We should compel politicians to use Public Services

It is so ironic that the President of South Africa, Ministers,  Premiers and MEC’s use private hospitals and visit health practitioners overseas instead of going to the public hospitals they run. The government has pumped millions into public hospitals and schools across the country, but they don’t have faith in the same administration they running.

All politicians show a lack of confidence in the hospitals and schools they run and see it as second rate; hence they use private doctors and take their children to private schools. This is disgraceful because politicians are not delivering to the people who voted them in and instead they have moved themselves from the people by becoming so elite that they allow their children to throw parties worth hundreds of thousands of rands while some children do not have shoes to go to school.

The only way for politicians to ensure that the quality of service at public institutions improves is for the people to compel them to use public hospitals and for their children to attend public schools. In order to put  people first as stated in the government Batho Pele principles, government officials need to put their money where their mouth is and take up the challenge of using public institutions.

How hard is it to follow instructions?

Following instructions is the most difficult thing any human can do. Humans go off course every now and then because of personal desires they want to fulfill.  If one is a religious believer they would be expected to follow certain instructions/ law according to their belief. For example if you are a Jew, Christian or Muslim you would be compelled to keep some sort of Ten Commandments as an instruction and as a way to live one’s life. Many people fail in keeping just ten instructions that allow a person to have a balanced life.

Many deaths on the road are caused by people who fail to follow simple instructions like crossing the road at a pedestrian crossing, wearing bright clothes when walking at night, not drinking alcoholic beverages when one is about to drive and not jumping red robots. If we would follow these simple principles there would be far less accidents on the road and many people would have the chance to have longer lives.

If we become more responsible and vigilant of the rights of people around us and not infringe them then it will become easier for us to follow instructions.

my top 5 Julius Malema quotes

The City Press  dedicated most of the paper on July 24 to stories on Julius Malema, I’m  encouraged to write my top 5 Julius Malema quotes:

1. “I’m an ordinary young person who’s grown up here in South Africa, from a township, who has no intention – none whatsoever – to scare people.”

2.  “We are tired of a two-thirds majority. Our aim is a ‘three-thirds’ majority.”

 

      3.  "In the morning, that lady requested breakfast and taxi money. You can't ask for money from somebody who raped you."

      4.  “The future's so bright, you'll need sunglasses.”                                                                       

      5.  “COPE – meaning confusion of the people” – after giving a history lesson on the ‘real’ congress of the people

A skill set called leadership

There seems to be an array of information on leadership. Are they born? Are they made? What skills and qualities do they posses or should they posses?

When I think of great leaders in recent history I think of people such as Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.  It seems to me that these mythological beings did not exactly set out on their journey with the thought of becoming a leader one day but instead wanted to make a difference in their communities.

These and other great leaders possess a great vision.  A vision that is not based on gain for the personal self, but a vision about having an impact on the “bigger picture” of their world or times, having a positive impact on peoples lives. With the commitment to this strong vision in mind, they set to work with the belief of making it happen, no matter what the challenges and risks at stake.

The gift of leadership is a status given to exemplary individuals and is not something that can be accomplished through acquiring a University degree.

According to what-are-good-leadership-skills.com there are ten basic skills that outstanding leaders need to posses. These comprise of integrity, vision/strategy, communication, relationship, persuasion, adaptability, teamwork, coaching and development, decision-making and planning.

I think a critical skill that leaders need to have is to be people centred. A leader can’t be an effective leader if he or she doesn’t have the confidence of the people.

Wild life ends in tragedy

Amy Winehouse a musician who was well known for her promiscuous lifestyle died this weekend at the tender age of 27. My sympathy goes out to the family, friends and fans of this artist, but this sudden death should come as no surprise because her lifestyle was well known through her music. Her song “they tried to make me go to rehab, I said, "No, no, no" Yes, I've been black but when I come back you'll know, know, know I ain't got the time and if my daddy thinks I'm fine He's tried to make me go to rehab, I won't go, go, go” is a clear indication that Winehouse was really troubled.

It is scary that millions of people looked up to Winehouse as a role model and many children today might be lost in their morals because they think Winehouse’s songs and lifestyle was a good example. It is sad how both children and adults sing along to some song lyrics without undertstanding the history and meaning of the song.

I am sure many people sing the Lady Gaga song Judas.  A verse in the song goes “In the most Biblical sense, I am beyond repentance Fame hooker, prostitute wench vomits her mind But in the cultural sense I just speak in future tense Judas, kiss me if offenced, Or wear ear condom next time.”

It is important for us to understand what we sing about, because if we not we might be just as lost as some musicians.

Andy Warhol said, “In the future everybody will be world famous for fifteen minutes.” You can’t choose the 15 minutes but why would you be world famous?

Andy Warhol said, “In the future everybody will be world famous for fifteen minutes.” You can’t choose the 15 minutes but why would you be world famous? Social media is taking the world by storm; through the use of social media anyone can be famous. Social media allows each and everyone to use their talent to put touch other people thousands of miles away. Blogging has merge as one of the most powerful tool to communicate one’s ideas and opinion, the technology of blogging given people the platform where one can market him or herself as a brand to the world.

Our 15 minutes of fame is not always on the traditional television or radio show, but can be in various ways such as walking up the stage at graduation with everyone applauding to congratulate you. One can also tweet or add their graduation pictures on facebook, which can be accessed by millions across the world.