MANDELA DAY 18/07/2012

Mandela Day is here again. 1990 was the year a smiling hopefull man, walked toward his freedom, and, we believed, our own freedom from oprression, racism, apartheid. 22 years ago, my heart rejoiced, and i sang, danced and cried with millions of South Africans. the feeling was indescribable, a load lifted from the shoulders of a joyous hopefull nation. Mandela managed to unite a rainbow nation, we rallied, we forgave, won the rugby world cup, almost managed at cricket, hosted a football world cup. became true citizens of a free democratic South Africa. all this without a civil war. that was Mandela's legacy. that was the ANC'S legacy, Bhiko's legacy, the legacy of our liberation movement, and all who served her. have we managed to live up to that legacy? have we made ourselves proud. i think not, ordinary South Africans are giving back, we work hard, pay our tax, give to charity, of our time and money. do our 67 minutes of community service on the 18th of july every year. we collect for the hungry, run soup kitchens, give out blankets, plant trees, paint schools. we try to live up to the "liberation Legacy". in return we live with increased crime levels, failing infrastructure, no schooling or bad schooling. LIMPOPO, has been in the news on the textbook scandal, schools have no books, and the elected officials are placing orders, dumping books, and stealing the money, is this what we fought for?. who are these people and how did they get the positions they are in?, our police commissioners are corrupt, government employees are corrupt. and we are collecting more revenue through SARS, then we have in the past. There is never enough funding to do anything, yes the money has to reach a greater number of people, yes, there is more upliftment required, however, even though SARS, is collecting sufficiently, and then some ,enough to address all our infrastructure, and social issues. we still have a problem. the problem: 1. the favours for friends, 2. elected officials who are brain dead, 3. just in it for the pay packet. 4.lovers who get free five star holidays, 5. a president with A HAREM that needs to be paid for. ( mind you thats his culture). 6. an ANC, that is decidedly rascist, and resorting to gangsterism. 7. foreign beggars on street corners every where. foreigners competing with our own poor for scarce resourcers. these are just a few of our travails. regardless of the fact that educated people, liken foreign traders today, to the immigrants that built this country, we need to look at the failing of the authorities to screen the type of immigrant entering our country today, they are no longer an asset, rather they have recreated the slums and dumps of their own countries. there is no adherence or respect for city by laws, they are not in the system, so are not contributinmg to our tax base, they do increase drug trafficking, prostitution, racketeering, money laundering and the like, nothing can be done about it, because our corrupt officials are seeing the money, and not the long term harm it does to this country. human rights organisations plead the case for the many Somalis, bangladeshi's, nigerian's, chinese etc, that should not be here in the first place, did you forget that South African citizens are suffering as a result, what happened to uplifting our own people?, why arent you fighting government to keep election promises to the poor of this country? We are rejoicing at the election of the AU's first female head, a first for South Africa and the World, hell journalists, are touting her as SA'S next female president, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma,...help us please. Mrs Zuma was minister of Home affairs, we havent recovered from the mess that is the department of home affairs. in the scant TV interviews i have watched, she is barely coherent, intelligence deficit disorder, perhaps? i am all for women to be elected to positions on the world arena, to positions within the governments of their home countries, i am more in favour of electing capable, intelligent, honest people into position, regardless of race, colour or creed, that is the democracy i fought for. that is not the domocracy i am living in. on this Mandela day, my wish is that our elected officials, and people employed in the public sector, start giving back to the country and its people rather than taking. why can't the salaries you earn, sustain your lifestyles?, why do we need to be blinded by greed, and making the easy money?. on this Mandela day, give back to your communities and the people of South Africa, by doing the jobs your are employed and elected to do, if your family and friends are not sufficiently educated or capable of doing a job, dont give them the job, look to people who will be an asset rather then a drain. learn to speak and communicate in English, do yourselves proud, by doing a good job, there is nothing to be proud of when your job, is dependent on your skin colour, that boils down to tokenism, be proudly South African by just doing your work. maybe 67 minutes a year, is better then nothing at all. i spent my day, by doing my job efficiently,(according to me) thus contributing towards the fiscus,now, hopefully my money will be utilised with respect, and reach the places it should. our government needs to step up, or be elected out. the problem is, that the replacements will be no better. perhaps if we ordinary citizens, looked upon our jobs as an asset, and work efficiently and with pride, with customer service as our obligation, if we treated each other with repect, by doing what we are paid to do, it would have a profound effect on our country, its people, its governance and most importantly those who govern. our jobs, our professions, are not just a meal ticket. be proudly South African, and not just for 67 minutes, once a year. that is not the Mandela legacy. WE HAVE A CHOICE, EXCERCISE IT.