Tributum Newsletter #66
Hello
I first want to thank those of you that responded positively on last month’s Newsletter (#65). It’s probably the Newsletter with the most responses to date. And to think that I was lacking motivation at the time, not to mention content. Just goes to show that sometimes weeks of planning and thought can be trumped by something that pops up out of the blue.
What has popped up out of the blue is the power outage in Port Elizabeth that has been a bain for so many over the past week. But it did not trump weeks of planning. Or even years of planning. In fact, it exposed a sore lack of any planning having taken place over the recent years. While the damage to the N2 coming into PE can be laid at the door of Mother Nature (see – she is still in charge) the power outage can be laid squarely on the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality.
The power outage is such a major issue that the Minister of Electricity even visited the city to inspect progress of restoring power to the people. According to newspaper headlines he believes it will cost R1 billion to overhaul the failing electricity infrastructure of the windy city – that is R1 000 000 000. Where will this come from? Who will look after it? Who will make sure the overhaul will be done properly? Who will audit the auditors?
It reminded me of a video of a speech by the Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher, on public money I viewed one day. Even though you may not agree with her reign and what all she did, I am sure her thoughts on public money will be agreeable (accept to Floyd Shivambu perhaps):
“Let us never forget this fundamental truth. The state has no source of money other than the money people earn themselves. …There is no such thing as public money. There is only taxpayers’ money.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvz8tg4MVpA
Yes, we the people, will pay for it. What we have paid so far does not matter because it is no longer available. It was not used for maintenance, but it’s still somehow still not available. While the GNU has a national footprint and in some instances are yielding almost immediate results (who does not like to see Miniter Gayton McKenzie do his thing?) many of the provinces and our cities remain prisoners of the government of old, and I am not referring to the pre 1994 regime…It would be interesting to see how a Miniter of Electricity in the GNU get the public servants of a local Municipality to change their ways. But it needs to be done. And not just in PE.
I have mentioned Timothy Ferris in previous newsletters. His book, the ‘4 Hour Work Week’ were one of the “signs” that showed me that corporate employment and the taking of minutes while wasting hours were not for me. I just started reading his ‘Tools of Titans’ and already found something inspiring (to me) in its introduction. Here’s looking forward to some more tips and inspiration. Until next month, keep breathing.