Feature Articles

DRUKEN DRIVING GRANDSON OF MANDELA LET OFF THE HOOK

The Sunday World reported that Nelson Mandela’s grandson had a case of drunken driving against him withdrawn because a certain police captain failed twice to bring the docket to court. According to the newspaper reports this young man’s alcohol content in the blood had exceeded the accepted legal limit.

The prosecutor tried to persuade the magistrate to postpone the case so that the matter of the disappearance of the docket could be resolved but the magistrate refused to grant a postponement. Was the magistrate and the police captain bought off? This needs probing. Aren’t we all equal before the law or are some more equal than others?

WORKPLACE SKILLS SHORTAGE FALLACY IS DESTRUCTIVE TO HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

The skills shortage that is loudly pronounced in the so called developing nations is nothing but a fallacy. This perception of skills shortage is skilfully designed to cheat workers of their true labour’s worth and so is the abused concept of productivity. This in turn instills a sense of helplessness and powerlessness amongst workers which then fuels exploitation.

The skills shortage phenomenon reflects a failure in people management processes marred by the bad culture of managing by egos and comfort zone that manifests itself through prejudice, nepotism and favoritism in the workplace. The purported skills shortage does not reveal lack of occupational proficiency.

BOTSWANA’S 43RD ANNIVESSARY

Botswana is currently celebrating its 43rd anniversary of independence from British colonial rule. Like any developing country, Botswana has its share of problems – poverty, unemployment, skewed distribution of resources and their attendant vices. There are intra and inter party battles. The ruling party is marred by divisions so is the former official opposition the Botswana National Front (BNF). Moreover, the opposition parties in Botswana apparently find it difficult to unite against the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP).

THE MEDIA MUST STOP SOWING SEEDS OF AFROPHOBIA AND AFRICAN DISINTEGRATION

There is this malicious journalistic practice perpetuated in Ghana and many parts of Africa which is essentially working for African disintegration rather than unity and integration.

How many times have you read and heard about captions in Ghanaian media and other media houses in Africa that reads

Is The Media Responsible?
Is The Media Responsible?

similar to this “Two Nigerians and a local nabbed by Police for attempted drug trafficking”? What of this: “One Kenyan, two Ugandans and a local caught for fraud”? Betters still: “Two Ghanaians, three Senegalese and one Nigerian caught by Moroccan officials for illegal migration” This raise questions whether it is the nation that is at fault or the individual African people involved.

WHY CRANING OUR NECKS TO FIND SOLUTIONS TO CRIME?

Why are South African authorities craning their necks and looking so far in order to eradicate crime? The capitalist system that the ANC government inherited from apartheid government and pursues is the major part of the problem that engenders criminality.

In a capitalist economy there is the ubiquity of monetary exchange but the vast majority of people in capitalism can get the things they want and need, only if they have money with which to buy those things in the market. But many people are unemployed and poor and see those who are politically connected ostentatiously flaunting their opulence.

THE ILLUSION OF LOGIC IN WORKPLACE REMUNERATION FORMULA

Human capital experts tell the world that the payment structure in a workplace is based on a logical formula consisting of complex variables namely the function complexity, skill scarcity, skill criticality, undesirability, risk, accountability and responsibility. It is rational expectation that the higher the indicator on a variable the higher the compensation.

It is also sensible to conclude that work experience and academic qualifications assist the recruiters to determine the best candidate for the position. This skill and credential matrix is forwarded in sophisticated microeconomic platforms as the foundation for the remuneration system.

The majority of workplace participants believe that the current remuneration structure is natural. It is accepted as the only way to determine appropriate remuneration. The corporate captains and industry bosses on the top of the remuneration scale vow that they perform the most complex functions. They say they possess the scarcest skills and hold the highly undesirable jobs. It is their strong view that their position put them in the highest category of health, emotional and physical risk. It is killing a sacred cow to question superiority of accountability and responsibility levels of members at the top of industry echelon. But is this myth really true?

RESIGNATION OF DEPUTY POLICE COMMISSIONER

Commissioner’s resignation not newsworthy

News about the resignation of South Africa’s Deputy National Police Commissioner,

Former Police Deputy Commissioner, Tim Williams.
Former Police Deputy Commissioner, Tim Williams.

Tim Williams, is a cause for concern. Newly appointed flamboyant Police Commissioner, Bheki Cele’s Spokesperson, Nonkululeko Mbatha, said she didn’t know why Williams resigned.

Williams tendered his resignation on the 15th September at the National Press Club in Pretoria but strange enough the story wasn’t in the news at all on all the SABC’s radio and television news channels. This prominent resignation coincided with the Police top brass’s media conference at which they rattled the sabre.

PASMA 2009 SRC ELECTIONS NATIONAL MANIFESTO

The Pan Africanist Students Movement of Azania (PASMA), as a custodian and vanguard of the genuine aspirations of students is committed to jealously defend students against the attack of capitalism in the education system, eradicating all these ruthless characters that find host in this system and complement capitalism, these being: neo-colonialism, commoditisation of education, racism and all forms of discrimination.

MEWUSA ON LABOUR BROKERING

To the masses of the working people that endure the hardships of the intestified exploitation and other barbaric forms of accumulation, the discussion about the labour brokering is absolutely necessary, in fact it is long overdue. We do not think that discussion could not have taken place at more opportune time, precisely because as we’re passing through the unfolding economic crises, the capitalist crises, which the bosses are resolutes determined to offload its burden on the sholders of the working class, we’re bound to encounter, an accelerate escalation of the most savage attacks on the working people and their conditions of work, which is what labour brokering, in our opinion amount to.

It is our view that the entire industry is parasitic and must be liquidated, if our pretence of sound and just industrial relations is to continue to enjoy a semblance of legitimacy and credibility. So we say parasitic because labour add no value whatsoever to the process of production, instead the very subsistence of the labour brokers is predicated on the parasiting like bloodthirsty ticks on the surplus value which emanate from the production process, in which they contribute absolutely nothing. In actual fact, labour brokers are merely device of the bosses that are trying to flout the labour relations act, particularly those gains of the working class struggle that today constitue the legal basis for the protection workers against unfair labour practices.

BLADE NZIMANDE’S HYPOCRISY

The media has been dominated by reports about the hypocrisy of Minister of Higher Education and Secretary General of the South African Communist Party (SACP), Blade Nzimande, who says one thing with one side of his mouth and says another with the other side of his mouth. Nzimande has recently purchased a luxury BMW 750i worth 1.1 million despite financial difficulties facing the South African government in the wake of the economic recession.

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