Tributum Newsletter #31

Hello

Blink – 30 September. 2021! I bet most if us cannot believe how long-ago 1 January 2020 feels, or that there is only 3 months left for 2021.  And some shops even have Christmas decorations…

During the month a friend of mine asked me whether I was still confident about South Africa.  SA recorded record high unemployment and according to findings 23 000 girls under the age of 19 fell pregnant during April 2020 and March 2021 in Gauteng, not to mention other provinces. JZ was just granted medical parole. Not so much anymore was my answer. There are so many problems on so many fronts…

And these problems will not be solved by the cheap politics of empty promises to garner votes for municipal elections. For a second month in a row ANC treasurer Paul Mashatile is getting a dishonourable mention in the newsletter. According to him the video showing him dishing out cash to church goers is out of context. He says he was not buying votes. The official stance appears to be that he was tithing. So why to the congregants and not the church itself?  

How can a party that cannot govern itself be expected to govern cities and towns, not to mention the country? Do they believe that all action is justifiable if there is a reason? Maybe they would all be better served by just admitting mistakes instead of trying to justify them. Spend time fixing the errors rather than spending energy trying to explain it away.

At the risk of sounding chauvinistic – man up, put up or shut up. The same goes for us, by the way. Stop whining. Either have some cheese with that and keep quiet or take some action. Pity parties are not cool.

I’m reminded of an old song from Train, Calling All Angels. The lyrics (slightly adapted with punctuation) in the middle of the song goes as follows: “ …I won’t give up if you don’t give up. I need a sign to let me know you’re here. Because my TV set just keeps it all from being clear. I want a reason for the way things have to be. I need a hand to help build up some kind of hope inside of me…”

Confident? Maybe less so for now. Hopeful? Yes. I am reminded of the scenes of South Africans uniting against the looting in July. Standing together to prevent and rebuild the carnage. Another arrest of a Gupta kingpin. It reminded me of what we can be when we stop whining and start doing. Whether alone or with a hand to help build up some hope. Here’s hoping. Until next time, keep breathing.