Unions are the snakes

South Africa has become the land of the Strike. Our labour laws allow for Unions to be very strong and workers to strike if the unions instruct them to do so.
Progressive labour laws that protect the employee are a good thing....well, to a point.

Our laws, in my view, are too Pro employee. IF you have emplyed somebody and they do wrong, firing their arses is not the easiest thing on earth....and then, once you have worked through the million stages, they can still go to the CCMA for recourse. Usually if you have followed the million step process and have eventually fired the person, before your company is ruined, then it is ratified by the CCMA. But, as in any legal proceeding, it could go either way.

However, this is a legal minefield, and we will not be looking at this today but rather the endless strikes that we experience in the so called, Rainbow Nation.

To put a bit of perspective in the discussion, let's clarify the set up. Workers pay fees to the Unions, who in turn run like businesses as well as try to look after the worker's interests. In South Africa unions are also very political, so there is an added bonus for the country.

Hot on the heels of the countless strikes, BMW has announced that it will not expand it's operations in South Africa. This is due to losses of millions of Rands, due to strike action, thus hurting the economy and stunting job growth. Well done unions.

Economist Dawie Roodt reports that many investors are looking elsewhere to invest as South Africa is not seen as a desirable place to invest...and investors who are invested here, are looking to withdraw. Well done unions.

Even Pravin Gordhan, our minister of finance, apparently will attempt to do damage control..but how can you until the climate changes. It's like telling people to invest in boats in the middle of the desert...does not make sense.

It is a delicate balancing act, the unions (who's staff surprisingly get paid during the strike while many of the strikers don't) are charged with looking after the interests of the worker. On the surface it may appear they do. However, the unions sets a ridiculous benchmark, which it knows the employer will not meet. Then the negotiating begins......and while they negotiate, the workers strikes, often violently and destructively. The union leaders, liking to appear all powerful, do not back down for weeks. The strike continues. Both the worker and employer lose money. The union staff are paid.
Eventually there will be an agreement. The path of destruction costs the taxpayer millions to fix, as the striker usually runs riot and is more destructive that an atom bomb.
The worker goes back to work while the company tries it's best to recover from the demands it agreed to, under duress. The economy limps a bit more.

In South Africa, strikes are like the waves, one follows another and they seem endless.

In the long run, the worker will feel it negatively.

Firstly, the company may not recover from the financial demands placed upon it, and like in the mining sector, be forced to lay workers off. So, short term benefit leads to long term unemployment.
The unions employees keep their jobs.
The economy suffers due to the loss of income from industry. This leads to a stunted growth, higher consumer prices, higher interest rates for lending and so on. Once again, the worker feels it.
Investors from outside South Africa see this as a bad place for investment, and simply invest in another country, where they will gain a return from their investment. Who can blame them. The result- less growth in the economy, no new jobs, probably a loss in jobs long term.
Oh, the union chaps..they still have their jobs.

I have no doubt that there is a place for unions as the worker needs protection from big bad companies. However, they need to be reasonable and have leaders with some economic know how and less political ambition. Leaders with enough knowledge to understand where strikes lead and how they damage both the country and the member they so bravely defend. South Africa is not in a health position and the economy needs all the boosting it can get. Our pro employee labour laws and the constant striking are dragging it down even further. In many other countries, one would expect government to step in...but in South Africa, government is largely ANC members, who are in bed with the unions and rely on the unions for support come election time. So, despite what the economy looks like, these selfish fools will not be rocking any boat that keep them in the rich vein of funding that is available to the leaders.

Unless the government wake up and unless the unions stop their all powerful and selfish thinking, South Africa is not ever going to recover.

The Blade Killer

With the SAPS announcing they have now concluded the case against Mr untouchable, Oscar Pistorius, I think it apt to write my ten cents worth of opinion. For those of you who have just returned from other planets. Oscar shot and killed Reeva Steenkamp, saying he mistook her for an intruder.

What amazes me is how often reporters use the words 'allegedly' with this case . He allegedly killed her or he allegedly shot through the door. No....some facts are already confirmed my the Prince himself....He has already told the court that he shot her through the door and killed her.....that much is not in doubt and as such, not alleged. What is alleged, is the murder charge.

To sum things up, from Blade Killer's point of view: During the night of 14th February 2013, he awoke and walked to the balcony to fetch the fan and close the balcony door. On his way back he heard somebody in the bathroom. Thinking it was an intruder, he says he screamed at them and at Reeva to phone the police. He went to the bed to collect his firearm (not noticing Reeva was not in bed). He says he felt fear and terror and trapped as the bedroom door was locked. He moved towards the bathroom, noticing the window was open. The toilet door (which is separate) was closed and in short, he decided it would be a great idea to shoot them through the closed door. He tells us he felt vulnerable as he did not have his prosthetic limbs on until after he shot Reeva.

I am not going to delve into the case because much has been written about motives, affairs and so on. I am going to look at the basics as reflected by The Blade Killer's version.

I have worked extensively with disabled people. Oscar spent most of his life with no lower limbs so we can reasonably assume he was pretty mobile without his prosthetics. This is evident as he did not put them on to go to fetch the fan. Then, as seen by the diagram of his room, he had to pass the bed and the bedroom door, walk down a passage to get to the bathroom.

One who is filled with fear would wake his partner up, unlock the locked door (he obviously did not think of that) and escape with haste, using one of the numerous phones on hand (4 I think) to phone security or the police.
Oscar has a long history of loving firearms and we can assume he has shot them many times. He once bragged to a reporter that he once thought there was an intruder downstairs and basically, went down, armed to catch or shoot the intruder.

Despite his utter terror, he makes the effort of 'walking' down a passage to the bathroom...all this time, he hears nothing from Reeva, no screams, whispers, her calling him... She was silent, yet this raised no alarms. So, he, in his fear, walk towards the danger instead of escaping. Noticing the toilet door closed, he seemingly makes no effort to establish who was behind the door or declare he will shoot. (or, I am sure Reeva would have made it pretty clear it was her).

Based on the diagram as well, if Reeva was in the toilet, what type of noise would she have to be making to alert him? Surely when one is in the toilet, we don't bang against the walls or the like, to create noise. We do our thing and leave. So how much noise would she have had to make for him to hear her? And why was she in for so long?

Another thing that troubles me, why did she lock the door. Close it I understand...lock it is strange?
And, why would an intruder lock himself in the toilet? Surely if he entered via the bathroom window and he felt a threat, he would have exited before trapping himself in a locked toilet.

Based on his side of the tale, there are too many dark shadows crawling around. Too much just does not make sense. I have briefly touched on a few, but I am sure if I dissect it even more, there will be others. Then there is all the other evidence that the police has collected.

As this is not a crime article, I am really not going into ALL the legal stuff and other allegations. The police are going for premeditated murder. Even if Oscar's fairytale is bought by the court, he is still guilty of a crime...he killed somebody when his life was not directly threatened, as is a requirement in our law.

However, the legal system being what it is, we cannot guarantee that he will be punished the way he ought to be, whichever charge he is found guilty of. Two things are without doubt, that he shot and killed Reeva and that he took the life of a promising you lady.

Zuma and his best wishes to his best friend

Jacob Zuma extended his 'profound congratulations' to Zimbabwe's eternal president, Robert Mugabe for a winning a successful election. He further went on to call on all parties to accept the election results as 'election observers had reported it to be the will of the people.'. And as if the aforementioned idiotic statements were not enough, he has had to add that he 'encourages the people of Zimbabwe to seize this opportunity towards building their country, driven by a common desire for peace, stability and prosperity.' 

A brief look at the election tells us all we need to know. No independent observers from the evil West were allowed in to monitor the poll. Reports of voting irregularities were rife. The African Union harped on about the peaceful elections, but fell short of calling them fair. Despite it's monitors announcing several irregularities, no further action was taken from their side. The Southern African Development Community, unsurprisingly, called it free and fair. 

Most convincing are the local monitors who spelled out voter registration problems, rural voters being subtly threatened not to vote by security forces or being forced to ask for help by Mugabe loyalists. In all, this accounts for well over a million votes. There were also other problems, but I think my point has been made. 

With the above in mind, and due to everybody knowing Mugabe's tactics, it is a slap in the face for democracy and a worry that the AU and SADC, can blindly accept the election knowing that there were problems. But like Zuma, they don't want to hear as they are all a tight bunch of corrupt little friends. For Zuma to call on Zimbabweans to prosper, while retaining the same leader who has wrecked their country is not only plain stupid but embarrassing. It also goes to show how out of touch with reality he is. 

Despite Mugabe's call for sanctions to be lifted, the countries who hold the against him and his regime, will rightly continue to do so. 

This also highlights the type of 'leader' Zuma is. He does not have the courage to stand up for democracy if it means confronting another African leader. South Africa are make a big noise against the West when they think they are being done in, but are notably quiet when one of their owns steals an election. Coming from Zuma, this is a further concern when we look at the situation in Tlokwe, where the ANC lost the mayoral seat and, despite a court order, are refusing to budge. Is this how Zuma sees democracy, the best vote rigger wins? Is this is what South Africa can look forward to if the ANC's position is threatened?  

It is no use having one of the best constitutions on earth and bragging about a democracy,when you have no clue what it is and you and your party carry on like South Africa is your playground and we as taxpayer are paying for all the rides.A Zumocracy indeed. 

Malema and his smoke and mirror EFF

I have written a number of times about Julius Malema, and I probably will in the future. The reason, well, he really rubs against my grain in a big way.

A while back, this faithful servant of the ANC and most specifically, our glorious president, Jacob Zuma. Those were his glory days when Zuma was his father an he would gladly lay his life on the line for this esteemed individual.

Hit the fast forward button and Mr M has been booted from the political party that he worshipped, he has had millions of Rands worth of assets sold from under him, and he is fighting for political survival. Oh yes, and let's not forget those little corruption charges.

Lucky for Julius, he is a very loud and fiery person, a very good tool when trying to convince people not to look beyond the message you are shouting out. Secondly, his target market are pretty desperate people, largely betrayed by the same party Julius fell foul of. Unemployed youth who have large dreams, but no road to drive them there.
Our hero, Malema's new party, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), promises to take all the land away from everybody and make it state land. (Read between the lines-take it from the white people. )
The EFF's manifesto reads like a long justification to be racist against white people, while falling short on real plans.

Here is a quote from their manifesto.

WHAT IS THE STRATEGIC MISSION?

35. The attainment of Economic Freedom in Our Lifetime is our strategic mission. Towards this, we have identified 7 (seven) non-negotiable cardinal pillars for economic freedom in our lifetime. These are: 

a. Expropriation of South Africa's land without compensation for equal redistribution in use.

b. Nationalisation of mines, banks, and other strategic sectors of the economy, without compensation.

c. Building state and government capacity, which will lead to the abolishment of tenders.

d. Free quality education, healthcare, houses, and sanitation. 

e. Massive protected industrial development to create millions of sustainable jobs, including the introduction of minimum wages in order to close the wage gap between the rich and the poor, close the apartheid wage gap and promote rapid career paths for Africans in the workplace

f. Massive development of the African economy and advocating for a move from reconciliation to justice in the entire continent. 

g. Open, accountable, corrupt-free government and society without fear of victimisation by state agencies. 

36. Attainment of Economic Freedom entails that multinational and private ownership of the commanding heights of the economy will be discontinued, and all economic wealth directed to the ownership and benefit of all people. This will happen through various and combined forms of common and collective ownership, ranging from State ownership and control, co-operatives and workers' ownership and control of the key sectors of the economy. State ownership is within this context, an elementary component which will lead to more progressive forms of collective ownership, control and benefit, and therefore not narrow State-capitalism. 

It should be borne in mind that prior to Malema falling short of the taxman, to the tune of millions and being booted from the ANC, capitalism was his ally. He owned numerous properties and cars, wore expensive jewellery, dressed like a king and ate the best food money could buy. His whisky taste was more to the Blue label than Red label side. Tenders were one of his money sources.

The promises are big, free education, sustainable jobs, no corruption.....but he really fails to explain how he will achieve this. Having said this, being a politician, he probably has no idea and is telling us what we think we want to hear, or at least, those daft enough to support him.

Further to confuse matters, one of his financial backers is show off millionaire, Kenny Kunene. (Who, if Juju's party has it's way, will lose all his property to the state...) and actor Fana Mokoena. Capitalism was good to these two...but hey, why let reality stand in your way for the need to be more popular and to gather more wealth off the public.

Then we have Mr Malema's new mentor, Good old Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe fame. Dandy. What a figure to look up to. The EFF promotes itself as a militant group and they are proud to wear their trademark red beret. He even has 'Commander in Chief'' written on his. (Had me laughing I must admit)

What does this all mean for South Africa. Well, in the unlikely event that they are voted in as government, a nuclear war would look like a promising alternative. It would also be less destructive to our country.

Realistically though, they will garner thousands of votes. Where it gets interesting, is their votes will come from the ANC support base. Especially with Juju attacking everything that is ANC, with his child-like name calling and mockery. There are many who will fall for this, and will question whether the ANC deserve their cross again. Ironically, the Democratic Alliance, once the thorn in Malema's side, will benefit from the the votes lost by the ANC, as I am pretty sure their supporters will not be fooled my the smoke and mirror EFF picture show.

Malema remains a figure on the political landscape. However, he still has to face corruption charges..without the safety net of the ANC to catch his fall. With Zuma consolidating his position by ridding himself of all those who don't support him, there will be no protection for his now arch rival.

The EFF will not me a major force, but will serve as a dangerous joker in SA politics, even if Malema has to serve time. In time, they will dissolve through in fighting and power struggles........as is African politics.

The bail joke and the address..

I have not written on my blog for ages....despite wanting to. As such, I will have to build up my readership once again. So, here is the beginning of the new wave.....

I was looking for a story that was different, not the boring royal baby rubbish, nor Mr Corrupt  Jacob Zuma, nor his once little bother Julius Malema......but then I stumbled upon one I found amusing and well, a window into how our Magistrates think when releasing people on bail and this may also go a long way to explaining why so many who are out on bail, are re-arrested for new crimes.

To sum up the story. Gareth de Nysschen is the co-owner of Dave Sheer Guns. His claim to fame is his recent arrest at OR Tambo Airport, on his way OUT of the country...destination United States of America. Luckily, his co-accused, General manager of the Gun Shop, Efthimios Demis Karamitsos was there to bid a warm farewell to his boss, and he was snapped up by the police as well. Their crime..dealing in stolen military ammunition.

Other co-accused, soldiers accused of the stealing, we set free on bail..well except for one who had the brains to threaten the investigating officer's life. Oh yes, and Karamitsos is free.

So far, not so great.

But here is where it loses me. Magistrate Syfred Mati acknowledges that the State's case appeared to be strong, that the accused had numerous other police investigations against him, that de Nysschen was a man of means, who furnished false addresses. Further, he was aware of the state's request to deny bail alleging de Nysschen would flee the country, that his family could easily follow and that his wealth could be easily moved. Further claiming he could easily obtain false travel documents.

With all of the above in mind, the learned magistrate says "It would be idiocy of me to grant bail if I don't know where he lives."...further stating that if the State provided him with a proper address, he 'didn't feel it just to deny bail.'.

After all that has been presented to the Magistrate, in favour of keeping him locked up, he, in his infinite wisdom, chooses the address issue as his point of reference. The one factor that would decide bail.

My prediction..he will get bail and in years to come, South Africa will be fighting to get him back for his trial...if they find him that is.

Oh, and to add to this, another co-owner, David Sheer, was released on bail of R15 000,00....seriously. And here's the killer...he had to put up bonds of R2 Million because Mati considered him a flight risk. I kid you not.

This small peek into our justice system is one of too many that shows me that our judiciary does not have what it takes to fight the criminal's flood. They aid it. The leniency on the bail issue coupled with some really ridiculous low prison sentences are not what we need to fight the criminal element. We need people on the bench who can think, we need strong people who do not think of the criminal, but society, we need more maximum sentences.

Being soft on criminals is what is causing them to obtain more rights than the innocent and this tide needs to be turned!

The slaughter of Whales for commerce

Today we move away from South Africa and we have a look at one of my pet hates..Whaling. In short, this is were certain countries go out and hunt whales under the cover of research, when everybody world wide knows all it is, is a whale hunt.

Despite wanting to catch 1 000 innocent whales, these savage beasts (the whalers) could manage to net 103.

 The Japanese minister of Agricultural  Forestry and Fisheries, Yoshimasa Hayashi (below), was heard whining that this was the lowest total ever caught since 'research whaling' commenced in 1987. Shame...the world feels your you and your country.

The thanks to this, goes to protesters who are stepping it up a notch and actions include colliding with a whaling ship. (Some idiotic US judge labelled the protesters 'Pirates'..obviously an idiot himself). Of the 48 days set aside, they spend half running from protest ships.

Despite a moratorium in 1986, Norway and Japan still do this wonderful scientific survey annually, the meat finding itself on the markets in time. Apparently eating it is part of their culinary tradition. (As it seems is eating everything from scorpions to dogs..oh and rats).

The Sea Shepard, co-founded by international fugitive (as he takes a stand) and my hero, Paul Wilson (below), is the vessel that did the most good damage

Despite the rest of the word's governments being too yellow bellied to really defend their hated for whaling, I cannot see them giving these two savage states much support to continue this research façade,although the above minister says he will ask.

From my point of view, the world needs to take a stand against this savage practice. We know they will not, so at least allow the people with the right convictions to fight the fight and help reduce the cruel slaughter of these majestic and clever mammals.

Zuma..our hero

Got to love the brilliance of our proud President, Jacob Zuma. After the latest uproar following the death of 13 soldiers in the CAR, people have questioned his decision making ability. His response was that everybody wants to rule the country and we must leave him to do it. (this was done during the funeral service of the 13 soldiers)

Welcome to democracy Mr Zuma. You see, you and your fellow freedom fighters fought a hard fight so that democracy could be the political rule in South Africa. Then, once it is achieved, leaders like you see that perhaps democracy is not for you. I mean, who wants a system where the public knows and points out your problems and governing faults.

Zuma's presidency started off with negativity as he had 700 plus criminal charges swept under the table by using some dubious spy tapes, which have never surfaced despite court orders. He rule has been tainted self enrichment for him and his family, protection for corrupt friends, lack of service delivery, broken promises, blaming apartheid for EVERYTHING...and much more. He will go down as the poorest (not in wealth at all) president we have ever seen.

HE is not fit to rule, but will see another term (despite saying he would not accept it when he was first in power)..and continue to ruin South Africa.

Well done to Trevor Manual for telling the ANC leadership to stop blaming apartheid and take responsibility for their own lack of delivery. We need more like him.

More job losses...self inflicted though!

You have to love logic...it makes most things in the universe fall into place.
Sadly, logic is not one of the things possessed by many in leadership South Africa.

Last year striking miners made worldwide headline with their confrontation with police, leaving over thirty dead. The unions dragged the strike out and in doing so, damaged the cash flow of the mine. Billions of Rand was lost- not only income to the mine, but to South Africa. But, unions are all about politics and even though the mining companies tried to work compromises, the unions (who's leaders were funnily enough, still receiving an income) stood their ground. This, despite warnings that the high increases they were requesting could not be sustained by the companies involved. Apparently that does not matter to the unions though.
So, the workers received high pay increases, with a warning that it would drain the companies.

Flash forward to 2013. Anglo Platinum has announced that it would close four shafts and have to sell a mine. 14 000 jobs are on the line. Yes, this is shocking and extremely sad. So, how does The Amplats Workers Committee react- they call a strike to bring Anglo 'to it's knees'. Great thinking. The company needs to downsize as it is, so hey, let's damage it further and see how many more we can add to the 14 000 jobs already on the line. Logic at it's best.

Cleverly The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has asked it's members not to strike, while it negotiates with the company to save as many jobs as possible. (NUM was the only large union willing to compromise in last years strikes). The second union, who was the main cause of the earlier never-ending strike, the Association of mineworkers and construction union (Amcu) tell us they will be 'guided by their member's calls'. Also with a bit of prodding I am sure.

This defies logic...but then, so does South Africa in many aspects. Of course, the ANC led government is also threatening to re-look at mining licenses for those mines who are restructuring, giving unmined shafts to 'those who want to mine'-whoever they may be.

This is no isolated case either, wildcat strikes have caused Harmony Gold, Harmony Platinum and Aquarius Platinum to re- look at their operations at some mines, which may lead to further closures.

Considering South Africa was built on mining and remains a mining giant, the government needs to step up and provide leadership. Threatening is not leadership. The government need to have open discussions and understand where the mining companies are coming from. Furthermore, many in government have a financial interest in the mining industry (our future deputy president for example), so they will blow smoke, but tread carefully when it is time for action.

The unions and the government use the lack of education by the masses as a tool for power. The company bosses only care about the bottom line. There has to be a compromise that would work. For the sake of our economy, they need to find it quickly.

The Joke of SA Education.

As a new school year begins, I feel a need to reflect on the past Matric/National Senior Certificate (NSF)/ Grade 12 year and specifically the much celebrated results.

What does one need to pass the NSF or any other grade in South Africa:
40% in your home language.
30% in a second language.
30% in mathematical literacy or mathematics.
40% in life orientation.
40% in one of the remaining three subjects.
30% in other two

Now, with this in mind, our esteemed Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga (who did not cover herself in glory during 2012) is very pleased that some 73% of learners (formerly known as Pupils) passed the NSF. This guru on education states that the 2012 results would 'restore confidence' in our schooling. (seriously).
She does not of course comment on the estimated 50% of Grade ones who never make it to Matric or even the 40% of Grade 11's who never see Grade 12.
She also failed to bring up her stuff about about the non delivery of text books last year.

Reflecting on the percentage required to pass, how stupid must one be to actually fail? You see, when the ANC took over, they could not keep a system from the past (whether it was working or not) and replaced it with their own dysfunctional one. The ANCs 'free education' election promise also burned like a vampire in the midday sun. Schooling now cost as much as university did back then.
Year after year the pass rate was pathetic...so these brilliant minds take a look at what they can fix to rectify this troublesome situation.

Did they decide to look at the syllabus..nah....the quality of schools..nah...the quality of teaching..nah..the study material nah....I mean, how would improving any of those help make more people pass? Why improve the system.
So they did what any clever government think- tank does when marks are low....lower the pass rate. Genius. Who would have thought of that. And as a result, the under achievers also get a shot at passing. Talk about a good idea.

Now, the Education Department and ANC government or gloating in their self made sense of achievement..ignoring the reality- that the quality of the NSF is so low that most who are lucky enough to move on to higher education, will not even see out the first year and any country outside Africa, will pass out laughing if any prospective job seeker presented their NSF Certificate to them.
It is a fact that most high school learners do not know know how to read or write properly...and this is not even mentioning the spelling. Even worse- the Teachers themselves could not pass their own tests they were asked to write at the beginning of this year.

So..as 2013 commence  I suggest that we reduce the pass mark to 10% across all subjects and then next year we can celebrate the 85% NSF pass rate...I should be in government! Oh right...if I was then my brats would be in a private school and not subject to the Department of Educations quality education.

2013.......

.....a new year begins.....2012 ended on a very busy note..and I neglected my blog...shame on me...but 2013 should see me getting my arse in gear once more and I will try to post as much as I can...sorry for being such a stranger to all of those who visit on a regular basis....