This is one of those “What the hell is wrong with our world?” pieces. Stop reading right now if you don’t feel in the mood for a bit of Toy Throwing …
OK – the answer to the question is simple: Greed. Money. The LOVE of the stuff is the root of all evil.
South Africa has one of the highest “income disparity” percentages in the world. In normal English, that means the Rich are getting richer and the Poor are getting poorer. This we also know is the way things have been predicted in the Bible, so … what to do?
Well, I am naive/dumb/stubborn enough to say “NO to the Status Quo”. I blanch every time I hear of politicians being showered with undeserved Gazillions Of $$’s while those that voted them in live in squalor, with no running water and sometimes electricity – with an unemployment rate well over 30%. HELL NO!!
I wanna puke when I hear of shady underhanded multi-billion $$ government deals being struck (with strong undertones of kick-backs rumored) when our health and schooling systems are dysfunctional, to put it mildly. HELL NO!!
Can one man make a difference? Can one group even make a dent?
We have probably one of the highest Percentages of Government spending on Social Grants in the world. In other words, our government dishes out welfare to the unemployed, the disabled, the old ager’s and even a child support grant which pays out up to the age of 16 years. Then there’s the Military Veterans, and who knows how many thousand “Ghosts” (pensions being claimed falsely). Do any of the above actually benefit the recipients much? You guessed it – HELL NO!!
At +/- $72.72 a month, it’s (only just) on the bread-line stuff. And what it is created is a “dependency” mentality.
Which actually just means that a lot of these claimants will continue to cast their vote simply out of fear that they may lose out on there meagre pickings.
Now, for my overseas readers, let me put up 2 pictures that illustrate my point. First is the “compound” recently built for the President.
In contrast, here’s one (off Google Earth) of the local “township”, called Mzomomhle – or to call a Spade a flipping Shovel – the squatter camp, on the outskirts of my home town.
So (eventually, dear reader), I reach my point.
I have got the guts to say “HELL NO”. I am fully supporting a Developement Centre in the squatter camp. They’re NOT a hand-out group. They’re NOT a bunch of liberal do-gooders trying to cleanse their Apartheid-Stricken guilty consciences. They want to help people win back the HOPE which has been stolen from them.
Lathitha Developement Centre teaches people skills, with which they can go out and get a job. People want to work, I choose to believe. Because it gets them back the self respect which comes with providing for their families.
Do they need help? Yes, coz the existing Government funding structures for NGO’s is so full of Red Tape, it takes years to apply for. Yes, coz the other main Organisation to try is the National Lottery Board. And they seem to be more interested in helping Art Societies, Sports Clubs and various other set-ups that help take people’s minds off their empty stomachs and starving kids.
I would LOVE for this message to be spread as far and wide as possible.
Am I trying to help them raise funds. Unashamedly. HELL YES!!
Ian Wilson 