|
Friday, 27 August 2010 13:51 |
|
- Dan, let's get something clear... Bongani Maloyi, DA Midvaal Ward Councillor, writes:
I utterly disagree with the letter written by ANC Midvaal secretary Dan Monoeli. This letter is a classic example of misrepresentation of facts with the intention to downplay the achievements of our award-winning municipality.
In fact, the quality of life survey award means that the poorest of the poor residents in DA Midvaal have a far better chance of getting employment in Midvaal, whereas the same can't be said in ANC governed municipalities such as Emfuleni, with a shocking unemployment rate of 59%.
With such a high rate of unemployment, don't you think that it is highly probable that the unemployed African man who resides in Emfuleni would turn to crime?
With this increasing crime rate, don't you think that it will negatively affect investor confidence in Emfuleni? I would advise you and your elitist party to applaud and learn from Midvaal, then shift your focus from looting state resources (R480 000 spent by Sedibeng District on world cup tickets, travel and accommodation to Durban and Port Elizabeth). - No money for increase? Nonsense! Patrick Sindane, Radical Youth Network SA member, writes:
Currently South African schools are producing learners whom are referred to as "non-university" material. They simply pass and that's it!
This year will not be any different. Not so long ago, learners were glued to their television sets because of the World Cup and now they are all over the streets due to the public sector strike! I am by no means challenging the strike - public servants have a right to strike too. Imagine a country where a teacher and doctors still can't afford to buy a simple house.
Our government failed both the teachers and the learners. Where are the 2010 FIFA World Cup profits? It is not like our government was not aware that the strike was looming.
We cannot be told that there's no money to reach 8.5% increase. The money was not there, but it was found for the World Cup.
The time has come for our leaders to have priorities, pay teachers and save the future of our children!
- No sympathy for the 'underpaid'
Afrika Katze from Sharpeville writes:
Too much negative stuff is happening in our country. The level of crime, particularly violent crime against women and children, has reached crisis proportions.
In addition to this there is corruption, racism, xenophobia and currently we are witnessing what shall definitely go down our collective memory as one of the most irresponsible, self-defeating and unmitigated stupid acts of union militancy.
The spectre of striking workers intimidating and assaulting their non-striking colleagues and reports of babies dying in hospitals as a result of being abandonment by medical staff is just too much to countenance, no matter how strong one identifies with the plight of underpaid yet overworked public servants.
Surely for an "educator" to just barge into an exam room, sjambokking colleagues and learners alike with the intention of disrupting the exam process is reason enough for the entire public to withdraw our sympathy to the objectives of the public service strike action.
- This is how government has failed you, Ward 27 An anonymous reader writes:
It is my wish to take this community back in reminding them about issues that this ward have being failed by the ruling party to address:
1. Boikhethelo which is now called Boitumelo Secondary hasn't being completed yet.
2. Hector Peterson Block is still unattended even after approaching Emfuleni and Sedibeng council, as well as the presidency hotline.
3. Our community development worker seems not to share interest of community development by political mobilisation as the secretary of the SACP in Ward 27 does.
4. Failure to address the issue of a closed public health clinic as a number of deaths will go on record because people are unable to access their treatment from the nearest facility even after various submissions done by the DA to address this.
With the current unemployment, teenage pregnancy and learners dropping out from school, it clearly shows that the ANC does not have a plan to deal with the above-mentioned issues. Surely Ward 27 needs an alternative government with an academic ward councillor who has qualities to lead our ward into new heights. This can be achieved by voting for the DA. - Let's rather defend democracy... Motsomi D. Morake from the ANC Ward 14 writes:
Let me sadly correct the misdirected preoccupations surrounding courts of law being used as a last resort to resolve political squabbles.
First, as ANC members it must be drummed into our heads that all the laws of the land and their application belong to us.
This is because we once had the power to do as we please with these laws and institutions. Thus, unless we regret what we have built, we have no reason to be intimidated by jurisprudencial experts and courts.
It will be a cold day in hell if we allow comrades to be expelled for resorting to courts to sober up alleged abuse of power and corruption by self-serving leaders.
Secondly, even if we legislate as such, when power is misused and the law of the party is mismanaged, legal recourse will forever be appealing. Rather than sounding like we are Hitler's and Gaddafi's lieutenants, wanting to censor and dictate social thoughts, we should worry more about defending what courts and judges represent - the democratic gains many have died for. - Please let their tears be geniune... Thobinceba Thulani Mayekiso from Bedworth Park writes:
Three tragic events within a short space of time has made South Africans witness high profile politicians weeping in public and one hopes they were shedding genuine tears of sorrow.
From the president, to the MEC of Social Development in Gauteng, to the national police commissioner. I am driven to write this piece mainly as a result of the Heidelberg old age home where almost 20 elderly people were killed by a devastating fire.
This epitomises what can horribly go wrong if powers-that-be keep ignoring the lone voices of concerned people from the ground about the terrible situation under which some of the old people are kept in many of these old age homes.
All I am saying is that people on the ground are ignored when they raise these issues and only when catastrophic events like the Heidelberg fire happen is it that everybody sits up and notices.
There is everything wrong: injustice and physical abuse is going on in many old age homes here in the Vaal with the Department of Health (Kopanong Hospital in particular) and the Department of Social Services (at least individuals) fully aware.
I have written a letter to this effect to the ministry of women, children and people with disabilities, due to a concern about no less than three old age homes in the Vaal that treat old people shabbily with everybody turning a blind eye. I am still waiting for a response or an update as to what steps were taken or still to be taken about all the matters raised.
Our elderly people deserve better. For every politician crying publicly for gross violation of human rights, there is a thousand more ordinary people who go to bed with painful hearts and unhappy souls because no one listen to them raising the alarm bells of elderly peoples' abuse. |
|
Thursday, 19 August 2010 16:35 |
|
- We are struggling artists in prison Bongani Mthembu from Groenpunt Maximum Prison writes:
On behalf of all inmates who chose entertainment as part of their lives, please help us to plough back to our communities.
As an artist myself, I humbly plead with society to support local theatres and artists so that inmates can have the courage to pursue the career of their choice. We as inmates need people from local and national theatres to come and teach us more so that we became real actors and artists. We have a lot of talent, but because there is no exposure we become nothing at the end of the day.
I'm directing a play called "Crime Does Not Pay" and I dedicate it to the youth. I aim with it to emphasise that we need the community to partake in the rehabilitation process of offenders.
- Women, we love you
Nyakallo Tshabalala from Groenpunt Maximum Prison writes
This Women's Month I show my gratitude to all the women of the world. The world without them will be a cold and malnourished place.
Honestly, their existence should be celebrated on a daily basis since they are the true pillars of life. In our country, they say that, if you strike a woman you strike a rock. This is because of their ability to overcome a diversity of situations
I want to encourage women to start taking control of situations, as it is in their nature to be teachers and advisors of nations. May they each realise their importance in the world and come to control with their true values in life. Respect begins in a woman.
Make August 9 a deserved holiday for all women!
- Your health is important to us
DA constituency chair and Provincial council Member Sol Tshabalala writes:
Access to quality health care is essential to a functioning democracy. It was disturbing to read in one of the national newspapers that a patient pulled a gun on nurses for him to get a treatment.
On the other hand our government is attempting to introduce a national health insurance scheme that will make it even more difficult for all South Africans to obtain quality health care.
The proposed NHI ignores the key problems, which affect the ability of both private and public sectors of wasteful government administration and to serve as opportunities for political cronyism, while till not delivering enough doctors and nurses for basic health care.
The DA has resolved to fight for the proper administration of the Department of Health to ensure better service delivery for all South Africans and lobby for the management of hospitals to be improved, with properly qualified and appropriately experienced administrators.
- Sedibeng, this is how your money's being spent
Marti Wenger, Sedibeng expenditure, writes:
As you are well aware, the residents of Sedibeng have been demonstrating against the lack of delivery in many of our townships.
With this in mind, I must voice my utter amazement and disgust that the Sedibeng District Mayor, his partner and three other members of his mayoral committee and their partners have spent R480 000 on world cup tickets, travel and accommodation to Durban and Port Elizabeth. We can argue the point as much as we like, but the fact remains that taxpayers money has been used on such lavish excursions.
Could the Mayor and his entourage not watch a match at Soccer City and pay for their own tickets? This would have saved the Sedibeng District Municipality R480 000 which could have been used towards improving the lives of our citizens or that of our orphans who are in dire need of financial assistance.
- Let us live our lives, friends!
Masia J Mofokeng from Groenpunt Maximum Prison writes:
Some people say that life is a burden, but to me life's a journey. But it's very unfortunate that not all of us will reach our destiny in this journey of life.
The thing that I have realised in life is that many of us fail to admit our failure and continue doing things from which we should have already learned. We can come from nowhere but end up somewhere only because of aspirations we have for radical changes in our families and our lives.
Lastly, let's dig the well before we are thirsty and lets prepare our future in the present moment we must never forget that opportunity only comes knocking but once in our lives. - What about us? Makguwe writes:
This comminique serves as a note to the Progressive Youth Alliance at the North West University Vaal Campus.
The question that arises and remain articulately clear is: Why has the PYA failed to call the Student Consultative Meeting outside the parameters of students' residence, probably at the main hall of the University?
This is primarily to accomodate non-residential students. The other matters that needs the PYA's in-depth analysis is the Cum Laude Awards, which as a trend are seen to be awarded only to white students during the university graduation ceremonies.
Does the status quo imply that the PYA-led SRC is unable to address the challenge of academic transformation or do they feel that they do not have the capacity to tackle the matter? Can any of the SRC fat Cats account? - Get out, foreigners! Teboho Thinane from Zone13 writes:
As a concerned community member about foreigners (especially Pakistanis) who open their stores everywhere, I say they act as if they own South Africa.
The worst part is that they do not give back to the community. They do not hire community members, not even one per shop. Their money is not even taxed. I say these Foreigners should GO!
- Midval: Apartheid reinvented
Makguwe Moeketsi, treasurer of the ANC DK Khunou Branch, writes:
One cannot help but be flabbergasted by the state of affairs that consistently unfold at the Midvaal Municipality.
The municipality, under Democratic Alliance, is reminiscent of the hey-days of Apartheid, where black people were subjected to forceful removals on the settled and vacant lands.
A recent media statement by the DA Emfuleni Ward Coordinator that Midvaal is a superlatively administered municipality is a fallacy, a myth and a pure distortion of authenticity of specifics, and unorthodox allusion.
Firstly, in the recent months black people were cogently and lucidly removed by the Red Ants in the land of their birth. Secondly, the DA Mayor and Municipal Manager in Midvaal are blatant topological dreamers who have resuscitated the 1913 Segregation Policies that gave them panorama to dexterously employ only their acquaintances, relatives and members and cronies of DA, whilst disciplined cadres and supporters of the ANC are tossed into the puddle of poverty and unemployment.
Thirdly, black municipal workers are deprived of managerial promotions and subjected to unskilled and semi-skilled positions.
Is this the kind of Municipality that is administered faultlessly and perfectly? |
|
|
Friday, 13 August 2010 13:41 |
|
- Mayor, your pledge to the community you lead starts here Makguwe Moeketsi from the North West University's Vaal Campus writes:
This is an open letter of humanitarian to Sedibeng District Municipality Executive Mayor, Mahole Mofokeng.
The letter is informed by the Vaal Weekly's publication titled: "Tales from the underbelly." July has been affirmed as Humanitarian and August as Women's Month.
Ipso facto, the mayor has vowed to consult and assist in empowering Sedibeng in any facet through the recent Mayoral Imbizo. It is on these bases that this communiqué is invigorated.
The appeal is for the mayor to utilise his abundant resources in collaboration with the Department of Housing and business sector to build an appropriate house with full furniture for the Moloi-family from Kanana and ensure that the daughter who squashed the elderly Moloi pension is brought to account.
The aged Jermina Moloi and many women of our country are pedestals of our liberation against the totalitarianism of apartheid. No women should suffer of injustice of oppression and poverty in 2010.
This letter appeals to the mayor to apply transcendentalism by dealing unsympathetically over the topsy-turvy irregularities and sluggishness of staff and social workers of the Social Department, who are usually been spotted implicated in love triangles with government vehicles.
The Freedom Charter dictates the terms of reference: people shall have the right to proper housing. As we advance to the 2011 Local Government polls, the ANC cannot afford to be linked to this scandalous humiliation, perpetuated by the immoral and dissipate servile servant who are impolite and disregard the execution of their duties. - Stop the violence against women! Patrick "Patra" Sindane from the Radical Youth Network ibn South Africa writes:
August 9 was Women's Day and August is dedicated to all our women. However, the majority of women in South Africa and the rest of the world have little to celebrate.
While those with money will be in expensive restaurants and driving their luxury cars, women in informal settlements like Boiketlong and rural areas like the Eastern Cape will be walking long distances in search of drinking water!
It is so painful because before the end of this month, the media would have reported many of the sad stories of the continuing violence against women. I am calling on all men to be real men! Let's love, respect and protect our women!
What kind of a man beats up and kills a defenceless woman in front of her children? A person who can only cry and scream for help? Though we still celebrate Women's Month, let us accept that a lot still needs to be done in terms of empowering women socially, politically and economically.
When our women marched to the Union Building in 1956, they were not only against the pass laws, but also the broader abuse against them. A real man will answer to the call and make a difference today.
- Let the ANC pay for their sins
Afrika Katze from Sharpeville writes:
It would seem that the only time that the ANC and its alliance partners seem to agree on anything is when they gang together to commit some of other kind of repugnant act.
The proposed media appeal tribunal provides sufficient basis for this conclusion. Instead of making a special anti-corruption and misadministration appeal to all and sundry, particularly its ill-disciplined cadres who have been justifiably accused of dipping their dirty hands in the cookie jar, the Alliance has resorted to finding fault and initiating battles with everything and anyone who dares to expose those implicated in corrupt activities.
Imposing draconian laws on the Forth Estate will of course intimidate journalists from executing their functions without fear nor favour. I hope the electorate will punish the ANC-led alliance in the forthcoming local government elections for its 16 years of incompetence, misrule and sheer contempt for our democratic institutions and the constitution. - 'We condemn corruption' - ANC Motsomi D. Morake, ANC Ward14 Sharpeville's Media and Publicity Officer writes:
The issue of corruption by government and state bureaucrats is disturbing. It must be clear to all that as the ruling party, we do not condone such nefarious criminal acts.
As a mark of respect to South Africans, we should come out boldly and state the truth, no matter how unpalatable it may sound.
That in line with universal practices, deployment is here to stay. In the same vein, there will also be concerted efforts to deal with corrupt elements within our midst and improve measures towards objectives of the national democratic revolution.
There is evidence that some of the efforts in dealing with corruption are bearing fruit. The Selebi case is a procedural case in point.
Those political drama queens who perpetually question the application of strategic cadre deployment are hypocrites, because they apply it in small pockets where democratic elections gave them space to operate.
In a strategic place, it will be implemented whilst being fine-tuned. Like the former president Thabo Mbeki, deployees should remember how they acquired those positions.
It must also be highlighted that allegations of wrongdoings have to be validated for corrective actions to be applied. Merely suspecting and crying corruption will not lead to expulsions just to appease complainants. - Please don't use colour as an excuse? Simon Nkosi, Emfuleni DA Ward Coordinator, writes:
M.PP (B9), you hate the colour white, but do not put DA on it. Do you think that school uniforms will make our education any better? Maybe you think that God has something against black people for not including the colour black in the rainbow.
The DA represents true diversity within SA politics and the true power of DA is within its people. If you want to judge the DA, judge it on service delivery. And let me help you with that, starting with the Western Cape: when other provinces lose the fight of creating jobs, the Western Cape won.
Come close to home, the best run municipality in Gauteng is Midvaal. If you don't believe me, ask the premier of Gauteng.
I don't know what yardstick you use to judge a person, but please don't use colour of his skin. - Teachers' strike? What nonsense! Nkopane Lazarus, the Emfuleni North Youth Constituency Deputy Chair, writes:
It is disgraceful to observe teachers being influenced by unions to embark on this massive strike action.
The motto of unions is to protect workers from being exploited by employees and to ensure that all employees are fully compliant with labour regulations, as they also they need to serve as a mediator between the employer and employees.
It is irresponsible for unions to encourage teachers to embark on a strike action after so much time was wasted during the World Cup. We as the Democratic Alliance Youth stand to support teaching and learning. There is no better time than now for teachers to start producing good results.
We have condemned this strike during our education campaign when we called for teachers not to strike this year, as we needed to see time being spent in classrooms.
It is clear to us that the unions' mandate has only realised in salary increase strikes and nothing else. Teachers must begin to exercise their level of education and start taking responsible decisions of educating and grooming future leaders. |
|
Sunday, 08 August 2010 20:00 |
|
- A message to the ladies Bulle P. Dam, a Women's Month organiser, writes:
Being a woman is the most amazing gift I know and I believe that as women we are able to bring life to the world.
God made women so that we can give life to princes and princesses. I as a woman know that we are special and I must say that a world without women is a disaster. I believe that being supportive to each other also gives us the courage to stand up for ourselves
I am proud and also pray that God protect each and every women from the beginning of this coming Women's Month.
- It's all in the mind...
Sello J Sebeko from Groenpunt Maximum Prison writes:
No matter what the situation is, the way people perceive it will determine the reality thereof.
We need to work on creating a positive perception and look at things from different perspectives. The critics within us are forever telling us what we can and cannot do.
They are always ready to tell us how useless and incompetent we are, but failure lies is in the mind!
If you believe you cannot do something, then ultimately you won't be able to do anything. Remember, the key to success is to stand up and to try and not give up. Only then will things be okay.
- ELFA meeting? WHAT meeting?
An anonymous Sharpeville reader writes:
I attended Emfuleni Local Football Association meeting this past Sunday and I was disappointed to notice that we are still far behind in running football the way it should be run.
We have team officials from Boipatong, Bophelong, Sharpeville, Sebokeng, Evaton, Vereeniging and Rus-ter-Vaal who left the meeting disappointed as well.
We lack simple basic pillars of project management, i.e. planning and organising. The organisers or the persons who scheduled this meeting had no clue what they were going to talk about.
This I noticed when the "agenda" was made five minutes before the meeting of 10:00 which started 45 minutes later. A poor programme director gave a false apology because some of these officials were not even aware that there is a meeting on that day.
Poor planning and organising will do Sedibeng no good. And where on earth have you heard or seen the one official questioning another of the same organisation just to drive a point home? I nearly put an item on finances, which I was forced to reserve because I noticed that this will adjourn the meeting prematurely.
I don't think the treasurer has prepared one financial statement since he took office four years ago, never mind signing a cheque. The question I am asking myself is how on earth will the region operate if the LFA's are not in good shape? I just hope that the upcoming A.G.M is not a laughing stock...
- Let us build a United States of Africa!
Martin Polite Sibanda from Groenpunt Maximum Prison writes:
We are all Africans despite our different countries of birth. I write this piece of advice to remind our brothers and sisters that we must stop this discrimination against our fellow African brothers and sisters, because if we can be well informed and do our research about the history of SA, we will know that during the struggle against apartheid, most South Africans were welcomed warmly and given homes and shelter all over the African motherland.
But today, because the sun is shining for South Africa, we find reasons to kill, assault, loot and chase away forcefully our fellow Africans and cold bloodedly murder them.
How can we be so cruel? How will our leaders achieve the United States of Africa if we are so greatly divided? Remember that with or without foreigners, jobs will always be scarce.
Tell me, what will happen after you have killed and chased away all the foreigners and you still remain without a job? Are you going to start killing your own?
Brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers - let us fight a good fight against poverty, HIV and AIDS and child and women abuse.
When Mandela walked out of prison and said, "no one shall ever be under the oppression of another" he meant it for everyone. Together we can create the best United States of Africa, but divided we shall continue to fall and fail Africa. - Comrades, what a disgrace! The Sebokeng branch of the ANCYL writes:
What transpired at the conference of the ANCYL recently was a disgrace to the political environment in Sedibeng.
The ultimate failure, thug and political hooligan, Themba Ndaba emerged as chairperson under a big cloud of doubt, with clear vote rigging, intimidation, threats and victimization by the Secretary General of the league, Vuyiswa Tulelo.
This was done to protect the Kingdomship of Jacob Khawe and nothing else. Secondly it was to make sure that Themba keeps his useless position as advisor to the mayor, which the entire region knows is ceremonial. He is not doing anything as he does not possess the capacity, let alone educational muscle to perform his duties effectively.
Comrades must unite to fight this hooliganism in our region, province and nation. We could rather be expelled than watch thugs put our beloved ANC in tatters.
- You vultures should stop exploiting the Boipatong Massacre!
Mzukisi Ronyuza from Boipatong writes:
It is disheartening to see the history of Boipatong plundered by capital. The history that took our struggle to other heights is used as an advertising gimmick by people who want business connections.
Lies have been told about the Boipatong Massacre. Comrades have been pitted against each other. The grief of the Boipatong community as a whole is made a joke. Even to have two events that commemmorated this day shows the extent to which people can go in claiming cheap popularity and glory using sorrows of others.
Of late we lie all the way to the national media. The businessman David Ramela of Dikgabo Di Kopane should come and declare his interest in this matter.
Now there is the Motseki Foundation in tow that started as a beacon of new things to come. If these two entities want to be part of politics or to benefit through politics they should do so without fronting the Boipatong Massacre. Capital accumulation through the sweat and blood of Boipatong should not be left unattended but should be challenged while time is there.
The groceries and drinking trips will never heal the wounds of the whole community of Boipatong. |
|
Letters
