Morons who vote.

I had to finally type out my thoughts, as a result of an uncomfortable conversation on Whats App, that made, (at least to me) the issue of White Privilege blatantly obvious.

I believe that I was witness to white anger and privilege, because of a conversation around the potential licence fees payable by owners of generators and solar power, whether we are on or off the grid. the travails of Eskom are well documented and the people and businesses of South Africa are suffering the results. I am not the first nor the last person in South Africa that bemoans the dire situation our State Run Enterprises are in, and I am certainly of the opinion that mis management and corruption, have resulted in much of our current issues. that being said, this is the sentence that has my dander up:

"so the way I see it-and I might be kicked off the group because of my opinion. if you still vote for those corrupt, thieving criminals who call themselves a political party with values then you are a moron. the ANC has entrenched themselves as a corrupt nepotism who relies on an uneducated mass to keep them in power-just like ZANU-PF"

We have in South Africa, both a constitution and policies in place that may be second to none, we have inherited the sins of a past that have not adequately been addressed or attended to, so when a man says that the present government is still intent on indulging it's bulimic urges, by over taxing it's people, I could say that the last regime did so in spades, and compensated only the privileged few.
Yet, you forget these issues, because lack of services are just the preserve of the privileged, and morons voted the bulimics in, were the privileged of the past morons to?

When a man of privilege is angered by lack of privilege, it no longer becomes worthy of intelligent discussion, as the perceived Masters voice, overrides any further discussion, from my perspective I will unpack what it is, and was to be the Moron,

white privilege, deprived the Moron of education, so it could create unskilled cheap labour, and servitude to the privileged. it then tiered colour, and allocated education accordingly, the Morons were deprived of hope and dreams, and were quickly taught that aspiration was illegal and non beneficial to privilege, privilege effectively kept out Morons from any participation in political or social thought.

White privilege  resided behind high walls, with manicured lawns, dogs, ample food, education, access to health, wealth, and a play ground bar non. the Morons were used to keep the privilege going.

However Morons survived on the dream of freedom, of hope, of aspiration of one day being counted and allowed into an elite group of green lawns, tennis courts, and pampered poodles, one day the raised fist and movement of the Moron made dreams and hopes possible, and the Morons voted, for the right to dream and aspire.

We the Morons have joined an elite group of privileged, yet the door still remains shut, we will continue to be Morons, because the hues that make us brown and black and in between, will forever be the benchmark upon which our actions are judged.

Now we shall go back in history a little, where a little brown girl was born into the hell of her brown skin, she didn't know what privilege was, her Father laboured in jobs where he was just another Koolie, who was barred from the whites only toilet, or the lunch room, where his skill and brains were utilised, but he would forever be Koolie, that he raised his children to know their worth, to raise that first for the dream of freedom and hopes and access, where education was denied him, so he toiled to provide that privilege for his children.

The brown girl was thirteen when privilege was revealed, she knew struggle, she knew police raids, she knew door to door campaigns, she had no garden, no poodle, no tennis court, she wore a uniform boarded a bus, from which she was barred, but a certain privilege came with that uniform, and it opened a different world, of children who did not know struggle, who thought Indians were the dark people in Durban, who cleaned the toilets on Whites only Beaches,
Privileged children who could tell the curry muncher to go back to India, who ate Drie Hoek Koelie Koekies with relish but had a learnt dislike for Brown People, who's parents voted for a "Bullimic government", that provided for the privileged only, and saw nothing wrong with taxing the eventual Morons, to keep their hunger for privilege alive, and the suburbs and the infrastructure going to keep those privileged happily living in paradise.

That brown girl, never played a sport, she did not know how, she lived in a rented flat, in a brown demarcated space, and her friends were those who had an idea of what life as a Moron was like, there were no pool parties, after school visits or invitations for the brown girl on the fringes of privilege.

Fast forward to present century, when the Morons were let out of Prison and exile and the rest of the Morons stood up on mass to vote in, a better life, the privileged packed their bags for greener pastures, where they could remain privileged and their children could have poodles and tennis courts and green lawns, and the Gods smiled on them, they were skilled, educated and white, they had access to passports and money and off they went.

the Morons have remained, but today we have some benefits of privilege, houses with lawns, marriages of our choice not dictated by race, access to jobs, housing and education, we have freedom of movement, we have passports that say South African Ciizen, we can travel, we have freedom of Speech and religion, we can go to the beaches, we can visit the game reserves and have a choice of accommodations, we can use the toilets, we can eat in restaurants and frequent hotels, we can dream and dance and sing, we are Human Morons, and we have the privilege of the vote, and why would we vote for the Bullimic, nepotistic, thieving corrupt ANC?

They brought us hope and dignity and humanity, because they provided what Privilege denied, because they created the dream of a South Africa for all her people, and yes they have become corrupt, and have failed with much, but what the privileged fail to see, is the creation of a dream of a better human future, which reduces some of the comfort of the privileged, which the Morons have never sort to deny, but to have an equal share in. Morons now have access to a life previously denied.

Morons can vote, Morons can speak up when government fails to deliver or provide adequately, the constitution and government policy puts the Moron in a position to effect change correctly.


I am therefore proud to be a Moron, not an uneducated mass Moron, but a Moron who still has hope, and who wants the best for all of South Africa, the Privileged are angry and disgruntled because things are just not that comfortable any more, but if you could have spent a day, in the shoes of the little brown girl, you may understand why Morons vote, and why Morons will continue to vote.

Morons are not Koolies with prized pastry treats, Morons are human beings that want nothing more than a better life, so when privilege gets angry and confrontational, you should walk in the Morons shoes for a day, and remember the words of James Baldwin:
"we can disagree and still love each other unless your disagreement is rooted in my oppression and denial of my humanity and right to exist"

Morons don't vote for failing infrastructure, Morons vote for the hope of a better future, and when your past was robbed of hope, and any kind of a future, it is then clear where you will vote, education is not an indication of intelligence or voting trends. and it is not always productive to think of uneducated masses as being easily swayed by political rhetoric, it certainly didn't work for maintaining privilege in South Africa, so perhaps it is time, to change the way you think and deal with the gift that is white privilege.

letter of condolence to the Mandela Family

6th of December 2013
Houghton, Johannesburg.
The Mandela Family, Mrs Graca Machel

We offer our condolences and love on the passing of Tata, Madiba, a much loved member of our family and the father of our nation.

He was a father, a leader, strong, honorable and always humble. The list of adjectives describing Tata and the men and women of his era would be endless. We salute and pray for all of those who sacrificed their lives, their families and so much more, for the right of future generations to be born free, born into a democratic inclusive South Africa, as enshrined in our constitution.

We pray that Allah gives your family strength to endure your loss during this difficult time. We pray that the love and support of the people of South Africa brings you solace. We celebrate and rejoice with you, a life well lived. the life of a great, humble and much beloved man. A true dedicated son of Africa, a citizen of the world. his sacrifice, love and sheer bloody mindedness, gave us a gift that all South Africans should cherish and never forget, lessons in strength, forgiveness, patience, perseverance and LOVE, always love.

May his sacrifice and true humanity never be forgotten. The opening verse of the Quran reads as follows:

"In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.  Praise be to Allah the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds, most Gracious, most Merciful.  Master of the day of judgement. Thee do we worship and thyne aid do we seek, show us  the straight way, the way of those on whom, thou has bestowed thy grace, those whose (portion)  is not wrath, and who go not astray."

Madiba epitomised these words, he lived the courage of his convictions, faced his accusers with grace and dignity, both he and his compatriots broke the chains that enslaved and dehumanised a nation. He was, and will always remain a PROPHET of his time. Praise be to Allah for gifting the world such a man

Madiba remembered the little things, he made us feel that we were a part of his family, on the passing of our grandfather (Goolam Pahad), together with his beloved Graca, he made the time to visit our home. He shared our grief, reminded us of our rich heritage, and above all encouraged us to be better human beings, to walk that long walk to freedom, side by side, to cast aside our aprons,(in Madiba's words) as my grandmother did (Amina Pahad) and fight for a free, non racial democratic South Africa. This was the man, under whose shadow we cut our struggle teeth; who during his incarceration, became the force behind our fight to bring down Apartheid, and in his presence we were humbled. Today we share your grief and we pray that Allah gives him everlasting peace.  

In the words of Sékou Touré, in an address to the Second Congress of Black Artists and Writers in Rome 1959:

 "To take part in the African revolution it is not enough to write a revolutionary song; you must fashion the revolution with the people, and if you fashion it with the people, the songs will come by themselves, and of  themselves. In order to achieve real action, you must yourself be a living part of Africa and of her thought; you must be  an element of that popular energy which is entirely called forth for the freeing, the progress and the happiness of Africa, there is no place outside that fight for the artist or for the intellectual who is not himself  concerned with and completely at one with the people in the great battle of Africa and of suffering humanity"

Madiba and those of his era discovered their mission, they fulfilled it, thus realising the dreams, hopes and aspirations of a nation. and those of a continent, and dare I say it, the world.

We salute your true humanity, grace and courage, and pray that as a nation we fulfill our obligations and the mission before us.

With much love and respect
Hamba Kahle Madiba, may you have eternal peace.

Rouhana Pahad
6/12/2013  

my new nephew

I am a lazy blogger, there is no doubt about that. my initial great enthusiasm, has dwindled to a doodle annually. however I would be remiss, if I did not welcome beautiful Aadam Pahad to our family.
he is a four months old, heavy bundle of joy, chubby, serious, with a gorgeous smile.And when he  smiles, it can rock the world.
there is no doubt that he takes after his father. so welcome to the family gorgeous nephew,
may your life be blessed with much laughter, love and happiness. you are undoubtedly a blessing and a joy to this family, and we welcome you with open arms and infinite love.

with my mummy(Faeeza Adam), doting cousin(Iman), and foa(Yaseen)

on the day I was born, cuddly and warm.

with my Dada(Nassim Pahad), growing and happy

I am a boxing champ, get outa my face.

may your life, always be blessed, and may you know, that your Aunt and doting Uncle, are always there for you, especially on those days, when you pack your cheese and bread,

run away from home, our doors and hearts will always be open to you, just cross the street carefully, and all will be well. I will only call your daddy, after you have a good cry, some milk and a sandwich, and then we will twist daddy's arm, so that you get a sleep over.

love you madly and absolutely
your proud Foi

post mandela day...

umdloti beach, north coast Durban

Boy!!! was i glad TO SEE THE END OF MANDELA DAY.  don't get me wrong, there is absolutely nothing wrong with doing community service, and those that give of their time are to be respected and applauded. if you have read any of my previous blogs, you would definitely realise that i have a real issue with the outcome of governance in our young democracy.

and the point is, that we have a right to voice our dissatisfaction, because that is what democracy is all about, freedom of speech, unless i really have the wrong end of the stick. and recent happenings, regarding art work, which exposed President Zumas genitalia, or cartoons that offend the ruling party, were lambasted, and there were demands for them to be banned, and the artists to be punished.
pray tell, what is the difference between that, and the gagging and banning orders of the past.
however i digress, the reason i am waxing lyrical here, is because of an altercation between myself, and another social network user on FACE BOOK (FB).

for some reason, every comment made or opinion raised in this country, is dismissed as the haves (usually anybody south African, who is not an indigenous "black" person"), against the have not's( usually poor/underprivileged indigenous "black" people) . get my point, everything gets turned into a racial issue. i am now of the opinion, that "indigenous black" south Africans, are decidedly more racist, with a big chip on their shoulders that no amount of freedom, has been able to expunge.

since when did, having to work hard or be honest, or just giving back, have anything to do with being privileged or racist, what follows, is the dialogue (if i can call it that) between myself and one Flo Fikile Dlamini. (obviously indigenous black woman). i am so called "black" as per the previous dispensation, of Indian origin, and therefore was subjected to the same prejudices, oppressions, and disadvantages suffered by all people of colour, in South Africa,

ahmed iqbal cajee: why are we asked to donate 67 minutes why not 94 minutes?

flo fikile dlamini: 67 minutes to correspond to his 67 years he gave to politics.

mariam mayet: did you not come out of prison at age 67.

rouhana pahad: and how would a  donation of any number of hours, for one day in a year, help anybody? instead of donating our time, why not actually do our jobs with respect and integrity, that might benefit our country greatly.

salim jeewa: its because he spent 67 years of his life in the struggle.....i do believe.

rouhana pahad: we all know that...my point being, celebrating Madibas 67 years, by doing community service for 67 minutes, once a year, is a band aid, respecting his 67 yearsby being honest, and respecting each other, by doing what we are paid to do, now thats priceless.

flo fikile dlamini: well, is there anyone pointing a gun to your forehead, Rouhana, compelling you against your will to participate in the 67 minutes campaign? if there's anyone compelling you at the point of a gun, then theres the police station near you, i suppose.

you're free to do your job with respect and integrity for the mighty benefit of sorely threadbare South Africa of the holy virtues of being. probably the uncivilised natives would never even appreciate the enormous contribution of your request and integrity that you'll bequeath unto them.

anil sewpersad: PHARD

rouhana pahad: well Flo, you obviously have a gripe against something. and have certainly misunderstood me. you don't get the point. until we stop with this type of attitude 67 minutes a year wont help any.

anil sewpersad: quite honestly speaking, I COULDN'T wait to see THE BACK OF TODAY!!!!!!

Flo fikile dlamini: obviously, i couldn't understand you for you have such transcendental, cosmic, intellect :-(

rouhana pahad: Ah Flo, flattery will get you far, transcendental= a visionary beyond your grasp, cosmic= of the universe, not just earth, intellect= person of good understanding, faculty of knowing and reasoning, i am truly flattered thank you.   

judging from this rather ridiculous "dialogue" ( cat fight) i embarrass myself by degenerating into an argument with an idiot. how on earth my comments meant that the "uncivilised natives" were in need of my "holy virtues".

unless I'm mistaken, religious issues were not discussed, my point being only, that if each of us, South African citizens, regardless of race, colour or creed, in public or private sector employment, did what we were employed to do with respect and consideration for all our people, that we take pride in what we do without looking for the early Christmas bonus, that would benefit our country as a whole, it would mean, that funding, that should reach the poor, the disadvantaged, would get to their intended recipients.

my only understanding of this entire ridiculous discussion, is that Flo, who is possibly an attorney or in the legal profession is not very bright. she resorted to what all stupid, racist people would do, and that is turned a perfectly innocent comment into a racial issue. down the river into Conrad's HEART OF DARKNESS.

WE ARE 22 YEARS INTO DEMOCRACY, and unless south Africans can get over our racial issues, and stop resorting to crying wolf, every time, we are called upon to do what is right for this country, for all who live in her, regardless of race, colour and creed, we will never succeed. these stupid arguments highlight the fact that "blackness" has become a crutch and an excuse for mediocrity.
we really need to get over ourselves and see the bigger picture.

so to Flo i say, reading and comprehension are not the same thing, you need to read with an open an understanding mind, being bogged down by crying race, every time something affects you, will not a greater nation make. being aware of our shortcomings, then working damned hard, to overcome them, might be the better option.

peace and love...   

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.

onward from woolly mammoth

we moved into our own home in december 2011, our first family meal, christmas lunch. as you can see, i am very much in favour of the colour red, so there you have it red walls, and christmas, we love entertaining, and having family and friends over. slowly but surely our home is developing its character,small and compact, we have a lock up and go, which means the folks house, has ready made house sitters, looking forward to spending more time in our own home. GDH, is usually travelling or at the army, which leaves me home alone, mind you i am definitely not complaining. we have as yet not received any rates accounts,thanks to the great services rendered by the johannesburg city council, pretty soon i am sure to get a service cut off notice, despite our repeated attempts to get an account to pay. one has got to love living in the third world...as the pot holes increase, so the holes in all our government departments show up, we know you are in it to steal it, can someone please be in it, to steal a portion and put some back so things can work.. pretty soon, the beautiful natural attractions, and wonderful weather, are not going to be sufficient panacea against the misery our elected thieves are perpetuating. BRA JACOB, is definitely never getting my vote for a second term. in fact for a right royal looser, he is getting better treatment and a lot more respect then Mr Mbeki, just goes to show, democracy is a wasted enterprise in some places.

one year and counting

who would have thought it, thats us on our first wedding anniversary, enjoying gale force winds in capetown, not called the windy city for no reason. in four months, it will be our second anniversary, and now i begin to notice the conditioning, subtle but we are conditioned. i work a full day, so does my husband, when we get home, there is a total difference in our approach to the rest of the day, take yesterday as an example, he was home earlier then i, our helper, whom we have twice a week, had just left, he got busy with model airplanes, down in his man cave, i got home around 6pm, a full days work, and niece and nephews bathtime behind me,..(their parents are on a trip), i got home, got started with dressing our bed in clean linen, checking the house was neat and tidy,then off to the kitchen to get dinner started, he called to find out when dinner would be ready. around an hour or so later, hubby was up, looking for dinner, why was it instinctive on my part to do what i was doing, and he was happy to do things to releave his work day tension, somehow when we get married, it just seems that our work load trebbles, he has time, for manicures and pedicures, boys nights, and bike rides, it seems i am always fussing about cleaning house, or doing the laundry, or seeing to dinner. looking after the house, while he has army duty or is on a business trip. i am decidedly of the opinion that men are conditioned to take care of themselves and relax, while we (the women) are always struggling to find time, for down time. marriage is exhausting work, women are a superior breed...

To my adorable niece on the occassion of your fourth birthday. when you arrived the face of an angel was painted on lifes canvas. your dimpled smile and tender heart have become our gifts, and we knew with certainty, there was, "no more,WHY after that" may you always be blessed with love and generosity of spirit, nurture and care for all around you. we wait with great joy, to see you blossom into a beautiful,loving,caring young woman.Iman, a woman of strong faith. all our love, Foi,Yaseen Foajee,(aka Albert,Foa)