I challenge these educated fools to give us a programme of action by which they seek to liberate the Black people. Let them paint me a picture of the South Africa they envisage post-Biko.

If you ask me, many of these people piss on Biko's legacy!!!

Vela wena unesazela.

I Stop and Stare

Reflexionz

I stop and I stare

Violence and despair the order of the day

Futsek Futsek, they say

Bow at the barrel of the pistol

For they are the slave of the system

I stop and I stare

The Death of a Nation yet at Birth

Reactionary Leaders

Devise their own Demise

Religious Leader left with their jaws on the floors… stop

Stop… stop, they cry

Stop and heed the Call of the Young

I stop and she Cries

Stares at the very Red of his Eye

Is it Ganjah or Drugs that got him so High?

Behold the demise of the little One

Stop and Step back

Behold the work of your Hand

Fatass Politiciaans running our nation with obscured Vision

Intelligent and Negligent

Behold the Beginning of your End. Stop and Reflect

Taking matters into one's own hands

Today's post is less serious.

The Giver

In keeping up with what is sweeping over the globe: selflessness and sacrifice, I have volunteered my services as a communications practitioner to a soccer club in Khayelitsha that has potential to achieve big things.
I do need extra cash but that is not why I am doing this. Firstly, I am a big fan of football and particularly township diski. Secondly, I believe that giving back to the community means more than just food packages, cleaning the streets and feeding the elderly. My take is that the talents and the skills we have should be mobilised for the common good of all; that our skills and expertise should be seen in action, so as to give hope to the many. I will give details of this new arrangement later.

The Business Man

Still talking about making moves and taking matters into one's hands, let me introduce you the Black Reign Communications.

This is a company owned and directed by Matthews Mfubu (Journalist and Communications Practitioner), Notukela Mzilikazi (Public Relations and Communications Practitioner) Yolanda Makosi (Public Relations and Communications Practitioner) and Vuyo Mabandla (Journalist and Business Writer).

The company is based in Khayelitsha, Cape Town and has identified a gap in the market; a need, really, for far-reaching medium by which SMMEs and local government would drive their public campaigns. A unit designated to events coordination has been set up and a Community News Agency has also been established. We have seen the need for an all-encompassing Communications and Public Relations (and Events) company to effectively communicate with, and serve a wide-range of audiences and markets.

So, if your company is in need of any of the afore-mentioned services, do not hesitate to contact us at mzilikazinotukela@gmail.com, or mfubumm@gmail.com, zandilemakosi@gmail.com and vmabandla@yahoo.com

Alternatively: 
083 472 8562 (Matt Mfubu)
078 373 0568 (Yolanda Makosi)
078 697 2643 (Tukela Mzilikazi)
083 959 3345/  084 6300 393 (Vuyo Mabandla)
The website and generic email details are to follow at a later stage.

The Poet.

Many people have laughed at me about this. I have taken up a new hobby and it is not smoking. Yep, you guessed it right. I will now write poetry. I have already posted, on this blog earlier in the week, a taste of what my writing may look like. I will fight hard to get time to write so that I will have at least one poem on each weekend.

For now, I will halt here.

Black the Revolution

Black the Revolution

Black the Revolution…

Sing…

Sing and Dance at your Own Peril

Sing and Dance without Caring

Behold…the child whose being

Is derived from the Melanin

Noble men, Commons, And Bastards

Ruled, Divided and Conquered… with eyes bloodshot

From the cries…cries of midwives

Black the Revolution…

Frown…

Frown pon this… this beast

Black the Revolution…

Frown pon this… liberation is not this

Shoot to kill… Shoot to kill

The ideals of self-enriching and personal will

Long live Biko…Biko is Revolution

Rebel revolt for the left

For ours is a time of test

Black the Revolution…

Rise Princes and Princesses..

Youth man rebel rise to this…

Black the Revolution…

Hear no Evil and chain and spank the wicked…

Legalise it…Legalise it, they shout

Man on Man…Black on Black

Light up the spliff and hold a higher meditation

For Liberation is not this…

Black the Revolution…Liberation is not this.

The heritage of many is defined by a few.

The heritage of many is defined by a few.

The National Heritage is meant to be inclusive and representative of the indigenous and native peoples of a particular land; it is meant to observe, cherish and preserve that which defines the peoples of that land, and by default, the heritage of the majority should dominate proceedings.

In South Africa, however, this does not seem to be the case. I was surprised when I learned that the National Heritage Day has now been termed the Braai Day. Really? What the hell is this? To me it seems as though we have relegated the meaning of heritage to narrow representations of foreign traditions. Many will argue that Braai is a South African tradition but I say the heritage of a people begins at the very beginning.

"The very beginning" in the South African context, I feel, should begin at the time when Colonizers and Apartheidites were not here. The heritage of the people whose traditions and identities had been distorted and stolen by the groups mentioned above should take the forefront. They should be the center of the national heritage month. I am not saying white people should be ignored and their heritage not celebrated but I am saying such blasphemies as the Braai Day are only constituted to distort and contaminate the heritage of the many.

How our heritage is purported makes us look like some meat-eating savages whose culture revolved around eating flesh and drinking alcohol. What bullshit. Same is the notion of inclusive heritage; I think it is also an attempt to mix water and oil and expect that they blend. South Africa is a place with people of various nationalities and it cannot be expected that the National Heritage represent all of these people, given that some only arrived here when we had already had a rich heritage of our own. The National Heritage month should represent the heritage of the oppressed and the depressed; Black people and other people whose traditions, cultures and heritage had been downtrodden for 400 years without remorse nor conscience.

Picture: Ndebele women in traditional dress.                                     Photo: Dreamstime.com

The ideas like Braai Day seek only to further obliterate from memory the glory of the African Heritage. They seek to return our land to the image it had when we nearly forced the Apartheidites and Colonizers back to the sea, all thanks to the ANC that did not materialise. Of course, White people are very much a part of our history, and in most cases a history we are not proud of. But that should not mean they must be treated as outcasts as some of our political leaders have pronounced.

There should be distinctions between the native heritage and the Braai day so that these meat-eaters will have their day and those of us who take our heritage seriously will have a piece of our heritage to enjoy, lest it is completely obliterated from the mind of the oppressed.

Let's chat!!

Who is fooling who?

 So, it has now become our tradition that when we fail to realise our own failures we start blaming the youth for our errors.

The Black youth is screwed and if we fail to awaken at this time, we will forever lament the opportunity that would have passed us by: the opportunity to correct the wrong. Most Black children continue to be taken care of by their parents' television sets, while both parents are out there, working. Many Black women continue to work as domestic workers for white people.

A Black woman wakes in the wee- wee hours of dawn and prepares to go to work. She leaves her home before her children awaken and returns much late into the day, tired and shooting straight to bed. During the whole day that she works, she takes care of her madam's children; washing their clothes, feeding them and teaching them how to behave among other people. She instills discipline in them so that when the madam returns from her own job, her children are well-fed, they are clean ad their manner of behavior has altered a bit. Gradually, this improves until the youth is grown and can now take the good manners further out into the world.

The Black woman whose work it is that sees this youth into this state, is happy to be told that her job is well-done and that an increase is due her way. She returns home with this good news to find her own children asleep and she decides against waking them, considering the late hour. On the morrow of that day she will again take the 05h00 train to the white woman's home. Here, as her kids wake to prepare for school, they feel no disappointment from the absence of their mother to prepare their uniforms and lunch boxes and morning kisses and daily guidance, because they know their mama is at work.

Instead, they turn on the TV set before going to school. They are faced with various challenges at school and need somebody to speak to but mama is not there, she is talking to the kids of the employer, totally oblivious to the realities faced by her own child. So our sisters and brothers are therefore the only babysitter for this kid is Takalani Sesame and whatever else is out there on TV. Mommy returns tired and carries gifts and toys and we are happy because we can behold with our eye the fruit of mommy's labour.

Because mommy grooms the white kid into someone of respect and honour, her work is admirable but the realistic result of such labour is that she has invested little time to groom her own children and thus their upbringing is unlike that of a white kid.

Our kids are TV addicts because of this notion.

Let's chat some more!

Parents vs Children

Some people will be shocked to read today's post as the subject discussed is not one I am known to understand, but, like I said, people will be shocked.

I will deal with the Black parent here and see what contribution s/he has on his child spiraling out of control; into a bully and one whose reasoning capacity is always obstructed by the confines of culture and traditions.

It is known that many Black people subscribe to the notion that a kid's word can never overruled that of an elder. This is problematic because of the reasons to be discussed here. It is also known that it is these parents, out of love or ignorance, who buy toys and other goodies for their kids.

And it is known that parents watch television with their kids, day or night, but they do. Now an array of problem arise in all these contexts and the parent is assumed to be there, seeing what unfolds before them.

I will start at the beginning. Black parents hate it when their kids argue with them, regardless of how knowledgeable the kids is of the subject in question. A Black parent speaks and expects that we all agree that his/her version of the subject is true and absolute. S/he sends a kid to school and varsity so as to develop their cognitive facilities and reasoning capabilities, and when the kid returns it is joy all over. Until the time when a matter of intricacy must be dealt with, the parent is proud of the kid.

They speak, misinformed and sometimes clueless of the subject, and when the kid they sent to school for such purposes rebukes what is being said on the grounds of its truths and factuality, the kid is dismissed as "youthful and inexperienced". I make an example of a young man who graduated Cum Laude in the fields of Social Work and Social Development whose rural Eastern Cape upbringing had turned him into a man of principle and honour; having observed the traditions and teachings of his fore-bearers.

He returns home from University and finds a dilemma where children are ill-treated, where children are being used as labour at a construction site. He questions this development and is told not to worry about such things as he, himself, had been brought up in that way. He tries to reason to the effect of protecting the child from exploitation but he is told that "the elders" of the village had constituted that it be so. Because he is a man of principle and his village respects him for they way he conducted himself among the elders as he was growing, thus he ceases to question these actions because he wishes not to be perceived as disrespectful to the elders. He does as he is told. The parents' word is final, regardless of the implications it has legally and otherwise.

He keeps quiet and watches as children are enslaved; doing that which ought to have been done by the very parents who constitute "elders" in that village. He ceases to engage with his parents on any matter because they will get angry over "the million questions" and perhaps a physical disciplinary action might be employed against the poor guy. The younger kids observe and learn that when you are a parent your word is final and that no engagement is further necessitated after such violent responses.

Black parents; engage you kids in complicated subject such us community building, they might surprise you.

And then the Black parent goes to town and buys toys for his/her kids. As the parent and the kids stroll in the streets of town, a toy gun is spotted by the kid and is immediately in the list of demands, somewhere below the chocolate bar on the shopping list. Gladly, the parent will purchase this toy because she "wants to give her children all that they want and need". The boy will love the gun so much so that the day of purchase of such a toys will linger for a while in the mind of the kid (and those who will live to the complete manifestation of that kind of playing).

However, the kid will soon realise that this gun is not very effective in "eliminating his nemeses" and he, with friends, will discuss other means of getting the job done. Because they grow so fast, the parent is oblivious to the fact that the toy is no longer interesting for it fails to execute the desired duties. The kids used to certain ideas and if they love them and are not monitored, they take them up as a hobby or way of life, much to the happiness/sadness of the parents.

Kids learn! He will get himself an illegal pistol and the parents will not know until the pistol gets him into trouble. And from there trouble will never stop again. Stop buying toy guns for kids, you are turning them into the criminals that the system has already painted them into being. Stop beating your kids up because they disagree with whatever it is that you are saying: Nobody can be right at all times and kids have learnt the science of reasoning because you sent them to school precisely for that reason. Change your parenting methods from those of your grandparents because the times and systems no longer accommodate for such.

Love your kids and burn anyone who throws a kid in the dustbin and burn them that commit murder by way of abortion, especially if you asked for that pregnancy. And by "ask" I mean voluntarily going and sleeping with men in the absence of protective measures.

I am not well-verse in parenting as I am only a nine-month old parent but, this, I have observed and I have testament to this effect. Love your babies, people, and teach them good from evil, their future depends on it.

Let's chat if unesbindi

Tales from the Mines

I learnt, with relief, that the miners at Lonmin have reached a settlement with their employers.

I was particularly relieved because the plight of these hard-working men from our African continent had become subject of political footballing from both the ruling party and its oppositions. The situation, regardless of who is at fault, had turned the plight of honest men into a joke, a public relations exercise for some and a place to score political points for the politicians (ruling and opposition).
People went there to show "solidarity" to the miners, others went to "strengthen the positions of the Union", other went to attempt to resolve the dispute and others went to negotiate. It was interesting to watch the ANC cadre sweat over Julius Malema's presence there, you'd swear they were seeing god they way that they shivered and trembled in anticipation of what he would say.

As usual, the 747 Booeing Airbus, Julius Malema, did not disappoint; he landed right at the spot. He told them exactly what he thought of them and their interests in mines and the white people who own these mines, and how he would be in and among the revolution that seeks to obliterate all forms of exploitation. Others also spoke there. UWC Chancellor and Bishop of Cape Town, The Most Rev Dr Thabo Makgoba also went there to seek to implant peace and harmony throughout the process of negotiation.

And not for the first time in our history, the liberals were also all over the show; "giving support and political advice" to many exploited and hard-working Black people, whose current condition is a direct result of a 400 year old tradition of Black oppression and economic side-lining. They were also there when revolutionaries wanted to cleanse our land of the vile capitalist and racist systems through bloodshed. They raised the "voice of reason" and negotiated that we, today, may continue living the life they had designed and planned for us.

The non-White, in Biko's terms, was also involved. But he came in much later; after the massacre. He raised points relating to how much "Black people have suffered as a collective" and how "we Black people should come and stand together" in this fight. But the thing with the non-white today, and in the context of Marikana and other mining areas that face the same problem, is that the "collective" he speaks of only began feeling the pain that the miners feel everyday, after the cops/soldiers had executed the people there. He was never there all along and only when the full manifestation of the capitalist evil is revealed does he come.
I heard them speak yesterday after it was announced yesterday that miners have reached and agreement with their employers, saying things like: "Again, the capitalist gets his way.", others said "those miners were forced to sign the deal". Whatever their views may be but fact is that none have the truth of what happened and as for my take; the miners settled for what was a good deal for them.

The fact that certain people from certain quarters are unhappy about that deal, when the affected people are, is really a question of wishful yapping on their part. The reality of the matter is that we should cease this tradition of reactionarism and begin at the very beginning: that is; stop waiting for tragedies to occur before we seek to address issues. Here, people have always known that miners are treated like s#&%^#t and none ever bothered to pick up a placard and mobilise people against the employer.

Many of us here in cape Town are still subjected to capitalist exploitation and ill-treatment from the capitalist who hire them, but none dare come forward. Some of the Black Consciousness Towers I was listening to yesterday after the announcement, also work under unimaginable conditions but they never dare to pick up their placards. So, what I am saying is that, if we are to lead a radical revolution of all economic means, people must stop seeing their own lives as most valuable than others.

The reality of things is that it Black people who are continually subjects of such BS. The liberals here also play a very strong in the suppression and marginalisation of the Black and the poor because he will always come with his ideas of how "an amicable resolution" could be reached,  totally oblivious to the fact that ours is a struggle that borders way beyond the confines of a single incident. This is a 400 years old struggle, my people. It began way back and it is as persistent today as it was when white people ruled South Africa.

We must rejoice that the miners have agreed on something for we now know that their children's bread will continue to come as it did. However, we must also not forget that this is no victory but a miner scratch on an otherwise bigger surface, our surface. Now, the non-white and the Black person must now look upon themselves and question the route by which they could reach their destiny and if this, this current dispensation and leadership, is their destiny, suffice it to say we are doomed for the next 400years.

I mention Black people, non-white people (in Biko's terms) and not white people in this essay because only a handful of white people would understand our problems, especially financially because the system have always functioned to serve and protect their interests.
Let's Chat about this! (if unesbindi)

Office Politics

Yeah! I can almost see people's faces in anticipation of what this post will cover - fear not, I will be kind.

Universities and technical institutions all around the country will soon hold their graduation ceremonies to cap and give a warm send-off to the students whose hard-work and dedication will forever be remembered.

This brings about new and fresh challenges; exciting challenges I might add. The first of the lot is finding yourself a job. That is the craziest moment in life, especially nowadays when some fat guy in some fancy 15th floor office will always stretch his neck out of the window and shout "South Africa lacks skill" (Raising questions about the curriculum at varsity - I mean, for all these years in which we have produced graduates, you mean none have the reuired skill?). This period is crazy because many get frustrated by the calls for people with experience; again, leaving the question of where should the freshly-graduated get that experience if they are not hired right there and then.

This drags on and on until one is almost at a point of giving up. But I guess it is how it is.

For some finding a job does not prove to be a dilemma but keeping that job becomes a toughest of jobs. I will pounce on those whom I liken to the wind: they travel whichever way the wind blows. They lack principle. In the Black Townships of Mzansi we say "Bathenga iSkelem". You'd find this fresh graduate into his new job post. Those who have been there long before him will always want to "give him some advice" relating to the staff, management and the processes. This is not always good advice.

They will tell you that a certain member of the staff or management is a certain type of a person. Some will say with scorn and long-held grudges and others out of good heart but it is truly difficult to for a newcomer to deal with all of this. But the one and best way is to STAY AWAY from such politics.

I have seen people develop bad blood towards other people for no reason at all, except because one staff member bad-mouthed another, so without knowing all facts and truths, the rookie exhibits that attitude too. This will render most people unemployable because nobody wants to work with someone without principle and honour.

So, without further wasting of time, I shall end here!

I am my own Leader

I have observed on many an occasion how the people entrusted with the leadership of our society have consistently and frequently abandoned that responsibility in favour of sectarian and factionalist interests and gains, much to the detriment of the led.

I should make it crystal clear that this space is not designed to speak ill of the ruling party, the opposition or any organisation or structure for that matter. However, let it be clear that I shall not shy away from expressing my view of things and this is it.
We are said to be a democratic people in a democratic country. I understand democracy to be a government of the people, for the people and by the people themselves. This says to me that we are a people that should be hands on in our government; that we should be our own representatives in government, but sadly that is not the case.

I behold with worry as the electoral system we use continue to undermine and, frankly, oppress us, the very people who should be a government. The system allows for the political parties to nominate a "top six" list of people who shall lead that party. A face of a man or woman is put up the that party's president or leader; a person that is admired by others and despised by others. Granted it should be so.  They then go to the general elections and having agreed at their general congress that a certain individual is fit to lead the lot of us, the put up the name.

The rest of the people in that party whose ideals are not represented by this individual are forced to accept this person as their leader, albeit they hate his guts. That party will have factions because times will come when the elect will engage with the elector and the latter, whose ideals are not represented by this man or woman, and such engagements often lead to factionalism within that structure. Take President Zuma of the ANC for an example, after his victory in Polokwane 2007, those who put him to power in the ANC rejoice, and those who were skeptical remain unconvinced of his leadership.

And then we move to parliament. The National Assembly, a house of representatives. And this is where my dilemma begins. Is it not so that in a democracy, people should represent themselves in government matters, or any other matter except for legal and other technical matters? For if it is so, then we should ask the question that are our interests represented in this House. Take a Rastafari for example. He is non-political, he is peaceful and he is a Ganja user-basically he is all that the modern human is not.

He stays away from voting booths because he realises the vanity of the politician. He stays away from Sunday churches because he realises their mistake. In Parliament, and in the community, Rastafari is marginalised because of his refusal to partake in these joke rituals. He is accused of wanting to be different, as if there is fault in that. Because the people he would have liked as his representatives in parliament did not partake in the elections, realising they would lose anyway since the African National Congress' and the Democratic Alliance's of this world control all the capital and media for propaganda.

From this point, Rasta cannot have representation in the very House that should, by law, recognise everybody equally. Another example is of a man like me who has no regard for politics; if I like none of the political parties on the ballot, I am forced to abide by the dictates of the ruling party regardless of my feelings and ideology and my opinion of that party.
This, then, gives me a dilemma in trying to understand the representation part. If I am a government myself, then why do we have a parliament which, predominantly houses the ANC and DA politicians as major parties? How is my stance to be represented if I have no representative in the National Assembly? The voting and governance system in South Africa is flawed and no provision is made in the Constitution for the Rastafari man (because when they have to legalise Ganja, they say there will be problems for the law enforcers in distinguishing between medicinal, spiritual use and the general smoking; fearing an abuse of the law, but sacrificing the right of Rastafari of Spiritual Meditation and medicine.
Slain Libyan revolutionary and leader Muammar El' Gaddafi also expresses worry over this issue. His argument is that were or are there no other models of democracy in the world if we all have to subscribe to the American version?

Because if this is the case, we should then revisit the time of prehistory and the not so old history of most successful, prosperous African nations and seek their secret. This I say because it is difficult to imagine that all African peoples were thwarted by incompetency, dictatorship and human rights abuses. We should stop looking for Europeans to guide us for we must have learnt now that putting your trust in the European, with sensitive issues like governance and governing systems, we are doomed to slavery and other barbaric forms of treatments as experienced not so long ago.

Africans must accept that theirs is a different destiny to that of the European and thus our ways to reach there cannot be the same. As of this moment, I am ungovernable. Not by Zuma or by Zille or De Lille or any other guy, so long as there is no meaningful freedoms released to the people, all people including Rasta and his ganjah. I am tired of the inequalities that were supposed to have been addressed long ago by the ANC government. I am tired of the inequalities in the Western Cape perpetrated against the poor and the have-nots.
I am my own leader.

My destiny is bigger than this. So, that until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally done away with, I will be ungovernable. That until there are no longer first class and second class citizens of any nation, I will be ungovernable. That until the colour of a man's skin is of no more significance than the colour of his eyes, I will be ungovernable. I am my own leader. That until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all without regard to race, I will be ungovernable.

So, having said all of this, the oppressive and corrupt system that continues to be a plague in the lives of the Afrikan, will remain as it is and as it was, so long the radical socialist revolution is frowned upon.

I am my own leader.

Let's chat about this!

Poverty is a Design

Many will be shocked to hear such words and after they read this, I will probably be accused of being a racist, but who is not, really?

I maintain that there was a time when the African South African was not poor. When he knew what his children would eat on this night. When there could not be a hungry person in the community while others had food. There was a period in time when African South Africans found peace when their deeds impacted on the next person with great compassion and aid. That period seems far now.

And then, came a capitalist European whose descendant would become the European South African. This crop of the new South Africans redefined the role of communities for Black People. Because they were capital-driven, all they sought was to gain economic glory, not that there's anything wrong with that, but all this would be done at the peril of the indigenous occupant of the land for which they had worked and upon which their history was embedded.
So the new South Africans begin with their systemic and systematic design of colonialism, which was largely designed to loot the economies of those countries who defined wealth not by gold but by the far-reaching community aid programmes. An example of such would have been to gather the community for a week's work in the farms, the resulting crop would be shared among those who took part and even those who did not.
It was the mine fields, the farms, and before you knew it, a whole new system of banks and money evolved and new governance systems were imposed upon the African South African by the freshly-welcomed European South African. They imposed restrictions, they dictated employment terms and employment. They, over a long period of time and with European aid, systematically dissected our governance systems and codes, to :"align South Africa" with the world. They ran Banks and governments, and as their systems evolved, a new, brutal and inhumane South African was born. Through this new South African, the ideas of oppression of Black African South Africans by their White South African counterparts was given birth.
Notwithstanding the preceding centuries of the same treatment, since the arrival of the European South African, the current South African was as brutal, but his expertise in dividing, ruling and robbing the African South African of all the profit from the mines, from the farms, cattle, from all the hard work put in, proved to be the deciding edge in relation to who is poor and who is rich today.

1994 came and as Biko had predicted; the mere change of face in those in governance has not changed the condition in which the Black South African, deprived and robbed by his White South African brother, finds himself in. Biko said there would be those few Black people who would be coming through the capitalist system to a bourgeoisie standard of a life, so there would not be any change in conditions of the majority of Black South Africans, whose efforts of trying to contribute effectively to the advancement of his nation are being frustrated by centuries-old design to deliberately exclude him from the affairs of his native land.

The new government comes to us with ideas of how we can move forward as a country amid poverty and hunger faced by many in our ranks (our ranks means OURS-the poor) yet it there are no redress and take-back programmes that would see the playing grounds leveled.  Our governors failed to employ the same strategies as our oppressors when they sought to build a news South Africa. They deliberately turned a blind eye to the calls of many that strategic economic sectors MUST be taken from the former oppressor. These include land, mines, and all of other assets of the nation stolen. This, they defend by saying "but some of these people worked for what they have", clearly ignoring the historic fact that before the former oppressor had all that he now has, all belonged to the African South African.

Essentially, whatever deal that was agreed upon in Kempton Park when they were devising the new South African dispensation, interests and ideas of the oppressor and his camp were preserved and promoted in the new constitution, so as to further downpress the Black people of this land in line with the agendas of the European wishes. Today, people are up in arms on the streets crying their lungs out for change. Yeah, change will happen, but not for the better, or at least not for the many Black people.

I am not trying to be a racist African South African here, but I am merely stating that only Black people are the poorest, and it will remain like this for a long while so long as those who negotiated with the oppressor remain in power. They will always look out for the interests of their masters. And then there is crime. Governing individuals deploy more cops to "curb the scourge" but to what end? They are merely covering up their own asses. In the South African historic context of White dominance of Black people, crime, like racism, is a result of White oppression and deprivation of Black of that which rightfully belongs o the Black people.

If the colonialist and Afrikaner did not have the gall to rob the Indigenous peoples of that which was theirs by virtue of their birth here, we would not have as many poor Black people, in fact I think it is the coloniser who would have fled because he would be poor. But because no redress and no radical change in the operations of the country from a colonial system of enriching a few, Black people are still poor and if you speak like I do in this blog, you are labelled a racist.

I must say that in the time when racism has no colour, when racism is born anew, if I am labelled a racist here, I gladly accept. I will not stand by and watch Black people oppressing, abusing, downpressing, exploiting Black people, so they can amuse their fatass masters from a thousand miles away.

Poverty is designed to kill the Black South African.

Let's chat about it.

As The Future Fades

Ours is a country of many contradictions. We have very educated people and we have the most illiterate people, we have the biggest economy in the continent and yet we have the poorest people. We have for many a decade tried to rid ourselves of the burden of disease and ill-health, yet our public health systems have deteriorated to unimaginable proportions. We also have some churches and spiritual leaders in our communities, yet the moral fabric of our communities has been torn with everyday that passes by.

Many of us (Black people, in Cape Town specifically) GREW UP IN THE RURAL Eastern Cape villages where the notion that "a child is raised and belongs to the whole village" applied without question. We saw, in people, a divinity of sorts, we saw something worth preserving, we saw a promise. The promise was that one day, through the efforts of the whole community in raising a child, a positive change will befall the community at large. This caused us to pay attention to what our kids were getting up to; no kid would get away with any crime, however petty it would seem.

Neighbours took care of each others households without reservation. People were never reluctant to land a helping hand, even if it meant putting oneself in the line of fire. I am afraid, though, that we as a people, have abandoned the principles which made us a wonder before the eyes of the world. It is a saddening thought that 53000 youths are languishing in South African jails. Minister Sbu Ndebele attributed this dilemma to a community that has ceased to care.

“The fact that these children, as young as 17 years of age, have committed serious crimes, should make society question where we have failed in protecting our children from a life of crime," said Ndebele in an interview with a local newspaper. This articulation by the Minister is indicative of the society we have become. A society where crimes like armed robbery, breaking in and stealing, have become part of our routine.

This is also indicative of that which we, as a people, have lost; the principle that "a child is raised and belongs to the whole village", because if we had not lost this, a different picture would be painted in our society.

The Minister goes on to say: "We need to accept that crime and criminality is entirely about failures in society and not a direct consequence of the failures of the system of corrections,".

In attempting to apportion some of the blame to the inmates' families, Ndebele said preventing young people from leading a life of crime "begins with the family unit, the social fibre and the opportunities for growth that our children get access to.

Now this, affirms my opening remarks that the society has given up on its own future. We sit a watch as our youngest brothers and children loiter the streets with drugs and illegal firearms at hand. We admire the material things they bring at home every night, yet we don't worry ourselves about how they got to possess such. We frown upon a police man as though he alone  is responsible to the checking of our kids.

We conspire in dark corners about how to render the city ungovernable while the fundamental issues of morality and righteousness linger in the air waiting for solutions. We have become accustomed to having youths walking the streets of the township when they should be at school. We sit and watch as our kids torment asylum seekers and political refugees who find a peaceful rest among us.

We encourage, especially in the Cape Town townships, Negrophobic (Xenophobia) activities, sacrificing the Somalian brotherhood to allow the youths to loot and steal, so we can have something to eat. To what end? Is there ever going to be a South Africa for all? Yes. Yes is the answer.

We need to look back in time and reflect upon the very essence of our existence and the many years in history that we once lived as a progressive and prosperous peoples, with no one looking at another with scorn, greed and envy. We must mobilise the youth towards a single progressive goal.

In the next few days, I will announce an initiative aimed at making strides towards the realisation of a South African youth whose dreams and future are not eclipsed by the soulless greed the system has subjected them to. I will therefore call on all those who wish to see a change to become the very change they long to see.

Let"s chat about this!

Winds of Change

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step," so said a great philosopher. Ours is a very long journey, as South Africans, and with so many achievements we celebrate, a lot must yet be done to advance the ambitions our land, our rights, our lives and our aspirations of becoming the star upon which the worlds gaze for guidance.

For many a century the people of this country have been aggrieved by their very brothers. For many a century, my Black brothers have been used, abused and refused by my White brothers. We fought, we cried and we smiled, eventually. We looked upon elected leaders for guidance and all we got was more politics. We cried unto the international worlds for help and all we got were sanctions. All that we are had been lost on battlefields, as we tried to fender off our own brother from killing us, their own brothers.

We were introduced to the Western governance methods and we bought in, all for the love of peace, progress and care. As we now look back at the two decades of the end of war in our Mzansi, many new and old problems emerge and threaten to reverse the gains we have made. I refer to such incidents as the murdering of farmers and their employees, the exploitation of youth through labour brokers, the merciless conduct of our police service (which acts like a police force), the poor state of education for the poor people like me, the crippled public health system and many others.

Yet, with all these ills taking place, South Africans are chilling and behaving as though all is normal. We must reject the idea that a mediocre state of affairs in the labour force, in the schooling and public health system and other sectors, is normal and acceptable. We must realise that this is our country. We must wake from our slumber and take to the streets to work this land. I am appalled by the community that is ready to sit for a week when drainage pipes have burst just on their door-steps. I am even more livid to behold an recall how many parents absent themselves from matters relating to their children's education.

We sit and look throw our curtains when we hear screams and gunshots as the Somalian brothers, seeking refuge in our supposed warm country, are being robbed of the little money they try to make for their families, by our neighbours' sons, and at worst our own sons and brothers. We look upon each other with anger, jealousy and greed. We have lost sense of what democracy is, and what it means to us South Africans. Have we forgotten the day when we were called "swart gevaar"? Have we forgotten the principles of our revolution? I suspect so because we exhibit what I call "RDP mentality".

Apart from the good things we do for yourselves as individuals, the country is in dire need for a united South Africa. There must be an end to the killings, the raping, the exploitation, the stealing and such craze. A citizen-driven effort is required, so as to show strength against such poisons. As Gandhi said: "You must become the change you wish to see in the world", and it'a sad pity that a democratic South Africa is failing to educate the free children our forefather fought for?It is disgusting that political leaders enrich themselves, while in public office, at the peril of the poor people.
We should start posing questions as to why is it so that those who constitute a smaller percentage of the population hold the monopoly over our economy?

Are we cowards? Are we afraid to march to Luthuli House and The Union Buildings to demand that which is entitled to us? No we are not. Yet, it seems, we are too scared to stand up and call the neighbours when one neighbour is being robbed en route to work. We are afraid to going to the nearest clinic to lend a helping hand. What about the graduates who are unemployed? Why is are they being forgotten in the system. I was told recently that 600 000, give or take, graduates are currently unemployed. Why is this? Are there no areas in our community for these graduates to work? I doubt this very much.
On the other hand, we must also realise that the well-marketed concept of Ubuntu is irrelevant if it is not applied in a practical fashion.

We need to stand up and realise that volunteer work does more good for the recipient than the giver. As the scrolls suggest; "Blessed is the hand that gives than the one that receives". Let us be active citizens and realise that we are our own leaders. The Zumas and Zilles are political people and they will be excused for missing the point sometimes, even though this is often detrimental to the nation.
If you have unwanted clothes, go donate those, I promise you you will be surprised how many people need those. What of food? What of textbooks, magazines and other stuff needed by the people. I am sure that everybody knows someone in need yet not all of us are very happy to help. What have we become? To what end is this madness of carelessness.

I am inspired by The Citizens Movement's work, because such pictures as the two above are indicative of the work that we, as citizens and not political parties and government, must still do.
I am bleeding.

Let's chat about it!

Story of Appreciation

One young academically excellent person went to apply for a managerial position in a big company.

He passed the first interview, the director did the last interview, made the last decision.

The director discovered from the CV that the youth's academic achievements were excellent all the way, from the secondary school until the postgraduate research, never had a year when he did not score.

The director asked, "Did you obtain any scholarships in school?" the youth answered "none".
The director asked, " Was it your father who paid for your school fees?" The youth answered, "My father passed away when I was one year old, it was my mother who paid for my school fees.
The director asked, " Where did your mother work?" The youth answered, "My mother worked as clothes cleaner. The director requested the youth to show his hands. The youth showed a pair of hands that were smooth and perfect.

The director asked, " Have you ever helped your mother wash the clothes before?" The youth answered, "Never, my mother always wanted me to study and read more books. Furthermore, my mother can wash clothes faster than me.
The director said, "I have a request. When you go back today, go and clean your mother's hands, and then see me tomorrow morning.*

The youth felt that his chance of landing the job was high. When he went back, he happily requested his mother to let him clean her hands. His mother felt strange, happy but with mixed feelings, she showed her hands to the kid.

The youth cleaned his mother's hands slowly. His tear fell as he did that. It was the first time he noticed that his mother's hands were so wrinkled, and there were so many bruises in her hands. Some bruises were so painful that his mother shivered when they were cleaned with water.
This was the first time the youth realized that it was this pair of hands that washed the clothes everyday to enable him to pay the school fee. The bruises in the mother's hands were the price that the mother had to pay for his graduation, academic excellence and his future.
After finishing the cleaning of his mother hands, the youth quietly washed all the remaining clothes for his mother.

That night, mother and son talked for a very long time. Next morning, the youth went to the director's office.

The Director noticed the tears in the youth's eyes, asked: " Can you tell me what have you done and learned yesterday in your house?"
The youth answered, " I cleaned my mother's hand, and also finished cleaning all the remaining clothes'
The Director asked, " please tell me your feelings."

The youth said, Number 1, I know now what is appreciation. Without my mother, there would not  be the successful me today. Number 2, by working together and helping my mother, only I now realize how difficult and tough it is to get something done. Number 3, I have come to appreciate the importance and value of family relationship.

The director said, " This is what I am looking for to be my manager. I want to recruit a person who can appreciate the help of others, a person who knows the sufferings of others to get things done, and a person who would not put money as his only goal in life. You are hired.

Later on, this young person worked very hard, and received the respect of his subordinates. Every employee worked diligently and as a team. The company's performance improved tremendously.

A child, who has been protected and habitually given whatever he wanted, would develop "entitlement mentality" and would always put himself first. He would be ignorant of his parent's efforts. When he starts work, he assumes that every person must listen to him, and when he becomes a manager, he would never know the sufferings of his employees and would always blame others. For this kind of people, who may be good academically, may be successful for a while, but eventually would not feel sense of achievement. He will grumble and be full of hatred and fight for more. If we are this kind of protective parents, are we really showing love or are we destroying the kid instead?*

NB
You can let your kid live in a big house, eat a good meal, learn piano, watch a big screen TV. But when you are cutting grass, please let them experience it. After a meal, let them wash their plates and bowls together with their brothers and sisters. It is not because you do not have money to hire a maid, but it is because you want to love them in a right way. You want them to understand, no matter how rich their parents are, one day their hair will grow gray, same as the mother of that young person. The most important thing is your kid learns how to appreciate the effort and experience the difficulty and learns the ability to work with others to get things done. 

Please be aware that this is not my original work, I have borrowed it from someone who sent it to me and I felt the need to share.

Let's chat about this!

Operation Take Back

I am one of those who were not very privileged growing up. The schools at which I went were all of the lowest standards, in terms of academic support and development.

Having began my education Queenstown, Eastern Cape, I did not pay much attention to such details as the quality of education I was receiving and quality of teaching offered but I have always treasured it because of a couple of reasons. One of those was that we were very poor at home and I had hoped that through my education, change will come.

I then moved to Mpumalanga to continue with my primary schooling there and again I found myself in a school similar to the one I went to in the Eastern Cape; not enough textbooks, shortage of specialised teachers, poor infrastructure etc, and again my hope lived on that one day my poor little family shall see a brighter day. Working hard to achieve this goal, I succeeded quickly in proceeding to secondary school, where a dismal infrastructure and the lack of resources was a constant pain for learners and teachers.

I observed with wonder the science learners struggle to make sense of an experiment because they have none of the apparatus required for the success of the experiment. I was among many who shared a Biology textbook with more than two other learners which meant that one had only a day or so to grasp the chapter taught in class before the other learner will take the book. I painfully observed, as Student Representative Council (SRC) Chairperson when I was in matric, the pain with which many struggled forward, studying for the final exams in this fashion.

It has been six years now since I passed my matric and having observed from my immediate area and those closer, without fear I will say that not much has changed.

However, I find peace in learning that not all is lost; young people can still have the quality education we all wish to have. The problem of textbooks that hit the country recently, surprisingly, has received more attention now than ever before; one would almost think other factors are at play here. One feels that the whole thing has been contaminated with politics and political agendas designed to serve a certain interest.

But that is not for me to say. I am only trying to see if political dynamics are so cruel that a future of a bright youth would be sacrificed in the hopes of political gain. It is time that those of us who care about education to stand up and put an end to this. I am pleased by the work of Equal Education and I hope many more NGO's will take a stance and act on this. Education must not be a political matter. The Zimbabweans have not always enjoyed the best of political environments yet their education is never sacrificed in the midst.
This is the time to remember the efforts of Haile Selassie I, Julius Nyerere and Nelson Mandela.
Speak out and let's mobilise against those who sacrifice our children's education to safe-guard their own interests.

Let's take back the education systems we so treasure and redefine what schooling means in South Africa.

Let's talk about this.

We are our own nemesis

The most dangerous things are those closest to our very hearts.

This, I say, in the light of the many challenges facing our world today. Specifically, I refer to the death of so many people from drug-related violence and if you know me, you know that when I speak of drugs in this piece I am referring to booze, majwala, mbobo, alcohol, whatever you call it.

The government is trying to curb disease and illness so they introduce legislation and law to outlaw cigarette smoking at certain places. They put all these warning signs, which we appreciate and as things stand, I can almost say that the systems that are in place to regulate smoking are understandable.
However, what I fail to understand is the continuous advertisement of alcoholic beverages. Is it an accepted reality in South Africa that alcohol consumption is a new way of having fun?

This, I ask, because the language used to justify this excessive use of this destructive beverage borders on such concepts as fun, relaxation and so forth. The soccer leagues here are sponsored by the makers of alcohol. People are encouraged to buy alcohol to win things, and then the government will complain about how the youth consumption of alcohol rises. We are told that many fatal and often careless road accidents are a direct result of alcohol consumption, yet not an hour will pass before they show another ad that shows "how successful people drink a certain brand" or how things come together with a beer on hand.

This is not true. This is not the Truth and Liberation is not this. The Capitalist maker of alcohol will sleep easy  with pockets swelling from the profits he's made, while our people reach overpopulation levels in hospitals and places of the dead, because of this. I am not saying there should be no sale of these drinks but the advertising of these on our public media is destructive to the youth.

Even government gatherings and celebrations are capped with a pop of a champagne, yet in all of this the youth is expected to turn a blind eye when they hear of how good in taste is a whiskey.

All I am saying is that the one problem that will spell the destruction of the South African youth, save HIV/AIDS, is alcohol/utjwala.

*or they must decriminalise the use of the Cannabis (Ganjah, MaryJane, Sensemelia) to level the grounds...lol* (this I had to add)

But, seriously, if we are to outlaw drugs, let alcohol not be left out. Now check this video out and tell me what you think. There is no evidence to suggest that the driver was drunk but only a drunk person would drive like this.

This is just a thought I had as I sat in my cubicle trying to work. This is by no means a position of the Institution at which I work. I post this in my capacity as Orllo.