Power, drunk and younger chaps in mind!!

I am fascinated by the time line of Julius Malema. He was born on 3 March 1981, in Seshego, Limpopo province. He was raised by a single parent, his mother, and was the only child.

He supposedly joined the Masupatsela ("Trailblazers") pioneer movement of the African National Congress at age 9, 10 or 14 according to different sources. Their main task was to remove National Party posters from outside police stations. They all agree that by age 14 he was receiving military training – was this for the daunting task of removing the posters from out side police stations we have to ask!! At this point it was 1995 and Mandela and the ANC were already ruling South Africa. There were many people out there who risked their lives in their real fight for Freedom from the apartheid government but just where does Malema fit in to all this!

His school career was undistinguished and he failed two high school grades as well as several subjects in his final secondary school examination. He finished his secondary school education at age 21 which would be end of 2002!!! We have all heard the rumours at how well he did in the woodwork class. Let me remind you all that soldiers don’t make coffins so he didn’t need the woodwork proficiency!!!

His early political career is very interesting. Malema was elected as chairman of the Youth League branch in Seshego, Limpopo and the regional chairman in 1995. This puts him at 14 years of age and also removing those posters from outside the police stations!!! Being so busy school was just a means to an end!!. In 1997 at 16 years of age he became the chairman of the Congress of South African Students (Cosas) for the Limpopo province. Would YOU be worrying about a woodwork class with all this responsibility at such a young age!! He just wanted to stay at school. Some of our children do post matric to stay at school and play sport, he just had other reasons!!! He was elected as the national president of that organisation in 2001 when he was 20 and still at school. There was method to his madness!! In 2002 at 21 years of age when most of us are celebrating the key to our futures at the coming of age 21st birthday and getting drunk on all sorts of drinks, Malema led a Cosas march by school pupils, through the streets of Johannesburg that was marked by serious incidents of violence and looting!!

Malema was elected as the president of the ANC Youth League in April 2008. It was a close race at a national conference held in Bloemfontein. The election – and the conference – were characterised by what Malema himself later described as "unbecoming conduct" which rumour has it – this unbecoming conduct is following him around since then. (BBC journalist incident, Kill the boer song, to name but a few!!). Allegations of irregularities in the polling procedure saw the conference adjourned shortly after the election results were announced. Malema's election was officially accepted when the conference was resumed only in late June. The integrity of his election has been criticised and questioned!!

Malema is well known for his controversial statements like - “He is a girl” and more recently on relationships - “one man one woman but that does not mean I’m against polygamy”!! He also said “One of the things I have learnt is never rely on any individual who is in politics," – So there we have from the horses mouth!!.

I am not sure about all of you out there but I will be watching the political arena with interest over the next few months. He is attacking the old men in politics saying they must give way to be ruled by the ANCYL and younger men and that they (the ANCYL) should have better representation in ANC matters. This week during the league conference he surprisingly extended that to his mentor Robert Mugabe saying “Mugabe must go and must hand over to those young chaps so that we can engage with (them) on the same level,”!!

While solving Zim’s problems he did admit to “sometimes power makes you drunk” but this statement was directed at Mr Tsvangirai and definitely not himself!!

So with power, drunk and younger chaps in mind this ANC conference around the corner could be very very interesting!!

This could be your daughter or son!!!

Some of you might have read my earlier report about a ‘Brothel in the neighbourhood’. Today my story takes you into the sordid world of human trafficking!! You might not know but human trafficking is rife in South Africa and it is defined as…

the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs.

I will talk mainly from the sexual exploitation angle and please note that this includes boys and girls, men and women!!!!

Our neighbourhood watch on our situation has uncovered that these girls (Thai, Taiwanese or Chinese) forgive my ignorance in not knowing their actual nationality – do not leave this house and as cars visit all day and all hours of night these girls have to be available!!

Prostitution is illegal in this country but we all know it IS the oldest profession in the book!! Although we would love to know that it does not happen… Who are we kidding!!

If that woman or man you are visiting is free to decide when to work or not and they are free to choose to have a night off or not then it is probably not human trafficking but a choice to be a prostitute!!

However if you are visiting a house or environment (lap dancing club) where the girls or boys never leave or are driven home to a owners house and back to work the next day then you are part of and condoning some form of human trafficking with out even realising it.

The other day a whole lot of matrics went to a certain lap dancing club in Durban. Hey its young boys and they are only having fun after their trial exams….but…. we need to ask ourselves the question? Are these girls they were fraternising with, free to catch a cab home at night or are they driven to the owners house were they sleep and then bought back to the club the next day!! Does someone control their movements!! As a parent would you be happy knowing that your sons ‘innocent’ night out was actually in the greater scheme of things part of a human trafficking organisation.

Most these girls and boys are drugged and given alcohol to numb their feelings. If they cause trouble they are discarded or moved to other jobs in the chain of happenings and it’s almost impossible to get any evidence. The people who frequent these places don’t talk. The girls are shipped back to their countries so they can’t give evidence and the owners are linked to the best lawyers in town who will find any loophole to get their clients off the hook.

I phoned the eThekwini municipality the other day to see what they would do about a normal prostitution situation. I told them I had some evidence from the visitors. (Our neighbourhood watch are very busy!!!) I was told you cannot use the evidence from any visitor in court, but we will go in and arrest the girls. Now isn’t that ridiculous!!! Prostitution is illegal but not for those visiting the institution. It is only for those performing the acts!!!!

The owners of these placers have got very sophisticated and you with partners out there would be shocked to know that the choice is made from a photo line up on the cell phone. Payment is often made somewhere down the road so no money changes hands on the actual premises. Drugs are involved but drive by exchanges happen so no evidense can be found. All a raid will actually uncover is the sexy red underwear, the drawn red curtains in the middle of the day or night and red sheets and blankets!!!

Some of you might have watched the movie ‘TAKEN’ or seen the many documentaries on the subject. It does not only happen only in other countries but right here in South Africa. It was not a World cup thing and now it’s all gone away….It is still happening and there are parents around the world who have no idea what their young sons and daughters are subjected to. One day this could happen to your children….

Please be aware, be vigilant and above all don’t be quiet!!!

Who can do the Math?

I was shocked on Wednesday when I saw in the Local Natal Newspapers that stated that the municipal wards in Natal where to increase by over 800. That would mean over 1600 new councillor jobs to be created and paid for. Pretoria municipal wards will be increased by 10%. 600 new jobs created!! This is what the IEC chairperson Brigalia Bam has to say about it! - "Today's signing is a milestone in celebrating municipal democracy. It is a remarkable achievement in such a short space of time”

We all know that the ruling party can do what they want and that wards are created and demarcated solely for the purpose of the ruling party getting votes. This is all understandable but what about the Math?

As you know we are in the throws of a nation wide public servant strike and the ANC spokesman this week said there was no money allocated for this expense and there is no money in the coffers to pay these teachers and nurses.

We all know that teachers are pivotal in shaping our children’s future especially in a democratic society and nurses are extremely important when it comes to helping and saving lives. Even though we agree with more pay for these essential services this strike has made us debate whether these people really care about the positions they hold but that is another story!!!

So let’s look at a few facts on monies spent in the government!!

MP’s are milking the government on travel expenses and whatever else may be uncovered!!!

Large Tenders being given to family and friends

If the soccer world cup was a success financially it was largely due to government departments spending millions on tickets. That was our tax money spent on those who are already earning!!

JZ is adding another child to his already large flock. All his wives families and children need to be well looked after before he even looks at the rest of the ANC cronies!! You might wonder why there is nothing left for us!!!

Just look at the story of the mine owned by Zondwa Mandela (Nelson Mandela’s grandson) and Khulubuse Zuma (Jacob Zuma’s nephew). Typical fatcats who don’t pay salaries while they get richer and even might have killed with no consequence!!

Malema benefiting from government tenders and we are asking – Who the hell is he? The epitome of the culture of violence and entitlement and he hasn’t even arrived yet!! (We are obviously hoping he’ll never arrive!!)

I even wonder if Vavi takes a cut in salary in solidarity with these striking workers. He has some interesting points to make - “We have to intervene now to prevent South Africa from becoming a state where corruption is the norm and no business can be done with government without first paying a corrupt gatekeeper,” but really just one of them power hungry moguls!!

And now a whole lot more wards and over 1 billion allocated to fund these wards!! Unbelievable when ward councillors become more important than teachers and nurses. Amazing when democracy is not about getting votes but about rearranging the wards to get your votes and all this at the expense of education and health!!

Just do the Math?

Where are our talented Youth!!

How many of you out there have been watching or just taking note of the Inaugural Youth Olympic games? I am for one very excited about this new addition to major competition. I do understand that this might mean more stress for younger athletes but what an amazing opportunity for the youth to be able to compete and mix with different cultures of the world in preparation maybe of things to come!! Syrop

South Africa got nine medals according to other official sources and SASCOC sources 11 medals. Not quite sure but could be combined Africa relays that got us the 2 extra medals!! 5 medals were won by Chad le Clos of Westville Boys High for Swimming with One Gold and Jacques Du Plessis got the other gold for Discuss throw.

I know that all these athletes tried really hard and did a great job for South Africa but I have one question…

Where are all our talented youth!!!!

We have one of the best sport schooling systems in the world. Not many countries have such an integrated sport education system. Even in our close rival countries (Rugby and Cricket) like Australia, New Zealand and England they do not have sport in schools like we have besides a few elite private institutions. So how does the wealth of talent that exists in this country even at that age slip through the cracks.

My son is at senior primary level and many of you will have been to the school athletic meetings many schools are holding this term. Did you notice that talent!!!! I certainly did. What happens to it!! Too many schools are so wrapped up in there quests to be the best Rugby / Cricket schools around that they forget that talents of all sorts should be nurtured on the playing fields at schools.

I heard about an inter schools athletic meeting that they hold at Kings Park in Durban. 3 Meetings over 7 or 8 weeks. What a well organised day the first meeting was. I told a person from school to give the schedule to the sports masters at school. Their response was – ‘I hope she (me) doesn’t expect us to officiate!!!! No you bumbling oafs – I expected you to notice that talent at our inter house sports day and put the schedule in the weekly monthly news letter! I expect you to inform those parents whose kids did well that such a meeting exists and why don’t they take their children down there to compete if they so wish!! And yes that you won’t be there to officiate but hey Parents – He can’t be expected to do everything at school and not teach a class!!!

We probably all have been following the Caster Semenya story. Last Monday on the news the ANC publically congratulated her on her run in Berlin! I for one do not want to take that away from her!! But…what they failed to do as far as I’m concerned was to publically congratulate Chad le Clos on bringing 5 Youth Olympic Games medals home to South Africa!!

Sam Gideon SASCOC last week made this statement about the commonwealth games - “If we can lay the foundation with medals from athletics and swimming, the other codes will add to it, but we need to have our swimmers and athletes firing on all eight cylinders. If not, we will have serious problems!!” and with this in mind they fail to honour an up and coming swimming youth!! Take away Chad’s 5 medals and you do the math on the 9 we bought home!!


Sam also said. “We have to think about what we’re doing in South African sport. Other countries are miles ahead of us, I felt so sorry for those athletes. Let this be a warning to the various sporting federations as they will be asked to account for what is going on. If the youth in Singapore were anything to go by, what have we got in store for 2016 and 2020?”

This is after he made this statement on Sunday March 7, 2010 where he was speaking after a two-day President’s Council meeting at Birchwood, Boksburg that good progress has been made in taking South African sport forward but as always, there’s work to be done. How could he have got it so wrong 5 months ago!!!! I mean our basketball team and Hockey team never won a single match

Reading through various articles people are still complaining about colour in Sport and why we have no black swimmers (Just look how many blacks go to the Olympics world wide and maybe they are barking up the wrong tree). They say that on a national level the federations must bring in more sportsmen of colour etc etc etc…..(I’m yawning now) SO boring actually because in my view this is what needs to happen!!

SASCOC, lotto funding, all other concerned ANC citizens and the Minister of Education 14 years down the line need to stop moaning about white sportsmen and post to ALL schools in the rural areas a dedicated Sports teacher/ Coach/ Mentor who is accountable for what they do in this position in promoting and finding talent in their school. This way talent is scouted young and they will not have to push athletes of sub standard into teams at high level for quota purposes because we would have enough talent coming through!! They will stop blaming the whites and just get on with it! We on the other hand don’t care what colour they are as long as the flag is flying high and our athletes are doing us proud!!

So well done to the BOKKE for your great win yesterday - You did us proud and if anyone from SASCOC is reading this blog and you can see this white blonde head jumping around at the back of the crowd trying to be noticed. Pick me please for a Sports coach talent scout in a local rural school. I won’t toi toi and strike and you will get the results you are looking for… That I promise!!!

Thank goodness she does not teach in OUR classroom!!

I am sure most of us were effected by the strikes this end of last week. If not because you too had to do something with your kids because you did have to go to work!!! I was personally furious when I got the call to go and fetch my son at 10h00am on Friday morning at school. Precautionary measures I was told. I saw no bus and dancing elephants which infuriated me even more. Why pander to the whim of these very uncouth people.

The ANC manifesto in 1994 was impressive with regards to learning…

An ANC government will:
•introduce one education system that provides ten years of free and compulsory education for all children;
•start utilising all existing school facilities;
•provide more classrooms and repair and modernise inadequate facilities;
•double the number of free text-books within one year;
•allow mother-tongue instruction and education in the language of choice;
•provide a national bursary and loan system;
•provide adult literacy programmes;
•assist youths who have not been able to complete their education;
•focus on ways of providing pre-school educare;
•give special assistance to women…”

A closer look at our Bill of rights states that;
~ Education: You have the right to basic education, including adult basic education, in your own language (if this is possible).

~ Assembly, demonstration, picket and petition: You can hold a demonstration, picket and present a petition. But you must do this peacefully.

~ Freedom of association: You can associate with whomever you want to.

I am a strong believer that teachers need to be uplifted in our Society. They play a pivotal role in the education of our children and even although we say that children learn all their morals and values at home we all know from experience that it was teachers that hooked us onto something in life for life or just as easily killed that dream! I was told I really battle with French, so I gave it up. I now speak 5 languages including French which I speak like English and really all it was, was influence (not necessarily bad!!) from the person I was sitting next too. I had fun and didn’t concentrate too much!! That was after getting 80% the year before!!

So the question is: should they be asking for more money?

Yes they should!!!

For me it is not in what they are asking for but the way they are asking for it.

Our Bill of Rights states that education is a right. Teachers take an oath like a doctor or lawyer. However, they seem to ignore this undertaking.

Children have a right to be in the classroom learning right now. No one has a right to intimidate the rest of us like that. Matrics have a right not to be threatened by this action when they are in their final moments before the big exams.

Our Bill of Rights also states that demonstrations and picketing must be done peacefully and that we have Freedom of Association. Surely if a teacher does not want to strike that is their choice!

I have also had the amazing experience of facilitating certain subject matter workshops and OBE workshops for teachers and am very often appalled by the fact that at starting time 08h30 for 09h00 we have 10 teachers of 60 sitting ready to start. The rest arrive periodically throughout the morning making sure they are there for lunch and they disappear just as fast afterwards. One bunch over a 5 day workshop were so excited to be in town they ‘casinoed’ and drank till all hours at their own admission and slept all day in the class. How do these people instil a love of education and learning when they themselves are lacking!

What comes first: upliftment of the job and more pay or respect for the job and then you are rewarded for your dedication and passion.

I unfortunately do not have all the answers. I just know that constitutionally speaking what is happening today with the educator strikes is wrong. I also know that I would not want to send my child to a school where educators create havoc and trash things and then expect the kids in a few weeks time to sit quietly in the classroom and listen with respect. I know that when my son goes back to school he has every reason to respect his teachers but how many out there will not have that same opportunity!!

Would you want this person to be teaching your children!!

And I dread the day I have to go to hospital and these ones have to stick a needle in my arm!!!

I'm looking for someone!

As you know, we in our neighbourhood, are concerned about the delightful Thai people that have moved in!! I've been looking for the Thai pimp as I need to discuss something with him!! I'm a bit concerned as H of Arabia is talking Glenda's python....Niels talking about sending me a gymnast (something to do with tricks) and I'm worried about Lobo spinning around ;-). This could mean a lot more nocturnal activities keeping me awake at night!!
In fact I want the little Asian man to get hold of Faisal Bassa for me, he's the owner of the house and a little bit scarce this month (religious reasons I'm told!!) I just don't know how I'll recognise him!!! That was untill Garith posted the answer on his face book page yesterday!!!!

You heard WHAT...on the radio!!

You read THAT…. in the news? Enjoy it while you can folks because very soon it will all become a distant memory if this new tribunal takes effect. I have visions of all us sitting in our cellars listening to a world war 2 crackling radio or people in the streets walking along in long trench coats and as they pass you they hand you a clandestine pamphlet on current local affairs. Highly unlikely! Just my imagination but scary thoughts in a post apartheid South Africa in 2010.

We all remember the poignant TV coverage of many tanks facing one man in Tiananmen Square. Not shown on local Chinese TV. Soweto riots that we now see that was viewed internationally and not by ourselves at the time. The Second World War exploits of Hitler that Americans and other allies knew about but only whispered about amongst the local population as the Jews were fed lies about these wonderful environments they were supposed to be going to! Is that what it will be like here? Are we as locals going to be the last to know?

I don’t believe this was Mandela’s ANC. Mandela’s ANC wanted freedom for all people Black and White and we know this because the 1994 ANC Manifesto states that the ANC wanted an open Society; The ANC will strive for an open society that encourages vigorous debate. People must be free to express their views without fear, including criticising the government of the day. Freedom of the media will be essential for a flourishing of democracy. The 2004 Manifesto states that; we must broaden access to the rights contained in our constitution, so that more and more South Africans - especially the poor, women, youth, children and persons with disabilities - can enjoy all the benefits of freedom.

The corner stone of this democratic freedom is the freedom to write what you like!! (Yes I did have to change the word WOT to be different!!) Does JZ have such a short memory on media freedom!! He, JZ is saying that the ANC would never do anything that would undermine the spirit of the Constitution and which would erode the dignity and rights of other people, regardless of their standing in society and because of this he has asked that media to allow the ANC and the public the right to freedom of expression. Whose freedom of expression is this? If the ANC doesn’t say it then we can’t write it – OMG this sounds pretty draconian to me. In the old days anti-apartheid writers such as Nadine Gordimer, André Brink, Mary Benson and many others works were banned in South Africa for writing against the apartheid government. And now…Watch out folks because if you are anti ANC your works will also be banned! JZ would have you believe that all smear campaigns against the ANC are totally unfounded and only there to cause sensationalism therefore rendering the ANC squeaky clean at all times.

Even Malema has a say here. He was hauled out of the woodwork and said that they the ANCYL were assaulted and vandalised by the media and that they couldn’t do anything because the media could destroy a person's future without fact. Because of this editors and media owners should not try to get the government to discuss whether a media tribunal should be established, but how the tribunal should be set up to prevent future dictators from abusing it to kill media freedom!! Have you ever on that logic!! Methinks he should go back to his woodwork class!!

Anyway who said apartheid was a white on black issue. In the passed yes but now it’s an elite ANC against the rest of us and they are still blaming transformation even though many reporters are black! In fact wa Afrika who was detained recently is a fellow black South African but the ANC says ‘We are the people who fought for the freedom you enjoy today (...) some of us died for it and we have put our view before you, and that is our right,” And this is the freedom they talked about in 1994!! Of course this proposed media tribunal and media ownership is supposedly because in their view - Print media does not have, nor is in a process of developing a transformational charter, despite the regrettable degree of transformation.” Why is it that a problem is always blamed on transformation! There are many fellow black reporters but are they being overlooked because they do not come out and support the ANC at all times so does transformation only now apply to how many ANC members have a job? That’s for you to decide but I am off to build my cellar and buy myself a trench coat!! It could be needed in the not too distant future!!