The past week has been marked with what many consider as one of the most intriguing times in South Africa democracy because the deeds of the man supposed to govern and drive the nation, have managed to put not just himself, but his whole party in a tight corner due to constitutional reasons.
Last year the "Nkandla Saga" was the number one topic of conversation and after all the parliamentary debate, the matter was taken to the constitutional court. After much analysis the court decided to give its veridict on the matter which, was not different from what the opposition had been singing in parliament. The constitutional court concluded that the president had in fact, broken the law and as a result he'd have to suffer the consequences of that.
The opposition rejoiced, the whole nation came to its feet and applauded democracy once again for being the impetus behind the politics. The opposition reacted swiftly and decided to come up with a motion that would throw the party in power in the hot seat. The impeachment motion brought about by the DA was seen as a measure that would be used to reveal the stand of every MP part if the African National Congress, on constitutional matters, and most importantly whether they stood behind the president or the country.
April 5th saw the president once again being saved by his faithfuls, as the impeachment motion was completely rejected and ignored by 233 of the parliamentary members of the ANC. Experts suggested that this is an exact reflection of what the county has been turned into, the ruling party will always overrule the constitution. Others suggest that this was right the right decision because they belive the president wasn't at fault at all hence his job should not be put in jeopardy because of a "small mistake".
As I tried to dissect and understand the situation, I reflected on what my grandad used to say, "there are always 3 sides to a story, your side, the opponent's side and the truth!" With that said I don't think we'll ever know for sure how much money was taken for the "NKANDLA" upgrades but truth of the matter is, some money was taken away and the president's apologies testified to that, therefore that is the truth! Is it a crime? The constitutional court veridict on the matter concluded yes, it, was in fact a crime. Should the president be impeached? Well... 233 people who have massive influence on the constitution said no, so it's up to us to do the math now.
Stick with me as I give you the latest updates as this story unfolds
ARYD News
My mind, our thoughts!
Friday 8 April 2016
Monday 7 March 2016
Resurgence
My light will never allow me to succumb to evil gears
That are far away, even thou they seem near.
I am journeying, unaware of my future bounds
I worry not! The future lays on devine grounds.
Relapse keeps lurking, I stand firm as a pillar
For I am a new version of myself. I am Stellar.
The sands blow on my face while I fly
The dark attempts to blur my vision, I see.
I feel the turmoil closer, surrounding me like a sea
And as if I could no longer fight, nonchalance I apply.
I keep flying amidst and through the turbulences
I'll swim, crawl if I have to, but I won't be halted.
As I tread on my shadow, life sends me a reminder
It warns be about the dark and all that surround her.
I might be able to keep her grounded on my own
But the grass isn't always so green on my neighbour's lawn
So it hits me, all the way from the other side of the court
It shakes me, I would have fallen had it not been for teleport.
That are far away, even thou they seem near.
I am journeying, unaware of my future bounds
I worry not! The future lays on devine grounds.
Relapse keeps lurking, I stand firm as a pillar
For I am a new version of myself. I am Stellar.
The sands blow on my face while I fly
The dark attempts to blur my vision, I see.
I feel the turmoil closer, surrounding me like a sea
And as if I could no longer fight, nonchalance I apply.
I keep flying amidst and through the turbulences
I'll swim, crawl if I have to, but I won't be halted.
As I tread on my shadow, life sends me a reminder
It warns be about the dark and all that surround her.
I might be able to keep her grounded on my own
But the grass isn't always so green on my neighbour's lawn
So it hits me, all the way from the other side of the court
It shakes me, I would have fallen had it not been for teleport.
Thursday 22 October 2015
National shutdown: South Africa's youth awakens!
October 2015, crowds made up of young souls gather and march the streets of South Africa in quest of what is considered the most important aspect of a democratic society, educational needs.
Their plea: they neither approve nor accept the recent increments made by some of the national tertiary institutions, universities specifically, thus they kindly request for change and consequently the nullification of such increment.
This should not, by any means, be taken out of context as an act of misbehaviour, or national vandalism as noted by some. The youth are doing exactly what should be done which is, fight for their basic rights as the people have the power to consciously change what cannot be accepted in a modern democratic society. This is also a result of youth growing tired of the constant dropouts due to unavailability of financial funds for many as well as the ever growing debt that others have to deal with for the remainder of their lives after they graduate.
A number of people have been arrested so far, for different accusations including vandalism, assult as well as treason amongst others things, but there is absolutely nothing stopping the youth as arrests are something expected whenever actions like these take place and no one is standing down until their requests are eventually agreed upon.
In light of all this, I have to admit that I am extremely proud of the South African youth because this means that they are, in fact, exercising their rights for the things that matters most in the best way possible. Education is the most important tool in the life of every human being as he/she looks to survive in this world therefore no human being should be deprived of it.
These actions also show awareness on the part of the youth regarding what the government can do as well as which sectors of our society they should be focusing and investing on.
2015 is surely going down in history as one of the one most remarkable post-apartheid years in South Africa.
Their plea: they neither approve nor accept the recent increments made by some of the national tertiary institutions, universities specifically, thus they kindly request for change and consequently the nullification of such increment.
This should not, by any means, be taken out of context as an act of misbehaviour, or national vandalism as noted by some. The youth are doing exactly what should be done which is, fight for their basic rights as the people have the power to consciously change what cannot be accepted in a modern democratic society. This is also a result of youth growing tired of the constant dropouts due to unavailability of financial funds for many as well as the ever growing debt that others have to deal with for the remainder of their lives after they graduate.
A number of people have been arrested so far, for different accusations including vandalism, assult as well as treason amongst others things, but there is absolutely nothing stopping the youth as arrests are something expected whenever actions like these take place and no one is standing down until their requests are eventually agreed upon.
In light of all this, I have to admit that I am extremely proud of the South African youth because this means that they are, in fact, exercising their rights for the things that matters most in the best way possible. Education is the most important tool in the life of every human being as he/she looks to survive in this world therefore no human being should be deprived of it.
These actions also show awareness on the part of the youth regarding what the government can do as well as which sectors of our society they should be focusing and investing on.
2015 is surely going down in history as one of the one most remarkable post-apartheid years in South Africa.
Friday 22 May 2015
The Bigger Picture
South Africa –
the rainbow nation, the heart of Africa, and its second most populous nation; the
first country in Africa to host the soccer world cup, the biggest sporting even
in the world, the house to some of the most remarkable people on the continent
- Nelson Mandela, Oliver Thambo, Miriam Makeba, Winnie Mandela, Trevor Noah are
just a few of those.
A nation filled with harmony and warm people although some
have tried to tarnish its image.
Historically
many have tried to destroy it through apartheid and its atrocious ideals giving
birth and rise to discrimination and unfair treatment of the natives here yet
the perseverance of many South African heroes and the will to be free proved to
be stronger than anything; such was so strong that it impacted not only South
Africa but the continent and the world allowing many to free themselves as well
and keep the legacy of Nelson Mandela engraved upon their hearts and books.
Nature has
thoroughly blessed it with its beauty, adorning it with an abundance of
landscape, plateaus, waterfalls, rivers, lakes, sea and wild life. The table
mountain in Cape Town, regarded as the most Iconic place in South Africa, has
established itself as one of the most beautiful places in Africa and one of the
wonders of the word as it is the most photographed place in South Africa. The Kruger
National Park in Mpumalanga houses a variety of wild life that attracts many
visitors around the world.
Beauty is
understandably subjective and everyone has their own views, nevertheless South
Africa is house to some of the most beautiful women on the planet and everyone
that has traveled around a few African countries can attest to that. Moreover,
the diversity amongst women here concerning physical attributes is assurance
that it can aesthetically and physically cater for everyone without having to
rely on medical assistance!
As an African, South Africa has
taught me some, if not the most important lessons in life. It has enabled me to
engage in new social gatherings and learn more about different people, cultures
and customs. It has also given me real friends that I know I will always
cherish. I have been fortunate to be a part of the new South African generation
where equality and civil rights are for everyone regardless of their colour or
race. This freedom has allowed me to be able to have access to education just
like any other South African as well as live or have fun anywhere I want. I
also learnt that democracy and freedom of speech can, in fact, exist in more
African countries if they could learn a bit from South Africa and the way they
deal with their social-economic political issues.
The diverse ethnicity, languages, and heritage here overwhelm me and although
different they are all somehow connected and that is the power of UBUNTU that
lives among the people here.
These are just a few of the divine
attributes that this country has to offer!
Saturday 18 April 2015
S.A Xenophobia: Who to blame?
South Africa's democratic image has once again been marred by one of the most cruel acts on the face of humanity known as xenophobia. Horrible scenes of a small number of black South African chasing and killing fellow black Africans because of, Lord knows what exactly, left me perplexed, knowing the history of this country and how hard they fought for freedom and equality in Africa as a whole with the help of many African compatriots.
According to some of these perpetrators "...these foreigners come here to take our women, jobs, opportunities and money..." they claim; and that for them, is enough reason to make them believe that they have the right to abuse and kill humans in the same manner exterminators deal with a plague of insects or rodents as seen in the picture bellow...
Moreover, the reactions we get from some of the prominent figures in the country are somewhat unintelligible making most people wonder about whether they stand for or against it. Zwelithini, one of the Kings here, said in a statement that "foreigners must pack their bags and go home" only to deny it afterwards saying that his statement was misinterpreted because he had said it in his native language. Other controversial statement came straight from the President's nest through one of his son who fiercely said that government must stop using taxpayers money to accommodate xenophobia victims... quiet an ironic statement here in Africa, seeing that some of his family's income comes from the same fund but oh well, he is South African and his black! so that is his for the taking...
I truly commend everyone who firmly stands against it, supports and promotes peace over all. Everyone is a foreigner somewhere and I believe that everyone has the right to live anywhere on this planet and make a living regardless of your color, race, ethnicity, nationality or social status... Was that not what the "End of Apartheid" symbolized?
This is not the first time xenophobia has hit South African shores and this time government only recognized it as such up until the world started to take notice of it.
Tuesday 5 August 2014
Is the end of the world nearer than we think it is?
Over the past days we have seen outrageous things happening all over the world. Some of these things might be considered unbelievable by a few but they are as real as real can get. Plane crashes have become the new hobby for some nations. While many are killed negligently by the diabolical actions of some of the world leaders, the world's major "Justice System" still undecided weather these acts are to be considered criminal or simply accidents.
The war caused by Israel against the Palestine is another case in need of divine intervention. Militants attacking schools and children is now considered as a defense act by "our worldly leaders". Are they killing these children to completely neutralize the chance of Palestine growing into becoming a better and stronger nation in years to come? Or, is it simply a way of inflicting more pain to the people (Parents) in Palestine and get them out of focus so as to lose the battle? Well, whatever the reason might be, these kids do not deserve any of this.
And again the world's major "Justice System" still awaits for the "right time" to act.
Ebola is back with a bang! After so many years of absence, this uncontrollable plague has come back and taken more lives than it has before during the same period of time. It has been a major problem during some parts of North Africa, quickly spreading down to the central parts and extending it-self to the southern parts and middle-east.
I'm not the type to believe in secret societies and conspiracy theories but none of these things happening right now all over the world seem like mere accidents to me.
Sunday 6 April 2014
Picture of the day
A chest x-ray shows the chainsaw that was embedded in James Valentine's neck and shoulder. Valentine, 21, was part of a crew pruning trees on Monday afternoon when his saw suddenly kicked back and the blade sliced into him. His co-workers brought him down from the tree and he was taken to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Picture: REUTERS/Allegheny Health Network
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