Racism or politicking or should we just heal and move on?

Top of the morning to you my dear friends, trust that wherever you are this email finds you with a spirit that’s willing to keep on keeping on ☺

Over the last few months, its becoming ever so clear that this thing called life can not be explained or predicted, sometimes its blissfully splendid other times atrociously depressing. The only thing we can do is fuel the soul with positivity even when all seems lost with the thought and hope that all will be well…and even if it doesn’t get better, we will be dead so it wouldn’t matter anyway. Call me an eternal optimist.

Anyway so I have a little challenge for all those who are willing. Today is the day that most Christians call Ash Wednesday, its roughly 40 days before Easter. It’s the start of a period called Lent where many people give up something such as booze, chocolates, sex etc. that’s all good and well but my plea every year is how often do you drink, consume chocolates and make dirty? My answer would be not every day. But the whole essence behind Lent is to sacrifice something every day for 40 days. Anyway so the challenge I have for you this year like every other year is instead of just giving up something GIVE something to someone less fortunate than you. Apple, pear, bread, milk, clothes. Every day. This is an active thing because you have to remember every day and you have to go out of your way to do it. Please don’t give money because that’s easy…anyway just a thought

So back to this weeks email. I am actually quite bored about hearing about Jimmy Manyi and that he is a racist. The man may well be and I think that merely as a function of the positions he has held or holds, he must be cognisant of the ramifications of some of the remarks he makes in public. So I heard his comments he made regarding ‘Coloured’ people and ‘Indian’ people. Listen to this link for those who haven’t heard it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBqCD_498hY&feature=player_embedded.

The word I would use to describe it is perhaps silly or better yet unnecessary. Fair enough he was speaking about the Employment Equity Act. Now from my limited knowledge, the Act has a few targets it sets regarding people of the different demographics in this country and how they ideally should be represented in an organization. So if there is a concentration of a particular race group in a particular province, the other provinces ‘quotas’ cant be met. People that is logic not so? His comments stated that:

“Let me just make some few comments here on the last discussion on coloured people. I think it’s very important for coloured people in this country to understand that South Africa belongs to them in totality, not just the Western Cape.

“So this over-concentration of coloureds in the Western Cape is not working for them. They should spread in the rest of the country. So they must stop this over-concentration situation because they are in over-supply where they are, so you must look into the country and see where you can meet the supply. This Employment Equity Act is a very good act in this country…”

Maybe I am a litte dim in all honesty, so please can someone explain where the racism is in that statement. Yes its said by a person in ‘power’ and singles out one specific race group. But really is it worth all the fuss, especially a full year after it was said and apologies made?

Mr Manyi, last year also made another remark about ‘Indians’ at the Durban Chamber of Commerce meeting, which went something like… “Indians, we should be having only three percent of positions on management. They are sitting at 5.9. I call it the power of bargaining. Indians have bargained their way to the top,”

At best this is a tongue in cheek kind of comment, if I had said it in a social setting to a congregation of my Indian friends, laughter would be exchanged or a that’s right my larney or something, but to give it months of airtime, Please people please.

You know what saddens me the most is that the politicians who are using this as an electioneering tool are undermining my intelligence! Because there is hardly anything inflammatory about what was said unless you pour fuel over it and light it up like they and their spin doctors are trying to. I’d rather they focus on matters that are pertinent to the state of the nation and what their plans are to rectify it!

I want to hear more about your service delivery plans, more about real job creation not just lip service, crime and policing, this level of you must do this because we are government and we said so! I mean I heard a story this morning about a child that the department of education admitted into Rivonia Primary. The persons application was late and they were #140 on the list the school can only take 120 people, the department of education says no you will take 121 people??!! So what of the other 19 people that were before that child? Nah man.
Then we have the fiasco with the Gauteng tolling system. You are trying to tell me that all the parties, Sanral, department of transport etc. didn’t discuss all of this before the project commenced? As to which roads were to be upgraded, when this was to happen, how much it would cost and how the money would be recouped? Ofcourse they did! And now because its an election year everyone is getting involved and saying hey SANRAL you cant charge these poor citizens of Jozi 66cents to drive on the freeways, you will kill the economy…now you see this? How much does anyone want to bet that after the election, the tolls will go ahead at more or less the same price.

Anyway I digress. We as a nation and I keep saying it are far too racially sensitive. Yes it is what it is….but it is what it is till you change it…if you want to! We have to stop taking ourselves so seriously. I am guilty as charged in some instances and I look forward to the day I go to a club, particularly in Cape Town and I don’t have to say to myself or others, haa once again Im the only black person here. It doesn’t bother me (because I wouldn’t do it so often) but yet I still notice….

Birthdays
27th Zuraida
28th Brett, Lucie, Leah and Tumi
1st Tsepho, Philippe, Sophie
2nd Oliver, Yalusa
3rd Duncs, John R
4th Tebogo S, Kakra, Panyin, Zubeida, Laura M
5th Will M-Smith
7th Ciko Siphiwe
8th Marang D
9th Nicolette
10th Steve Miller, Ashton
11th Teboho, Bontle
12th Lungi, Veenash

Hope the rest of the week treats you all kindly, and remember to try and give if you are in the position to, what doesn’t seem like much to you, may well be a whole lot to someone else.

Y