Real man, Real talk

Number one you have cost us dearly

2016-08-23T07:11:00.003-07:00

I remember in my early 20s I used to worship the ground that the ANC walked on (So to speak). There were political schools that we used to attend, learning about the ANC and its victories and defeats alike. There are values that the organization itself holds that no one can change.

I remember an ANC of the people and that fought for the rights of the people, an ANC that molded leaders of tomorrow and futures of the black nation of South Africa. I remember an ANC that was free of corruption.

There used to be an ANC that revered on the helping and improving the plight of the people of this country, an ANC that was a mother to the motherless, a GIANT of sorts to movements that rose in the wake of Africa’s children taking their land back one by one. An ANC of John Langalibalele Dube, Sol Plaatjie. An ANC of Oliver Tambo, Joe Slovo, Nelson Mandela, and all other great warriors of this land.

There was an ANC that used to bring hope to its people, the ANC that you and I were raised by. The congress of the people that made South Africa a land of all who lived in it. The ANC that gave birth to democracy and free speech, an ANC that fought against mental slavery.

This is the ANC I once knew. Today we have a dog that used to bite, ustokoloko – inja enganamazinyo. An organization rotten to the core and one characterized by corruption, scandals and shame. YES IT IS NOW AN ANC OF SHAME.

Now in my early 30s I am ashamed that I was ever associated with you oh great giant. You have become a bully of sorts to your own people. You have become the elephant in the room. And all of this is because of your refusal to hear us, your members, and your refusal to listen to the people that put you in power. You have a stubbornness that precedes the entire country. I don’t know why you are willing to let this country go – All because of one person – u number One.

When willit end?

2016-08-23T06:52:00.002-07:00

It is unbelievable the amount of racial slurs that we still witness in the "New South Africa". We see that they actually still see the need to do awareness campaigns on TV for it. Serioulsy, this day and age we still have people thinking that they are more superior and others getting offended at the fact that they think people think they are inferior.

What is this that we are doing? It seems now more than ever do we need a devine intervention from this syndrome. What is worse is that there are more black racists than white and it is a worrying fact.

I have been meaning to tackle this problem but have been unable to truly research on the topic because I found that people are still in that mode of racial protectionism. A sydrome that I myself do not even understand.

Is Choral music in South Africa dying?

2016-07-20T05:05:00.003-07:00

As a young musician who has been in the choral scene for most of my life, I am displeased at the lack of any choral association that is making a real difference in the lives of choristers. In my days I have had the pleasure of travelling to stages that I would have never been to had it not been for choral and opera music.

It has been almost two weeks since the concluding of the 23rd SATICA competition and we are yet to see the results or the performances of those publicised. It is almost a month left before the ECCMA competition begins and also in just two weeks the "seem to be the biggest choral event in SA" National chior festival will commence at the Monument in Grahamstown and yet we have not heard or seen anything relating to it in the media. Why is this?

Is Choral music in South Africa dying?

2016-07-20T05:05:00.002-07:00

Naked and bare

2016-03-14T05:18:00.004-07:00

My agony began as I bled tears of my heart,

Wallowing and wondering when it would end

The pain that ripped my heart open

Bare and naked my pride was

Naked and bare as I bled tears of my heart.

As the symphony of life played on,

My notes were stuck in that moment when our eyes met

It was a beautiful sound I could never forget

It was as though my thoughts were frozen in time.

And suddenly I began to move with the symphony of life

I had to face the music, my journey with you had ended

This, I thought while my pride was naked and bare.

Bare and naked as I bled tears of my heart.

My agony began when I heard the words

Words of destruction and nothing of building

It narrowed it down to the pain they were yielding

As I heard the words of destruction I was destroyed

My heart cried in silence and in darkness

My soul was now a wounded soldier

Hurt and heavy at the same time yet I had to carry on

All I wanted to do was to lie down and rest

But the music of the symphony of life was playing

I had to face the music, my journey with you had ended.

This, I thought as my pride was naked and bare.

Bare and naked as I bled tears of my heart.

The fear of Greatness

2014-04-23T05:10:00.002-07:00

It’s been said for generations that we can be whatever we want to be – in terms of greatness (achievement)

‘What we want to be’ being the operative expression (minus ridicule)

Yet we often see those whom we classified as should have been great fall into their pit of despair and not achieving their greatness – and in the confusion of trying to understand or grasp their fall we then create our own fear – the fear of greatness for ourselves

And why then has the failure of another become our reasoning to form our own measure of success or downfall? Why is another’s downfall the pivot or foundation of our own greatness?

Would this then be a self-fulfilling prophesy or a vicious cycle?

The reason I said we create that fear is due to the fact that fear cannot be forced upon you – you control and select (regardless of frame of reference) what you will or will not fear – regardless of the pain or pleasure of the outcome

There’s a difference in learning from others mistakes and crippling your own growth – that said I’m not saying dive into the abyss of the known/unknown in the name of conquering the fear of greatness

What I’m simply saying is how great is your learning ability or better yet – how well do you know yourself

To conquer something you need to first understand it (by learning) and/or accept it and before you can conquer the fear of greatness or the fear of the unknown you must first understand and know YOURSELF (back to the basics) according to your measurement and not those of others

The truth is you are your own worst enemy and your own best competitor – for only you determine how high or low you want to climb to achieve your own greatness – defined and determined by yourself

The ability to speak was overcome when you were still a babe – before you were exposed to the rawness of the world – before you were told of limited and limitless possibilities and latitudes – thus we were not born talking already yet that didn’t stop us from accomplishing communication (at its basic)

You grew from a single cell into many cells into a zygote then a fetus that in turn took its true form of what was then called a baby – something so spectacular and magnificent yet you want me to believe that once it evolved into its true form – that being you – the magnetism of the wonder of how you made it this far in living is only so that you can be something that is mediocre? – Well I don’t believe I was born to be or for mediocrity – no matter my hurdles

So what do YOU want in life? Instead of looking around look deep within or have you conformed to first attaining approval from everyone else thus almost being incapable of making your own decisions/choices about what truly makes you content?

But that said I’m not saying be selfish and prodigal in achieving greatness

We are meant to shine and we are created for greatness but not to the dismay or detriment of others – on the contrary your greatness should be able to assist others to shine – no competition but joyous and harmony in all in reach for true happiness

The opposite of greatness is triviality – so greatness being the positive of the latter the input should therefore be positive for a greater positive output

conquer yourself before you can conquer the world

And what is conquering the world? - Well that too is left to your own defining

Though the fear of greatness as trivial as it may seem/sound is actually more complex and more in-depth and will just open up a whole can of worms; let me just summarize it as this:

A crippling fear is just that – very crippling but a fear nonetheless

An emotion so small yet so great that it determines your success (extreme or trivial)

Your success is what you make it to be no matter the measure – some limit it some are limitless

I know my greatest fear has always been what I CAN achieve never what I can’t – with that said – back to the basics

I don't assume to know anything about anything except myself but I will share my thoughts as they come - not limited to nor limited by my frame of reference for even frame of reference can be somewhat altered. For there's only one who knows all - the Alpha and Omega

GOD or amasiko? Is it wrong to practice your customs in the eyes of GOD?

2014-04-10T06:14:00.002-07:00

For many of us, going to church became a norm because our parents brought us up in church. As much as that is true, we have been also practicing cultural customs – animal sacrifices and beer brewing. All of which are part of our African culture.
The same is true for the church, I mean we go there every Sunday and some of us know the bible in and out.

Over the years while growing up I have experienced a lot of debates that have to do with religion and culture. I mostly found that people confuse the two to be the same. Which in my opinion I think is wrong.

We are first Africans before we choose religion; it is up to the individual’s influential factors that later determines where they want to be identified with.

“What is the difference between culture and religion?

Answer:

Culture is sort of an umbrella term defined by the traditions, language, art, food, and various attributes of a particular group (be it a group of five or an entire country).

Religion can be classified underneath the concept of "culture"; however, religion itself is a practice in which one seeks to commune with, and worship a power considered higher than one's Self.”

Source: /wiki.answers.com

As a human being I believe that there is most certainly a higher power greater than me, and as much believe that as a Xhosa I have the responsibility to keep my identity as a Xhosa and not to let the bible dictate to who I should be.

Don’t get me wrong mfowethu, I am not saying that I should disrespect the bible as a Christian, all I’m saying is that I was born Xhosa first before I was christened. I was raised a Xhosa hence I went through all the passages that I did, and I will practice the Xhosa customs until the day I die.

I feel if I abandon my Xhosa value system and customs, I would have abandoned my identity.

The same is true if I chose to be identified in another religion, I would not allow that religion to take over my identity.

The definition states that religion is underneath the concept “Culture”. What this tells me is that culture is as important as Religion in one’s life.

I mean the bible is filled with stories of people basically practicing their culture, e.g. They call teacher “Rabbi” which is a Hebrew word that the Jews speak. If the Bible was filled with stories of African descendants, would the Jews stop calling their Rabbis and start using terms like Mfundisi?

Would they stop calling God JEHOVA and start calling him THIXO?

I think not….

For me religion is a way that I choose to worship the most high, the creator and our LORD GOD. It is the means that I was taught to consult from when I was wet behind the ears, and not my identity.

People should not confuse Religion with Culture

We are Africans that have their own rituals and customs to perform, let us not hide behind the bible and lose our identities and become lost children of this continent.

We are Africans and so we have the responsibility to take ownership of our identity so that our children do not lose their own identities.

These are the views of the real man.

Whittlesea – A farm, a town, and yet my home.

2014-04-08T05:39:00.000-07:00

History

Located in the old Ciskie in the Eastern cape lies a one street town that I grew up in. This town had been seen by most of its residents as a redundant town that will yield no good to its people, and yet there are people that still live there, including my family.

The town was founded in 1849 as a defense post for the British during the frontier wars in the 1800s. It was named after a Town in England called Whittlesey, the birth place of the then Governor of the Cape Province (1847), Sir Harry Smith.

“In 1828, Harry Smith and his wife came to South Africa where he eventually served as governor of Queen Adelaide province in the Eastern Cape, becoming popular with both Xhosa and Boer in the area. He was moved to India and fought in the First Anglo-Sikh War of 1845-46. After victory over the Sikhs at the town of Aliwal, Smith was knighted and became Sir Harry Smith, and he was appointed governor of the Cape in 1847.

The town of Whittlesea was mis-named after Sir Harry Smith's birthplace of Whittlesey in England.” (Directory, 2010)

We arrived

We arrived in Whittlesea in the late 80s during a time of the struggle. As a young boy I remember seeing streets filled with young people hanging around street corners. The streets were filled with the afternoon smoke from the Welcome dovers of the day. Songs, whistles, chants and fights or rather hostility was the order of the day.

I remember my dad used to come back from work, in his SADF uniform, and take off his boots and immediately clean them. Although my memory of that time is not so vivid, I do remember the toy toys vividly, as if they still flash in front of my face. Their chants “hay’, hay’ hay’” in a rhythm was as thunderous and distructive as the impact as they had on their targets, the impimpis. It was astonishing as well as exciting to see and very much scary and traumatising.

Back then, toy toys were popular, the APLA and the MK were what our big brothers were talking about. They were talking about the Charles Sebes and the Mnyombolos that were hell bent on bringing disruption to the people of Sada and the greater Ciskie. That time as I remember it, was a scary time as a young boy. They were talking of iimpimpi and punishments that they had to carry out to the iimpimpi to show that they were serious about the struggle.

But that was in 1988, what do I know about 1988, I was born only 4 years earlier. What I do remember remains in me and sometimes unverified because the memory is not so vivid anymore.

What I do know is that we moved from KuNdlambe to eDongwe in 1988, my father a soldier of the SADF and my mother a dark room operator at the Hewu Hospital. She had been working there since 1985, and she works there till this day.

This is not about me and my family history but about the town itself.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Whittlesea (formerly known as Bulhoek) is a settlement situated 37km south of Queenstown, Eastern Cape Province. Whittlesea now lays claim to the first registered wine estate in the Eastern Cape.

The infrastructure include a post office, police station, education college, magistrate's court, two filling stations and numerous retail outlets, not the least the Spar and other supermarkets, also hosting the major bank ATM's.

Hewu Hospital (formerly operated by Lifecare, but provincialized since 2010) is to be found only 4 km on the road to Ekupumeleni Township.

It was founded in 1849 and became a defence outpost in the Frontier War of 1850-1853. Named after Whittlesey in Cambridgeshire, birthplace of Sir Harry Smith (1787-1860), Governor of the Cape Colony from 1847 to 1852.[2] (Whittlesea)

Today the town is proud to say that it’s got its own wine farm, the first wine estate in the eastern cape.

The Harrison Hope Wine Estate

The Eastern Cape's First Wine Estate!" (SAWIS) Making history and making wine? Filling barrels and filling hearts? Stirring musts and stirring minds? Chasing fermentations and chasing dreams? Toasting barrels and toasting high and holy hopes? Harrison Hope Wine Estate is the visible and invisible fruit of the pioneering spirits and passionate pursuits of Ronnie and Janet Vehorn.

After 350 years of wine-making history in South Africa the Vehorns pressed their first Eastern Cape estate wines in February 2009. From humble plantings in 2006 without development capital or a local history to support their risks, Ronnie and Janet managed to produce their first chardonnay, pinotage, and merlot wines. The 2009 Estate Merlot established another historical milestone by becoming the first ever estate wine in the Eastern Cape. (Vehorn., 2010)

Whittlesea is not redundant anymore, the town blossoms with development. This is what I have always said, in order for the town to be in prosperity its people need to stand up for it. They need to work the ground and make something of it. For some reason the only time that the town was self sufficent and sustainable was when people were oppressed, now that they are free everything is standing still. We have an iirigation scheme that used to supply the entire district of Hewu and now we depend on other regions and thus things are more expensive.

I, personally am grateful to Ronnie Verhon, of Harrison Hope because he and his family have managed to bring hope for me for this town.

Places you can visit when you go to Whittlesea:

1. The Waterdown Dam

2. Bonkolo Dam (Queenstown)

3. The Masonic Hotel

4. Simunye Tshisa Nyama

5. Man’s Place (Queenstown)

6. Harrison Hope Wine Estate

7. Or you can just go and explore and meet people of Dongwe, Sada and Tambo Village, they’re not going to give you an experience out of this world, but they will treat you like a human being.

Here’s to Whittlesea, my farm, my town, my home.

Die Kind by Ingrid Jonker

2014-04-02T04:42:00.001-07:00

Die kind is nie dood nie
die kind lig sy vuiste teen sy moeder
wat Afrika skreeu skreeu die geur
van vryheid en heide
in die lokasies van die omsingelde hart

Die kind lig sy vuiste teen sy vader
in die optog van die generasies
wat Afrika skreeu skreeu die geur
van geregtigheid en bloed
in die strate van sy gewapende trots

Die kind is nie dood nie
nòg by Langa nòg by Nyanga
nòg by Orlando nòg by Sharpville
nòg by die polisiestasie in Philippi
waar hy lê met 'n koeël deur sy kop

Die kind is die skaduwee van die soldate
op wag met gewere sarasene en knuppels
die kind is teenwoordig by alle vergaderings en wetgewings
die kind loer deur die vensters van huise en in die harte
van moeders
die kind wat net wou speel in die son by Nyanga is orals
die kind wat 'n man geword het trek deur die ganse Afrika
die kind wat 'n reus geword het reis deur die hele wêreld

Sonder 'n pas

Maart 1960

As the sun sets tonight

2014-03-27T02:53:00.000-07:00

As the sun sets tonight I will see your smile

Lingering just like that last ray

I shall tell you a story one day

A story that will linger in your mind for as long as you live

A story of hope and love

One that will feel like it was sent from above

A story to be told from generation to generation

A story of hope, life and love

As the sun sets tonight I will remember

I will remember the joy

I will remember the triumph

I will remember the completeness

The happiness

That I feel when I am one with you

A Music sensation

2014-03-03T06:25:00.000-08:00

To what started as another Sunday evening turned out to be the most passionate evening of my life, well second most passionate, my most was when I was informed I will be a dad in nine months, but that was 7 years ago.

Ragazzi live bar (in Cape Town, number 7 Loop Street) last night took me to a musical journey that I never refuse to repeat. It reminded me of the days of UWC Ithuba arts festival and the Ithuba arts cafes. Back then music, poetry, visual arts, dance were the order of the day. The goose bumps that you’d feel were amazing and felt right even if it were politically incorrect for one to feel that way. Passion, Talent and sheer love for the stage is what brought me to write this piece. The journey that began as an invitation to see a friend perform put me right back to where I used to be so many donkey years ago, the experience was exhilarating and damn well fun.

When I walked in I was called out by the beautiful rendition of a somewhat familiar genre of music. One that would most certainly catch you even if you were passing through you would have entered.

Muziek Sensation, these guys are from Khayelitsha and they just dazzled me with their songs, they captured the audience and you could see that they were having fun on stage, now this is what defines a performing artist, passion. The passion that they showed somewhat made me feel Nostalgic and sad. Their acapella was very creative and very good. They created, with their voices, instruments and beat boxes that excited me. Needless to say, I purchased their CD and my car just doesn’t stop playing it. Well, me, I just can’t get enough of these guys.

Muziek Sensation

Then there was D’Ver CT, OMG. This is what blew my mind away, they were awesome to say the least. This band, which my friend (Rosebud) is part of, captured me the most. Not because I am biased, well maybe a little, but because of their creativity. They created something spectacular and gave it to us just as spectacular. I have never heard any one rap in French before, but last night I did.
You guys rock.

D'Ver CT

You can follow these guys, find them on Facebook and maybe you, just maybe, you won’t have to take my word for it.

Ahhh decisions, decisions.

2014-02-27T01:16:00.000-08:00

We are faced with a litany of decisions in life, it is important to appreciate the pleasant and the unpleasant deceisions that we have to take.

There are a lot of factors that one needs to consider in this decision making process, one thing that stands out for me is the fact that the decision that you take will at the end of the day make you happy. Being a man that has already taken decisions that put me here, I have a constant appreciation of the fact that they all lead to a bigger picture and that is happiness.

Those that live in a world where they have to pursue happiness and those that are content with their lives have a lot of things in common but they all have made decisions that are for the betterment of their lives. I, for one, have learnt that the good and bad decisions that I have taken are the basis of what I call happiness to be alive and free.

We are faced with a lot of decisions to make, your best decision that you will ever take is the one that leads you to your happiness.

Content

2014-02-17T06:25:00.000-08:00

Most of the times we believe that there is a greater destiny for us, that we are supposed to be somewhere else rather than the place we find ourselves in.

Well as we fondle with the idea that a greater life is out there for us, we waste a valuable amount of time. How, you ask?

Well, let the man put it in perspective for you so that you understand.

You plan your life and yet what you plan never comes to pass. It is because "LIFE HAPPENS WHILE YOU PLAN IT". This is true.

Today the lesson is be content. You need to be content with where you are and not aspire to live while you are already living your life.

I have learnt that humility and happiness are not choices but rather imperatives that just happen, and the only way to get there is through being content.

The real man has spoken.

Have your say.......

To my love

2014-01-20T06:02:00.002-08:00

Bearing the gifts of the soul you came,

Making life a little better though lame.

Your caring voice rings as I write these rhymes

Knowing that your ear is not too far to hear the rhythm

The rhythm of my love for you.

Yes bouncy one as you have become known to my eyes

My love whispers in an angelic tone that only you can hear

That only you can feel

That only we can explain

And in cries I exclaim

As I learn of your pain

Yes the pain that you feel is one that I feel

The pain that only keeps us going

Day on, day in, day out

It is pain that we call life

So to my love, lean on me for your wounds are mine

Your laughter is mine

And your plight is what I carry

To my love as you rest tonight

Hear my cry for forgiveness

Hear my cry for joy

Hear my cry for love, life and for us.

Letting go

2014-01-17T05:38:00.000-08:00

Sometimes just letting go is the right thing to do and we all know that sometimes letting go is the most hardest thing to do.

Today, the real man decided to let go of a part of his life that matters the most to him because he firmly believes that this part of him has to go, irrepective of the pain that it will bring.

Futher more he believes that what is meant to be will be and what is not will not, therefore openning up somemore opportunities for him.

Lately the man that has been strong all these years has decided to put down his pipe and focus on his soul. He decided to put down his cupid bow and rather enjoy his own self for a change. This did not come without any misery and pain, yes it does. See, the most alarming thing is that he knows that this will not be easy and he knows that this will change his life should things not go the way that he thinks will.

The lesson today is to let go. A lesson I still need to grasp and understand and accept.

The Light

2014-01-14T04:17:00.000-08:00

You're the living light in my misery
the lining of my happiness, my stregnth.
You are the living light in my love
eluminating the dark corners of my heart, my pillar.

You are the living love that I feel,
everyday without it I perish
but every moment with it I cherish.

You are my every woman that I love
one that was sent from above
"a gift from heaven"
As I bid you farewell tears are streaming down
As I remember your love, tears are streaming down
Not because I am hurting
Because I still can feel your love
even in the saddest of your moments I still feel your love.

You are my loving light in my darkness
My hope and my eternal love.

The Secrets of being one with her

2013-08-15T05:36:00.000-07:00

You see a woman is one complex being that no man can uncover

She resembles her mother in wisdom

She resembles her father in strength

A woman is one being that a man cannot live without

She is a pillar of strength and the well of dignity in the home

A woman can never be seperated from her emotions

she cannot be seperated from her pain

She cannot be seperated from her glory moments and

She does not forget who she is

This is why a man will never be able to live without a woman.

See a woman is the carrier of love and

she is a carrier of souls

Once we men understand that about our women

We will appreciate them even more

And that is the secret of being one with her.

Chris Hani at a glance

2013-04-10T07:58:00.000-07:00

Extract from Wikipedia

---------------------------------
Political and military career
At age 15 Hani joined the ANC Youth League. As a student he was active in protests against the Bantu Education Act. Following his graduation, he joined Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), the armed wing of the ANC. Following his arrest under the Suppression of Communism Act, he went into exile in Lesotho in 1963.^[1]
He received military training in the Soviet Union and served in campaigns in the Rhodesian Bush War in what is now Zimbabwe. Though the combined operations of MK and ZIPRA in the late 1960s were a military failure, they consolidated Hani's reputation as a brave soldier of the first black army to take the field against apartheid. His role as a fighter from the earliest days of MK's exile (following the arrest of Nelson Mandela and the other internal MK leaders at Rivonia) was an important part in the fierce loyalty Hani enjoyed later as MK's commander. In 1969 he produced and signed, with six others, the 'Hani Memorandum' which was strongly critical of the leadership of Joe Modise.^[2]
In Lesotho he was the target of assassination attempts, and he eventually moved to the ANC's headquarters in Lusaka, Zambia. As head of Umkhonto we Sizwe, he was responsible for the suppression of a mutiny by dissident ANC members in detention camps, but denied any role in abuses including torture and murder.^[1]
Having spent time as a clandestine organiser in South Africa in the mid-1970s, he permanently returned to South Africa following the unbanning of the ANC in 1990, and took over from Joe Slovo as head of the South African Communist Party in 1991. He supported the suspension of the ANC's armed struggle in favour of negotiations.^[3] However, he stated that he would not rule out violence in a speech on National television shortly before his death.

Conversation of ordinary South Africans

2013-04-09T05:18:00.001-07:00

doesn't it dazle you when a simple conversation turns into an issue of racism?

ANC wishes MP a speedy recovery

April 8 2013 at 01:49pm
By SAPA

Mike Watkins a day ago

· Wishing her well!" what hypocrisy from our racist and incompetent regime. The perpetraters will probably be terminated for having failed the regime's expectations. This smells like a plot to leverage internal opposition.Like the replacement of the Limpopo NEC and the dissolution of the ANC youth league.I'd not hesitate to put the SACP behind this. Its got the sort of foul smell of their scheming. I'd love to know what it was that Susan van der Merwe had done to irritate the regime? Beyond her just being White in a racist tripartheid regime. hope it was because she was white. Because then the Cronin and the Craven will have to watch their backs too.

Vuyolwethu Dondashe Mike Watkins • a day ago

What an immature thing to say. Why can't it be just about crime with you guys, why does it always have to be about racism? Your statements lack crediblity and lack evidence and are highly inappropriate even for you to say. Here's a suggestion for you - Go and read LAYING GHOSTS TO REST, maybe you'll lay yours after reading chapter 4

§ paco12 Vuyolwethu Dondashe • 4 hours ago

One little "elst were" statement and no contest - I wonder what goes on in your head when you are dealt a blow of reality?!

GERALD ARNIE Vuyolwethu Dondashe • 6 hours ago

The ANC was conceived and bred because of Apartheid Without it, the party will die. Apartheid must be kept alive at all costs to ensure it's survival. Retaining ignorant voters is the first step in staying alive. The ghosts will never be laid to rest

§ Mike Watkins Vuyolwethu Dondashe • 17 hours ago

given that you can read I assume you are intelligent? Go and read some psychology references on brain-washing and how it works and is done.The regime made everything about race when tripartheid started telling the ANC what to do. It was no longer about SA then just self-enrichment. If you cannot see that you must be a product of Angie and Blade's incompetences. And I can only feel sympathy for you. Go well! and may you not pass on too young to have lived a full life!

§ soutie2 Vuyolwethu Dondashe • 21 hours ago

Since day one,everything has been about race in SA.

§ Vuyolwethu Dondashe soutie2 • 4 hours ago

But that needs to change. Point of correction to Gerald the ANC was established in 1912 and the Apartheid was conceived in 1948 therefore there is no way that the ANC was bred for Apartheid. I am not an ANC member but I am a member of this country that we both live in. Don't you think that maybe the brainwashing occurred during the days of Apartheid? Just asking. So if you wish to call me names Mile Watkins please call me a liberated mind that seeks to see beyond race, gender and religion, a mind that seeks to see this beautiful country's citizens get along. Of course I see what is happening in this country and I share the same views with you when it comes to self-enrichment that these politicians are after. But as long as we sit behind some computer or iPads or blackberries and don't do something about it we will always be in this position. Government is supposed to serve the people's interests and they are not supposed to be authoritarian. Unfortunately because of the legacy that Apartheid and other brain washing expeditions, these have left our people both white and black frustrated.

§ soutie2 Vuyolwethu Dondashe • an hour ago

Irrespective of the reasons/causes the divisions between black and white in S.A. today will take several generations, if not centuries, to be bridged. There is no quick fix solution. however, an approach and thinking as demonstrated by yourself can only help speed things up and is cause for optimism.

EVERY BLACK MAN MUST STAND TALL, WALK TALL AND KEEP HIS HEAD UP"...Oral Presentation by Duma Nokwe (1927-1978)

2013-03-13T06:17:00.000-07:00

Being Black in the Work Place

They take my kindness for weakness.

They take my silence for speechless.

They consider my uniqueness strange.

They call my language slang.

They see my confidence as conceit.

They see my mistakes as defeat.

They consider my success accidental.

They minimize my intelligence to "potential".

My questions mean "I'm unaware".

My advancement is somehow unfair.

Any praise is preferential treatment.

To voice concern is discontentment.

If I stand up for myself, I'm too defensive.

If I don't trust them, I'm too apprehensive.

I'm defiant ! if I separate.

I'm fake if I assimilate.

Yet, constantly I am faced with work place hate.

My character is constantly under attack.

Pride for my race makes me, "TOO BLACK".

Yet, I can only be me. And, who am I you ask?

I am that Strong Black Person...

Who stands on the backs of my ancestor's achievements, with an erect spine pointing to the stars with pride, dignity and respect which lets the work place in south Africa know, that I not only possess the ability to play by the rules, but I can make them as well......

Struggle continues......

Oral Presentation by Duma Nokwe (1927-1978) who was Secretary- General of the ANC from 1958 to 1969. On March 9 1956 Duma Nokwe became South Africa's first black advocate.

A woman's worth

2012-11-13T00:26:00.000-08:00

A lot of us men do not really understand women that much we always tend to take them for granted and swear that they will never leave us.

I have come to discover that this is not so, and I saw that a lot of South African men do not appreciate a woman as they are supposed to. This is evident in the crimes that are committed on a daily bases against our women. Abuse has become a norm in our townships and yet we men do not see how this is affecting them, our women.

Our women:

This phrase is the first mistake that we make as men, that is to think that we possess women. If it was you that was called as if you are some sort of possession how would you feel. I know that the phrase can be used to indicate that you have committed yourself to this woman therefore do not condemn the use of the phrase in any way.
My argument is that we should never make a mistake of thinking that the woman is yours to do what ever you feel is right for you.

How should a woman be treated:

In the past 6 years I have been blessed with a woman that loves me very much, one that I would do anything for and yet in the same breath can not tell you that that woman is mine. She was never mine to begin with. I was done a favor by her. She opened her heart and let it love me, she treats me with respect and she has blessed me with a beautiful boy that I love so much.
That woman has done me a favor by letting me touch her the way I do, by letting her guide down and smilling when she sees me. She has done me a favor by letting me be her husband.

A woman is treated with the respect that she deserves because a woman's worth lies not in her beauty, it is not to be abused, it is rather there to be appreciated. A woman is a creator of happiness and thus she deserves the happiness that is due to her, I am talking about a real woman her, a soul that lives in me through the love that she gives me on a daily basis. Even though she is angry with me I can still feel the love, the respect and the pride that she has when she sees her man, her husband, her friend and lover. I can still see how much she cares even in the midst of misery that I cause her, yet that woman still shines her worth through me and she hopes I become a better man. Even better, not for her - FOR ME! How selfless

A woman should be loved all the time, she must never feel that she is neglected aat any point in time because she does the same for you.

A woman should be listened to, she knows better. She understands the world way better than you do. A woman is POWERFUL.

A WOMAN IS HUMAN, so treat a woman good.

Do not cheat on her.

A woman's definition of cheating goes beyond physical intercourse, it goes further than sneaking out at night to have a quicky, you see a woman considers every fibre of your body and soul as hers and is not to be shared in anyway with another.
Yes I mean flirting really hurts them, in fact I think it hurts them more than anything because flirting with other women creates an emotional scar for your woman. That emotional scar runs deeper than you can ever imagine. So DO NOT CHEAT ON YOUR WOMAN, she deserves better.

Do not beat her, she is not your punching bag.

Do not make her feel less of a HUMAN

Do not hurt her emotionally

Do not think that she is yours, she is a HUMAN

Do not DISRESPECT her, she is better than that. She is your worth, your happiness and your destiny. SHE WILL GIVE YOUR NAME A LASTING LEGACY.

A woman's worth is not her beauty, her looks or her sweet smell. A woman's worth is her LOVE, CARING, MIND, GENTLENESS, SERENITY, COURAGE, STRONG CHARACTER, EVER LASTING LOVE FOR YOUR CHILDREN.

A woman deserves better.

I am Nkonkotyi, the concerned citizen

The chronicles of Prejudice, senseless and ruthless

2012-10-26T03:54:00.000-07:00

If you can remember well in 2008 all foreigners saw their lives being disrupted by violent attacks on them. They were beaten, they were killed and they were forced to flee their homes where they stayed.

Reason: They should go back home.

The same home that they fled from to seek the safety net of Mzantsi, the African Promised Land - the land of opportunities.

What hit me very hard was the reasoning of those that were attacking and killing, "they take our jobs, our wives and our houses."

It became very clear to me that the people of this beautiful country are suffering from a very dangerous syndrome called "entitlement".

When it suits them they refer to the past and demand compensation for a certain thing. BEE comes in mind when I mention that. While on the other hand they forget that the very people that they killed and disoriented are the same people that sheltered our fathers in their own homes not so long ago.

Our fathers were never killed in Angola; they were never killed in Zimbabwe and certainly never killed in Mozambique, Botswana and Zambia. They all came back, and ironically some of them came back with wives. Believe me; no one ever threw a single stone at them for taking their women.

Entitlement is the only reason why Julius Malema and the ANCYL are calling for Nationalization of mines and land grabbing without compensation. These people never learn, I mean we don't have to go very far to see the consequences of chasing away skilled people out of the country.
They are calling for a senseless phenomenon where, investors and other economic drivers will pull their resources and go. These are the people that this country depends on for the retaining of its economic power and yet people who only know Politics and nothing about Economics and business are pushing for something that they don't even have a plan for.

Suppose the nationalisation takes place, what plans do Julius and the ANCYL have in order to sustain the economic position of this country?
How will they entice investors to come and plant their resources here?
What is their plan for the people of this country? Will they also have a share in the country's wealth or will it go to the BEE people? I mean really.

Lastly, the corruption in this nation is so rife that anyone can see that. Oh no, not only the analysts can see it SACP Gauteng, we the ordinary people can. I mean what do you call a spade?

"South African Communist Party (SACP) in Gauteng lodged a memorandum of demands at the broadcaster, insisting, among other things, that "the SABC must play a role of being a primary platform for conveying positive messages from the government"

So what about the things that really matter? I mean why should the SABC be subjected to demands of the SACP or any other party.

My question is this: Isn't News news no matter what it makes the party being reported look? Positive news or negative news - How do you differentiate between the two, who gives you the right to tell us what we should hear and read about how the government is spending our hard earned tax?

"As Mr Nzimande (whose wife worked at the corporation until last year) is also a strong supporter of President Jacob Zuma, it may appear this memorandum by the SACP in Gauteng is intended to put pressure on the corporation to fall into line behind Mr Zuma"

Ultimately we see why the SACP has made this demand, Its all clear from the start.

These people make me really nervous because I know that the future of our children depends on how they make decisions for this country. True, what is decided today will by all means affect our children in the long run e.g. The Apartheid system (Need I say more?)

To conclude for today,

Prejudice still lives in our people today and certainly will be there tomorrow.

Social prejudice
Political prejudice
Racial slurs fly everyday

And yet, we want to be seen as a united front, for me this country has not been in proper hands for a very long time. All I see are people close to public office bearers getting richer and the masses of this country sinking into deeper poverty hence this violence and crime. Unemployment among the youth being the highest unemployment rate in Africa (or so I think) yet we have bodies such as the NYDA, SETA, and all other broken promises that have been put in front of us.

So Mzantsi, country of opportunities - What the hell are you talking about when you say together we can do more?
More corruption,
More rapes,
More murders

I ask... and I know I will never get any answers, because that is classified information

I am Nkonkotyi, the concerned citizen

The beauty of self

2012-10-19T08:01:00.000-07:00

It is imperative to know your self worth and to know where to draw the boundry between right and wrong. As a young person one always tries to do the best for themselves and in turn for others.

Self worth can only be measured according to your own standards. The more you undermine yourself the more others do, likewise if you know you value, your ethics and that you are beautiful inside, on one will take that away from you.

The purpose of your life span can only be known by you and if you do not allow yourself to be who you were born to be, you become a dormant soul that is only wondering the face of the earth looking for who knows what. When you realize that you have been going astray, it is never too late for you to find the right path in life.

According to Covington (1989), the "one main, even preeminant, reason that students achieve in school is to protect a sense of worth, especially in competitive situations" (p. 88).

The same can be said about young adults that are in a situation where competition for jobs is fierce. One tends to be with the illusion that they are only good enough for the jobs they currently hold.

So to combat that in my opinion it is important to always remember your self worth, you are not as good as yesterday. You have a beautiful mind, use it.

It is time to know who you are.

You are worthy

I am Nkonkotyi, the concerned citizen.

South Africa we love you our beatiful land, let's show the whole world we can bring peace in our land.

2012-10-18T08:50:00.000-07:00

In the wake of ratings downgrades by Moody’s two weeks ago and by Standard & Poor’s on Friday, Mr Loubser said confidence in South Africa could not be built in a climate of corruption, violent industrial action, the undermining of the judiciary and regulatory and tax uncertainty.
(http://www.bdlive.co.za/national/2012/10/18/sas-leaders-ignoring-crises-says-loubser accessed 18/10/2012)

When one thinks of all these uncertainties that are carrying on in our nation, things become clear to me that we need not sit and take the punches anymore. We are constantly seeing these incidences that have happened in this country and yet we're just not doing enough to have these abolishes.

As a young professional it has become my civil duty to look into these matters and realize that it is not only in the hands of others, but it also in my hands as well. I mean the end to this corruption.

"Moody’s has given South Africa its first downgrade since democracy, rating the country down to Baa1. Thanks a lot. Last week, Standard & Poor’s (S&P) downgraded our sovereign debt for a second time, to BBB from BBB+. We are now a slim two grades above junk status, in line with countries such as Brazil, Russia and Mexico (a pleasant surprise — I thought we might find ourselves in worse company, given the recent turmoil).
Last week, before the S&P downgrade, the rand traded at R8,9942 to the dollar, the highest in more than three years. Beyond economics, that exchange rate affects us psychologically. We go into a tailspin and fear creeps in. If we don’t get our political act together and deal with business and economic challenges, we shouldn’t be surprised if the rand-dollar rate heads back to the R12s and R14s of 2009 and 2001."

(http://www.bdlive.co.za/opinion/columnists/2012/10/18/south-africa-must-unite-to-avoid-the-ratings-tipping-point accessed 18/10/2012)

To me this means that we are moving backwards instead of forward. The pure disrespect for the law and the never ending strike action is just a tip of the iceberg that is the cause of this disaster. Economics is warning us way ahead of the real impact that this is going to have in our country. The corruption that is ripe in our state organs is disgusting and should be the main issue at hand and not succession debates. How is it going to help us of we keep the same person that has not done anything tangible in terms of economic growth in the past 3 years? Instead we see that his hometown is being upgraded in less that 3 years that he's been in power. And when we seek answers we are met with vague answers and handbooks that mean nothing to us as a people.

Our leaders have done nothing but lip service for our country

FREE EDUCATION FOR ALL

Now in this regard, if we want to strive for a non racial society why are we still subjected to having children, just because they are white, refused an opportunity to study further.

"I have fought against white domination, I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society, it is an idea I hope to live for. And if needs be, it is an idea for which I am prepared to die."

I think in the wake of all this madness we shall remember the above words and remember why the ANC was formed, why it was banned and what, when resurrected, it lives for.

For a free, democratic, non sexist, non racial society for all.

South Africa belongs to all that live in it and it does not belong to those that govern it.

I am Nkonkotyi, the concerned citizen.

Juju, ANCYL racist and greedy - Loubser - Business News | IOL Business | IOL.co.za

2012-10-18T06:09:00.001-07:00

Juju, ANCYL racist and greedy - Loubser - Business News | IOL Business | IOL.co.za

I am not a political analyst or one that will stand up and openly ask obvious questions, but with the recent spate of attacks to our economy I can no longer dtand by and watch while our country is being destroyed. The leadership that we have in this country has a lot of flaws: The secrecy bill, The Zumaville, the ongoing strikes, the killing of cops, the letting go of guilty people on "MEDICAL PAROLE" and then those people mericulously recover and carry on with their lives, like playing golf. The injustices that this leadership is bring to forth to the plights of the people of this nation is appalling and out right wrong.
Instead of amending the wrongs that are in incumbent in this country they are now busy thinking of "How will I stay in the leadership?" - which is disgusting I have to say.
We are a nation that is doomed if we continue to vote these people into power.