How Valuable is Shoprite’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Policy?

Does Shoprite positively contribute to the environment and the socio-economic wellbeing of the societies it trades in?

Shoprite Group is by far the biggest business unity which caters for middle to lower-income consumers (Shoprite Annual Report. 2007:6; Shoprite Annual Report. 2010:18). Africa’s largest store has more than 1068 corporate and 275 franchise outlets in 17 countries across Africa, the Indian Ocean Islands and southern Asia. The Group is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange and also has secondary listings on both the Namibian and Zambian stock exchanges.

According to (Shoprite Annual Report. 2010:32 & 50) Shoprite is very much aware of its role as a business operating in a society. The Group takes its sustainability aspect as a core element of its corporate governance. The Group also clearly realises that strategically managing sustainability-correlated issues adds value to the long-term success of the business. (Shoprite Annual Report. 2009) stipulates that Shoprite perceives itself as a responsible corporate citizen that continuously contributes to the wellbeing of the communities in which it operates. However, the Group acknowledges that other vital essentials such as increasing aid to a wide range of stakeholders, dropping the negative effects that its operations has on the environment and communities etc needs to be reconsidered if the business is to continue managing its operations wholly and sustainably (Shoprite Annual Report. 2010:32). It is clear that Shoprite’s core target audience in its corporate social investment (CSI) is specifically women, children and senior citizens. This can be seen from a number of CSI programmes the Group has implemented and continuously manage (Shoprite Annual Report. 2009:36; Shoprite Annual Report. 2010:50).

Moreover, the Group knows the power of CSR and therefore, its long-term capability on the business. (Shoprite Annual Report. 2010:50-51) asserts, it is for this reason that the Group has put in place an auditing strategy and risk committee that manages sustainability governance and reviews all risks on a continuous basis. Particular CSR matters are tackled by the respective members of top management. Under the CSR policy, the Group also states how it will partner with other governmental and non-governmental entities to ensure social development and security. Most importantly, the Group’s CSR report covers not only its community involvement policy but includes reports on economic contribution, employees, products, customers, suppliers, biophysical environment and the Global reporting Initiative (GRI) content index (Shoprite Annual Report. 2010:32-51.

Shoprite is explicit in its sustainability report on South Africa, although, it is evident that Shoprite poses doubts in the manner in which it handles CSR reports in other countries in Africa. In the report titled “Report Punches Holes on Shoprite’s CSR Sustainability Report” (Newman, 2009) revealed that the Group did not report on any CSI projects in any of the countries in the SADC region. It is noted that CSR is largely focused on South Africa alone which made other countries feel mistreated. The 2010 Shoprite’s Annual Report is its own proof as indeed, it does not have a section/s for CSR reports on other countries but South Africa (Shoprite Annual Report. 2010). Miller (2008:36); Quo Vadis Communications (2009) concurs that Shoprite was not only seen as irresponsible but as an enemy to the Zambian local supermarkets and farmers because it robbed them of their livelihoods. In this report it is claimed that Shoprite did not buy local farmers’ vegetables but imported them from South Africa and on top of it attracted more people in the market.

Besides, Muneku (2003:85) revealed that Shoprite’s community involvement was restricted in Zambia and that its SI policy was controlled from the head office. This could be the reason for limitations in being socially responsible as all decisions are made by people who far away from the communities in which their business operates. In the current study, Mawson (2010) supports that Shoprite did not give back to the local economies as it did not promote local economic development, therefore, underpaid staff and did not report on CSR but notes that the Group was up-to-date with its HIV/AIDS projects in Malawi, Swaziland and Zambia.

Shoprite should not be partial in reporting on its CSR but should ensure that information is made available about all its CSI activities in every community it operates. Shoprite should regard all societies it operates in with equal value as failure to do so may lead the business’ fall. Shoprite should also adhere to King ll reporting on corporate governance to meet the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and therefore, to be globally and socially accepted.

...Watch this space...

Next year is my year of drama and prosperity, God willing, I intend to change the way I live and the way I do certain things. Just watch this space, I promise you my image will not be the same come January 2011. I plan to be extra fashionable in the way I address as the world is changing at a rather faster pace. Another alteration will be on the perception I have on men, I mean all men. I intend to be more flexible to allow men to also have a say on decisions I make, be it on a social or corporate level.

Besides, keep on watching this space because I am definitely getting what I want in the shortest possible time and of course it is something that I will cherish very much and therefore, I mean to share the joy of having it with the whole world, I mean with those who know me. As a woman of virtue, I hold the power to get what I want with on doubt or fear. I am not going to say it now for it is a huge surprise and if I did you will watch this space no more. So, hang in there and watch this space.

Do you really know what you don’t like?

Why do people say? “I don’t like this thing or him/her.” It is amazing how people in today’s society have become so judgemental. People decide to like or not to like even before they get to know how good the particular thing or person is. Many are the times when people say, “I don’t like Martha,” when asked the reason for not liking Martha, the answer is “I just don’t like her.” I mean, there is no sense in having preferences even before a person knows what could benefit him/her. In many cases we find that the person, who is disliked for no reason, is the same person that helps his/her hater.

Moreover, people put themselves in a position of being naïve because they refuse to know or do things for the first time to know if they like or don’t like those things. During my work at one of the well known restaurant and wine bar in Cape Town, I knew a lady who never wanted to test sea food for no apparent reason. However, one day she was manipulated into eating prawns and only then did she know the wonderful taste of prawns. Today, that woman finds joy in eating various sorts of sea food such as sushi, mussels, and calamari and so on. It is therefore, wise to first try out something to see if it can be liked and thereafter, decide.

My Favourite Cat in the Hat book is Daisy-Head Mayzie

I believe Daisy-Head Mayzie is the funniest and craziest book in Dr Seuss’ the Cat in the Hat series. This book is about a girl called Mayzie had the fortune or misfortune of a daisy sprouting on top of her head. The funniest part is when one of Mayzie’s class mates shouted in shock to the teacher, “Daisy-Head Mayzie! She’s bursting in bloom.” Well, reading this book means that you are in for a laugh-out-loud all the way through to the end.

Things that people can never imagine happen in our societies today. Who could ever imagine a daisy growing on the head of a person? Of course no one but actually strange things happen, things that not even the so called intellectuals can understand. In other words, being educated does not mean that one has answers to everything. As we saw in this book, the principal at Mayzie’s school who is well known for his abundant knowledge about everything could not find an answer to why a daisy was growing on top of Mayzie’s head; instead, he went on a mission to research about daisies and where they ought to grow. However, what the principal did not realise was that the poor girl’s problem required immediate action and not a long study.

It is also surprising how people always want to capitalise on other people’s misfortunes. Besides the principal’s quest for a study, politicians, researchers and agents wanted to take advantage of the phenomenon.

It is also clear that people always dream of fame, as an agent called Fingale manipulated Mayzie into becoming the most popular in the land to which she accepted despite her parents’ disapproval. To mayzie, this was the greatest moment of her life that she did not realise the negative impact her fame and fortune could have on her. Mayzie went on to sign the contract with the agent. Oh yes! She became famous but at the same time lost family and friends. She felt hated by everyone and therefore, did not enjoy the money or the high status she now possessed. However, funny and crazy the book may sound, there is a lesson to learn and thus, there is no happiness in fame and riches if family and friends are not there to support you.

A Corporate Communication Strategy: What is it? What’s the Value?

A corporate communication strategy is a strategic document that helps an organisation to focus and have direction in communicating to its various stakeholders. To strategically manage an organisation and contribute to its success, effective corporate communication is vital as it binds communication objectives and organisational goals. In addition, the effectiveness of organisational communication is only backed by a corporate communication strategy (Steyn, 2000:12). Moreover, the communication strategy connects the corporate communication role with all other organisational strategies such as enterprise, corporate and business. Steyn and Puth (2000:52-53) defines the communication strategy as the spinal cord for every business as it directs the company to achieve its desired future state (DFS).

A corporate communication strategy is vital for any organisation’s survival. Steyn (2007:140) argue that having a corporate communication strategy in place, puts a company in a position where it continuously scans the environment, so that it can be aware of societal uncertainties and therefore, capitalise on that to build strategic relationships with its stakeholders. The communication strategy puts organisations in a state of being proactive rather than reactive, organisations plan stakeholder relationship, cost reduction, reputation management and revenue generation. In addition, a communication strategy gives the organisation direction and therefore, to focus on its mission and vision statements, this ensures that the primary objective of the organisation is reached (Heath, 2007:43); (Huang, 2007:250); (Steyn, 2007:159).

True Leadership

Today’s world focuses on what people/organisations can get from others and not what they can give to others and therefore, it is crucial that an aspiring leader serve others to be accepted. However, the process of serving others has to be sustainable for as long as that particular leader is in leadership. Leadership is a choice not a position says Steven Covey author of the best selling book “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”. Covey further stipulates that true leadership does not only transform and accomplish goals within the environment but also ensures that the participating people are as well changed for the better. Great leadership comes out of those people whose most important motivation is to serve others. It is for this reason that Spears (2004:7-11) inspired by Robert Greenleaf says that an excellent leader is first experienced as a servant to others.

It is also understood that to be an effective leader qualities of servant-leadership comes first, however, transactional style should not be left out as some followers take their leaders for granted and hence, do not act as expected. It is important to note that leadership either personal or in the corporate world is not a status but one chooses to be a leader. It is for this reason that a leader should be self-motivated and be able to go an extra mile in serving others. Doing so will make the leader to excel because he/she will attract many followers.

A General Brief perception of the 2007-2009 Global Financial Crisis

The 2007-2009 global financial crisis has been described as the worst blow ever, since the end of the world war two. Even the famous investors such as George Soros an American businessman articulated that nothing worse than the recent financial crisis has happened since the Great Depression (Protiviti. 2008:5). According to (Malinda, 2009) the financial crisis has pressed on the world economy which has caused a major influence on trade and cost of living within developed and developing nations. (Brinkman et al. 2010:1535-1615) argue that the direct force that the crisis has had on the world economy has resulted in sever hunger in third world countries, where Africa is not an exception. (McCord, 2010:31-45) concur with (Brinkman et al. 2010:1535-1615) on the notion that the financial crisis has had negative consequences on the poor in the developing nations.

(Steyn, 2010:12) contends that in South Africa, Africa’s biggest economy (Anon. 2010:13) consumers were still struggling to get themselves out of the financial crisis regardless of the 5.5 percent cuts in the interest rates. It is also due to unemployment as a result of recession says economist Kevin Lings (Bisseker, 2010:52). Although, according to (McNulty, 2010:34 & 36) Pravin Gordhan, South Africa’s minister of finance said “SA has “done well” to shorten its recession […] SA has made big strides in easing growth constraints – the fiscal deficit has been reduced from 7.3% and the revenue picture is “a lot more positive.” Overall, the crisis has left a negative impact on South Africa and the world at large.

Situational Theory of Publics: A PR Perspective

In market segmentation, people can be identified and classified according to the time they take to recognise an issue facing them. They can also be identified & categorised according to how far they go in acting or reacting to issues.

The theory was developed by the PR veteran Prof. James E. Grunig at the University of Maryland. To date it is a well-tested theory which also makes part of the excellence theory. The theory is credited by PR scholars as being the first “deep theory” in the PR field.

The theory aims at putting messages across at the right time and to the right audience, it is for this reason that PR managers should strive at adding value to an organisation and contribute to its success by using cost effective means (Situational Theory Techniques) when putting messages across.

The theory consists of independent & dependent key concepts called variables (these variables changing from one person to another). They were formed to predict communication behaviour, attitude change and behaviour change (Grunig, 1978 & others). For example Problem recognition variable predicts the stage at which a person recognises the problem facing him/her. Besides, Constraint recognition variable tells the stage at which a person recognises the factors beyond his/her control that could prevent him/her from behaving/acting in a certain way. While Level of involvement variable measure of how personally and emotionally a person is attached to a certain problem

A good example of an issue that can be used to further explain the paragraphs is the recent South African public servants’ strike. During the protests PR practitioners and the media divided people in different groups according to the variables above so as to find out how various groups reacted to the strike in order to send out messages that suited each respective audience. By so doing communicators knew what level of knowledge that various affected publics had about the strike and therefore, they were able to identify what to communicate, who to communicate to, the language to use, mediums to apply and of course when and how to put the messages across to make an impact. Hence, the Situational Theory remains a vital element of the PR Excellence Theory.

The Rocking Oriental Kitchen in the Mother City...

There’s nothing I enjoy more than a nicely prepared meal. Prepared with an array of Asian spices and of course served with healthily cooked mixed vegetables. I love freshly cooked food that provokes all my senses and satisfies my every desire.

I never paid attention when my friend Maria spoke about the Eastern Food Bazaar in Cape Town CBD. Maria would always refer to it as, “the Asian restaurant, full of spicy adventures and unforgettable treats.” One day I decided to see for myself and Maria was more than happy to come with me.

On arrival instead of being lured in, my mind was full of doubt. The restaurant was packed with people and I lost all hope of getting a table. Luckily, some ostensibly satisfied customers finished their meal and the table was allocated to us. As we sat, my mind was at once amazed and perplexed of the wide variety of meals. There was just too much to choose from, instead of ordering my food I found myself observing on other people’s plates and their dishes. However, despite the pressure I managed to make an excellent choice, I ordered a meal that I would live to remember.

Once our meals were served, I was shocked by the huge amount of food on the plates. The aromas were absolutely breathtaking and the presentation was phenomenal. At this moment I understood and did not dare dispute those who called the place “a taste of heaven on earth”.

The food on my plate looked and smelled divine, chicken marinated in yoghurt and spices, slowly grilled in a tandoori oven hence, the name “tandoori chicken” served with medium fried chips, just the way I love them, as well as a small portion of oriental curried cabbage salad “something new”. Every bite gave me the taste of Asia; spices were well mixed and embedded in the chicken. Definitely a meal I will never forget. Surely every meal presented the love and passion for Asia and its authentic gastronomy.

I was struck by the prices of the dishes; I have always had this notion that to have a reasonable tasty meal in Cape Town, one needs to be willing to spend a lot of money. Conversely, it was not the case for Eastern Food Bazaar. Here, the prices were far more rational, the most expensive plate was R35. To me this restaurant is just “the food palace”.

The Last lecture

Will the last lecture ever come? That is the question that students ask themselves whole through the year. I do not understand how students think, hardly a week in class they are already talking about when the academic year will come to an end.

However, what students do not realise is that the last lecture is not as fun as it may sound. Being the last class and knowing that you are leaving and never to come back brings about mixed emotions. Some students, for those who make friends during the course of study, they feel deserted, some are afraid of what the future holds and some just do not understand why they should live without being told what to do (instructed) by someone. This could be due to lack of being self-responsible… very dangerous but anyways life goes on.

While, it seems there are reasons for wanting to have the last lecture. One of the reasons could be that students don’t like to do assignments or write tests, which means that thinking to them is a challenge. Who wants to be thinking all the time anyway? Well, reasoning makes people plan how they want to spend their lives, so students must get over it and look forward to their futures. The last lecture should save its purpose, therefore, should not be viewed as a scapegoat but should make students look into their futures with positive attitudes.

Bucket List Before I Die

There are many things that I want to do before I say good bye to mother earth and therefore, a bucket list is not enough. Besides, as long as life is still going-on, certain things that people want to achieve manifest as days goes by. Moreover, to a certain extent I will be say a lie if I present the bucket list of things I want to do before I die because what I want to do depends on the future. I don’t know my destiny as it lays in God’s powerful hands.

However, having a family and ensuring that it is godly is what I long for. Furthermore, if given a chance and the money to take all the street children and other children who don’t have education for various reasons to school, I would take them all to school and hence, empower them for the better. In addition, one more important think I would like to do before I die is to combat corruption of all types because corrupt leaders especially in Africa have led to increased levels of poverty.

What drives me?

Many are the times when people ask others about what motivates them. As much as this question may sound simple, many people stagger about giving the proper answer. I remember in one of the management practice class, the lecturer asked each one of us to say what it is that motivates us to wakeup early in the morning. Strange answers were given by various people; some said a cup of coffee motivated them to wakeup. As though, that was not fun enough, some people said that singing birds pushes them to get out of bed. Most interesting, one of the girls said “I wakeup for the fear of failing to accomplish my goals.

Then it was my turn, I was the third last person and therefore, I had some hard thinking to do so as to give a clever answer. Let’s put being clever aside, on a more serious note the goals that I have set for myself are what motivates me to get out bed, bath, and get onto a shuttle and hence, be at varsity. People should set goals in order to work towards them and thus, realise their personal potential and feel fulfilled. It is therefore, important that people have something to look up to in life and inturn be motivated by that.

The power of Mobile Communications…

Mobile Communications means that people communicate while they travel and attend to other issues. This feature has become one the most important part of our lives. We are now able to talk while on the move. All sorts of social media either on mobile phone, laptops and so on have made it possible for business deals to happen at any time, hence, supporting the premise that says “time is money”. Mobile communications is now even better as technology is at is highest level of advancement. One speaker at the WTF Media Conference 2010 noted that people who ignore the power of mobile communications are irrelevant. What does this mean? Well, it means that being ignorant of modern hi-tech communications puts a person in a position where he/she can’t communicate fully and therefore, remain in a state of naivety.

The cause for conversations

I have conversations because I believe that chatting brings about important information that might be needed to solve various issues if any. Besides, I talk because chatting makes me feel good, especially if something is bothering me. As the saying goes, “a problem shared is a problem solved”. Many people have died not of unpreventable diseases but because of suicide, depression and so on, which are all products of the mind. Moreover, conversations are healthy as they help us to exercise our muscles, brains and our level of thinking etc.

However, talks become dangerous when people don’t use their brains to think before utter any words. Most of the times senseless speaking results in confusions among people and thus, destruct harmony. We should always talk to be understood and to understand others, that way, conversations runs smoothly and mainly a lot of sense comes out.

Why stoop so low to be appreciated?

I was somewhat disgusted with some girls’ talks on Music Lounge a programme on SABC1. The girls said that they would dress in mini skirts and shorts and even went to the extent of suggesting that girls wear bikinis, when they were asked by a male presenter how they would dress for summer. The whole chat was aimed at wanting ladies to be sexy this summer. However, this might mean nothing to certain people but I must say that I found the chat sexist in the sense that women were and portrayed themselves as people who don’t respect their bodies. Besides, it sometimes seems like women have to be almost naked to be appreciated by men.

Although, it’s ironic to have ladies who think of stooping themselves so low in a country that opposes gender inequalities. My point is; why does it have to be girls in mini shorts and bikinis but when it comes to the boys it is decent dressing “no go area”. It is also disturbing to have such shallow minded girls in a country where the rate of rape cases and HIV/AIDS is so rampant. Seeing that girls dressing styles have been a contributor to a fair number of rape scandals.

Yes, people are free to do what they want but at the end of the day certain girls’ personalities i.e. dressing styles gives men the platform to treat girls like nothing. As much as men should have self control towards women, ladies should also have self respect, i.e. value their bodies and thus prevent themselves to a certain extent from the predator.

Check out more on

http://www.budgetfashionreport.com/2009/01/21/default.aspx

How hard is it to follow instructions?

Instructions can be hard to follow if the person/people being instructed don’t pay attention to detail. This is true because I sometimes experience it, though, I have taught myself to be a good listener and there for take directives seriously. It is critical to listen when others are talking, only then can one take the intelligent decision. Many people lack good listening skills, which is caused by either internal or external factors, hence, they lose their grip on orders, which can be very irritating to the instructor.

Nonetheless, a good listen pays attention to every detail and ensures that decisions are made in direct proportion to the instructions. To follow orders well, one needs to get rid of obstacles that might hinder him/her from clearly getting those instructions.

Internal obstacles are easily gotten rid of because a person has control over them whereas external ones can approve to be difficult as people don’t have power over them. However, people have the authority to reduce listening barriers by avoiding their presence. The point is to overlook these barriers by telling oneself that they don’t exist. On the other hand, instructors don’t clearly give orders; they expect the person being instructed to be super magical to guess the intended outcome.

Instructions are not hard to follow if the instructor is clear and the listener is attentive. If want to be somebody, if to go somewhere, you better wakeup and pay attention to orders. So, they say.

My big fat BIG dream

I am chasing my big fat BIG dream, though; it’s not an easy chase.
Patience is a virtue in this quest.

The hunt for this enormous dream requires proper planning in order to have direction.
Of which direction results in being focused on what I want to achieve.
Oh, Yes! Determination, the courage and strength to go on is needed as this is a complicated road.

It’s a road full of many serious obstacles; ditches, bumps, people congestion, blockage of the mind and fear of risk taking and failure.

My chase of the big fat BIG dream, I can assure you has been the most devastating ever although, the most rewarding one as victory is evident.

This quest has now made me to deeply understand the Portuguese term (Aluta Continua-A Victoria E Certa), which Angola and Mozambique used during their liberation struggles.
In English the term means “The Battle Continues-As Victory is evident/certain”.

I believe every big fat BIG dream requires the craziest chase ever, the chase of a life time. Chase your dreams to the fullest.

Most amazingly, I am almost there.

As the saying goes, THE SKY IS THE LIMIT.

Conventional is a good fallback position isn’t it?

At least people know that once they go conventional no one will criticise them because they are conforming to accepted customs. However, once a person deviates form what is “formal”, confusion starts.

Although, not all customs are good for everybody and for this reason, somehow those who “stray” from them are unfairly treated.

Besides, I would say being conventional is being afraid of taking up risks. Though, this norm (conventional) is dangerous in today’s society, where people need to be creative and innovative to survive. This is because the modern generation is comprised of individualised persons who have capitalistic minds. Not afraid to take on new challenges to improve the standards of living. While this kind of thinking has developed globally, it is still regarded as a threat to tradition. People here see things totally different from the olden good days. Now it’s all about me, the other people don’t really matter, anyways; I will only need them when time comes.

In the past, “in the time of my grandmother who died this year, at least at the age of 100” people depended on each other for survival, the success of a member of a family was the whole family’s triumph. One would say that the reason for so many problems at present is due to man’s divergence from what is considered right.

The good logic is to have both and thus be conventional as well as an activist.

A skill set called leadership

What kind of a leader are you? Which one of these leadership styles (transactional, transformational and charismatic) do you fall under?

I took time to observe myself and other people’s way of leading, and the following was my conclusion.

Servant leadership is what makes most leaders to triumph in there careers. I am sure you will agree with me after reading and understanding this vital piece of information.

Mind you, leadership is a choice and not a position. Therefore, a leader should be committed towards his/her work and be liable for his/her deeds. A good leader should make other people want to follow him/her, by being motivational at all times. This means that the leader positively influences others through the upright decisions he/she makes about various issues. A good leader considers his/her environment before making decisions. Being people oriented, therefore, putting before oneself is vital for sound leadership.

An excellent leader dominates, although, this dominance is acquired through humbleness and respect for others. A confident leader is dependable as followers trust him /her to protect, assist, motivate or direct them. In short, followers want a person they can trust with their lives. For this reason, it is of great importance that leaders have a candid belief in their own values. However, these values must be acceptable to supporters; otherwise they might just lose their respect for you.

“The great leader is first experienced as a servant to others”, Larry C. Spears.

Have you figured out the second head fake?

An alternative plan?! Yes I have, I think it should happen quickly so as not to lose your mind when the origin plan doesn’t work. It’s amazing how I most often do head fakes; I guess it’s natural for any sound person. A person can’t always think of going into the one direction and carry on just like that. One needs to stop and take into consideration other things that might prevent or allow him/her to succeed.

However, at times head fakes might seem stupid if the opposite direction you choose to go looks complicated than the initial direction. I think people who choose the other direction without doing a plan of some sort to foresee the dangers in that route are silly. Rather, be in the same direction/one side of the football field and use your head to get the ball rolling and into the net, goal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Head fake, a good tactic to use your brain and win, though, if used wrongly every one laughs at you. So head fake or not, let your aim be to breakthrough.

Draconian Suppression

O’ Lord have mercy, what’s becoming of this world? I think Draconian censorship relates to the world of evil. Where is SA heading to?

Trying to find out what laws and rules are referred to as Draconian, I came across disturbing information about a Syrian woman. The 75 year old Khamisa Sawadi was sentenced to 40 lashes, four months jail term and deportation from the kingdom for letting two young men who were not her relatives into her home. Apparently, these men took bread to the old lady in the name of kindness but their generosity landed them in hot water. They were also sentenced to lashes and imprisoned (Raton, 2009). Now, people come on this is total insanity, practicing this type of Draconian rule in the name of religion is not unacceptable and damaging to society. If this is what it is to be hard co Muslim then Islam should be questioned.

Draconian censorship seems to flourish in the Middle East; in Saudi Arabia women are non-existent. Extreme Islam dictates that women are to cover their bodies and not to talk to any man they are not related to. If a woman is caught talking to a man who is believed to be unrelated to her, severe punishment is imposed on both. I view this as religion against women. I can imagine how horrible it is to live in such anarchy. Can we see how South Africa might head to such cruelty if the Media appeals Tribunal and the protection of personal information bills are left to manifest?

However, in South Africa the Draconian censorship would be based on political interests. As we have recently seen in the media, ANC has proposed that the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) be managed by the particular ruling government. This is totally out because ICASA is meant to be autonomous to be efficient and effective. The ruling party has also wished-for the amendment of certain acts and the passing of specific bills to fulfil its political interest. This is Draconian at its best as the government is supposed to protect the public and not put it into emotional turmoil. Government is supposed to support the media in trying to inform people about dangerous information (political or economical or environmental or technological or socials) and any substances. Enhancing caution among people results in prevention of dangerous events, such as warfare, genocide, diseases etc. Instead of the ruling party initiating and promoting Draconian censorship, it should focus on ways of developing a peaceful society, a society free of fear.

Post 2010 soccer world cup

Prior to the world cup, people spoke on how the extraordinary event would be and what would happen during and after. It was clear that people had mixed feelings, some positive and others negative. Certain media around the world instilled fear in people who wanted to come and be part of the experience. The media mostly reported about the bad stuff and not the good and beautiful things that South Africa could offer. Crime, failure to manage the event and political instability, were some of the highlighted ugly themes before the world cup.

The world cup raised up a lot of questions among the South African publics on what would happen to the people and most of the world class infrastructure. Questions about the stadiums, Gautrain, airports, builders/constructors and so on were among many other questions asked. Amazingly the world cup is over and it seems people are not talking about it anymore or rather like they used to. Though, I must confess on how humbled I felt when I saw flocks of soccer fans in all sorts of local teams’ jerseys a month ago who were going to watch the game between Orlando Pirates and Vasco da Gama in Green Point Stadium. Seeing the huge number of people going to watch soccer reminded me of the best time ever (2010 Soccer World Cup) held on the African soil.

Definitely, the recent world cup has changed the way many South Africans perceive football. The love of the game has enormously manifested.

No one Knows the time or day when he/she will become world famous

The secrete is to believe and keep on hoping that you will one day become world famous.
People who are world famous don’t even know how they became world famous. Most of them say “I don’t how it happened, it just happened”, when asked how they got to be famous. Although, people should keep on dreaming and hoping that they could one day become world famous.

Besides, the power of high-context culture, e.g. believing that you are world famous princess Maria increases your hopes of being famous in the future. Like Mr. Ping told his son Po in the movie Kung Fu Panda that there was in fact no secrete ingredient and that all things were special if someone believes that they were.

It is also clear that one does not only believe but stays focused and committed towards what he/she wants to be. For example, the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Natalie du Toit, Miriam Makeba etc. So being world famous does not happen out of the blues, though, few people have become world famous without much effort.

You can not chase two rabbits at the same time

It is actually possible to chase two rabbits in one direction; I think it depends on the direction you are chasing them in. Of course if you analyse the situation and critically think on how and what measures to put in place, have solutions to the loopholes prior to the chase, you can catch the rabbits or kill two birds with one stone.

On the other hand this relates to ideas or plans for the future, where one needs two options in case one fails. You can’t generate, plan and implement an idea, without thinking of the results therefore, if succeeds or fails. Only focused people, thus people who have alternatives for original ideas can manage to kill two birds with one stone. However, to be safe, initial ideas and alternatives must be implemented simultaneously. This also means possessing multitasking abilities one of the most important skills in achieving personal or business goals. Forget catching tow rabbits at once if your mind can’t multitask.

“Nothing is more dangerous than an idea, when you only have one idea”

“Do you have an alternative plan?” A friend of mine would always ask when am telling her about my future plans. This to me shows how important it is to always have option B for any idea. Just in case the original idea backfires, you would at least have something to fall on.

I recall how excited I felt that I was going to work during the 2010 Soccer World Cup. My initial idea was to at two places so as to make money on both sides. I planned on how I was going to spend the money even before it was conformed that both companies would take me. I lived on cloud nine just on the thought of making lots of money while having fun. It was something that could make someone not to think otherwise.

Although, my plan did not work out they way it was originally planned. The manager of one of the events management company I was supposed to work for had somewhat really issues. Apparently, he was very selective on who would work; he based his appointment criteria on the colour of the people and not on the experience or merit. This is true as one of my friends and others reported this manager to the labour courts.

But anyways, we move on, it happened that I could not at two places and therefore, worked one company. That day, 11 June 2010 I went to work thanking God that I had not turned down the offer to which I initially planned to do. My conscious saved me as I told myself not to refuse the offer in case things were not well from either side. At least I made money although not as expected, that is the power of having a backup idea.

Appreciating personalities

It is a pity how people tend to criticise each other over personalities. Being critical is not but at all; the problem is the manner in which those criticisms are put forward. Many people don’t criticise to build but to destroy. Often it is all about what pleases me, “what I like is acceptable and what I don’t like is filthy and unacceptable”, that is where the world has come to.

People don’t feel at peace any more, because their minds are usually occupied with the thoughts of fear about what others will say with as regards look, walk, dress and behave. People no longer wear what they are comfortable in; they rather put on clothes that are nice or beautiful in other people’s eyes. We no longer talk with our natural voices; accents are changed to suit others. We are expected to be well informed about many issues around the world, if one feels to answer the question about the occurrences around the world, they are labelled as living in the box. The list can go on and on.

Let’s make other people live like we would love to, happy with what we do, wear and how lead our daily lives. Rebuke to bring about positive change otherwise criticise no more.

"Rock Journalism"

Frank Zappa descibes rock journalism as “people who can’t write, doing interviews with people who can’t think, in order to prepare articles for people who can’t read”.

How about going for a music career? A word of advice to rock journalists is; if you can’t write; find something else that you might be good at. It makes no sense to interview the brainless who can’t add value to important issues. Besides, interviewing such people communicates the stupidity of such journalists. I mean journalists should be exceptional in their writing skills as it is what defines them. If a journalist can’t write, then there is no better term to describe him/her, not even as a rock journalist. Moreover, if people can’t read why write for them? If they can’t read, speaking to them may be an excellent idea.
On the other hand, it “makes sense” for journalists who can't write to interview people who can’t think in order to write for people who can’t read because anyways they can’t differentiate between a good and a bad writer, though not an option, “sounds like banana society?” Lol…

Pornography bad for children

New age technology has increased access to pornography by children. Hi-tech cell phones, television, print publications and most of all the internet have made it easy for children to get hold of pornographic materials.

Though, pornography is bad for children as it negatively influences the child’s behaviour. It also causes children to loose dignity to the people around them. Pornography leads to loss of respect for others. Children who are exposed to pornography may end up being rapists and serial killers. Pornography promotes negative practices and can lead to progressive addiction. Porn movies also damage children’s future marriages and their sex life as they grow up. Beside, porn creates unrealistic opinions of sexual relations. Watching porn at a tender age in most cases results in feelings downgraded value of sex in adulthood. It’s sensible to say that being exposed to pornography as a child increases the rate of HIV/AIDS among teens and adults.

Parents and all adults should be super responsible to prevent children’s exposure to porn materials. Children do not have the decency to select what to feed their mind and therefore, the onus rests on the elders.

13 Golden Rules to write well (A good writer)

A good writer writes and edits to express not to impress.

A good writer always writes or edits for easy understanding.

A good writer writes so that things are not misunderstood.

A good writer is clear and simple in saying what he/she wants to say.

A good writer uses short sentences.

A good writer uses short paragraphs.

A good writer uses the shortest, simplest word possible.

A good writer writes in an active voice.

A good writer avoids unnecessary words.

A good writer uses verbs for an action.

A good writer avoids cliché and jargon.

A good writer leaves out anything that he/she doubts.

A good writer proof reads.

This blog was inspired by Marian Pike, senior lecturer for media studies at Cape Peninsula University of Technology.

List your top 200 achievements

If allowed, I would do just that, listing my top 200 achievements but I have been limited from writing even an A4 page blog. Actually, I would write far beyond 200 accomplishments, for each day I live since I was born is an achievement. However, being human makes me take life for granted. In our daily lives we plan and set objectives, though, we plan and set goals without knowing if tomorrow will come.

I don’t have to mention what I have achieved because it will sound as though I want to prove a point. Well, there is no statement to make because my whole life is a success. Every day that comes I learn something new and I build on it, the following day the same happens and so does life goes on. I believe in learning and developing on what I have learnt and therefore, take each process an achievement.

Nonetheless, the list would begin as follows; the first day I was born, I learnt how to cry, how to lactate, smile, differentiate between my mother and others, walk, talk, read and write and so on ........ the list will go on. Just to give you a hint, my exceptional achievement has been graduating from Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). Aluta continua!!!!!!!!!!!

What motivates me?

There are quite a few things that motivate me. A hot bath does it, especially at night before going to bed. Besides, a hot bath gives me strength and the feeling of loving to do my home work and any other task that needs to be done.

When I look back at my life I feel motivated, it is a history filled with sad and happy moments. Experiences worth looking back at, laugh, cry and thank God that am alive.
My sweet strong mother inspires me; it is always a great experience to talk to her about all sorts of issues. I recon her telling about how a beautiful, strong, dedicated and loving woman ought to be. She is one of a kind.

Laugh and laughing loud is what keeps me going. Laughing really regenerates my thoughts and my body as a whole. Amusement just makes me think even dipper about what is on my mind, it really brightens my thoughts.

Above all, the mention of the name of the Lord Jesus Christ is what triggers me the most. I always feel the energy, the excitement and the goodness of the Lord run through my body. He is Lord and He inspires and there is nothing that He can not do.

The Lord’s motivation is more than any other. Yeh!!!!!!

The 10 most unexpected consequences of being online

What could be the unexpected?

Coming to think of it, anything is expected. The internet is free to everyone, though, accessing it depends on how much interest one has. There also many other reasons a person may not be online. But let’s put all this aside.

Death?! This may sound strange but it’s actually not. Who thinks being on the internet can cause death? Yes, it can, but people don’t think about it. I have never head of anyone who feared to be online because he/she thought it would result into death. It is amazing that we become so attached to the internet that we forget that the online can be damaging at times.

We always think of the expected because maybe the unexpected almost doesn’t exist. I can’t think of any, perhaps being online can’t make me sleep. Oh no! The net actually makes me sleep like I would never wakeup. This is because I can only be online for a specific period of time, once I go beyond, I tired and all need is to sleep.

So, instead of listing the unexpected I will list the expected but almost never thought about by many people!!!!!

Sleep Paralysis, Obesity, Depression, Seizures, Bursitis, Jeep Bottom, Glaucome (Eye disease), Erectile Problems, Hearing problems or Pain in Pinna, Osteoporosis

For more information go to http://wacky5.com/15-diseases-seen-in-chronic-internet-users.html

The ELEPHANT in the room

What will an elephant be doing in the room. To me, this sounds like a situation that I have no control over, a situation that brings the feeling of anxiety, fear and hopelessness. As child, for that matter a girl, I feel endangered, squashed and separated from the rest of the world. Oh yes! I feel separated because am the only one who knows about the evil deeds of the ugly elephant in the room. It warns me of killing whoever I will open my mouth to. This could be the thoughts of a child who is a victim of cruelty, including, rape, physical, emotional, mental and verbal abuse.

Home Affairs, a South African TV drama broadcasted on Thursday on SABC 1 explains it all. In this drama, there is a 9 year old girl who is sexually abused by the mother’s boyfriend. Most saddening is the fact that the little girl cannot tell anyone about her horrifying experiences because this elephant has threatened to tear her apart if she ever did.

But the power of a woman within her can hold no more. She tells Vuyo a young lady who is trying to better her life as well as her community through sport. Who then confronts the little girl’s mother but to no avail as she denies the allegations. It is so sad to see that mothers cannot tell if something is wrong in the behaviour of their own children. Instead of giving the claim a second thought, she goes on to verbally and physically abuses her daughter and accuses her of lying. This just makes it two elephants in the room.

Are we paying attention to our children? What are we doing to protect our children from harm? Do they have hope for help in when in danger? Or are blinded to allow elephants in the children’s rooms?

Forgiveness

It is difficult to forgive but people have to if they are to move on with life. To forgive means to forget about the pain that others have caused on you. People forgive so that they don’t hold a grudge on others as being bitter slows your progress and makes you feel miserable. This is because your thinking revolves around what to do to revenge your enemies and not what to do to improve yourself. In my fourth grade, I remember holding a grudge on one of my classmates for refusing to lend me her pencil. I vowed never to give her anything but you know what? For quiet sometime, she never asked for anything from me even though, I new inside my heart that I had forgiven her, as God requires from all who believe in him.

However, it is not only difficult to the person who’s supposed to forgive but it is as well not easy to the person being forgiven and this is because the forgiver is often doubted. People always sing about forgiving others, though, as human beings we forgive but we do not easily forget. No human forgiveness can be compared to God’s forgiveness as the Bible says, “God’s forgiveness is like the east is from the west.

Restaurant Owners Suck!

There are a lot of private owned businesses in Cape Town but not all are constantly successful. Looking at the hospitality industry, with specific interest in the restaurants, I have discovered that most restaurant owners come into business with the hunger for money and with no sign whatsoever of being hospitable. As a guest at one of the upmarket restaurants in Green Point, Cape Town, I was saddened to see how the so called “manager” on duty who also happened to be the owner ill treated the waiters. He did not only abuse his employees but also payed little attention to the guests. Most disturbing, he ordered guests on one of the tables to leave because they had not been seated by him. I do not know if he was being reasonable because he was not there to host them as he was busy with other things. I had spent three hours at this particular restaurant but my stay was messed up as the atmosphere was not good. I could see the anxiety mixed with anger in the faces of the waiters. Though, they tried to pretend that all was well; they could not act for more than a minute.

Going back to good business ethics; if businesses are to succeed, employees who are one of the most vital stakeholders have to be treated well. Happy employees give excellent service to customers who later spread a good message about the business which means more sales and high profits. Most companies are overlooking good business principles and their survival is at stake. Businesses working on the principle of happy employee-high returns will at least see themselves succeeding in the post global recession.

Professionalism

Professionalism is a word that has become a cliché. In the work place, institutions of higher learning and even in schools we hear people especially managers, lecturers and teachers emphasising on professional conduct. What bothers me the most is to realise that the same people who preach about professional behaviour present none of it. It is amazing how certain people don’t act as they say but they expect others to dance to their tunes. As I have worked in quite a number of companies, it has become evident to me that professionalism is the word that most people like to use despite of them being ignorant about its meaning. It is however said that it takes a professional to see professionalism in others.

Every day is a good day

Is it really true that each day that comes in one’s life is a good day?

While, it will be wise to say yes to a certain extent but honestly speaking, to some people, looking forward to the next day is just a nightmare. This topic reminds me of my days in primary school when we (pupils) were obligated to wear the school uniform so that we could perceive each other equal but we were in the actual sense very different. One pupil in the similar uniform and in the same grade would come to school on an empty stomach. I mean, not having eaten anything the previous night and the following morning, not because s/he didn’t want to but because there was no food . While the other kids would come to school well fed and on top of that with a lunch pack or pocket money. For this reason, it will rather be sensible to say that there are good and bad days.

Our greatest strengths are our greatest weaknesses

Come on! We are all afraid of talking about our weaknesses but very proud to speak about our strengths. Actually, the title above says it all. The things that we feel bold and strong to accomplish are the things that scare us the most if we were to fail. The fear demonstrates how weak we are to bear failure. However, the person's strengths should be based on how courageous s/he is in withstanding the worst situations ever.

Talking of myself, as a goal driven person my power lies in doing whatever it takes to get what I want and therefore, failure to do so just leaves me devastated and miserable. For this reason, I always ensure that my greatest strengths are never perceived otherwise.

Everyone is in need of someone to talk to…

No matter who or what you are, you need somebody to talk to. But no, in most cases it doesn’t happen, people prefer to keep things to themselves and wait until they are about to burst, only then can they start to seek for assistance. Sometimes the aid isn’t readily available which could lead to untimely death.

People must learn to open up. It is very important that people share their life experiences with others so that their minds can be free of trouble. By sharing, various suggestions emerge but one has to be clever to choose those that might be helpful to them.

However, people are scared to share because there are certain people who don’t close their mouths but yap. Can you imagine, someone takes the courage to share their problems, whatever they may be but within a minute the whole world knows about it? Why have we made ourselves untrustworthy? Does really being dishonest build or destroy lives? Let’s think about it.

As the saying goes, “a problem shared, is a problem solved.” Let’s help one another live @ peace….

Military Public protest a yes or no?

As much as soldiers are public servants, they are not supposed to go on a public protest like what happened in South Africa a few months ago. There are many sensitive reasons for saying so. An army protest just shows how the government does not care about the people responsible for the safety and security of the public e.g. the South Africans. Such protests also put the government and the public at large in a dangerous position as some soldiers may see this as an opportunity to overthrow the ruling government. This kind of acts may lead to a civil war where mostly the public would suffer the consequences. Military riots also put the country in a delicate position as armies of other governments may see the protests as an opportunity to invade the country. It as well shows how undisciplined the soldiers are, which is not supposed to be the case.

Military public riot is a no no.... for any sound government.

"AIDS is a danger only to Africa?"

I sometimes wonder if AIDS is as popular in other continents as it is in Africa. Coming to think of it, there are many AIDS movies based on Africa and one hardly sees the Hollywood movies emphasising on the dangers of AIDS for example in America. It seems where there is no poverty, there is no AIDS. I might be looked at as a strange person, but the above statements describe what an ordinary African person’s opinion is about AIDS. In South Africa, the Love-Life campaign has even made it worse due to fact that the campaigns portray mostly if not only blacks as people infected with the HIV/AIDS virus. It is important and I think it is a continuous battle to clearly communicate the dangers of AIDS from all walks of life and make people understand that it is not an illness for black alone but for all races. Though, in doing so communicators should not forget to assert that the poor are more vulnerable because of various activities they get involved into in search for money and food such as prostitution and so on.

If you are not infected, you are affected… together we can fight HIV/AIDS.

Try a cliché

It might work though. I believe a cliché is a cliché when it does not interest people anymore and therefore, it has lost its proper meaning. A cliché which means a word or a phrase that has been over used still remains one if the person who uses it does not mean what s/he says. Thus, a cliché can be use by people who mean what they say and make it valued and interesting again. On the other hand, I think a cliché qualifies to be a cliché if the person whom the word or phrase is directed at considers it as a cliché, but if to this specific person, it makes sense, and then it loses it term as a cliché. For example, the word love may be perceived as a cliché to people who have been lied to so many times in the name of love and now they realise that the all “love thing” is lie. Such people may decide not to take the word love seriously as it is of no value to them.

Try a cliché, it works.

Feelings follow behavior

It is so true that the way a person feels is reflected in his/her deeds. I’ll give examples of various situations surrounding certain people in the public and private domains. Take for example Juju’s behaviour which has over the years reflected the hatred he has for other people. One of the nastiest things he did was insulting and throwing out a journalist from the media briefing he hosted. Look at Nelson Mandela, the passion he has for the people has made him to do many great things. One of his best deeds is the bringing of liberation for all South Africans. Coming to myself, I possess this feeling of enthusiasm which has led me to where I’m today. The fact that I feel motivated has made me a goal driven being, with no doubt an achiever.

It is better to practice a little than talk a lot

The topic above reminds you and me of our daily lives. Many are the times when we see people who often have something to say but not to do. Indeed, practicing makes people believe in you. Intelligent people judge others not on what they say but on what they do. For it is in the actions that one’s capabilities are manifested. A good example is about my life. It is now four years ago to be precise, when I announced that I was going to study full time and still keep my job at the Nose restaurant now Chenin Restaurant & Wine Bar.

The questions I received were as follow: how are you going to do this? Are you going to manage? Are you sure of what you are saying? Are you going to cope with the pressure? Are you going to be able to pass? The answer to all these questions was silent and lied within me. It was and I quote, “yes. I will prove it to you.” Mind you practicing for a purpose requires patience, without it you will remain a talker and hence, your talk will be of “nonsense” no sense to others.

Wedding cake-in-the-middle-of-the road

What could have happened?

Could it be that the groom was cheating and now the bride had discovered about the stinking moves of her husband to be? But come on! I mean, a lot of women have been in this kind of situation and in most cases they have given in for the sake of getting married. Though the story am about to tell is a sad and unique experience. It was actually found out that the husband to be was cheating with the mother of the bride. Yes I know, very sad hey? It was also discovered that the "mother" to the bride was not the biological parent but a nanny who took care of her after her mother died in a tragic car accident. This bride is one of the kind, despite the disappointment, she ensured that the groom suffered the consequences, she took him to court, hence, the wedding cake-in-the-middle-of-the road. The secret was on the open everyone had a piece of it...

Does holistic love come in bits and pieces?

Of course not!

What is love?

Love means caring for yourself first, before you care for others. For how can you love others if you don’t love yourself? It is only when you know how to love, can you then love others. How can you do something and be very sure of it if you have never experienced it?

Showing love to all kinds of things on this earth and therefore, human beings, nature, you can name it all, is love that is holistic. However, many people love various things which they don’t even care for, therefore, this kind of love can be labeled as false love. For example this has been seen in the behavior of the so called G8 countries or “superpowers” of this world that have refused to commit themselves to the reduction and prevention of climate change. The unsuccessful global conference on climate change in Copenhagen early this year supports the above statement.

How can you love someone when don’t love yourself?

Public smoking

I don’t think the South African legislatures have done enough to reduce passive smoking. Passive smoking is when the smoke from actual smokers is inhaled by non-smokers. What bothers me is to see certain people in society such as taxi drivers and conductors insensitively smoke inside the taxis. They claim that since they sit close to the windows, the smoke can’t affect the passengers in the taxi, instead it goes outside. The “outside” is the public area and therefore, the smoke affects people in those areas.

Law makers should revise the law and ban people from smoking in public areas regardless of the location. To protect non-smokers in public places, who also have the right to a smoke free society, smokers should smoke in private places such as homes. People should not die because of other people’s sins. Active and passive smoking pose a great danger to human health, hence, the warning on the cigarette boxes “SMOKING IS DANGEROUS”.

Languages

Many people want to speak different languages. It seems easy to be bilingual but it takes a person who speaks one language and wants to learn another to acknowledge the difficulties in studying a language. Knowing how to speak a certain language doesn’t only begin and end at bringing out words; however, it involves proper pronunciation to be understood by others.

Another important element in studying languages is to understand the deep structures of the particular language. Deep structures are language constructs which have hidden meaning. They are difficult to understand and thus, require the indigenous speaker of one specific language to explain that hidden meaning. The complications in comprehending deep structures can be compared to those found in understanding proverbs of various languages.
Lack of understanding each other’s languages is a problem, hence accepting them will reduce cultural conflicts in South Africa.

The Sound of one hand clapping.

I have learnt to clap for myself and it actually feels good to know that you can also clap for you and not others. I clap to approve of how best I have done something. I believe genuine clapping comes from oneself, for it is you who knows well how much you have worked to deserve that cheering and almost everlasting applaud. Clapping for yourself helps you to appreciate your own successes and encourages you to continue working hard in everything you do. Applauding for yourself reminds your value to the world and therefore, builds yourself esteem. Clapping for yourself makes your surroundings be aware of your abilities and therefore, be able to respect you for who you are. Self applause shows how much one values life.

It is a poor idea to lie to yourself.

Lying to yourself can be devastating. Many people who fail to excel in life lie to themselves. People only realise that they have been lying to themselves when they fail to achieve their goals. People lie themselves in various ways. For example some students think that they can start and finish a 100 marks assignment in a day and still get a distinction. However, in most cases students fail or get an average mark which results in putting the blame on the lecturers. Certain people lie to themselves about being career women, nevertheless, reality plays its role when these assumed career women get married and become mothers and housewives. For these reasons it is unwise and a blue lie to say that you know your destiny, instead, the best thing to do is to show commitment in everything you do.

Partiality in the media

Africa is always portrayed as the waste of all the five continents in the world. International media such as BBC and Aljazeera most often report on corrupt government leaders and hardly reports on honest ones. This misleads people on a global scale as they perceive all African government leaders as crooked. The fact of the matter is that not every leader is corrupt and therefore, media should be impartial in their reports. Media also show the dirtiest parts of Africa and turn a blind eye to the smart and beautiful nature of Africa. Media should be optimistic and not always pessimistic as this makes people lose hope for the future of Africa. Besides, media should contribute to social well being and therefore, human development through ethical reporting. In addition, people depend on the media to be informed, which means that media should be at all times trustworthy.

Every person has a dream.

We all grow up in different circumstances for various reasons. For some people, growing up is a nightmare while it is an exciting journey for others. By God’s grace, either with or without hope we grow up into sound human beings. God has given us the power to visualise, plan, control and therefore, manage our own lives. Every person has a dream, though; it is wise to say that developing a dream into reality is what matters. Having dreams is one thing and most people think that it ends there but developing them is another defining step. People’s achievements are measured on how well they plan to lead their lives. However, what may seem decent to a particular person may be perceived otherwise to another. It is essential that people believe in the inner power to manage their lives and not to depend on others.

Not all who wonder are lost.

Indeed not all who wonder are lost. Christopher Columbus wondered but he wasn’t lost. He wondered because he had certain intentions and therefore, if I wonder today, it’s because am contemplating on which is the best route to take to discover the world. Wondering about might mean lost to other people but it’s not about what others think, it’s about what I want to achieve. Wondering gives me the strength, courage, commitment, zeal and persistence to go on with my mission, a mission to a brighter future, a future that is worth living. As I live in that future with life-time achievements surrounding me, I’ll look back and say, yes it was worth wondering.

people wonder for a reason....

How do you step from the top of a 100-foot pole?

What could a person be doing on top of a 100-foot pole? I think it depends on how one got there in the first place. Only knowing what you want and knowing what to do to get that that you want might put you in a position of being at such a deadly height. For me a 100-foot pole is nothing, I can even go up a further 1000-foot pole, if that’s what’s required to attain a doctor’s degree in the field that I am so passionate about. This implies that a person intends to be where he/she is and therefore, knows exactly how to get out of there. However, if this person has no idea of how to get him/herself out of such a situation, then it is clear that this person did not know what he/she wanted in the first place. If it means being on top of a 100-foot pole to get what you want, then just get there and leave the thoughts of how to get down to the force of gravity.

It’s all about what you want in life….

"Own Description in 3s, 3 Words & 3 Photos"

Commitment

Funny

Compassionate

Five critical reasons for retaining & appreciating PR

Companies should keep PR departments to survive current and future persistently changing environments. Organisations cannot rely on advertising, marketing and HR alone but also on PR to build and maintain strategic relationships that leads to reputation management. PR should also be decentralised so that centralised messages can be communicated to internal and external stakeholders. Besides, PR plays a totally different role and therefore, emphasise on symmetrical communication. It is for this reason that PR departments be independent from other organisational functions such as HR, marketing and advertising. In addition, PR practitioners specialises in issue and crisis management and therefore, use their expertise to efficiently and effectively to produce tangible results.
Businesses need PR.

My Life, My Choice! Other people's burden.

Every person has a choice to do anything that pleases him but not everyone is capable of making good choices. Moreover certain choices are driven by selfish desires. In addition, we also have different levels of intelligence and ways of understanding things in life. It is therefore, in most cases wrong to leave people to make their own choices. Guidance and direction is vital in the development of every human being. We can see it in SA, where most people have nasty attitudes, bad social behavior and poor economic planning due to lack of moral support. This happens because of the absence of a parent or both parents due to death, divorce and children born out of wedlock.

People who seem and feel less capable of making intelligent choices should be helped by those who have good reasoning abilities. These can either be parents, siblings, peers, opinion leaders (people with excellent understanding of specific practice and theories) and media. I would say that the vulnerable people in terms of making poor choices and therefore, losing it in life are mostly in the early teenager stages.

We are what we do

It is not everything we do that portrays who we are. In most cases we do what we do because of situations that we have no control of. For example in the hospitality industry and in particular in the restaurants, most waiters pretend to be approachable and passionate about their jobs. But they do that to get a tip from customers who expect them to be ever smiling beings.

It wouldn’t be wrong to say that personal desires and circumstances make us do things that others will use to judge our personalities. Our actions vary according to the situations we find ourselves in. We are what we do only if our specific actions are repeated and therefore, become part of our daily lives (behavior).

We are afraid of the wrong things

Are we really afraid of the wrong things? If we were afraid of the wrong things, there could be lower rates of all kinds of crime in South Africa. Being fearful of wrong things in my opinion is having a crime free society. The rape cases, robberies, defamation of character especially in political parties, car hijacks, premature motherhood, corruption in private and public sectors you can name it all, is a sign that wrong things are perceived right is SA.

The problem with SA is the attitude that people have towards others. South Africans have a strange idea of “who are you to tell me what to do?” and therefore, they cannot learn from each other. The fact that they cannot learn, makes them think their actions are right, even though they are wrong. A person cannot be afraid of the wrong things if he does not know what the right things are.

Being afraid of wrong things and thus, build a better SA will come with learning from each other’s experiences.

CPUT it students learn to steal

Information Technology(it) students of Cape Peninsula University of Technology(CPUT) are using the little IT knowledge they have acquired to steal Internet credits/bytes from other students at the institution. Students who have had their credits stolen have sought help from the it help desk but in vain. The it help desk is the department that assists students who experience technical faults when logging into the computers, it also helps with Internet, printing and photocopying credit issues but ironically it is not doing anything to protect students' credits from being stolen.

I am one of the victims. On 1 March, 2010 as part of the institution policy, My student account was credited with R100 Internet bytes of which on the same day an unknown person used the credits and even went beyond and therefore, left me in a debt of R258. This means that My account will not be credited for two and half months, while thanks to the "clever" it criminals. If these thieves are to be called scholars-in-making then they should act like them. Apparently, "all they need to have is someone's student number then they have a passport to that student's account", said a first year it student. There's also a speculation that it students are having a password to wireless internet, which is provided by lecturers to allow them access the net on their private laptops. I mean, we are all students, why can't the password be available for every student with a laptop and or private computer.

What is the it help desk department doing to prevent this illegal act from carrying on. After all it is not sinister to say that the CPUT students' it skills are not needed for SA's development if having these skills just adds up to high levels of crime.

Fish falling from the sky

I will relate this topic to the old saying "Manna from heaven." Manna fell from heaven at that time when people walked in the fear of the Lord. Nowadays people have become their own gods. Man has to work or even work harder to have a day's meal. Since people now believe in themselves, the power of the unseen is something of less importance. But a person must never underestimate the power of something they do not know because they have not seen.

Every intelligent man finds out what the unseen is. It's only if you get to know what the power of the unseen is that you appreciate it. Manna will never fall again until we look back to the unseen. Otherwise, we will work restlessly but in vain. The power of God is more than any others. The bible says the fear of the lord is the beginning of wisdom. Let man be fearful of God and therefore, be wise and the be hopeful of the fish falling from the sky.

What is the colour of the wind?

Does wind have colour? Colourless? Maybe wind has colour, it's the things that we see that creates colour of the wind. People, buildings, plants, oceans, cars, land and the sky all these are among other things that add colour to the wind. Oh! wait I think the colour of the wind is brick-red because the heat-wave which is hot wind is actually as scorchy as fire and destroys nature, be it people, trees, land and so on...

Every human being should be able to tell the colour of the wind depending on what they think and not on what systems or theories have said. Systems and theories are invented by man to control others and therefore, if one man can say that the colour of the sea is blue, then another man can say otherwise, as long as he is able to convince others to believe in his thoughts.

What is the colour of the wind?

Waiting

Many people think working in a restaurant as a waiter or waitress is just something that a person would do to keep busy. Waiting is not taken seriously due to the perception that people have about the profession. To some people it is not a career because people work night shifts and there isn't a specified salary to it.

But one thing people should know is that work is work regardless of the shifts, whether paid a specific wage, commission or getting a tip. At the end of the day it is all about excellent service versus money and what matters is discipline. For some, waiting brings about sustainable and good living, in the sense that a person earns an income. It also promotes education especially to people who pay for there own studies. It is one of the best jobs a person can ever do, the working hours are flexible, the tip is good and moreover as a Waiter, one is exposed to a lot of things in life.

Exposure is power.

Girl Child

I wonder how many young girls (girl child) are out there on the streets, striving to survive. Many became mothers at a tender age not because they want to but because of circumstance they find themselves in. Girls as young as 11 years old with no sense on how to look after another child become mothers and are forced to be grown ups. Most of the time these girls loose interest in school and in any form of education that may be presented to them by well wishers, NGOs and or government.

The problem is not that these girls don't want to go to school but it's because they lack moral support from people who are close to them. This happens because they have either lost both their parents or they are single parented, thus, leaving them with no role model. It is sad to see how the girls languish on the streets with nothing to do but ask for money from strangers, who most of the time refuse and walk away. But then, it becomes dangerous when the stranger that is willing to assist is male and when he offers to help on certain conditions. The condition is most of the time that the girls sleep with them either with or without any kind of protection. This is of huge concern as the rate at which people are getting infected with STDs and HIV/Aids is high in developing countries.

Who will be the future leaders of tomorrow if we let the situation to continue? Government should help communities combat poverty for it is from poverty that we have this problem of girl children. Poverty is the root cause of all this sad ways of living.