Just Thinking

One of the government’s stated aims is to bring back and protect people’s dignity. This noble aim is sometimes defeated by the actions of civil servants. They sometimes treat people as if they are doing them a favour. What is worse is the impunity with which they do all of this. South Africans have got many stories to tell and I just want to focus on two of these relating to the public health system.  The first one is about a cousin of mine who went to the Phola Park clinic on the 13th March 2009. She went to the clinic because she was not feeling well as she had a fever, her head was aching, her eyes were watery and her nose was blocked. They ran tests and she was told to go wait for her turn to see the nurse.  When her turn came the nurse asked her what the problem was while she was looking at her folder. As she was getting into detail with what was wrong with her, the nurse asked her to open her mouth and she complied. She took one look at her from a distance and t...

A lot have been said about government’s lack of effective communication with the country’s citizens.  Some of the service delivery protests are blamed on lack of effective communication by the government to the public. You also listen to people on the street discussing government and its programmes and you realize that there is a serious need for government to communicate directly. This lack of effective communication is pervasive and it affects all levels of government.  The 2009 State of Local Government Report identified lack of communications as part of the huge challenges that are faced by municipalities.  The Government Communications and Information System (GCIS) was formed as a response to, amongt others, government's haphazard and ineffective way of communicating. In light of the above I find myself puzzled by the outcry against a government newspaper as envisaged by GCIS’ Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Jimmy Manyi.   Some see this as wanting to...

One of the documents that I value is a testimonial letter by my school principal Mr  Makhosandile Ndzuzo , written  almost 26 years ago. I felt good after reading it, even though, I do not think I ever submitted it anywhere as I got a place at the University of Cape Town and a bursary through the Institute of Race Relations without applying for them. I kept it for all these years. It continues to give me confidence and I feel honored that he sees me in this way. Enkosi Gaba. We all need encouragement from time to time. A good word goes a long way.

my friends ask me what is the nature of our relationship and I never know how to respond How would you want to respond when your friends ask I want to say we are having an affair Then we are having an affair

I’m off now  She said and went for the door  Hoping he’ll stop her  Before moving out  Following her pride out  Whilst her love  Bound her to him.  Her display of pride Was a cry for help And a plea to him To give them a chance To continue being Without her Resorting to threats Of being off now. Where was he During her moment of torment Did he care or was he just Being a man Failing to decode the message and unmask the threat of being Off now as meaning Hold me and tell me not to go For you need me 

We are approaching the Easter weekend and people are going to be observing it in different ways. Christians will be    celebrating the death of Jesus Christ on Ester Friday and His resurrection on Easter Sunday.    The significance of this in the Christian faith is that it demonstrates the power of the belief in a risen Lord.    This is viewed as giving assurance and credility of salvation.   Someone reminded me on Facebook of Easter in Mbekweni especially when I was growing up.    It brought back memories of two events that dominated Easter in our township.    The first one was the church gatherings that brought visitors.    Easter meant that even those who have not been in church in a while went to church.    As this group we went to church in pursuant of different objectives.    Some saw the importance of the Easter weekend and remembered the sacrifice of God in redeeming mankind.  ...

I recently attended a funeral of an old classmate and cellmate in Mbekweni.     We were classmates in  Simon Hebe   High school  and we were cellmates in the Paarl Police station cells.    We found him in the cells with bandages and in pain from bullet wounds in 1985.    Two of those bullets are said to have been linked to his death a couple of weeks a go.    I got reminded of how one day tear-gas was shot into the cells and in the struggle to survive within those four walls forgot that there was a sickly person incarcerated with us.    We left him after after some time as we found him, with no proper medical care.    Here I was now at his funeral. Like many funerals in Mbekweni this was some kind of a re-union for the township’s children.    It brought those who are still in the township and those who have left it together.     We were all brought up to take funerals ser...