I am often astounded by the ability of impoverished and oppressed people to survive daily life. You have not had a bath or a shower for weeks, your stomach is aching barren and your skin shrivelled from the sun — yet you still find the drive to get up and take your fuct-up 1980s Casio keyboard to go serenade commuters on the Stellenbosch line for their small change. Inspirational is the word.
There are countless examples in South African history of our people overcoming adversity to survive their lot. Today the great South African car-guard is perhaps the best example of how our people will unknowingly create a new culture and industry in the name of survival. Yes sir, the poor can survive, and Africans are masters at it.
It is however a dilemma if the vast majority of your body politic comes from homes where survival strategies were the only game in town. The African National Congress as an institution is almost a monument to survival. Unsurprisingly then the key policy directive of this organisation has been from day one to facilitate the survival of the masses. South Africa is a giant welfare state but we made a plan to survive and live another day.
How in Jacob’s name however will we ever prosper if our ideological Xbox is forever set on survival mode? Take the issue of urbanisation for example: our government acknowledges our cities are unsustainable mammoths that daily consume way more than they are able to produce — creating an environmental footprint so large the entire world wonders how big its dick is.
Yet our solution to urbanisation is to help make rural people plant mielies in their backyard so they do not die of starvation — or worse, move to the city. Once more those who have made a career out of survival are in charge of helping others survive.
Why does the government not incentivise with tax breaks those industries that do not rely on massive industrial infrastructure to relocate its workers to the platteland instead? Here I am referring to artists and computer programmers, call-centre attendants and designers. In other words, young economically active middle-class educated people. Why do we not make our little dorpies a little more hip and happening so that the hip and happening want to live there? Soon there will be theatres, little coffee shops, fancy gyms and yoga centres — all requiring the labour of those who otherwise would be planting mielies as a means of survival?
The simple answer is that our government is staffed with people who never belonged to an upwardly mobile educated young generation of pioneers. Our governments frame of reference is one of depravity and oppression and its only “add water” solution to every problem is survival. Our unions contribute to this scenario as they themselves are staffed with people from a similar historical epoch. Cosatu would much prefer your business employs 10 unproductive people at R20 an hour as opposed to employing two at R100 an hour. As a result not one of your employees will ever be able to afford a proper home or a car or in any meaningful way be economically liberated. No-one is allowed to prosper as long as we all survive — and no-one understands why the R100 an hour workers all prefer to live in Canada.
It is almost as if we have rewarded a generation of opportunity-deprived ”strugglers” with the privilege of depriving another generation those same rights through downright shoddy management. Our democratic system did not have any other alternative and this result is totally understandable given the context. Yet nothing forces us to tolerate this situation for eternity? Surely at some stage we can choose to have our great thinkers lead the charge while our great fighters are honoured in museums?
My wish for this country of ours is that our governing and opposition parties be flooded soon by a generation of people who demand prosperity as a basic living condition. I want to then see this generation focus almost entirely on making the educated middle class the catalyst of economic growth while the government’s job is merely to find ways to move more and more people from the working to the middle class, and not the other way around — as is currently the case.
The only way to be properous is for people who have no means to not have children, and in that way perhaps uplift themselves without the added concerns of more mouths to feed.
Let the rich have kids!
i don’t know why this is such an alien concept!
What you are saying is so true- but ,equally, unfortunately, we have a terrible education system run by cretins- “survivalists” who haven’t a clue how to educate towards prosperity.
It also doesn’t seem to matter whether one goes to a Model C school or a mud hut school.
The kids I see coming out of school these days haven’t a clue about prosperity-except that their parents seem to be there to just pay up or how to go about getting there.What I DO see are many kids from the upper echelon PRIVATE schools doing a lot better at this prosperity thing than those at govt schools, even the good ones.
The local Model C school my son went to turns out top academic students every year but can many of these kids survive without their parent’s help? Not really. They have been nannied, either by a domestic worker and /or their parents from the day they were born and they simply don’t have a clue.
As to those poor kids unfortunate enough to go through the “mud hut” schooling system, they are doomed before they even start.
Hmmmm Brendon, which dorp do you live in?
where there is a will there is a way and what you can conceive you can achieve.
We the people must start with steps towards creating self dependency , leaders are too involved in protecting their positions and wealth , and governance is the last thing on their minds. The worse amongst us now lead us and its a waste of time waiting for honest, caring leaders. The financial demands of life dont allow for honest leaders, government leadership positions is now the best paid profession and you wont make it in this profession if your not willing to sell your values. So stop waiting for leadership to start taking care of the needs of the poor. We are now in desperate times. Stop with the culture of the more the money the more the respect. Respect comes from within and this is what we have to teach our youth, dont look for examples there simply exist no examples, or people we can look up to. We need to be examples to ourselves and the best way to do so is to practice self dependency.
Education is one thing , having drive to take what you have and doing something useful with it is another. This is what our youth need , the confidence to create using only your own will. This is the culture and ethic that needs to drive our youth. Did our forefathers receive a university education to put food on the table? Did the farmer need a university education to plant a seed? We need to cross the ocean and all we need is the will to start building a ship. So lets get our mind and will in…
Excellent stuff ; Can I use it elsewhere?
Make rural areas more independent;distributed appropriate industry. I will write more
I am from Bethlehem Bruce.
Bryce, sure go ahead.
Prosperity is the reason why I agree with the town expansion project at Nkandla. Our prez could have used a bit of tact and picked an area not closely associated with him, but it doesn’t change the fact that this is overdue and as with so many other rural villages, Nkandla should benefit in the long run.
I think that this project will set a precedent in that if it succeeds, then millions of South Africans will benefit from similar projects around the country.
Brendonn het die lig gesien
Its not only the boere who ‘maak ‘n plan’, it is an African phenomenon. The levels of ingenuity are astounding throughout our continent. With a bit of direction and education, we could achieve miracles.
One of the problems is that modern governments have lost the plot. They are not our parents, they are the ones we employ to do large scale projects on our behalf. They are responsible for infrastructure, security, education and health – if they do those well then the prosperity flows naturally. Instead everyone is playing around with social engineering experiments whilst completely ignoring the basics.
@Lennon: Do you equate the building of a private compound with fancy houses for your five wives, hoses for your guards, a helipad, etc etc at a cost of R250 million, with rural development? Come on, Lennon, we are not that stupid!
@Ikati: Do not underestimate the products of Model C schools. They have not been “nannied”; they have been fed with the ambition of their parents. They also have no sense of entitlement (that is, if they are white) and know they are on their own when out in the big wide world. There are only too many of them overseas in top jobs. Of course there are failures too, but what else would one expect?
What is of concern to me is the lack of drive/ambition of many of the (previously advantaged) currently advantaged kids in schools. They have absolutely no ambition, or so it seems. As a princilal put it to me (and I quote): “Since they have brought in these social grants, our people have no drive. Primary school girls can’t wait to get pregnant, so they can get a grant.”
This is in stark contrast with the Chinese who have been flooding to this country. They are from the lowest worker classes, without any education themselves. They are however willing to forgo everything, for their kids to get an education and get ahead.
Why the difference in attitudes? Is it the ancient Chines culture which stresses hard work, as opposed to a lazy dont care attitude? Somebody please explain!
Sadly some cultures across the world appear to have a mindset of entitlement. Going to school does not educate one nor guarantee a job, you have to go the extra mile, work hard, learn hard, and never stop learning to become and remain educated.
Neither are you entitled to a job, the government must create the right conditions for jobs, but if you are not prepared to work and do what you are employed to do, you are not entitled to receive remuneration.
In South Africa, most people whether in government or employed by business or unemployed, want everything for nothing, and that is neither socialism nor capitalism, it is just a mindset of entitlement.
Whether you are a socialist or capitalist, you have to contribute or the system fails. Many South Africans have no work ethic nor honesty ethic, they are just parasites.
@ RubinBanana: Kindly indicate the spot in my original comment which mentioned Zuma’s house.
Momma Cyndi i have to agree. Stop the social engineering and just focus on the basics.
Lennon I also struggle to equate Nkandla with a properly thought-out rural prosperity program.
Yes its better there than in Sandton, but only just.
s campher, care to elaborate?
RubinBanana,
There are two projects in Nkandla. There is the infamous ‘compound’ and then there is Zumaville. Whilst the ‘compound’ is for the Zuma family alone, Zumaville will be a small town (or a personal shopping mall – depending on whom you speak to).
The idea of Nkandla becoming a town is quite intriguing as it will be completely engineered and not grown organically. Unfortunately, I am not able to find if any sustainability research has been done. That isn’t a part of the country with a dense population and it is all the ‘king’s’ land so it will be interesting to see if it survives
An interesting way of looking at it for sure.
And you are absolutely right South Africa should be booming, but it’s not for two simple reasons.
One: The ANC are not rain makers. They show no ability or enthusiasm for business
Two: The ANC have groomed the jobless masse into the belief that only government
can provide what is needed.
I have traveled through central Africa and everywhere poor people (and yes they are black) are selling items and making a living. It is the old saying of giving a man a fish vs teaching him to fish!! Social grants is the fish – but that will not last forever and them we will have to fend for ourselves – catching the fish!!!!!! Talking of Afrikaans sayings the one i like: Nood leer bid! which means when you have hit rock bottom you will pray and make a plan. As a country it is going too well with us – we do not recognize the need to prepare ourselves for winning (not surviving!). I believe those who want it will have it!