Just Thinking

The oldest liberation Movement in Africa, the African National Congress (ANC) is 100 years old.  This is a big deal as evidenced by the comments of  leaders from many political parties.  The President of  Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), Mangosuthu Buthelezi commented thus “I attend this celebration as a leader whose life story can not be read in isola tion from that of the African National Congress. My destiny was linked to the ANC both by choice and by birth”.  The United Democratic Movement President Bantu Holomisa says that being in the ANC was a “learning curve” for him and that he feels “fortunate to still have that background”. The Acting Secretary General of the Congress of The People (COPE), Lyndol Shope-Mafole remembers growing up in the ANC as an “honour”. I believe that it is useful to celebrate the past through a learning mentality and a willingness to reflect on the present.  One of the successes of the founders of the ANC has been the fo...

South Africa celebrated the Human Rights day earlier this week.  What happened there was very interesting and something disturbed my human rights consciousness.  I unfortunately will not be airing my views on it as we are close to the local government elections and well- meaning comments can be easily construed as being party political.  There it is, my confession that I am suppressing my human right to freedom of expression as enshrined in section sixteen of the Bill of Rights that is contained in our Constitution.  I will nonetheless deal with a subject that is unlikely to affect the outcome of the upcoming elections, Libya. The uprisings in the Middle-East has caught the world spell-bound.  For many people it has been the confirmation of the adage that the masses make the revolution.  In all these uprisings there were no discernible political party hands.  It was the people in all their hues and socio-economic standings. I guess all of us...

In December 2012 GIZ took us to see a theater performance at Hansa-Varieté-Theater in Hamburg. I had a good time, although, I cannot recall what the show was about.   I think I was the only guy among the ladies.  I enjoyed the show and found the concept of socializing as if you are in restaurant whilst you are in theater strange.  There were waiters serving people as we were in there.  I bumped into someone’s booze as I was moving out, possibly, to a bathroom.  The guy was pissed off and I apologized.  He asked whether I was going to buy the bit that was spilled.  I apologized again and it was ok so I moved on.   I think that was the only theater show that I attended in the year that I spent in Germany as I missed a trip to see the Lion King performance.  That was around Christmas and I missed my family and just had to spend some time with them in South Africa.  I left the cold German Winter for the South African Summer...

Government  Strategic  Planning starts with the manifesto of the ruling Party. This is the document that a ruling Party uses to attract votes. It is the promises that it makes to the electorate. After elections a 5 year Medium Term  Strategic  Framework (MTSF) is developed from the ruling Party’s manifesto by Government. This MTSF turns the manifesto into a Government Program and it takes other government plans like the National Develop ment Plan (NDP) into account. This process is normally led from the Presidency by a unit known as the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation. Treasury also plays a role. The MTSF has to be adopted by cabinet. It then become binding on everyone who works for Government. All government departments have got to find where they fit in that MTSF. They each develop a departmental five year  Strategic  Plan. This plan is basically the Department’s response to the MTSF which is, in turn, a response to the ruling Party...

The Main gate at Dachau concentration camp with the words 'Arbeit macht frei'. It means work sets you free. The Gas Chamber Dachau concentration camp memorial site building and yard. A crematorium to burn the dead I took time one Sunday morning to visit the Dachau Concentration camp memorial site when I was staying in Feldafing, in the State of Bayern.   The memorial site is said to be one of the first concentration camps established by the Nazis. It was located in the small town of Dachau approximately 10 miles northwest of Munich.  It was quite an eye opener.   When you are there you just realize the cruelty of it all. It hits you that thousands of people were imprisoned there without trial. They were tortured and many died. It is not an ordinary tourism site. It is sad. Jews, Russian prisoners of war, Jehovah's witnesses, gays, Intellectuals, communists and anyone who disagreed with Hitler became a victim.

I am the fifth from left in this 1990/91 Education march: students linked arm-in-arm do a toyi-toyi dance during a march to the Houses of Parliament. Student leaders handed over a memorandum to an official of the State President's office calling for the creation of one education department and for the president's intervention in the improvement of facilities.  — with Luvuyo Zantsi,   The current deputy minister of police,  Bongani Michael Mkongi ,is the tenth person from left. the late Ntuthuzelo Ngwane, Sipho Kussie, Bhabha Dantile, Bhabha Ntshobane, Mcebisi Tshandu, Patrick Lakabane and Songezo Mjongile, who was to be the Western Cape province secretary for the ANC  at  Parliament of South Africa  around 1990/1 .

Funny is it How I lie awake And think of you The one I sent packing In my mind it’s clear No good can come out of us being together Family I've told And to friends I boasted I’ve moved on and You’re out of my life For good Is it really for good When a treacherous heart Keeps betraying me By longing for you When no one is around Finding excuses To call and hear your voice That makes me shiver And hold on to chairs So as not to fall  I disintegrate thinking of you But can tell no one That I miss to be held By the one I sent packing