Our education system

 

No matter where you go, education is of high importance and great value. Even before freedom came along, schooling was taken seriously and valued by all. Some were lucky enough, or were given the opportunity were able to go study abroad. Bantu education was passed 1953 and though it was not easy for most to learn in the Afrikaans language, many did not give up.

18 years today into freedom and our education system is nowhere near reaching the top. iOL news reported in September that poor education lies at the root of South Africans problems. Sadly this can only result in the problems of society getting worse rather better, because education is like a universal language. It is the one thing that contributes greatly to economic and human growth, not forgetting that it is a human right.

 The Limpopo text book crisis that happened not so long ago was like a pat in the back, reminding us of the wider picture of the problem within our education system. iOL news reported that in the year 2011, the South African education system was ranked 33^rd of 142 in the world by the World Economic Forum. The Forum went on to say our system is failing to achieve even the basic standards of numeracy and literacy.

With that said, clearly something must be done. The more we empower this nation, the faster we fade the issues of poverty. Instead of spending 203 million into the Nkandla project, why can we not give the people of Nkandla and the rest of the nation a better quality education? The sad part is that the children of our politicians are born within families that can afford to give them education of overseas. While the average child has the right to education, but still is given one of the worst education in the world.

The nation of strikes

The great Einstein once said, you cannot try to solve a problem with the same mentality it was created… and neither can you perform the same actions and expect different results. True?

In the year 1956, the strong and brave women of this country went out to march.  According to the History of South Africa Online, about 20 000 women representing all racial back rounds came from all over South Africa. They came together to march towards the Union Buildings for this very freedom we have today. Sadly many did not return home that day, and families were broken. In 1976 history repeated itself in the Soweto Uprising.  And again many did not make it back home alive.

Through all that has been fought for and all we have achieved, by now this country must have realised that strikes seem to be doing more harm than good. Between the months of August and September a strike occurred from the miners in Marikana.  According to Mail & Guardian this strike claimed over 60 lives. Not long after this, truck drivers also entered into a strike, cars have been damaged and people have been injured. Clearly this channel of communication cannot go on forever.  One of two things can be the cause of all this. Its either the people of this country are failing to be patient towards the unions and government, so much that they cannot even communicate their needs to top. Or our unions and government are to slow to hear the people and communicate back to them. Now the sad reality is that generations to come are going to learn and are already learning that striking together with violence is the way to solve any given problem, and that is the future South Africa that is being built.

 New procedures must be put in place to help this nation deal with challenges, procedures that will do away with striking and violence. Procedures that will bring unity and confidence back into our country. It is enough!

Whats in the voice?

 

Most would look back at the past two years or so, and actually realise how much of a joke things have been from a political point of view.

Due to this, half the country has been anxiously waiting for this time. The time where we take a walk down the road to Mangaung.  So this is it! This is where a leap into the future is taken. And now we wait to see if our “honourable illiterate president”, as some may put it will be facing the end of the road or not. Looking around in every possible direction, not so many, if none at all changes have occurred since Zuma was voted president. All he has managed to do was walk yet again into another marriage, frequently shuffle the cabinet and show inconsistency when it comes to discipline.

Well who’s next? Times Live newspaper reported on the 3^rd of October that the ANCYL have nominated our current deputy president Mr Kgalema Motlanthe to take over, they stated that he is a leader with the ability to inspire the country and restore the confidence of the ANC. But even so some may not agree for they know not Motlanthe's voice.

Mr Kgalema Motlathe

- Were you not familiar with Zuma’s voice before he became president?

-Was he not the one always singing to the masses?

 -How exactly has the familiarity of his voice made a difference?

Looking on the bright side, we have witnessed Motlanthe serve the country as acting president between the months of September 2008 to May 2009. He also once served as a student activist of the Umkhonto we Sizwe. Maybe somebody as calm and humble is what this country needs. Yes he may not be singing to the masses, but can we really go another term with Zuma as our leader?

Whats in the voice?

Are they children or adults?

“How do you raise a child without being able to smack them every now and then?” this is a question asked by most parents.

·         Alcohol

·         Drugs

·         Sex

·         Sexual transmitted diseases

·         Pornography

Could the above by any chance be the result of the legislation passed in 2007, which makes it a crime for parents to discipline their children by raising a hand? Well most parents will be glad to hear that this legislation has been put back on the table for a review, reported City Press on August 27^th 2012. The City Press even went on to point out that, this is why today we come across cases where boys young as 7 years old are raping young girls.

Then again common sense says this does not balance out. If it is still legal for a girl young as 14 to terminate a pregnancy, take contraceptives, or be excused from school to give birth. Then it clearly means it is perfectly fine for teenagers to be engaging in sexual intercourse. What future are we building as a country? Children should remain just that, children! But how can they when they are pushed into adulthood at such young ages by our very own government. There is so much more out there for young people, they just need to be faced into the right direction. As soon as parents and the government start speaking the same language, then we will be on the right path to building bright futures and a stable country.  

Anyone but Zuma!

If you have had the chance to read Eight Days In September: The Removal of Thabo Mbeki, by Rev. Frank Chikane. Then you have broader knowledge into the removal of our former president Mr. Thabo Mbeki.  According to Rev. Chikane who was at the time Secretary of Cabinet, on the 19^th of September 2008, just before 1:00 am, the first text message came through to him to recall Mr. Mbeki from president of the country. Not long after that another message had said the ANC officials had been appointed to visit Mbeki immediately that same night to inform him of the decision.

NOTE: Only eight months were left of Mbeki’s term

Yes Mbeki had his mistakes, especially during the time of his removal. Too much was being questioned on the latest leadership decisions he had taken, not to mention the case with Jacob Zuma and Shabbir Shakes. But was eight months really too much to put up with to let him finish his term and duties? Even though Mbeki handled this harsh act with much maturity and humbleness, many rejoiced.

Shortly Mr. Kgalema Motlanthe took up the role as acting president for the remainder of that term. The following term was successfully won by our current president Mr. Jacob Zuma, and it seemed like the masses were happy. Lately the tables have turned. It seems like Zuma will not be seeing himself successfully through the second term as president of the ANC. iOL news reported on the 27^th of August that Zuma has been placed in a camp known as (ABZ) Anyone But Zuma by some of his collogues. The camp is mostly been pushed by those looking forward to seeing Motlanthe as Zuma’s possible challenger, as well as those in favour of Tokyo Sexwale.

 If surely it should not be Zuma, then who?

After the ANC and government in general fought so hard to get rid of Mbeki, with immediate effect, and rejoiced for having Zuma as president. It’s sad that already before the first term has even ended they are ready to replace him. It is either society alongside with the ANC are voting in favour of fame instead of leadership qualities. Or it could simply be time for the ANC to sit down!

   

Apartheid lives on.

Eighteen years ago, a country filled with violence, anger, hatred and discrimination walked into the parth of freedom. Yes South Africa. One of the biggest impacts that freedom was meant to come with, was the abilityto for people be comfortable in their own





• skin colour
• hair texture
• traditions
• culture

while many may have still beared hatred and grudges, surely it should not be so with the generation of the 90's and further down the line.

On the 16th of August 2012 a white boy (17) was sentenced to eight years for the murder of Modise(59) a black man. iOL news reported that the young man had repeatedly stabbed Modise on the face and neck. The state's argument was that, the boy who was 16 at the time of the event, killed Modise because he could not speak English. On the contrary the boy stated that he became angry when Modise used a slanderous term about his mother, not taking into consideration the two different speaking languages.

The question is who is to blame in all this?

Has the government failed the nation in bringing it to be one? Is it maybe that they have not communicated and managed to heal the deep wounds of the past? Then again what about society? there is no doubt that this is not the first racial incident.Whether it be against white, black, indian, red purple or green. Each day society continues to carry stereotypes and perceptions against others. This young man comes from a family, is this where we all say he is a reflection of of his backround?

It has now been 18 years, this country is no longer "young in democracy" its either we are still slowly but surely getting there, or we have simply been running around in circles for a good 18 years.

Sanral CEO walks away...

Does Nazir Alli's resignation seem innocent???

Nazir Alli

As most motorist knew, the new e-tolling system was to have started on Monday the 30th of April. To the advantage of the public, the system was put on hold just about a week ago by the North Gauteng High Court. This morning Mail & Guardian reported that the CEO of the South African Roads Agency Limited (Sanral), Nazir Alli has put forth his resignation from the company and it was successfully approved. Sadly just as the public would have suffered financial loss had the system been running already, so will Sanral should the court decide against the e-tolling system. It certainly is not the first or the last time a CEO resigns from their position or company, but what is surprising about this case, is the way that Alli decides to up and leave at such a critical time. iOL news stated that Alli has with no doubt just thrown away the last bit of credibility the public had on Sanral, which is certainly true, as if that was not enough for Sanral to worry about, the National Treasury told the parliamentarins that Sanral will only be able to survive another six months in terms of finances.

Alli's sudden walk raises even more questions from the public about this e-tolling system.

The banning of alcohol adverts

Unprotected sex, death on the roads, murder rates, rape cases, drugs and many other bad things that are destroying our societies are mostly the results of alcohol consumption. Lately South Africa has been drafting a legislation to discontinue all advetisements and the marketing of alcohol. To this point not much has been said on the content of this legislation, but the Business Day has reported that the measure would place a total ban on all alcohol advertisements.

Should this legislation pass, many advertising companies will lose a lot of money, more especially when it comes to the publicity they get by sponsoring well supported activities such as soccer or sports in general. None the less the burning question should be, how will the banning of alcohol adverts be affective in trying to reduce the amount of alcohol consumption? Let us take into consideration the fact that we do not find cigarette adverts in our country, but even so, according to the National Council against Smoking in South Africa alone about 44.000 adults die from smoking each year, and according to the World Health Organization, in the world 1.3 billion people die from smoking each year. Looking at these statistics in our country alone, can we really count on this new legislation to do damage control?

ANC expels Hot Property !

While the African National Congress (ANC) along with the rest of South Africa are drawn into the issue of Julius Malema's expulsion from his position, in many other countries he has become hot property on demand. This Morning Mail & Gaurdian reported that Malema has been nominated to be vise-president of the International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY). This is an organisation that brings together the socialist, social democratic and labour political youth organisations from all around the world, it was founded in 1907. Sadly Malema seems to not be receiving much support from his home country, rather from other countries which are

Julius Malema

• Zimbabwe                                                
• Angola
• Mozambique
• Namibia
• Zambia

among those the following were also included

• Germany
• Cuba
• Russia
• Swedan
• Brazil

According to gov.org, this Union is the biggest political youth organisation in the world, and just like any other normal person, we would all jump at such opportunities that land at our door steps once in a life time. Is it not only fair that Malema's home country stands by his side at a time like this? Yes with no doubt the consequences of his past actions should remain, but a little bit of support will not kill a single soul. Mail and Gaurdian stated that the Union will be hosting a three day conference in Paraguay starting today (Friday 20th April), and voting is to take place on Saturday. Unfortunately Malema will not be attending the conference due to the commnts coming from his home country.

Jacob Zuma, how good a president has he been?

On March 19th, the Sowetan newspaper published an article by Prince Mashele titled "The worst shall govern". This article specifically takes a close look at Mr Jacob Zuma as well as the party he leads. According to Mshele the qualities in which the past leaders of the ANC possesd have drastically dropped, since Mr Jacob Zuma has been placed as president. Right from the beginning with Dr. John Dube in the year 1912, to Thabo Mbeki, the leaders of the ANC have had common qualities that stood out in more ways than one. for instance, they all had some form of formal education, just to mention a few the South African Online History staes the following

• Dr J.T Dube : A South African essayist, Philospher, Educator,Politician, Publisher and Editor
• J.T Gumede : A Teacher, Politician and Journalist
• DR Pixley ka Isaka Seme : A Lwayer and Journalist
• Chief A.Luthuli : A Teacher
• Dr A.B Xuma : A Teacher and Medical doctor

and unlike all the others, Zuma carries with him only informal education. Mashele goes on to stating that even though some these former leaders were not that popular, they by no doubt also possesd intellectual credentials with them, which once again Zuma does not have. With all former ANC leaders came ethics and morality, and through Mashele's analysis, both ethics and morality are not found in Zuma. Yes he is not expected to be  perfect, but his definitely not on poin.

Just like Prince we all would like a well respected president, someone we trust can do all that is expected of them. But even so, does this particular person need to be formally educated and a person of intellectual credentials? As for ethics and morality, can we really nail Zuma down for that? If yes does this confirm Mashele's analysis of him? What makes a president?

Tender irregularities: A game played by many

Making a mistake once, simply means being cautious the second time arround, but it seems our government keeps falling into the same trap time and time again. After our president Mr Jacob Zuma had announced in the State of the Nation's address that fighting corruption will become a priority to the government, Mail & Gaurdian reported that Lucky Montana, the Group CEO of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) had been accused of tender irregularities that accumulated to more than 1billion. It is certainly disturbing to keep hearing that members of the government as well as govrnmental organisations are getting involved in such deals for their own benifits, while so much work still needs to be done all around the country, such as

• Developing proper school buildings in some rural ereas
• Building and maintaining proper raods for Gauteng and other places
• Providing proper sanitation in some places such as parts of the Eastern Cape

The question is, since such cases keep occuring, what is it that the government is doing to stop them. This morning on Morning Live, the president stated that it is impossible to fight corruption all in one go, it will take time. That may be true, but this is certainly not a problem that only accured yesterday. The public has waited, and is still waiting! Could it be that we are expecting too much too soon, or is the govrnment dragging their feet in calling their own people into order?

Gear up for toll gates court case

While our government gears up to go to court and fight the implementation of E-tolling on the roads of Gauteng, the society drowns in anger, asking if this was well thought of by our government. Most people are evidently against all this, considering the strike that took place on the 7th of March, simply because for most families this will be another added cost which people say they cannot afford. With the recent announcement that E-tolling fees will be linked to inflation by BusinessReport, many motorist are yet to be shocked on the costs.

iOL reports say on average motorist are to spend about about R7 121 in the year 2012, and possibly an average of about R8 308 in the year 2016, is the government really asking too much from us? Yet again has the government educated the society enough about this new system or could it be that we are simply complaining, withought having thought about the benifits, after all this is meant to give us better maintained roads, or has the government really gone over board?