People who are 40 years old and those that are 31 years old

Let us begin with a bit of arithmetic, move to logic and finally to why all of this.

If in the year 2011 you are 40 years old that means you were born in 1971. If you are 31 years old that means you were born in 1980. Ok, even if this is not arithmetically accurate, the margin of error would be very small to be of any consequence.

Now, if you were born in 1971 that means:

You could not have participated in the 1976 uprisings, because you would have been 5 years old. There is a possibility that you did not go to exile because when Tata Madiba was released from jail in 1990, whey you were 14 years old, the numbers of people "skipping the country" , for the first time, were very low if it was still happening.
If you have any tertiary education, it means some of the years of your tertiary studies would have been under the democratically elected government.

If you were born in 1980, what does it mean?

When South Africa became a democracy in 1994, you were 14 years old and therefore all your high school education, if you have it, could not have been Bantu Education. I do not believe the democratically elected government could have taught people Bantu Education.

It also so means that you did not vote in 1994.

So, where are we going with all of this…

I do not know Mr Fikile Mbalula enough to know his age. I only gathered in the media, specifically some of the print media on Friday 28 October 2011 that he turned 40 this year, 2011. I also understand that " there are some amongst us" who would like to see him being the Secretary General of the ANC sooner. If that were to happen in 2012' as an example, he would be 41 years old.

Ms Lindiwe Mazibuko has just become the DA's parliamentary caucus leader at 31 years old. Some of the same Friday newspapers are even talking about her moving higher.

Let me declare before I proceed, that I am not a fan of politics. I am a business person and very happy at that. My point below is not about politics but about a different "new" generation.

So, it's possible that when South Africa goes to vote in 2014, there will be people who are from the different generation who will have a lot of influence on policy matters. I am hoping that South Africa will go back to discussing policy matters.

This is not necessarily about these two individuals, because they say a day is too long in politics, but I have no doubt that by the time we get to 2014 people born in 1971 and people born in 1980 will be in very influential political positions in South Africa.

This makes me so excited and those that are in their 20's today (28 October 2011) will have a huge responsibility then, because some would be voting for the second time. Their views and decisions would be very crucial.

I have written before about young people but it looks like they are now taking their rightful place.

Help us God, The All Mighty, to be around then to witness this era of significant change is our country.



Sango Ntsaluba

Reconciliation in South Africa will be set back by the R750 000 payment - September 2011

The taste, the settlement reached by Mr Bees Roux and the family of the late Tshwane traffic Sergeant Johannes Mogale, is not a sweet one at all. The timing of it all is very unfortunate indeed.

Sadly, it comes at a time when black communities are increasingly asking themselves whether the call by former President Nelson Mandela for the nation to open their hearts towards reconciliation has not been exploited by some.

My heart goes to Mrs Mogale who has been robbed of her husband. The Saturday Star (September 10,2011)" reported that Mogale's wife, Margaret, sat quietly in the front row of the court, and only spoke when the judge asked her if she was satisfied with and agreed to the details of the plea agreement. She did not speak to the press and quite honestly what was she supposed to say, this was not a match of equals and we will never be sure if the justice system could or even should not have done better for her.


It gets even worse when the same paper quotes Taukobong, the late Mr Mogale's uncle, as saying that “she (Mrs Mogale) was relieved that the saga was over and that she could now finally concentrate on raising her children". The family of the late Mr Mogale is quoted by the same paper as having said "...The Bible says you must forgive in order to be forgiven...."


Many years ago when I used to go to Sunday school I remember we were told that the Bible also says “Thou shall not kill!"

I hope I do not come across as judgmental but I hope that those who know the law better will tell us that justice has indeed been served. I also sincerely hope that those who know the bible better will tell us what should or will happen to those who kill.

I hope the reconciled world that Mr Mandela hoped for has not been set back by the
R750 000 payment.

I hope the timing of this event does not add to the growing list of concerns that black people are being asked to dig even dipper into their reconciliation reserves when other people seem to offer very little.

May Mr Mogale's soul Rest in Peace

WE ARE 17 YEARS INTO OUR DEMOCRACY: August 2011

There is a sense of discomfort as we approach 20 years of our democracy. At 17 years into our democracy, we are nearing the period when panic begins and people start to take a hard look at economic gains made or not made.

Former President Mbeki once said "As a consequence of the victories we have registered during our first ten years of freedom, we have laid a firm foundation for the new advances we must and will make during the next decade." Keep this in mind as we look into some of the recent developments in South Africa.

Post 17 years since our political freedom, don’t we hear voices from a distance urging us to get on with “new advances” as advocated by former President Mbeki when we were only 10 years into our political freedom? Seemingly, the voices are calling for economic freedom or emancipation.

I do not wish, at all, to be part of the chorus on privatization mainly because it sounds like a choir with no conductor. What I want to be part of is a sober but urgent discussion that accepts that South Africa has not made the economic gains for all its citizens as was expected in 1994.

The prerogative of our struggle was political freedom. Our Bill of Rights originates, in its preamble, with " We, the people of South Africa, recognising the injustices of our past..."

It continues to state the values that include "human dignity; all adults will be able to vote; there will be regular elections..., etc". It is clear and understandable that our constitution was mainly concerned with restoration of our dignity and entrenching our political rights.

There seems to be a belief that political stability is one “…of the victories we have registered…”. The question now is whether a lot of the “noises” are not arising from those who believe that it’s now time for economic emancipation.

There are a number of questions which will be asked, amongst them being whether the various pieces of legislation which sought to empower previously disadvantaged people are not adequate.

I seem to hear a response that says so far we have been tinkering in the periphery and now it’s time for a comprehensive economic struggle. There can no longer be a piecemeal and half-hearted approach but a whole movement needs to be behind the economic revolution.

The problem of not having a comprehensive approach is that we will have disjointed and uncoordinated noises, like those that are happening around privatization. Each group will seek to protect their current positions rather than to conduct honest assessments no matter how hard it is.

I hear voices, that sadly will not be silenced soon, that say there is a need, and an urgent one for that matter, for the economic freedom to begin now. Let us ignore the noise but we must please listen carefully to the voices.

Sango Ntsaluba

Is the World listening to What Young People are saying?

Yes! it is young people again who have had enough and are doing something about that, starting in North Africa, Tunisia to be specific. What I am not sure is whether the world understands and hears what they are saying. The world seems to be reacting to what they want to hear and obviously preferring not to hear the other messages that are uncomfortable to the ‘peaceful” world.

In the conference I have just attended in London the stability and corruption indexes showed Tunisia, as shining star, very stable and almost imuned of corruption. These are indeces updated to 2010.

The European community was in the process of finalising yet another arms deal with Libya when the young people gate crashed and spoilt the party.

The Financial times of 3 March, carried one of the articles”UAE offers poor states $1.5 billion. Ask why now?

The starting question being asked by young people seem to be a simple one of “who gave you this right to want to rule us forever”. This is against the backdrop of where most of these rulers were already lining up their family members to take over from them. The questions which I get a feeling the world is closing their ears to are directed at most countries regarded as democracies and have to include:

1.Why are you messing up with our future? The question is directed at countries that collect huge amounts of money from taxpayers and do not develop proper education and training policies and do not adequately invested in education related infrastructure.

2.Why is there so much unemployment of Young people? Look at most of the countries and check the young (up to 35 years) peopleunemployment ratse. It is scary for people whoshould be starting to establish themselves.

3.Why do you continue to trade and do business with despots?
It is amazing that to date, I have yet not heard the voice of the AU on all what is happening.Their silence is deafening,but I can understand. They are confronted with the biblical “let the one who has no sin throw the first stone”. Most are waiting and hoping that this is a passing wave and they will ride it and continue to do what they were doing. I am not so sure.

We should say thanks to Young people for showing leadership and courage. It had to get to a stage like this, the way things were going.

The world had long accepted the suffering of the young people and the world was continuing as though there is no crisis “what crisis” they were asking.

As we look at these developments, we should be listening to the real message. The world has been given an opportunity, by young people, to do serious introspection. Let us not burry our heads in the sand : this is not a wave, it’s a revolution led by your people only armed with the social net working. Will tomorrow be the same as today and yesterday? Let’s answer this question with honesty.