GPSA Weekly Views

So the Blue Bulls did it again! Third year in a row. To think that there was a time when us Blue Bulls supporters used to be quiet and reserved when it came to rugby. Like when you have a brother in jail, you think of him but you don't talk about him!

Shortly after the match the new Springbok team was announced. What a shocker. Some of the best players were left out to make place for players "of colour". And to make matters worse, coloured players are not classified as black and thus any effort put in by the selectors to make the team more representative, becomes even more difficult. And early next year a law will be passed to enforce kwotas in sport.

What this means for South African sport (as we know it) is that top players will quickly leave the country to play overseas. Kevin Pietersen is but one example whom left for England four years ago to play cricket for Nottinghamshire, after being dropped from his Natal team in favour of a black player. Andrew Strauss (also South African) plays for the same team. I won't even mention rugby. Bottom line is, if you're still young enough, white enough and a professional sportsman (woman), money can be made overseas. South African sport does not need you nor want you. Or at least, that's the message from our government and administrators.

So COSATU slipped up terribly in Zimbabwe this week. The tri-alliance government we have (the ANC, SACP and COSATU) have been at loggerheads about Mbeki's approach concerning the problems in Zimbabwe. COSATU decided to send a delegation to Zims with plans to investigate matters for themselves and of course to meet withe fellow workers and organisations on that side. Zim said NO, COSATU went anyway. Needless to say, they got thrown out of the country within the first three days of their visit. And were they upset! Shame!

And old Shabir Shaik is still forced to listen to state witnesses from KPMG (auditing firm employed by the Scorpions to investigate Shaik) in court. And what a lot of revelations! Jacob Zuma, our honorable vice president, has been living way beyond his means for quite some time. His pay as MEC in 1996 wasn't even enough to cover the interest on his debt - yes, all R20 000 of it. This man has been living it up way beyond his means. But with a "financial advisor" such as Shaik, who kept on pumping money from company funds into Zuma's account, who wouldn't live it up?

The best is that this company did not make money to start of with. Shaik was bargaining on his political connections to land some contracts in the arms deal, which he did. And that's what it's all about.

Then there are the farmers. The opposite corner the tribes laying claim to land and the criminals. All over there are great concern about farm murders (which still carry on but with little press) and inefficient policing. Government seem to like the idea of allocating profitable farmland to claimants without thinking what it means to this country in the long term.

It is in the black mans culture to look after himself and his family. Great principle, we must agree. But what about the rest of the country. Who is going to feed the rest of us if land will be used to provide only for the few who live there? With great initial benefits to the farmer who's land is being given back to the "original" occupants, what does the future really hold for agriculture in South Africa?

Back to Iraq where hundreds of the South African Defense Force personnel are "moonlighting". At a salary of around R75 000 per month, who can blame them? Lakota, our man in charge of matters of war is most upset. He promised that these men will be charged once they return. Considering only eleven South Africans have been killed in Iraq this past year out of a possible seven thousand that's there, the odds are fairly good. Also considering that we loose more people yearly in road accidents than the Americans lost in 9/11 (that's every year), it sounds like much better odds than driving to work every day!

While on matters of war, Jean-Bertrand Aristide (our "visitor" from Haiti) seems to enjoy his stay here. In spite of new fighting in his country, his living the high life here. Government officials won't tell us what it's costing the South African taxpayer but that's not hard to estimate. How about R210 000 per month? Consider the following - three personal assistants and two secretaries at around R37 600 per month, estimated at the salary of a junior minister (which the presidents' office confirmed, though not the junior part), Aristide is receiving "pocket money" of around R62 800 per month. His transport is a Mercedes 500SL (only worth about a million bucks) with personal bodyguards for each member of the family (two adults and two kids if I remember correctly) plus an additional two bodyguards. First htese were provided by a private security firm but was since replaced by the police. Add another R100 000. Don't forget the teacher at R10 255 for his two kids. Never mind the R738 211 it cost us to fly them out here!

So, government really cares about it's people?

Weekly View
	28 October 2004
So the Blue Bulls did it again! Third year in a row. To think that there was a time when us Blue Bulls supporters used to be quiet and reserved when it came to rugby. Like when you have a brother in jail, you think of him but you don't talk about him! Shortly after the match the new Springbok team was announced. What a shocker. Some of the best players were left out to make place for players "of colour". And to make matters worse, coloured players are not classified as black and thus any effort put in by the selectors to make the team more representative, becomes even more difficult. And early next year a law will be passed to enforce kwotas in sport. What this means for South African sport (as we know it) is that top players will quickly leave the country to play overseas. Kevin Pietersen is but one example whom left for England four years ago to play cricket for Nottinghamshire, after being dropped from his Natal team in favour of a black player. Andrew Strauss (also South African) plays for the same team. I won't even mention rugby. Bottom line is, if you're still young enough, white enough and a professional sportsman (woman), money can be made overseas. South African sport does not need you nor want you. Or at least, that's the message from our government and administrators. So COSATU slipped up terribly in Zimbabwe this week. The tri-alliance government we have (the ANC, SACP and COSATU) have been at loggerheads about Mbeki's approach concerning the problems in Zimbabwe. COSATU decided to send a delegation to Zims with plans to investigate matters for themselves and of course to meet withe fellow workers and organisations on that side. Zim said NO, COSATU went anyway. Needless to say, they got thrown out of the country within the first three days of their visit. And were they upset! Shame! And old Shabir Shaik is still forced to listen to state witnesses from KPMG (auditing firm employed by the Scorpions to investigate Shaik) in court. And what a lot of revelations! Jacob Zuma, our honorable vice president, has been living way beyond his means for quite some time. His pay as MEC in 1996 wasn't even enough to cover the interest on his debt - yes, all R20 000 of it. This man has been living it up way beyond his means. But with a "financial advisor" such as Shaik, who kept on pumping money from company funds into Zuma's account, who wouldn't live it up? The best is that this company did not make money to start of with. Shaik was bargaining on his political connections to land some contracts in the arms deal, which he did. And that's what it's all about. Then there are the farmers. The opposite corner the tribes laying claim to land and the criminals. All over there are great concern about farm murders (which still carry on but with little press) and inefficient policing. Government seem to like the idea of allocating profitable farmland to claimants without thinking what it means to this country in the long term. It is in the black mans culture to look after himself and his family. Great principle, we must agree. But what about the rest of the country. Who is going to feed the rest of us if land will be used to provide only for the few who live there? With great initial benefits to the farmer who's land is being given back to the "original" occupants, what does the future really hold for agriculture in South Africa? Back to Iraq where hundreds of the South African Defense Force personnel are "moonlighting". At a salary of around R75 000 per month, who can blame them? Lakota, our man in charge of matters of war is most upset. He promised that these men will be charged once they return. Considering only eleven South Africans have been killed in Iraq this past year out of a possible seven thousand that's there, the odds are fairly good. Also considering that we loose more people yearly in road accidents than the Americans lost in 9/11 (that's every year), it sounds like much better odds than driving to work every day! While on matters of war, Jean-Bertrand Aristide (our "visitor" from Haiti) seems to enjoy his stay here. In spite of new fighting in his country, his living the high life here. Government officials won't tell us what it's costing the South African taxpayer but that's not hard to estimate. How about R210 000 per month? Consider the following - three personal assistants and two secretaries at around R37 600 per month, estimated at the salary of a junior minister (which the presidents' office confirmed, though not the junior part), Aristide is receiving "pocket money" of around R62 800 per month. His transport is a Mercedes 500SL (only worth about a million bucks) with personal bodyguards for each member of the family (two adults and two kids if I remember correctly) plus an additional two bodyguards. First htese were provided by a private security firm but was since replaced by the police. Add another R100 000. Don't forget the teacher at R10 255 for his two kids. Never mind the R738 211 it cost us to fly them out here! So, government really cares about it's people?	Past Views Current Joke Past jokes Gallery Links Current Exchange Rate Daily News Headlines
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