Perceptions vs Reality – SA ‘worst in world?’

HOW DO WE SEE………

HOW DO WE TALK ABOUT………………………..SA?

(or, what is your perception vs the truth?)

by Steuart Pennington

2018 has arrived and there seems to be a fair amount of positive energy out there:

• Cyril is the new President of the ANC, very few erudite commentators got that right, not Peter Bruce, not Mike Schussler, not Alec Hogg, not Clem Sunter! But then, who got Trump right?
• The Rand has strengthened, the JSE has exceeded 60 000 points – again.
• Parliament is debating Impeachment Procedures at the instruction of the Constitutional Court.
• There seems to be some realism regarding University entrance criteria
• The Proteas beat India in a thrilling Test match at Newlands (I recon every cricket enthusiast world-wide must have on his bucket list watching a test at Newlands – how is the Table Mountain backdrop?).

It seems we have a slight up-tick in confidence levels.
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Letter to DA, “Please, in 2018, play the ball, not the man!”​

LETTER to the DA and Mmusi Maimane in particular

Your 2018 Challenge “Play the ball and not the man”

I received this letter from the DA while on holiday:

Fellow South African,

Today’s election of Cyril Ramaphosa as ANC president will change nothing. He has been part of this corrupt government for the past five years, protecting Zuma at every step. His election simply means the corrupt system that is oppressing us will continue.

South Africans must not be fooled into thinking we will see change under Ramaphosa.

It’s time for South Africans to be the CHANGE they want to see in our country. 

Only with your help can we go into 2018 on the strongest possible footing. Only with your help, can we talk to millions more South Africans than ever before, and make sure 2019 is the end of corrupt ANC rule once and for all.

I wrote this in reply

Dear Mr. Maimane,

“Playing the man and not the ball” has always been the DA’s weak point, Helen Zille did it with “Stop Zuma” and Tony Leon with “Muddled Mbeki”.

Hopefully the DA will, in 2018, give South Africans some real choices to think about, some new ideas to contemplate, some policy statements to contrast with those of the ANC – as well as giving Ramaphosa a chance to demonstrate his leadership courage and conviction.
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Columba – Proof of the Pudding?

At the end of last year we published an article on the work of Columba, working on leadership issues in underprivileged schools, here’s a great success story

Columba Leadership Graduate bags 7 distinctions

KZN’s future Actuary Sakhile Njoko and Siyanda Secondary School RCL Secretary bags 7 distinctions.

Sakhile has proved it is possible to beat the odds.

...[read more]

THIS WEEK'S FAST FACT

Gifting: 

According to the 2016 eBucks Rewards Holiday Survey, South African online consumers are willing to spend R1,000 or more on their partners, R250 to R500 on their children and R1,000 or more on themselves. While more than half of respondents indicated that they would buy gifts for their partners, their children and their immediate family, less than a third indicated that they intended to buy a gift for themselves. (Source: www.Eighty20.co.za)