A lesson to learn from the poor

I recently took a trip up the N1 to the small Karoo town of Graaff-Reinett, I became astonished by the behavioral pattern of the people of this poor Town. The Town is mostly comprised of Coloured and African people and has a prevalent HIV/AIDS rate due to unemployment and poverty.  The unemployment rate in this area currently stands at approximately 70% the majority of people are dependent on government grants, and their days are mainly comprised of drinking cheap alcoholic beverages to pass time.

Despite all these dire living conditions the people of Graaff-Reinett live are exposed to, I am amazed by the close-knit relationship that has developed between the Coloured and the African communities. These two communities are integrated to a great extent despite Apartheids legacy of trying to segregate people into different living areas because of their skin colour. The use of Afrikaans and Xhosa by both the Coloured and African community is found in Graaff-Reinett. Inter-racial marriages are a norm in this region and no one gives funny looks if an inter-racial couple walks hand-in-hand.

The Western Cape Coloureds and Africans can learn a great lesson from the poor people of Graaff-Reinett. This imperfect society is doing the right thing in practising the true meaning of ubuntu and living in a democratic race free society.

If I were the boss?

If I were the boss, even just for a day, I’d give my staff the freedom to speak their mind and be creative.  My employees wouldn’t be stressed by petty things and I wouldn’t make them feel like they’re in jail.
If I were the boss, even just for a week, I’d organise a social after work with food, drink and chit-chat.  We would all have fun together on a Phusa (happy hour) Friday, even if you don’t drink you’ll be high on life and motivated to see your colleagues on the following Monday.
If I were the boss, even just for a month, I’d decrease the pressure and be cool, I’d let them set their own rules as long as they work well, and then get paid well.
If I were the boss, even just for a year, I’d organise some outings twice or thrice a year to build the staff morale and get to know my staff better.
But I’m not the boss, so I can’t be a pain in one’s ass, except for my interns. I can’t make decisions that can change people’s lives in a major way, but with the little I do I try to make a difference.
Someday I’ll be a better boss; someday I will make a difference in the life of my subordinates. Till that day I will press on climbing the corporate ladder to be not only the boss, but a great leader.

Two people come out of a building and into a story

Two people come out of a building and into a story that will change the rest of their lives. The entry into the building was to test the couple for their HIV status, which they had been putting off for a while. They have left the building and entered into a life of taking anti-retrovirals, testing their CD-4 count and a broken relationship. These two have entered into the story of not trusting each other and despising each other, they will no longer be the same again.

The story goes back to when the couple met at University.  They were interested in each other but were both in serious relationships.  Eventually one day they met again at a party where, under the influence of alcohol managed to get together and since that day were inseparable.  Even though they were seeing each other they were involved in promiscuous acts outside their relationship, especially when intoxicated.    One day a friend of theirs was admitted into hospital with serious complications, where he was tested for HIV/AIDS and the results came out positive.  When they heard this, they decided to go for a test as well.  That was the start of their misery as they were faced with this new life changing episode.

This is the story of many South Africans, make sure you are not one of them.

The South African moral fiber in ruins

Morals are the centre of every culture and every belief system. A community without any morals and standards is bound to be an ill fested hive filled with no respect and a bleak future for the youth.  The importance of morals and ethics dates back to the biblical times of Sodom and Gomorrah, where people lost their moral scruples through drunken behaviour, fornication and promiscuous behaviour.

Our society today is not far from that of Sodom and Gomorrah, teenagers are drinking, living recklessly and becoming  irresponsible mothers and fathers at a young age. I have noted earlier this year that Mavalani Secondary  School in Limpopo reported that 50 students became mothers in 2010. Girls as young as 13 are drinking alcoholic beverages, partying and partaking in casual sex with multiple partners.  A report given by the Education Department stipulates that an increased number of learners are having children in High Schools.  The girls are also having relationships with older men also known as “sugar daddies” in order for them to afford a lavish life of partying, smart dressing and keeping their hair trendy and smart.

This year, there are 27 children pregnant at Mavalani Secondary School and the pupils don’t feel ashamed of the phenomena. When the principal of the school publicly spoke out against this behaviour, the learners at the school rioted against the teachers and principal and made the school ungovernable for more than a week. The scholars with babies receive grants and take off when the government grant is paid out. The big question is what are the parents doing about teaching their children how to behave at home? What measures have they put in place to ensure that these children use condoms and contraceptives if they allow them to partake in sexual intercourse?  Our moral fiber should come from parents who are examples and the parents in this region have failed to do this.

Designer PR?

McDonalds, Coco-Cola, Apple, Nike and various others are powerful brands well recognized just by the sheer sight of their emblems, tag-lines or communication materials.  These brands are made powerful because of the use of good public relations strategies and design that complements the strategy.

A powerful brand exists because of the 5 P’s of marketing which are people, places, products, price and promotion. The combination of these 5 P’s requires a PR practitioner to have a design perspective in mind in order to meet the 5 P’s efficiently.  The function of PR is meant to provide organisations with maximum exposure to their audiences using topics and attracting factors of public interest. Therefore this requires PR practitioners to think with two thinking caps those of a designer and publicist. The design perspective of a product is a powerful communication tool.  There is an emerging theme that is developing around Designer PR strategies which uses the application of  psychological theories of impression management. PR practitioners should therefore be design savvy in order to reach their audience effectively.

I am…....

I am a man, strong and masculine, bold and mature, striking and aspiring.  I need no approval, because I am the son of a mighty warrior and powerful courageous woman. 

I am the great grandson of abaThembu, the great Kings of the south known as  Mthirharha, Ngangelizwe, Dalindyebo, Joyi, Jumba, Sabatha, Buyelekhaya and Nelson Mandela who have brought me the freedom of being myself. I am the future, I don’t let fear stop me or obstruct me from getting what I want or yearn. I am focused, balanced just like a mountain that stands firm in the storm.

I am a child of the African soil, where all civilization originated.  I owe my being to the Indians, Chinese, British and Dutch settlers who brought their skills to shape my future. Today I stand tall as a child of Africa, ready to take what is mine and be written in the history books as a victor.

To be coconut or not to be coconut

A coconut is a term used for a black person who acts and speaks like a white person.  It is described as a person who is white inside and black outside in terms of thoughts, beliefs and cultural practices. 

 It is an advantage for black youth to be familiar and learn from the western ways and cultural beliefs, especially for a developing country such as South Africa. The majority of people before 1994 did not have the privilege of going to multiracial schools where they are exposed to different cultures. Democracy therefore has brought a great privilege to black South Africans because they may equally compete with their white counterparts and learn from them. I am however against the idea that people should throw away their own cultural systems and beliefs because of the dominating western cultures and systems of the western ways they have learnt.

Being inactive in African cultural beliefs and practices is a sign of losing one’s identity and cultural history. Therefore, combining African teachings and balancing it out with other cultural practices, is a more lucrative way of keeping one’s own identity. 

Is culture always right

I am disturbed by the notion that culture should be an excuse for people’s actions when it comes to moral decisions. My thoughts are around the likes of President Jacob Zuma and King Mswati of Swaziland who practice polygamy as part of their culture.

The two polygamists are leaders of nations with soaring HIV/AIDS rates and a serious moral decay in their respective youths and communities. It is the responsibility of leaders and role models to be examples to their followers in order to build an equitable society.

 Currently in South Africa 1 in 5 people are HIV positive. This epidemic requires leaders to make decisions that assist the country in fighting the disease through reinforcing and encouraging messages in order for people to practice good morals and principles. With this in mind, it is difficult for leaders such as President Zuma to speak out on issues such as abstinence, condom use and multiple concurrent partners the one partner campaigns promoted by the Department of Health.  Having consciously slept with an HIV positive person ,young enough to be his daughter and also continuing to add the number of wives, he( Jacob Zuma) has set off alarm bells in that cultural beliefs should not be just carried out without clear thought and scrutiny.

Playing the cultural card is a dangerous game especially when ones personal cultural beliefs don’t evolve to complement modern lifestyle and morals. Someone else may also say it is in my culture that women are expected to brood and stay in the kitchen all day to cook, but I would be infringing on people’s constitutional rights.