Clueless in Cape Town May 19, 2012
Posted by Cape in Uncategorized.Tags: anc, cape of good hope, democracy, facebook, malema, south af, south africa
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By Zarin Thomson
It’s becoming more and more obvious that an independent Cape of Good Hope is a possibility when one takes a look at the political landscape that is currently evolving in southern Africa. The ANC has dreams of 50% of the white minority to vote for them, this after Julius Malema words of ‘theft’ and ‘taking back land’ yes, most of us have heard it all. Still. The ANC has indeed lost the plot sometime ago and there is no doubt that none of the minorities will back them.
The obvious question is who now?
There is no political party that truly stands up to the call.
Having a movement may make a difference however, is the word getting out there? How does one go about getting the minorities to act together? As it stands one movement has been discussing a flag for months on end. One would think that it’s better to put all that energy into spreading the word as opposed to spending countless hours on Facebook belittling each other.
What will it take?
The answer is in plain sight. A leader. A person who has the qualities of Sir Winston Churchill and Roosevelt rolled into one. Someone who has nothing to gain by steering the ship in the right direction, getting the ‘crew’ to raise the anchor. Someone who has the courage and conviction to do the right thing and stop this madness from continuing. Someone who can lead the headless pack to direct democracy.
Lessons from the financial front April 26, 2012
Posted by Cape in Uncategorized.Tags: cape of good hope
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by Zarin Thomson
Argentinian President recently seized YPF (South America’s largest oil company,) the company is seeking compensation for this, the nationalised pension fund and the renationalised flagship airline has been popular with the Argentines – they maintain that the 1990′s devastating economic crises (and the debt default of 2001/02) was because of free-market policies. They do have a great point. Here’s why.
When the IMF (International Monetary Fund) get together with countries that are unable to meet their external debt, it comes at a price: in Brazil, 43% of the budget had to be redirected to debt servicing it’s social programs had to be phased out as a pre-condition, a salary ceiling had to be established in the public sector, health, education and housing were frozen and had to become fiscally autonomous. The result was that the landless peasants from the country side moved to the cities, a new layer of urban poverty no less. Salaried workers and white collar employees who could no longer afford their homes were also excluded from the slum areas.
Rwanda (after the war) had to sell off state assets (at bargain prices) to service ‘debts’ the loans (1990-94) was used for military build-up. After Rwandan and Ugandan forces intervened in former Zaire it come to light that the U.S. Army had trained not only the Rwandan army and the Ugandan army but… the Zairian rebels… for those who are unaware, the regime in Rwanda is a US client regime. Why would the US be interested in the Congo? Cobalt. It is crucial for the US defence industry. Barely a month after hostility’s stopped the IMF recommended that ‘halting currency issue completely and abruptly’ as part of the economic recovery. The average public sector wage dropped to NZ 30 000 a month, equal to $1. The civil war in Rwanda was supported by France and the US, in a nut shell to use Prime Minister Henri Balladur ‘I don’t want to portray a showdown between the French and the Anglo-Saxons, but the truth must be told.’
When the markets are opened, in every country, grain imported from the USA is brought in, because it’s cheaper than locally produced grain, the farmers go bankrupt as no-one is able to buy it, in some cases (Vietnam with rice) the exported grain is exported at a loss. Then re-imported….
In Peru, August of 1990, the price of fuel increased by 31 times (2 968%) and the price of bread increased by more than 12 times (1 150%) in one day. Wage earnings dropped – less than 15% of the 1974 value! In 1990, Brazil 360 000 people had to be fired as a pre-condition to a loan being approved!
This is part of the problem of getting a loan from the IMF. Outside from the fact that the funds never ever reach the country it’s meant to go to – multinational companies get the work, who then hire the locals at a far lower wage and take the lions share of the cash, leaving the country worse off then before. Ethiopia’s biodiversity (for example) was genetically manipulated, and patented by agribusiness – Ethiopians today are getting bills from foreign companies demanding payment for using the ‘patented’ native species of barley, teff, chick peas, sorghum etc.
The only lesson to be learnt here is that should the Cape of Good Hope government decides to build a nuclear station that it shouldn’t look at banks from other countries to finance them. It should be self-financed.
The Answer April 13, 2012
Posted by Cape in Uncategorized.Tags: anc, constitution, police services, south africa, sunset clause
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by Zarin Thomson
1) The ANC is contemplating dramatic changes to the country’s Constitution, including scrapping the “sunset clauses” and changing the powers of the Reserve Bank and provinces.
2) City Press is in possession of draft policy documents that will be distributed to the party’s branches on Monday ahead of its policy conference in June.
3) The documents are likely to shape the direction of government programmes if adopted at the ANC’s national conference in December.
4) In a section on strategy and tactics titled “The second transition”, the ANC says the Constitution of 1996 “may have been appropriate for a political transition, but it has proven inadequate and even inappropriate for a social and economic transformation phase”.
This all smells of one thing: the ‘democratic’ ANC government wants South Africa to turn into a communist state, a place where, for example; a) ubuntu is introduced to the school curriculum, b) all school text books printed by the state c) university graduates forced to do community service
As we have seen already, the Western Cape (like other provinces) have already lost the power to distribute social grants. When the National Health is in place, we will no longer be able to administer it. The ANC already has plans for the police serves, that they all fall under one big umbrella…
One has to be really stupid not to realise that what they are doing now is going to take many years to dismantle. Every single law that has come into play has been to the advantage of the ruling elite. Not one of their policies is in line with the constitution. Does the southern African population not have a back-bone? Why do so few people speak out against this?
What a lot of people have missed is that the ANC still, after how many years of ruling southern Africa, still sees itself as a ‘liberation’ movement. Not a political party. This is a very serious matter, it proves that they lost what ever plot they had in mind many years ago. As a reminder: the ANC was recognised as a terrorist organisation until 2008.
Just Boycott it March 28, 2012
Posted by Cape in Uncategorized.Tags: Coasting, minority groups
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The biggest change in our society has been branding. Nike’s swoosh seems to be everywhere, however, how many now know of the sweatshops? To say that it was a Nike invention isn’t far from the truth: this is how it happened. Nike decided that it no longer wanted anything to do with manufacturing it’s sneakers. What they wanted to do was concentrate on the brand, so this aspect was sourced out. It did wonder’s for the company’s bottom-line. A sneaker during the ’90′s cost about $5 to make and was selling to consumer’s at $120. The people making the shoe got a really raw deal – working for $2.10 a day (that’s a 12 hour shift) when three meals a day cost $2.50 (Vietnam.) The people buying it also got a raw deal – $120 for a pair of shoes….
Nike isn’t the only company guilty of getting away with these tactics, Apple, Shell, Wal-Mark,Disney. The list is quite long, and they all have the same idea. To make as much profit as possible with no regards to people.
To give you a better idea: Nike’s turnover in the ’90′s was 120 times more than Haiti. Fifty-eight of the top 100 GNP are in fact company’s and not countries.
Our society changed when minority groups – gays, blacks (in the United States) Latino’s were targeted with branding. Company’s thought that they could get their business if they could create a ad campaign with these groups in mind. That’s one of the root causes of main stream thought on gays for example. Before, in the ’40′s there where in fact gays, but they were all underground, they had ‘something’ to fight for. Now that its ‘overground’ it has taken the sting out of it. It’s become commercial something that’s done because it’s fashionable just as a person is not cool if they are not wearing Nike’s, Reebok, or eating atMcDonalds or buying their goods at Wal-Mark. Pep was caught out buying shirts (the R 9.95 in-store price) for…. R0.48… while I am all for making a profit, I believe that making a fair profit is what this is about.
This same outsourcing has happened in Stellenbosch. The University no longer wanted to be bothered with it’s catering. A company was subcontracted and the old employee’s were at first retained, then the dismissals started happening – the company wasn’t making enough to retain all the staff, so recently when Cosatu went on strike the catering people were there – because they had lost jobs/got pay cuts. They weren’t there for the reason Cosatu gave – one person was there purely because she backed them. No other reason. The catering people were there because they were under the impression that their cause was the reason for the strike….
Corporate take-over (Nigeria for example, where a leaked memo from the Nigerian Army states ‘Shell operations still impossible unless ruthless military operations are undertaken for smooth economic activities… Recommendations: Wasting operations during MOSOP and other gatherings making constant military presence justifiable. Wasting targets cutting across communities and leadership cadres especially vocal individuals of various groups’ [http://archive.greenpeace.org/comms/ken/opay001.html]) of countries has become a standard these days.
We have seen similar happen in Southern Africa with the 60% purchase of Absa byBarclay’s Bank. It has not gone unnoticed that the ANC is in the pockets of the banks – my educated guess is that they financed the ‘revolution’ during the ’80′s and ’90′s (just as Leninwas financed by Chase Manhattan of New York with $5 million in gold bullion.)
Corporations at the end of the day, need to know what there place in society is: to add value, to uphold the rule of law, to make a contribution.
Just Boycott it
by Zarin Thomson
Somewhere in the future March 17, 2012
Posted by Cape in Uncategorized.Tags: anc, BILLS, cape of good hope, government, land liquor, penalty, south africa
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By Zarin Thomson
It’s 2015. The ANC has been pushing through bills like it’s going to become illegal soon. One of them part of one reads as follows:
33 Object of this Part
The object of this Part is to enable special measures to be taken:
(a) To facilitate the granting of individual rights or interests in relation to land in town camps and community living areas; and
(b) To promote economic development in town camps and community living areas.
Division 2—Town camps
34 Modifying Cape of Good Hope laws in relation to town camps
(1) The regulations may modify any law of the Cape of Good Hope relating to:
(a) The use of land; or
(b) Dealings in land; or
(c) Planning; or
(d) Infrastructure; or
(e) Any matter prescribed by the regulations;
to the extent that the law applies to a town camp.
(2) A town camp is land that, at commencement, is leased primarily for residential, community or cultural purposes for White people under:
To make things even worse: You will be arrested if you have a can/bottle of beer.
75B Possessing etc. liquor in alcohol protected areas
(1) A person commits an offence if:
(a) the person:
(i) brings liquor into an area; or
(ii) has liquor in his or her possession, or under his or her control, in an area; or
(iii) consumes liquor in an area; and
(b) the area is an alcohol protected area.
Maximum penalty: 100 penalty units or imprisonment for 6 months.
(2) It is a defence to a prosecution for an offence against subsection (1) if the defendant proves, on the balance of probabilities, that, when the conduct referred to in subsection (1)(a) was engaged in:
(a) the defendant was in a boat that was on waters; and
(b) the defendant was engaged in recreational boating activities or commercial fishing activities.
The entire bill runs for ten years, why would the ANC pass a law like this? To ‘protect’ the white man? Or to control him? The sad fact is that even if a bill like this was passed, the general population would still do absolutely nothing. (the actual bill is being passed in Australia http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/C2011B00242/Html/Text#_Toc309643650) and while it may only relate to Aboriginal the fact of the matter is that it could in fact happen to us as well.
People’s ‘love’ of South Africa makes me sick. This ‘love’ is one of the reasons why they don’t stand up to government. I’m not suggesting that we ‘stir the pot’ purely for that reason, but, that we stand up for our rights and for the rights of other minority groups here in the Cape of Good Hope.
The future is what we make of it.
Those-Who-Cannot-Think March 10, 2012
Posted by Cape in Uncategorized.Tags: cape republic, kimberley
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by Zarin Thomson
With recent events in the ANC one has to wonder what they are planning next.
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Scrapping of some (not all) of the provinces. I suspect this has a lot to do with the fact that some (not all) of the provinces are bankrupt. Even those with resources. The ANC (among other things) wish to do away with ethnic boundaries. Well, they have been doing quite well at that with BEE. OK. I’m wrong. They have created ethnic boundaries. What makes you think they can scrap them?
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Changing the constitution. Well, they may only be missing 3 seats to get the 75% that is needed to change what ever it is they want and some of you may be thinking ‘We are safe’ actually, not. When money is goes under a table…
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Land. Once again. Land. On face value it appears that the ANC isn’t happy with capitalism, the willing buyer willing seller idea doesn’t do it for them. They prefer telling you that the land is no longer yours. Tough buddy. Move out.
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‘The ANC government needed to develop a policy which would underpin and guide the task of reforming, rationalizing and strengthening provinces.’ That’s pretty rich. There was nothing wrong with the provinces say, twenty years ago. Since these (fill in swear words of choice) have taken over, about R 450 billion has gone missing. Where? I have no idea. Perhaps we need to take a second look at the Kimberly hole.
Regardless of what one’s views are, things in the Cape Republic are going to change when the ANC gets their way to fix what does not need to be fixed. It’s times like this that I really want to scream at the top of my lungs, “Wake up”
This boat is very far up that river we all know so well.
Still. There are some amongst us saying that certain groups within the Cape Republic should be given AA, in fact, insisting. What? Have these people never ever learnt anything?(fill in swear words of choice) haven’t we learnt anything here? AA/BEE/BBBEEE does not work and will not ever work. It didn’t work in apartheid, it didn’t work in the United States, and it’s not working in Southern Africa.
The demise of democracy is plain to see. The slow erosion of what we hold dear, you can see it every day now.
If you’re fond of sand dunes & salty air. February 21, 2012
Posted by Cape in Uncategorized.Tags: anc, Jacob Zuma, muslims, san, san people
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By Zarin Thomson
I found myself oddly drawn to Mary and John Bolton’s book, ‘The Complete Book of Etiquette.’ Not to read mind you, I suffer from a fortunate affliction – the love of my Kindle. My plan was simple, to use the book as a ‘cover’ for my Kindle. Whilst doing so I did read a few pages of the book I was destroying – it was so… old fashioned. I had to but wonder what would happen if anyone followed the advice in this day and age. Being laughed at was the first one that come up. Being labelled ‘odd’ was another.
It had me thinking. If one applied what this rather old (printed in 1963) book had to say would one have a ‘better’ life?
The Muslims seem to have no problem with their way of life, even though it is several centuries old and written when the ‘barbaric’ best described the Arabs. No one dares to openly laugh at them in case they are not PC. I do. When after, drinking a few beers ask if the food is Halaal…
What has happened? Why are certain groups pressured into making decisions which at the end of the day make the worst of things to come?
I’ll give another example.
The San people of very unhappy with the ANC. They don’t like the Blacks for whatever reason. Strangely enough I was invited to a ‘secret’ group who will be having a ‘secret’ meeting in April (on a farm on the N1, two kilometres outside Beaufort West, look for the arrows.) I was asked to assist in writing a open letter to Jacob Zuma, letting him know what they thought of his words at the state of the nation address, I being a helpful person agreed.
Oddly though. The amount of racialism in the group made me wonder how on God’s (or Allah) earth would we ever be able to have a separate republic. I was openly called ‘a product of Satan’ Charming. ‘We don’t need the white man’ and other comments were thrown around to a point where I decided that not only was I not willing to go to said meeting, but to leave the group as well.
I really don’t understand how the minorities in this rather unfortunate excuse for a ‘democratic’ republic can’t put their differences aside and work to a common goal. It seems that they enjoy fighting, not only amongst each other, but every one else. Where did that come from?
A funny remark on this group was ‘we were your maids at one staged, now the role has reversed itself’ Crazy. Last time I looked none of our cleaning staff was working for us because they didn’t want to be there. It was a financial decision. Easy.
I am not sure what is needed to make things better. I’m not even sure if there is a way of making things better. I doubt it. I really wish for a time when we all as the minorities agree, not just for once, but for always.
A clue? Everyone must stop living in the past…
We Love Real Beer February 13, 2012
Posted by Cape in Uncategorized.Tags: beer, cape town, SAB, transvaal
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by Zarin Thomson
Over twenty years ago when I talked my way into bar (with a cocktail shaker & book in hand) one of the most frustrating things was beer. The only brewery around was – yep. SAB. The result was that the ‘odd’ drinkers were lion lager fans Thankfully that has changed.
First up is Mitchell’s (based in Knysna.) granted, I’m not that fond of their beer – the combination of German and English brewing techniques has resulted in a interesting beer. But not that interesting.
Second is Paulaner Bräuhaus, first established in 2001 – really good beer, and they are based on the waterfront, but unlike Mitchell’s they are still there. Then there is Birkenhead, which one can miss. Boston Breweries in Cape Town isn’t that much better, Their brews include ‘the naked Mexican’, ‘Whale Tale Ale’, ‘Hazzard Ten Ale’, ‘Johnny Gold Weiss’ and ‘Boston Lager’.
Darling beer is one of my more favourite beers the ‘Bone Crusher’ (a wit beer) and the ‘Slow Beer’ is worth some serious indulgence. Jack Black has two beers – lager and ale (the ale is brewed by a micro-brewery in Namibia, Camelthorn.) &Union, the cornerstone of the St Stephen’s Church redevelopment on Cape Town’s Bree Street (near Long) although is a tad on the expensive side is good – if you can find it. Napier Brewery unfortunately not my favourite, but worth trying.
This is but a very small listing – Anvil Ale Brewery, Dullstroom is other example where breweries will start in the oddest of places!
The explosion (I know of two breweries currently being built or are awaiting the license) is large, it, like self-determination, shines a large light here. After all, we all know that SAB started in the Transvaal…
If only the drive for self-determination was in league with the beer. We would have been independent about fifty years ago.
To BBBEEE or not to BBBEEE February 12, 2012
Posted by Cape in Uncategorized.Tags: bbbee, black economic empowerment, liquor license, pioneer foods
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by Zarin Thomson
The ruling party has gone to new extremes. I had found to my horror that Pioneer Foods had given away 1/3 of the company to BBBEEE. I could only but shake my head and wonder. Legalized theft. How did this happen in a ‘democratic’ society? What is also annoying is the new proposal on the Liquor Law. Now, most people only read as far as the bit that stated that it would be illegal for a pregnant woman to buy alcohol. But they should have read a little bit more.
As it turns out, all new liquor licences must have BBBEEE or failing that, black economic empowerment status of the applicant indicating the shareholding, member’s interest or partnership structure. It goes on to say that the MEC is allowed to insist that by a determined period ALL liquor license holder’s must have BBBEEE.
This doesn’t sound that good at all, now does it?
But let’s first work with the pregnant bit first. How exactly will the police, well, police that one? Will they be counting on civilians to do the job for them? This is like the law that was passed making it illegal for parents with children under the age of five to smoke in their own home/car in said child’s presence. They both have the same problem – completely unmanageable. Then again, the police are more interesting in doing what the bosses tell them – that being the criminals they are working for.
Now then.
Where does the new liquor law place me? Do I know have to give say 5% of my company away to my cleaner (not that I have one.)
I suppose that one way around this one is to sell it to a black man – and what if he cannot afford it? In my opinion he can pay it off. By working for free.
I have never received a free lunch with some sort of attachment to go with it, I really don’t see why I should make someone else rich when I’m trying to do that for myself. Hell, I might as well close both bars and look for a boss.
