Snowie East

Several towns in the Eastern Cape were covered in snow. The snow hit Queenstown and other neighbouring towns.

Others, mostly children were excited about the snow. They played outside making the snow man. It was indeed a wonderful experience.

Others were not thrilled by the precipitation. It caused road closures in the area. Many businesses came to a stand still. It was very difficult to travel around those areas.

It was not only the businesses suffering but the community as a whole. People living in very rural areas had no water supply as the tap water was frozen. Livestock on the other hand had no grass to eat.

Although the snow did not fall for long the people really felt its effects. It was up to each individual to choose whether to enjoy the experience or not.

Lucky Rain

Nelson Mandela Bay gets lucky this year. Thanks to all the cold fronts, the bay has received as much rain as it needs. Bay Dams are quickly filling up. This 2011 winter has come to be one of the best winters. Last year the whole of Eastern Cape was in a drought. People witnessed one of the longest droughts in history.

There were even water restrictions in place. The Mandela Bay Municipality lifted the water restriction on seeing that there was enough water. People will want to waste this water, so the municipality has increased the water tariffs.

Having less water in dams was a very big concern for Bay residents. They were not allowed to use sprinklers or wash their cars. Huge billboards were placed all over the area telling people to save their water. There was constant updates of how much water is left in the dams.

Although we needed the rain, it became too much. It has flooded houses leaving people misplaced and others homeless. It ruined the infrastructure as well such as the bridge in Cape St Francis. It has done more good than bad though.

Concerned Student

  The lucky one

Graduation Hat 

May I remind you how fortunate you really are. May I say how many people envy you. The envy is not for the puma or Nike that you wear. This is not for the Brazilian weave you have on. This about your future.Yet it is you who take things for granted. Everything is handed to you. Opportunities are available to.

This is the truth for a person growing up in suburban areas. You had better education, good opportunities and whole lot was your disposal.

May I please remind you where you came from. May I please request that you get your priorities straight. This might have been your last chance and so many an arm for the shot you had at a better life.

This is for you who grew up in the rural areas. You had less opportunities but you managed to get to this stage.

"Some come to the fountain of knowledge to drink and some just come to gargle" (mxit joke portal).

Which side are you on? University life is the most awesome yet hardest part of our lives. This is where you decide were the rest of your life takes you . Why are we letting external forces rob us of this wonderful opportunity.

Every single weekend students go out, they get drunk forgetting what hey came here for. If its not parties its taking risks with sugar daddy's.

  We need to be reminded that expensive clothes and exclusive parties only delay the process of studying. Our parents send us to institutions with high hopes. A lot of students have broken their parent's trust with their actions.

Mid year exams have begun but other institutions are busy striking. You have the power to choose where you want to go. Use that power wisely and effectively.

Homophobia




We are all humans

 

Gays in Africa

Africa  is a poor and conservative continent. Many leaders do not accept change, so their people are not as free as they are supposed to be.

There are many phobias (extreme or irrational fear of something). In the spotlight are those that discriminate against other people. Those would be Xenophobia and Homophobia. Almost all African countries deal with these differently. Some governments are very extreme.

Recently Uganda proposed a  bill for a death penalty for all homosexuals. Ugandan leader had assured the clergy that they do not have to fear for they will take care of everything.

In 2008 Gambian leader gave gay people a day to vacate the country. He  promised "stricter laws than Iran" and that if anyone is found to be gay in Gambia they will "cut off the head".The speech was condemned by  Gay rights activist .

Killing people for their sexual preferences undermines human rights. Many churches support these killings as they say being gay is against God.

South Africa is the only country that lawfully accepts homosexuality. This does not mean that they are completely free. Homophobia is still there as crimes are committed to these people like corrective rape.

 Gay people are still living in fear and some are scared to even come out fearing backlashes from their communities.

Save Animals

Do Your Share

Animals both domestic and wild are part of our existences. Somehow they complete us. Their existence is in tune with the environment and the atmosphere. Each and every animal has a purpose to fulfill and its life makes a difference to a person or another animal.

In the rural areas domestic animals are kept for different purposes like chickens and pigs are kept for food. Dogs are kept for protection and cats for pests. In most cases they are well taken care of by their owners.

Wild animals are kept in zoo’s or game parks. They are also well taken care of but for profit. These animals bring profit to game parks owners, increase in job creation for both the people who take care of them and those who are in tourism. Some hotel’s survival is based on these game reserves. 

Both domestic and wild animals are slowly disappearing.  Marine life is no different. All animals are in danger from drought, climate change, deforestation and of course poarchers.

Every year animals are unjustly killed for money. Hunting is regulated but to a certain extent. It does not cover nor monitor the rural areas where there is abundant wild life.

As soon as people realize that these animals need us as much as we need them, maybe there will change in how they treat them.  Everything that is changing is caused by human activity. The oil spills killing marine wild life, the hunting and animal abuse are all caused by humans.

Toilet Elections

Latest Campaigning

Today is the 18 of May 2011. It is the local government elections day. These elections are the same as the previous one, yet the campaigning is different.

 These elections are characterised as the toilet elections. This follows an incident reported on the SABC news. The report contained information and images of toilets that had no roof or walls.

These toilets were installed in the Western Cape which is under the rule of the Democratic Alliance(DA). The African National Congress (ANC) took it upon themselves and took the DA to court for violating human rights.

Then later on the ANC came under fire after it was discovered that they had done the same thing in Bloemfontein. They had installed open toilets as well.

The whole campaigning process was based on service delivery with sanitation as the main selling point. The media were exposing sanitation conditions around the country.

Besides the open toilets there was an issue with the bucket system. The bucket system is  not good for both the users and the people working on it. Their working conditions are not favourable.

The workers have to wake very early to pick up the buckets. The smell from these buckets is also not good for them and for the last part they have to wash these buckets. While in the process of washing these buckets they are in the risk of catching germs leading to diseases.

I am almost positive that the people queuing in voting stations are not only there for the improvement of sanitation services, but for the increase of speed in service delivery.

Our Lost Land

Mineral Expoitation

South Africa is rich but poor . Our land has minerals that are needed around the world. Their discovery has made our country famous. Overseas countries are exploiting these minerals.

In the process of mining the minerals,  the survival of our land is in jeopardy. The ground has huge holes beyond repair. The mining magnates exploit the land and once its dried up, they leave it like that and move on to the next best thing.

The only reason countries such as America and China have relations with South Africa is because of our riches. It is evident that once the country runs out of gold or platinum, these countries won’t eeven remember that South Africa ever existed.

We are only recognised for our natural resources, this has been going on for centuries and it is still going on. With the help of our exploiters, minerals are dug up and they get rich, we end up with holes in our backyards.

 Mining whether it is shaft or open cast has long-term effects that continue to put not only our health at risk but also guarantees collapse in the ground resulting in loss of lives. Johannesburg will one day face its demise when the earth collapses.

Mining companies only damage, there are no approved backup plans that contain formation and reimbursement of what is lost when mining take place.

These mining companies do not only exploit our natural resources, they rob us of our future as well. Mining involves chemicals that put our health at risk. Mine dumps are adding to pollution. Compensation for this exploitation does not amount to the damage caused.

What is clear is that once we run out of these natural resources, our exploiters will rush out as fast as you can say gold. For now mining might seem beneficial but in the long-term it is causing more and more problems. Once all mines are dried up, poverty will be the least of our worries. The people will have more health problems from the fumes. The earth will have holes and will be out of balance with the ecosystem.