The ANC is asking some honest questions

There has been a political furore since an article published in the City Press on Sunday 04 March 2012. It quotes a discussion document by the African National Congress (ANC) that mentions a desire to relook at some of South Africa’s key policies decided in the early 1990s when our constitution was written. Things such as private land ownership, ‘willing buyer, willing seller’ with regards to land redistribution, independence of the judiciary, the power of the Constitutional Court etc have all been raised.

Many spheres of the media and opposition have jumped on this and acted as if this is ANC policy. What they have neglected to mention is that while these questions may seem a bit outlandish and frightening for South Africa let us see it for what it is: a discussion document. The ANC has a long history of asking tough questions that no one else wants to ask. They also have a long history of rugged debate. All the ANC is doing here is asking questions for discussion and I laud them for questioning things that are seen as sacrosanct and untouchable. We are a developing country in every sense of the word: economic and political, and when we stop asking questions we die.

Also, some of the questions asked in the ANC discussion document are very self-reflective, such as their inability to provide services and the view that they are becoming a party seen as plundering the coffers of the state. Why is it that the media and the opposition parties are not mentioning these?

If some of the discussions mentioned in the document were to become policy I would be the first to disagree, however, in the mean time let us praise the ANC for their honest appraisals of themselves and the country. I say “Well done ANC for asking some honest questions”

Why I won’t be protesting the tolls with COSATU

In the media as well as on this blog there has been a lot of time given to the tolling of the Highways around Gauteng. Now that the government has added R5.75 billion to the coffers of South African Road Agency limited (SANRAL) the tolls will now be 30c per kilometre for passenger vehicles.

I previously stated that I was considering joining the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) protest, which will now be taking place on the Wednesday 7 March. I have decided not to join the protest action for the following reasons:

1.COSATU has called the protest a joint protest against the tolls and labour broking. While my stand on the tolls is the same as COSATU my stand on Labour broking is at odds with theirs. I do not want to be seen as protesting both.

2.COSATU are protesting against the government but they are alliance partners with the ANC and are in government. I feel they are misleading the public by calling a protest against government policy. If COSATU disagrees so vehemently against government policy they should remove themselves from the alliance.

3.If we are not happy with the government we have the power to get a new one; voting is the real driver of change. Rather than protest I will be using the power I have to bring about change, I suggest you do to


That is why I won’t be protesting with COSATU. What will you be doing?

Define African language

In the last few weeks there has been a furore over the choice of languages in schools in South Africa

The debate can be summed up as this:
1. All 11 official languages should be given equal status in schools
2. The languages of the colonial era should not have promotion above African languages
3. Learners should be free to study in their home language as this allows them to perform better

I have an opinion on the three arguments above:

1. You may or may not be aware that there is a teaching crisis in South Africa. The truth is that we simply do not have enough teachers. Schools are under-resourced and the number of teachers qualifying simply cannot keep up with the demand, never mind go to reducing the deficit. There simply are not enough teachers to teach Math, Science, biology etc, never mind languages. If the government wants students to learn in their home language then they should be producing teachers for such a job.

2. I would like to clear up a misconception: Afrikaans is not a colonial language, it is an African language. It was created in South Africa, developed in South Africa, and is spoken nowhere else than in South Africa (well, in some parts of Namibia, but the last time I checked Namibia was in Africa). I am not sure how else one would define an African language other than the description I have given above. The government keeps saying that children should learn an African language but they say Afrikaans is not acceptable. The politicians in this country need to remove themselves from the emotion surrounding the Afrikaans language and apply the same principles to each African language.

3. I have a friend who teaches at a school for the deaf. I asked her for an opinion of whether or not it would be more beneficial for her students to just learn in sign language or whether they should learn in English. Her answer was that the students would grasp the concepts quicker if they were taught only in sign language but that if they were taught that way they would not be able to function in any other sector of society other than the deaf community. If we are to educate students who can function in an increasingly globalised world they will need to communicate in a universal language, and whether we like it or not, that language is English.

What are you views?

What should we do about the Gauteng tolling system?

If you live in Gauteng you will be aware of the fact that the government has spent the last few years upgrading the highways. While I praise the government for upgrading the national roads around Gauteng I abhor the way they are going about paying for it. As of February 2012 all highway users will need to have an electronic tag and will be charged 40c per kilometre travelled on the highways.

A public road should be just that, public; a service that is available to all and not a chance for business to make millions off the public.

Private companies stand to gain millions from the average South African worker as they benefit from the tolls. I would not have a problem with this if we had a reduction in our taxes to cover for our payments in the tolls.

As it is the average taxpayer receives very little in return for the amount paid. Many South Africans pay for private health care, private security and private schooling. If we cannot drive on our roads for free then what is the government actually providing?

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) has issued a call for all South African's to boycott the tolling system. This would mean that we do not buy the e-tag, we drive through the toll gantry, refuse to pay the toll, refuse to pay the fine, refuse to appear in court and challenge the government to arrest us all. I think COSATU has made a good call here and I would love to do it, but I fear that I do not have the courage. I know that we need to stand up to our government and demand accountability but up till now I have done nothing myself.

Is now the time to stand up and have my voice heard by engaging in civil disobedience? What will you do?

We will not be silenced!

Our government is doing everything in its power to silence the media and restrict media freedom. Tomorrow, Tuesday 22 November 2011 is your opportunity to stand up to this in your own way.

The National Press Club has called for a day of mourning called 'Black Tuesday'. They are calling on all South Africans to wear black to protest against the implementation of the Secrecy Bill, which Parliament will be voting on tomorrow. By choosing this name the Press club is invoking some very powerful history.

On the 19th October 1977 the National Party government banned several newspapers and magazines as well as 19 Black Consciousness activists, the day was dubbed 'Black Wednesday'. That particular 'black' day was seen as the death of press freedom in South Africa.

I challenge you, stand up for what is right, lead South Africa, and do your bit by educating yourself, and by wearing black tomorrow. Let us all fight for press freedom and say 'We will not be silenced'

You can learn more from the following sites:
http://www.r2k.org.za/
http://www.leadsa.co.za/
http://dailymaverick.co.za/article/2011-11-21-black-tuesday-protest-declared-against-secrecy-bill

ANC members are 'more equal' than others

Of all the atrocities committed during the dark days of apartheid one of the worst had to be the search for chemical weapons to subdue the black population; this team was headed up by Dr Wouter Basson.

During the Truth and Reconciliation commission this Dr Basson did not apply for amnesty and as a result he was charged for his offences during apartheid. Through an independent court he was found innocent and allowed to continue his medical practise.

Over the last few years the government has done everything in its power to try and prevent Dr Basson from practising medicine in South Africa. They feel that his past immoral actions should exclude him from caring for sick people in our country.

While I agree that Dr Basson did some wicked things, I disagree with the morals behind this government intervention:

Tony Yengeni, a National Executive Committee Member (NEC) of the African National Congress (ANC) was recently found guilty of fraud relating to the procurement of weapons for South Africa (also known as the Arms Deal). He was given a ludicrously light sentence, allowed home on weekends, broke his bail conditions, was let out early, and welcomed back into the upper echelons of the government with open arms. This same Toni Yengeni has now been appointed to the Defence Review Committee of Parliament. When challenged on the farce of this appointment the ANC bent over backwards to justify this appointment. They say that he has served his time and he should be free to serve his country.

How can it be that a Doctor wanting to practise in a private capacity should be hindered from doing so when a convicted criminal can serve the public in the very field he was convicted of a crime?

According to Chapter 2, section 9 of our constitution: "Everyone is equal before the law and has the right to equal protection and benefit of the law." However, it seems that if you are an ANC member you are more equal than others.

Julius Malema: the most astute politician in the land

Politics is a dirty business. As much as we would like to think that the people presented to us are the best leaders for the country this is most often not the case.

In modern politics there are so many people to please and quite simply, it is impossible to please everyone. As a result, the person who has the ability to 'play the field', so to speak, is the one who wins. These people have mastered the art of manipulation and deceit. They know when to cause a storm, and when to disappear in the storm. They know how to change allegiance at the right time and when to appear entirely devoted to a life-long cause.

Since his short time in the political arena Julius Malema has proved that he is, by far, the best politician that we have. He has swung like a pendulum, turned his cloak, lied, cheated (and some say stolen) for years, but is at the forefront of the political landscape.

His current trial is a case in point: he is on trial for bringing the ANC into disrepute and for breaking the rules of the party. However, through some masterful political strokes, he has taken himself well out the lime light. First he delayed the trial by storing up violence outside the hearing, then he delayed by appealing to the constitution of the ANC, then he questioned the legality of the charges, and finally he missed his hearing due to illness. All this has served to quieten the storm around him and remove the negative emotion from his trial. It appears as if we will only hear the verdict during November.

He may not be a great example of the kind of leader that we want but the above information serves to confirm that Julius Malema is the most astute politician in the land.