Fleeing Mother Africa

I recently read a blog article posted by my friend Hansie Lategan on Hansiel.blogspot.com about whining expats and it got me thinking a lot. Especially as it pertains to my current surrounding. You see my family and I recently opted for the only sane solution to a problem we perceived ourselves to be having... a risk filled existence in South Africa. Being your average hard headed, ego filled professional I opted for the easy way ... out!

Like most scared professional people with no political agenda or admission, only wishing to build a normal future for ourselves and our children with a probability success ratio of actually seeing the outcome higher than 53%, we opted for the easy solution. Emigration / extended stay.

I am a SA citizen working and living in the Netherlands. It has not been easy to turn my back on all that I love so dearly but I found myself at a crossroad and realized that I was not ready to be part of a solution, and was to all to happy to be part of the problem.

Inherently I have a lot of growing up to do still before I can pass any legacy down to my kids. I did not want this to be a legacy filled with racism, reverse racism, discrimination or cultural biases. Don’t get me wrong the whole world is filled with these plagues and they even exist in the Netherlands. As South African's you are perceived to carry the bubonic plague until proven not guilty. All races including Moroccans and Surinese are discriminated against because of skin color, religious faction or cultural difference. However here is the clincher. Instead of behaving like animals, stabbing and robbing a 10 year old for his cell phone or raping a 1 year old to cure AIDS, these people actually try their best to create a society of equality, where community change initiatives and overall cultural change is advocated. It is by no means perfect, but as with most things it is a good start. people responsible for guidance, governance, safety and security are in the public eye all the time, measured and screened for their suitability to task.

This all got me thinking which is a bit much for me under normal circumstances. What makes the problems we have in our daily lives any different to the problems we face at work in our professions such as architects, managers, plumbers, taxi drivers etc? The answer.. Nothing. We are very successful in applying these rules and measures in the corporate sense, but not on a governance front. Why is this?

Well for starters, when it comes to corporate life, it is all about the green stuff, and lots of it for as long as possible. There are fancy catch phrases, great strategic initiatives and visions but at the end of the day it all boils down to as much money as possible, as soon as possible with as little risk as possible. How is this achieved? Through applying leadership and management from the highest level to the lowest function.

Why does government not take a page from the corporate parody and re-apply their thought pattern. Government can be seen as nothing more than a services organization. Its aim to maximize financial gain and strengthen its position as world leader. This can only be done if the whole is seen as something greater as the sum of its parts.

Why is government there at all? To maximize the investment of the shareholders. Who are the shareholders? The people. The people who struggle their way to the top, the workers at the bottom of the pile and those who struggled before and are unable to continue.

What can we do to improve it? Well just as in business if the board of directors lack vision and the ability to execute, they are removed from power through voting. As South Africans we need to be empowered with the information and knowledge to understand our business and how it is doing. Minister Trevor Manual is a great example of leadership by example. He understands his portfolio and exceeds his expectations. Can the same be said for the rest of the board? Probably not. As South Africans we must stand together to remove those who opposed the business plan and make a mockery of organizational transformation.

Africa is a tough country. You need to be prepared to get your hands dirty and work hard at making it. You need hair on your teeth and steel in your chest. Should Expats vote? Well the jury is still out on that one. My believe is no. If you are not part of the solution you are part of the problem.
I was however at this point so tired of trying to make a difference that I lost the plot completely. Everyone needs to realise including me that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Will we come back? I want to believe that we will. Africa beats in our hearts. I never understood the saying properly till I was away.

The saying goes if you love something set it free, if it comes back it was meant to be. If it doesn’t... hunt it down and shoot it :) Hopefully this experience will answer the questions I have had about live and my purpose. Maybe it won’t. Only time will tell. I want to believe I have a lot to offer the world an South Africa. But what can it offer me ...

To Shave or not to Shave ( Pour raser ou pour ne pas raser )

It was that time of the year in South Africa again ... The CANSA shave-athon.

For the odd lost Australian reading this blog entry. This in the one where we actually beat you at something more worth while that whipping you in the tri-nations rugby. Just to recap. South Africa has officially beaten the Australian’s at the race to the Guinness World Record for Cansa Shavathon 2004. “The most heads shaved in 24 hours was 23,069 at several different locations around South Africa for the CANSA Shavathon from 2 - 3 April 2004.”

http://www.shavesa.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17&Itemid=5

We look forward to the record challenge :) Once again this weekend I was faced with a daunting decision. To shave or not to shave. For those of you unlucky people that know me. I am surprisingly vain. Although I might not always show it :) So shaving off my hair and packing away the styling putty was a tough decision.

As I work in the corporate field the thought of scorn and abuse from colleagues and clients almost got the better of me as I seldom deal well with critique. As one of my best friends commented at breakfast that morning. "Please don’t shave your head again my buddy - just spray it green or something" Even my loving wife jumped at the opportunity to plead for a few seconds. As we walked up I won’t forget her words. "If you want to shave your head my baby, you must do it, it is for a good cause" Did I mention I love her to bits. She and our youngest sported beautiful silver and blue streaks in support of the good cause.

As we approached the clipper crazy, head shaving lunatics in East Rand Mall, I could not help myself and had to fight hard to suppress away a tear or two. You see: For years my late mom (Bénissez son âme) suffered in silence under the ruthless rule of cancer. Not once did she utter a word of disdain or retribution in question of her looming fate. Not once did she stop living. Not once did she stop loving life. She kept on fighting right to her last breath.

This got me thinking. How far will we go to life our lives? Day in and day out we live in the hustle and bustle of our daily routine. Seldom do we stop to take a breath of fresh air and re-focus on life. Shaving my head this weekend was almost like being re-born. For a short while I felt free. Like I was released from the pressures around me. Then it hit me. Why do we always wait for special occasions to show support? Yes we do achieve a level of solidarity when we do this as a nation, but is this enough. Well I am sure as hell not going to preach to you as I am sure you get that more than enough on a daily basis in some form or another. When will we however wake up and smell the roses.

I spend countless days trying to figure out things in live that don't make sense, things that are supposed to make sense and things that are pretty senseless :)... so herewith my few cents worth...

• Try not to complain ... someone else always has it worse than you ...
• Be thankful for what you have and make the most of it ...
• Don't wait to live life, because life does not wait for you ...
• If you take a back seat in live you can never complain as you are not driving...
• There is only one person in charge of your destiny and that is you ...
• You receive one true gift in live and that is the most fruitful and dangerous gift... the power of free will .. the trick is pointing it in the right way to gain meaning from your actions ...
• All things in life happen for a reason ... pure physics .. "every action has an equal and opposite reaction" ...
• There is no better drug in live that love ...
• There is no greater fate than death

Well that is all from me on this sunny Monday morning. I hope you will come back and attempt to read some of my future revelations.

PS: When shaving your head ... it is a good idea to put sunblock on if you are going into the sun.