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Interpretations
Saturday, April 28, 2012 10:27:20 PM
In a quest for freedom some resort to suicide attacks, others to armed resistance, while others resort to popular unrest. Some seek refuge with Hillary. But this side, we PROTEST
Yep, some people are still subjected to forced abortion and sterilizations and the impunity of government officials. But no, this side we are not, we have the rule of law.
But are we really free? Hence my interpretations. You see, freedom has gone academic.
Somewhere in these pages I raise a point about a government decision to introduce "e-tolls" in a quest to improve the freeways in Gauteng. This decision was not welcome. It raised an ire of civil society leading to a full-blown PROTEST. But the government didn't budge.
OUTA invoked their freedom to challenge this executive decision before the judiciary. And this today, the court found in their favour. Now the Gauteng freeway improvement project has been put on ice. At least for now.
The point is, given all the poverty and massive inequality, not everybody can afford Senior counsel (the best legal minds) to INTERPRET their freedom to a judge for a decision in their favour.
The question is, if court actions have replaced PROTEST, the only available weapon for the masses, as a form of expressing dissidence, then who is free?
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Protest (2)
Friday, March 23, 2012 3:29:24 PM
In contrast to the other protest, this one is organised, has a defined theme,has champions and involves money. Almost always vigilance against state autocracy being the key.
Although it also has to do with civil society, this type of protest is championed by minorities. The enemy in this case is state machinery and government decisions.
The government in its infinite wisdom presupposes to make decisions for the preservation of national resources and maintenance of infrastructure. All supposedly in the interest of citizens. But apparently, not always. The minorities with the support of civil society invokes clauses from the constitution to prove that the government decisions are infringing on the freedom of the citizens. Because of this invocation, this type of protest always ends up in court.
A case in point is Gauteng e'tolls said to resume on April 30. The introduction of this was received with a huge opposition from all quarters. It even led to a huge protest march. The government stood its ground.
Now we understand that the protest will end up in court. The court papers will be served on the relevant ministry and provincial transport authorities by April 24. The case is brought by an alliance of motor industry federations under the acronym OUTA(opposition to urban tolling alliance)
The logic is, the imposition on Gauteng is an experiment whose success will lead to further imposition on other provinces.
A culture of dissidence that still leads to casualties even today, conceived on the other side in the absence of a constitution is now being taken in a different direction adjudicated before a court of law under the guise of a constitution.
Who becomes the casualty with this line of thought?(Counter majoritarian rule protest?) I mean if the court makes a ruling in the best interest of society
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Protest (1)
Friday, March 23, 2012 12:49:27 PM
Civil society has movements that disapprove of the greed(on Wall street), abuse of the environment(Greenpeace) and so forth. We currently are witnessing the results of the power of protest dubbed the "Arab spring" sweeping through Arabia.
And in communities in the South, children are brought up on stories of protest, protest for freedom. Agitation for boycotts, protest theatre... "Freedom is precious", they are told. "This freedom came at a price." There are so many memories..., the blood that flowed. In some instances family members remain unaccounted for. The community was always cohesive against the common enemy, that is, the System and its representatives.
The system caved in, but the protest culture still lives on. The question is: has the enemy been redefined? No, it can't be them. The riot police have never been the enemy.
In what is dubbed "service delivery protest" the community cohesion nowadays is directed at the destruction through fire of neighbourhood investments. These encompass the libraries, schools, shops and infrastructure. The casualties of modern day protestor's fire vary from a ward councillor's house to a community library to a neighbourhood
shopkeeper's merchandise.
Irrespective of the dissent, modern day protest is synonymous with fire, it is not a successful protest if something is not burned. It also has a tinge of "let me benefit at your demise". This is so because inevitably the modern protester sees the protest as an opportunity to loot things belonging to others. Protesting to benefit?
One other element that characterizes this protest is unnecessary loss of lives. A protest by Varsity students or learners has always left a parent in mourning, a protest against crime always leads to the accused being beaten to death, someone's father will end up dead in a protest against "muti" killings and so forth.
The dissent may in roundabout way be registered but whether anything is achieved is the question. Fact is: community protests pose a huge risk to those who "do not belong", those who stand out or those with questionable credentials.
Granted that it is one of the only remaining weapons at his disposal,is a modern day community protest a poor man's bullying tactic or his cry for help?
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The reconciliation project
Friday, December 16, 2011 11:03:09 AM
In giving my take, I shall confine myself to historical confrontation and interracial dialogue.
The TRC sat briefly and pronounced. My experience is that, not much has happened from then onwards. The two halves that are supposed to reconcile are growing apart. The one half, those that were and are still living a life of privilege and superiority, wants everybody to forget everything, erase history and just want everybody to move on. Actually, they walked scott free from the TRC. The other half, those that bore the brunt of "apartheid", is getting impatient as they do not seem to see much coming their way. They see the legacy of segregation everywhere and are always reminded of their place in this society, that of being inferior. The former have a way of using their privilege, therefore the courts, to maintain the status quo. There is a standard developing that everything that is run black people and in government is corrupt while the economy runs on the taxes paid by white people. The more this happens, the more the latter gets frustrated. This therefore means limited dialogue as the parties talk past each other.
Although I would contend that this is one project that should be headed by the government in the interest of all the parties concerned, individual leadership is essential. I believe that the previously marginalised should embrace all the opportunities availed to them. However meager. But has the government done enough up until today, you be the judge. I am not advocating for the government to make people wealthy. Granted, traditionally one can only get wealthy through trading. The government should provide opportunities for advancement for the previously marginalised.
Fact is, South Africa is a country with a society composed of glaring inequalities, which does not bode much for this project to be practical yet. Fact is, people cannot eat democracy. Where there is movement there is a contestantion of self interest and privilege. The "right" people have to benefit first and the majority will follow thereafter. I mean a greater number of the majorities in this country are destitute people who have further been reduced to people eager to receive. This means that everyone, including our guests tend to walk all over them and taking advantage of their constitution.
This is reality. And reality is not always pretty. My point is, it is gonna take a while for the project to yield real results.
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These streets
Wednesday, December 14, 2011 11:11:41 PM
These streets divide wealth and poverty. They divide First and third world. Tranquil and chaos. Mansions and matchbox houses. "Properties" and RDP houses. Spacious and congested. Colourful and dreary. High rise and ghettos. Pristine and dull. Dilapidated and modern. Leafy and barren. Potholed and smooth. Boom-gates and no-gates. Stop-nonsense and no-nonsense. Illumination and darkness. Paved and dirt. Slime and spotless. Humanity and aloofness. Superior and inferior. Togetherness and individualism. Taxis and Maseratis. Huge and tiny. Freedom and cages. Marches and strolls. Walking the dog and guarding the kids from falling into the sewer. Abundance and squalor. Street lights and braziers. Secured and unsecured. Protests and peace. Patrol cars and horse drawn carts. Rural and urban. These streets separate dwellings from apartments, townships from suburbs, golf courses from dumping sites.
The people on either side of the street almost always have their own tale to tell. From the size of dogs on each side to the amount of electricity and water used. Yep, a stretch of tar sets the same people a world apart. Of course the one half gets on with life while the half doesn't.
Maybe renaming these streets is the first step, but bringing one side to be on par with the other side remains a pipe dream.
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Price tags
Monday, December 12, 2011 11:02:38 AM
Where does it leave you? As a price-taker? Isn't value a relative concept, as in, you'll pay more for the value where you think it exist as opposed to who thinks what. Simply put, you could pay more for my swamp because you wanna turn it into a resort.
Are price tags a measure of exclusivity? Do you want exclusivity? Do you enjoy paying more to be regarded as exclusive? But then again, is everything about you exclusive? Your clubs, church,friends, neighbourhood, eateries, family...?
Are price tags a sign of good taste? What is good taste? Who determines it? The italians? The Swiss? Your granny?... And are you a trailblazer or are you aspirational? Do you follow others who you think have better taste? Do you have to copy others to accentuate your good taste? Is your good taste foreign to your neighbourhood?
There is a lot of hiding behind this paraphernalia. But seeing beyond the price tags can assist you to get your priorities very right. The art of life consists in being able to get the price tags right, what is important and what is not. It helps to always know what you deem to be important irrespective of what is apparent.
Everything else will be, priceless!
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This art
Sunday, December 11, 2011 10:25:34 PM
* theatre is spontaneous, yet it is rehearsed,
* theatre is unique to the moment, yet is repeatable,
* theatre is understandable, yet it is obscure,
* theatre is real, yet is stimulated,
* the actors in theatre are themselves, yet they are characters,
* the audience to a theatre believes, yet it does not believe, and
* the audience to a theatre remains involved, yet it remains apart.
Yep, this bother loves theatre very much...
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That woman
Tuesday, November 22, 2011 10:14:11 PM
She is,she is the reason:
There is only one me
I don't trust my friends
I don't sleep at night
I don't queue
I come in and out of parties sober
I don't miss much
I hog my phone
I stay hungry
I don't walk the streets at night
I ride alone
I stop at rail crossings
She's the reason my apron is always dirty
The reason I even have an apron in the first place
Actually the reason why I have a kitchen duty
She's the reason I have grown to love pink. Why my breakfast entails everything strawberry
Why I don't do spelling contests
Why I believe raised heels are really feminine
Why I don't look far
Why I pay attention
Why my pupils don't lie
Why I see and notice
I notice and make mental notes
I notice all the cargo a woman carries
I believe hers need no comparism
I don't do disposals
I listen and hear
I hear all the notes and intonations
I am ever so mentally alert
She is the reason I spot a goatee
The reason why there is a captain in me
Why I read all my books
Why I don't tell all
My good habits are attributable to her
She is the reason I have an opinion
I have learned apologize
I don't do details
Why My skin is friends with Mitchum and Nivea
I now look beyond the ice."Ice is a temporary state" she once muttered
She is the reason why I cross my "t"s and dot my "i"s.
The reason I enunciate my "q"s, my"c"s and "x"s
Yep, she is the reason why my "clicks" are perfected.
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Stark (undiva ndiedwa?)
Tuesday, November 22, 2011 3:29:36 AM
Technically both of them are top dogs. But they differ in that as a matter of principle,one consider herself as such and will fight tooth and nail to preserve the system and the top dog privilege. The other might be against the system and will fight tooth and nail on behalf of the underdog against the system.
This might follow the example of two young female attorneys. One fighting for the right of an oil company to drill for oil in your neighbourhood and extract profit to head office without giving any thought to the effects of these on the environment or any social investment in your community. The other one, although she hails from where the oil company originates, will still fight them tooth and nail about the effects of their actions on the environment and also fight them to put some of the proceeds into some social investment in your neighbourhood.
Woe betide on you who hears your messages on a full stomach but remain in the middle. Because it is either you let it hang all out or you don't. Either you shave or you don't. Not much room in the middle ground. What one sees almost always validates what one hears.
Granted, it follows that most of us in the land of plenty probably are biased to the messages that feed us. I am well aware that, on an empty stomach one's messages will almost invariably be distorted. Or one is likely to hear only the loud ones.
My contrasting individuals might get you to route with them subject to the individual messages or you may get them to champion your cause subject to your individual messages. Whether it is on behalf of gender, housing, the environment, HIV AIDS issues,education, the elderly and so forth.
Fact is,these guys hear their individual messages and devote some energy into sounding them out loud.
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Beautiful mornings
Tuesday, November 22, 2011 2:24:21 AM
She loves beautiful mornings. And neither me nor nobody can argue with that.
Beautiful mornings allow her to build from pieces. They allow her the leeway to piece together that fragments that are her thoughts.
Beautiful mornings affords her the opportunity to appreciate the first things that comes to her head to build the morning's first things.
Beautiful mornings are to her a beautiful interpretation of how wonderful nature is after artificial lights and with the arrival of natural light.
Beautiful mornings grants her, her best shots.
They are to her something to be cheerful about.
A new start.
Beautiful mornings gives an opportunity to bring all her senses together
They allow her thoughts to break bonds, her mind to transcend whatever limitations are facing her and she becomes conscious of all and don't miss much
Another twenty four hour credit allowed to her to open her eyes and see all things anew, to be more, to do more, give more, see more, learn more, love more, produce more...
More of everything.. Courage, energy,laughter,beauty, femininity,style...
She has everything to gain by being a morning person. She has no time for bad mornings because her mornings are always ripe and full.
Beautiful mornings brings out the spirit of the great heart in her. They make her to be contend with the joys of this life and to work with what she has.
And in her eyes, from the moment her feet touch her slippers, there comes all manners of shapes of what her day will entail.
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Kamogelo gospel singerz
2011-04-16 19:04:34When a man cries blog is realy touching bt what abt when dat man make our woman cry!its so sad to see women cry each and everyday because of heartless men who doesnt apreciate da warm love from special,unique women!when a woman bitterly cries it hurts much deeper!

Kamogelo gospel singerz
2011-04-11 23:55:12Hey moefi(maki's favourite writer)thanx a lot 4da lovely,encouraging and motivational words u ar writing u turned 2impress one of our singerz unique nt 2stop visiting ur blog u gud
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