I have to admit, first and foremost that it was a shock, ‘a cultural shock’ as most people would like to call it. It’s difficult for me to even narrow it down and talk about one or two things that were ‘different’ and that I learnt in my time here in DC because there is just so much. I have chosen a few which I think are the most important ones: the cost of living and the value of the rand, that America really is the world’s biggest consumer, the priorities of the justice system in a first world country and last but not least, the culture of networking.

I’ve always know that $1 was equivalent to anything fluctuating between R8 and R10. I constantly heard the words ‘the rand is falling against the Dollar’. But until I came to DC, I did not know what those words actually meant in practice. I got my very first reality check when I bought a McDonalds meal which cost me $8:15 for the burger, medium fries and a medium soda. Because I didn’t know what was cheap and what was expensive, all I could really do was convert to Rands to the relative price. I then found out that I had paid a little over R80 on a regular McDonalds meal, and yet back home I would not have exceeded R50 for a full meal. This was the beginning of many instances where I was exposed to how expensive life is here in DC and also how little the rand is worth in America. There was a time when I finished all my money in New York and so when we got back to DC, I didn’t have any American money. I then used my South African bank card to swipe for $10 worth of metro credit and I spent R100. This just broke my heart.

The portion of almost everything in America has been shocking. People live in big houses, they drive big cars and the size of their meals is just out of this world. It was shocking for a young person who grew up in South Africa. In high school we used to learn about how America had the biggest carbon foot print in the world and that they are just the greatest consumers on the face of this planet, this summer spent in DC, I saw all of those theories in practice.

I have come to notice that the justice system is very tight here in DC and that a simple act of ‘Jay-walking’ is seen as a punishable by fine act and is utterly and completely against the law. I have also come to know that a police officer will actually stop you for the j-walking. This was rather bizarre to me, and to this moment, still is. The reason I found it rather ‘interesting’ is that back home, police officers have so much bigger problems to deal with that they barely ever have time to deal with petty crimes. It could be that the crime rate in America is much much lower than that of South Africa or it could be that America is much more resourced with police personnel that they can afford to work on people who j-walk.

The culture of networking in DC has been amazing. People say often its not what you know or how much you know, its really about ‘who you know’. And this is a culture that has been developed quite a lot in the business and political city. The first way to get your foot in the door is to know someone, and if you can, know them well.

The protest action by farm workers in the Western Cape is a sensitive topic in the South African agricultural sector. Caused by farm workers demanding better wages for better standards of living, it has resulted in many losing their jobs, being assaulted and some even killed. During the strikes, General Secretary of the Building and Allied Union of SA stated “The strike will continue across the province until there is an agreement for better wages and worker protection”. Farm workers, through the support of unions were determined not to get back to work until their minimum wage was increased from R69 to R150. What did they did not consider however, is the impact that an increase in wages would have on both the level of employment in the agricultural sector as well as the how it would affect the progress to mechanisation in their work place.

In this blog, I will assess the mechanisation of the agricultural sector of South Africa, I will examine whether or not such a process is happening, and if so, the rate at which it is happening as well as the implications of mechanisations. I will further address some of the reasons why farm workers would prefer machines over labourers. In this blog, I will also analyse the effect that a change in real wages will have on both the aggregate supply and the aggregate demand in the labour market. I will use supply and demand analysis as well as price floors to further elaborate on the reasons why an increase in wage rate would lead to unemployment. I will then use the economic theory of demand and supply in order to prove that an increase in wages does not serve the economic wellbeing of the majority of the farm workers nor does it make a positive contribution to the economic growth of the country.

The main objective of most businesses is to maximise profits. An increase in the cost of labour has led to an increase in the total cost of production for farmers and this has resulted in farmer’s moving away from labour based production to mechanisation. In a recent interview, 2012 Northern Cape Young Farmer of the year, Attie Scholtz said that in order to survive and in the long run, increase profits by large margins, farmers have to lay off some of their labourers and take advantage of mechanisation (Coleman, 2013). He then went on to state that “Efficient and cost-effective cultivation practices are key for a farmer to remain competitive in a highly specialised industry”. The farming industry is a perfectly competitive industry (Parkin, Kohler, Lakay, Rhodes, Saayman, Schoer, Scholtz, Thompson, 2011:243-245); this tells us that farmers are price takers and cannot influence the market price. This then means that the only way that farmers can sustain or increase their profits is to decrease cost of production. When cost of labour increases, its price level relative to cost of mechanisation increases, meaning that mechanisation will be cheaper than labour (Radebe, 2012). It is thus evident that mechanisation is a happening at a rapid rate. Farmers prefer mechanisation in that it is cheaper and much more consistent than a labourer as it there is little to no chance of striking or any type of action that will lead to inconsistent production levels.

https://www.google.com/search?q=supply+and+demand+in+the+labor+market&biw=1920&bih=955&pdl=300&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=5C7cUZjJGbO-4AO384F4#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=9fufuA2F0gu0zM%3A%3BUSJtjK-cJU63fM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fimg.sparknotes.com%252Ffigures%252F3%252F38bf88807fd6b1e5beccc807f687acf4%252Fminwage.gif%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.sparknotes.com%252Feconomics%252Fmicro%252Flabormarkets%252Flabordemand%252Fsection1.html%3B320%3B240

In the above graph, on the independent axis (the x-axis) we have aggregate number of working hours of all labours and on the dependant axis (the y-axis), we have the real wage rate. The aggregate demand curve (the curve that represents the demand curve of labour by firms for the entire labour market and various labour rates) is denoted D and the aggregate supply curve (a curve that represents the aggregate supply of labour in the market at different wage rates) is denoted S. The initial equilibrium is at w* and q*. The increase in the minimum wage results in an increase in the quantity supplied of labour, which is shown by a slide up the supply curve. It also causes a decrease in the quantity demanded, which is shown a slide up the demand curve. At the new wage rate (w min- which acts as a price floor), the quantity supplied is at Qs and the quantity demanded is at Qd. One can see in the graph that at the new wage rate, which is higher than the initial one, quantity supplied is greater than quantity demanded, this then results in a surplus of labour.

The surplus identified in the graph refers to those people who will then be unemployed because of the increase in wage rate. There will be labourers who will be willing and able to work, but will not find a job due to the fact that firms are no longer willing to hire more labourers as labourers are now relatively more expensive. Farmers will then chose mechanisation over labour. This increases the already high unemployment rate of South Africa, which will in turn stagnate the economic growth of the country (Burgen, 2012). As the wage rate increase, market powers will eventually cause the price of the goods produced to also increase. This increase in prices of the goods produced would then encourage importing some of the goods that the nation would otherwise buy from local farmers as importing would be relatively cheaper. This would negatively affect the country’s GDP in that the country would be purchasing more goods than are produced in other countries, instead of South Africa, which don’t count as part of South Africa’s GDP. This is another factor that would hinder economic growth in the country. By importing, we would be taking resources out of the country and placing them elsewhere, thus improving the GDP of another country and not that of South Africa.

An increase in the wage rate causes two things to occur: unemployment and mechanisation. Through the use of supply and demand analyses, I have proved that when the minimum wage rate is above the equilibrium wage rate, quantity supplied will exceed quantity demanded, which then reflects a surplus of labours and this amount of labour surplus adds to the unemployment rate of South Africa. I have also revealed that mechanisation is happening at a rapid rate in the South African labour market and this is due to the fact that the price of labour increased relative to the price of mechanisation. From the above mentioned, one can then conclude that although an increase in the wage rate will benefit the few that still manage to keep their jobs, however, the wage rate increase will not only causes job losses but it also hinders the economic growth of the country’s economy.

I have to say, I have been having the best time of my entire life here in Washington. I have had chats with some of the greatest people I have ever met and have been given the privilege and the honour of being mentored and advised by people that I would have otherwise never been able to talk to.

I have been given advice on how to succeed, come out on top and doing great things with your life.
But there has been a war going on in my mind over the past few weeks. And the big question around this war is “Who/Where do I get my direction and my guidance from?”

The world teaches us that we need to “Take our place at the table” and to “demand what you are worth” and more often than not, you hear the words “nice guys will always finish last”. The world promotes a huge level of independence and the concept of deciding your own destiny and mapping out your own life. It’s interesting really, especially because this kind of advice comes from people that are well established, successful, have ’made it’ in life and that is what has worked for them and that is how they have made it big in this world. And as a result, many of us will tend to accept that this is the way to get to the top. Another concept that the world is now promoting is that off people being self-promoters, self-sustainers and working to ensure your very own success and promotion.

All of these concepts, although they make a lot of sense are very foreign to me for two different reasons, the first reason being that they idea of self-promotion goes directly against the spirit of Ubuntu, it is rooted in an ideology of individualism. Ubuntu is something which I hold very dearly to my heart, it is the way in which I was brought up and groomed as a child, it is what my family has found their identity in for many years and it is the foundation upon which Africa was built in the first place. Ubuntu – which means a sense of community promotes success for everyone and not just ones-self. In Ubuntu, it is not just about you and your family, its more about you, your family, your friends, your neighbors and the rest of the community.

Another reason why these concepts are so foreign to me is because I am a child of God. In my heart I believe that God is the one who decides about my life. I was reading my bible yesterday and I came across the scripture that said 'Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth' Matt 5:5. Now the word meek means being Quiet, gentle, and easily imposed on; submissive: "the meek compliance of our politicians". And the synonyms of meek are gentle - mild - humble - submissive - tame – soft.
The world will tell you to take your place at the table and demand what you are worth... But the word says that if you are at a banquet, DO NOT take the seat of honour, for there may be someone more distinguished than you attending... What the world sees as the way to succeed and get ahead is often so different from what the word of God teaches.... I mean I listen to quotes saying 'your future is in your hands' or 'you are the creator of your destiny' or 'create your own identity'.... All of these things are not true, at least for me that is. My future is in the hands of God... God is the creator of my destiny... And I find my identity in God... Yes, I will work hard, I will grab the opportunities, I will live my life in a way that will serve the people around me, the people of South Africa and the world at large, but what actually comes out of it is all up to Jesus... He will make the final call... He will decide if I go Washington and New York, he will decide that Allan Gray will pay my fees; he will decide what career path I follow...

I believe in the depths of my heart that all I need to do is do all that I can to ensure a successful life for not only me, but my family and the many communities around me. I will spend all my days living up to my social-responsibility and taking every learning opportunity possible. But above and beyond all that, I know that God is control of my destiny and that I will do my part, definitely.

South Africa, although blessed with an undeniably generous supply of resources, it is still plagued with a high level of unemployment and has many of its citizens living in the low income bracket. Unlike some countries in the Western World such as the United States where primary and secondary education is free for in South Africa, high quality education is still unconsciously deemed as a precious and rare commodity set aside for the elite. This is echoed through the fact that so many people in South Africa do not have access to high quality education and although there are a few exceptions, only the rich can afford the best education. This is a problem. Evidence of this problem is shown in the positively sloped relationship between level and quality of education and employment in the skilled labour market and economic growth and in the long run and the relationship between quality of education and the journey towards decreasing and eventually alleviating poverty

In this blog, I will be discussing the relationship between household income and quality of education, it will use indifference analysis and economic theory to examine and explain why people in the high income bracket are much better off than those in the low income bracket when it comes to accessing better quality and higher levels of education. I will further pursue the importance of having access to high quality education and its implications on the economic growth of the country. I will also analyse the study which was done by Fryer et al about incentivising teachers to encourage them to improve student performance and through the use of the Kahneman-Tvesky Value Function, explain the economic reasoning behind the conclusions that were drawn. I essay aims to show that incentivising teachers at the beginning is a much more economically sound decision than incentivising them at the end of the academic year. I will then examine whether or not such a scheme is feasible and if it would work in a South African context.

In South Africa, the higher the level and quality of education which one has attained, the better the job they will have and as a result the higher the income they will receive. The higher income then translates into a better standard of living. Thus one can say that good education is equated with higher standards of living. This creates a vicious and on-going cycle in that only the wealthy will have access to good education and will use their income to educate their children who will also then do the same. Leaving the less fortunate uneducated and as a result unable to educate their own children.

High quality education also speaks to economic growth. Macroeconomic theory has shown that countries where majority of people have access to high standards of education have much higher levels of GDP and the growth rate of that GDP is significantly higher than those nations with lower quality education (Parkin et all, 2010:480-488). Through having a nation that is highly educated, a country is able to efficiently address and resolve issues of shortages in the skilled labour market and also of economic growth. Research has shown that in the long run, having more people with a good quality education will help in decreasing poverty levels as more people will be able to enter the skilled labour markets which tend to have much higher wages and salaries than the low-skilled labour markets. It is evident that people need to have access to good quality education

The Kahneman-Tvesky function is a value function that explains the concept that people tend to weight events separately and also that they seem to place less value on gains than they do on losses, sometimes the gains are valued so much less that a consumer will choose to not partake in pairs of activities that would actually result in a net effect that would increase their wealth (De Villiers and Frank, 2011:201-2012). Quite different from the usual utility function, the Kahneman-Tvesky value function is defined in changes in total wealth. This function is much steeper in losses than it is in gains, this is evident in the concavity of the function as it is convex in loss and concave in gains. There are two very distinct properties of a Kahneman-Tvesky value function that one needs to familiar with: the first being that people will value losses more than they value gains regardless of the monetary value being exactly the same, the second property is that people will consider individual events separately first and then add them together. Economics tells us that valuing losses more than gains is not irrational, the irrationality only comes in when a person chosen to weigh events separately.

The above link is the Kahneman-Tvesky value function. On the independent axis, there is gains on the right and losses on the left. The dependent axis then shows the values of the gain and the loss respectively. From the graph, one is able to deduce that regardless of the fact that the monetary value of the gain and the loss are equal, people will still value the loss more than the gain.

The study which was done by Fryer at al. had the objective of discovering which method of incentive is more effective in encouraging teachers to improve their student performance, a lump sum incentive given at the beginning of the academic year or one given at the end of the year (Fryer, R, Levitt, S. List, J. and Sadoff, S. 2012). The findings showed that the former proved to be more effective. This can be justified through the Kahneman-Tvesky value function. If teachers are given an incentive at the beginning of the year and then go on to not meet the required target with their students, they would have to pay back some, if not all of the cash incentive that was given to them. This would be a loss. However, if they were given only at the end, after having achieved the target, the incentive would then act as a gain. The Kahneman-Tvesky value function tells us that losses are given greater weighting than gains (Tversky, A., & Kahneman, D. 1981). It then makes economic sense that loss aversion is a much stronger motivation than the prospective of receiving a lump at the end of the year.

Although the above is economically sound, one cannot simply conclude that it would also work perfectly in a South African context. There are many things that effect the motivation of teachers; these include salaries, management in schools, resources afforded to that school, socio-economic wellbeing of the students etc. Giving a teacher a lump sum incentive will not make much of a difference if the management of a school still treats the teachers badly. The fact that different schools are afforded different resources would also have an effect on the motivation of the teachers. However, if all of those variables were held constant in all schools, a monetary incentive at the beginning of the year would prove to be a better motivation for teachers to improve student performance. We must also however, not ignore the financial implications that such a scheme would bring. As it is, so many South Africans are in debt and giving money to teachers and then having to claim it back if they don’t meet their given targets would put these teachers in some financial strain at the end of the year.

People living in the high-income bracket are much better off than those who in low-income bracket when it comes to accessing education, and that incentivising teachers at the beginning of the year is much more effective than an incentive given at the end of the year. This blog has also examined the relationship between income and quality of education as well as the implications of being denied a high quality education as well as what the benefits of having a nation that is educated are. This blog has further addressed whether or not the teacher incentive scheme would work in a South African context considering the different factors that affect the motivation of teachers.

Economic theory reveals to us that the above observations are sound and that in an ideal world, they would work perfectly. However, we do not live in an ideal world and what could be true for one group of people could not be for another. Thus, we are unable to conclude that all the above would work perfectly and although it is all economically sound, one must still leave room for variation, and be it large or inadequate, variation will still occur.

We are a generation called to be reformers; we are a reforming generation… We are here because we want to be difference makers. There’s something in our DNA that cannot accept the status qua, business as usual, things as they are. Deep down we know we are called to change things… the challenge mind-sets. We refuse to let the world around us shape or define us. We are the Lincolns, the Wilberforce, and the Mandelas of the 21^st Century. Bullets don’t scare us, mediocrity scares us, and indifference scares. Poet Jacob Chmielewski once said “Losing my life does not scare me, wasting it does”.

To most people, I go by the name Zizi, my name is Zizipho Zika’Thixo Pae. I was born in rural Kwa-Zulu Natal in late 1993, approximately six months before the first Democratic elections, where Nelson Mandela became the President of the Republic of South Africa. Then, I was too young to vote………………. So too was my mother.

My mother had to go to school and so by default, I was raised by my grandmother. Probably the most phenomenal woman I will ever know. She taught me how to walk, talk and feed myself. As I grew older, she taught me how to cook and wash dishes. But above all that and most valuable of all, she taught me to speak up, to never be silent about things that matter. Through her example, I learnt to be fear-less and bold… and in the midst of all of that, to be compassionate. She taught me to remain grounded, humble, to love God and respect others. May her soul rest in peace.

In rural KZN, we walked 3miles to get water, we lived by candle-light and ate meat once, maybe twice if lucky in two weeks. I’ve never known what its’ like to talk economics or physics with my family, I’ve never known abundance or wealth and even though I now live in the city, my mother can’t even afford my university textbooks.

But now, I share a story very similar to many South African people of my generation. Having a teenage parent, growing up without any presence of a father and often lacking funds for basic things like food. My great-grandmother worked as a housekeeper. My grandmother slaved away on her own raising seven children, and my mother does the same, just that her package is not as big.

But what makes my story slightly different, is that I have chosen to end that cycle. The cycle of a family that is uneducated, that lacks, that lives by candle light. With the grace of God, I’ve been given the opportunity at a life that is more promising. In my final year of high school, I was awarded the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation merit scholarship for academic excellence, leadership and entrepreneurial potential. This is the most distinguished undergraduate scholarship in the country whose motto is “investing in greatness”. I’m currently studying a Bachelor of Business Science with a major in Actuarial Science at the University of Cape Town. And I plan to use my education, my skills and my confidence to serve my family, the people of South Africa and even the world at large.

I see our generation, the youth of the early 21^st century as a blessed one. Although we have grandparents and even parents who lived in active segregation under the apartheid era, we the youth didn’t. And so we have no excuse. So many of our young people settle for a baby at the age of fifteen, some believe they can never escape the cycles of poverty and lack. Education is still a luxury for many people of our generation. But we are the most privileged of all South Africans, because we have the most important job in South Africa.

So dear young people who will consciountize our people. We must in-still in their minds a philosophy of freedom greater than the liberating feeling Mandela had when he walked out of Robin Island. Dear young people who will heed our generation into believing that the colour of their skin is simply a pigment and not a restriction that deprives one from attaining their seemingly intangible dreams. We are to make dreamers of the marginalized and weaker. Because our calling is to break down boundaries between our people and their perishing history. Our calling is to inculcate the youth from grassroots to emancipation from mental slavery.

The South African Washington International Program is aimed at raising up such people. For me personally, SAWIP is one of the greatest stepping stones that is helping me become a leader that is conscious, competent, confident, compassionate and most of all, a leader that leads with heart as well as mind. It has opened doors and given me opportunities that I never even imagined as a little girl living in the rural outskirts of Kwa-Zulu Natal.

Remember time goes by very quickly. And we will not be young forever, so let us start now.

The clock is ticking.

Thank you

More often than not, young people who have grown up in disadvantaged homes and who grew up under a spirit of lack, take on the seat that I like to call the victim seat. This means that they accept the fact that they are a victim of their past, that they were unfortunate enough to not have what everything that they needed. They accept the life in which they grew up in and make the decision whether consciously or subconsciously that this I how things are and this is how they will always be. They take the seat back and allow their peers, who grew up more privileged, get an education and go on to succeed and do great things with their lives.

What this youth then tends to do as they go into their adult life is that they develop an unhealthy sense of entitlement, and develop a mentality that the government is supposed to help them and that it is the job of the government to help them, feed them, house them and clothe them. This topic is very close to home and I can relate to a large extent to it.

Having grown up financially unfortunate, I understand that feeling sorry for yourself can be very easy, especially when you are surrounded by the privileged and the better haves. It’s very easy to allow yourself to feel inferior around people that have grown up in a more fortunate environment than you and at times you even start to feel they are somewhat smarter than you are, more able than you are, speak better than you do, present themselves better and so forth and you can end up in a mentality of thinking that you will never be like them.

I have felt like this on many occasions, and to this day, although I have gotten much better, I sometimes still do. What I have learnt through this, however, is that it will never get you anywhere. Feeling sorry for yourself is never going to help improve you as a person, all that it will do is make you feel self-conscious and not trust in your own abilities. This is never healthy, for anyone, regardless off the kind of life that they had. Allowing yourself to feel inferior will do nothing positive for you and it is not a position in which you would like to find yourself on any day.

What one needs to do instead is ‘take their seat’ as Glen Ackerman said. One needs to understand that they are just as smart, just as competent and just as capable as anyone else amongst their peers. This helps to not only help build a better self-esteem but to also make you more confident as to do better, perform better and when has more faith in their own capabilities, one is able to do above and beyond what is expected of them.

From someone who is often viewed as confident, outspoken and bold, yet still sometimes suufers from an inferiority complex, never allow yourself to feel inferior, under any circumstances. Always keep your head high and believe in who you are. Never be ashamed of where you come from and how you grew up. The things of the past only help educate you and sometimes build your character, they are never a boundary that should hinder you from experiences and from achieving your dreams. And not that I think about it, no one can ever make you feel inferior without your permission. Thus it is up to you whether or not you are going to feel inferior in the midst of others. Try to always believe in yourself.

To be quite frank, in this world, nobody actually wants to succeed because someone felt sorry for them, or because they were given some kind of hand-out. There is no value in that kind of success. Be strong and overcome your circumstances. Once you succeed that way, you will value your success.

NEVER TAKE THE VICTIM SEAT – it will only hinder you from greater things.

We were driving to school in my mother’s car. Before we turned on the corner, we saw a bunch of young boys sitting… I asked “Mama why do they sit there everyday?” and my mother responded “Learn my child”… There they were, waiting for their day’s wage. Today they worked hard but it won’t make a difference, even if they sweat and break their backs and my mother said “Learn… learn… learn my child”.

These are about the conversations back home. Conversations around the dinner table where an unemployed father of four would tell tales through the pages of old scriptures about a man that was crucified so that we may find salvation. A man that now dwells in the corners of our yearning souls. See the only pay cheque my father ever brought home was a pay cheque filled with a thousand dreams, initialled with the words Faith, signed with the blood of Christ for ink. Memories, of a mother who did not receive an education prior to ’94, walking through the front door with a plastic bag filled with promises, promises of a home filled with love. See I was born into a family of dreamers. My father once told me that I could turn an empty plate into a plate filled with a billion dreams which could feed a billion families if I closed my eyes hard enough. Call us super-heroes who were never given a chance to fly because society had placed a mask of poverty over the billion diamonds embedded on our faces.

Dear mother who will consciountize our people. I will instil in their minds a philosophy of freedom unequalled rewritten scriptures of force bed religion. Dear mother who will heed our children into believing that the colour of your skin is simply a pigment and not a restriction that deprives one from attaining that seemingly intangible dream. I will make dreamers from the marginalised and weaker. Because my calling is to bridge boundaries between my people and their perishing history. I’ve found vacant spaces in conversations about colonisation, heritage and democracy. My calling is to inculcate the youth from grassroots to emancipation form mental slavery. To radicle for the privileged, better haves. A Steven Bantu Biko of the 21^st Century.

Dear Liberation. For many moons now, I have been trying to recite in sign language, because actions speak louder than words. A lineage of fathers who weren’t fathered. Married, then single mothers. The heritage you left behind is a heritage of mixed monaural minds. What does a South African even look like? Dear Liberation, many sunsets ago, King Noble once said all his country ever makes you want to do is cry. But Liberation, you’ve never been interested. Unless we could turn those sunsets into gold while Anglo America takes our gold ink shaped chunks and sells it back to us. Kind of like selling us milk from our own cows. Dear Liberation, I thought you had promised milk and honey, but it seems you were talking about blood and tears. Dear Liberation, South Africa is no more. You’ve birthed into the Kingdom of Nelson utata Mandela. Mandela Bay, Mandela Square, Mandela Metro University, Mandela Garden Cart Boulevard, Mandela golden coins and banknotes. But simply don’t know of Subuko, Luthuli, Thambo or Biko, but believe that Mandela founded this nation with his Mandela Foundation. Is this your negotiate to settlement. But sometimes I feel it though. Lately, I’ve been writing my poems by the light of lit cigarette, feeling it though.

And my mother said “learn, learn my child. Learn my child. If you don’t want to learn, what do you have hope in, are you not ashamed? What will you be? When will you grow my child? Time goes and you need to know what your gifts and talents are. You have to learn and study my child”.

I love this poem because it speaks about the kind of conversations that I had a few years back with my grandmother and still have today with my mother. I grew up in a family into dreams, I have always been surrounded with people who had ambition, people who worked hard. But unfortunately, due to the past struggles and also because of a shortage of money, my family did not have the many educated people and even those who were educated, the highest they ever got was a teacher’s degree or a teacher’s diploma. This poem inspires me because it was written and performed by a young group of students whom I could relate to. Its aim is to inspire a conscious mind into the young people of South Africa, to arouse some sort of passion inside of them and steer that passion in the right direction.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBsrk-kjO9I

We live in a society that believes and preaches the concept “Respect is earned”, and that one cannot simply demand respect without having done something admirable or something ‘great’. In this world we live in, people receive different levels of resect all dependant on their social status, the amount of money they earn, their level of power or anything that enables us to rank some people higher or lower than others. We’ve been made to believe by our parents, teachers and even friends, that there are some people who deserve respect and then there are some that don’t.

I don’t think that this is okay or that it’s fair. After all, who actually sets the standard as to who gets respect and who doesn’t? I mean how much money does one need to earn in order to so called ‘earn’ my respect, how powerful does my neighbour have to be, how big should his/her house be in order to be respected? Secondly, this concept of earning respect means that some people in our society would be respected and others would be DISREPECTED.

In my opinion, respect is an obligation. It is not a choice, it is not earned, it is an obligation. Giving respect to another human being, and also receiving respect from that person, is an obligation, it is one of the few things in life that are mandatory. I would like to think of it as a basic human right, you earn it simply because you are a human being.

We do sometimes have ‘incentives’ to respect some people, for example one would have a high level of respect for Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi and a few other heroes in society because of the magnificent roles which they played in the past in order to make the world the better place that it is today. One would also tend to respect a police officer, or a current human rights activist because of the role that they are currently playing. Some would have and show respect to Queen Elizabeth because of her social status, similar thing to Mark Zukaberg because of his wealth. Now we need to think that if these people didn’t have all these ‘titles’ or ‘deeds’ attached to them, would we still respect them, would we still greet them if we saw them on the side of the road, better yet would be greet them back if they greeted us? If yes, that means that we respect them for being human beings, which is how it should be. If no, that means that we don’t respect people, we respect status, money, power, and that is a problem.

We need to learn to respect people, and in order to do this, we need to understand that people are not defined by their status, money or power. When you have a 10am appointment with someone, don’t arrive late because this person has a lower social status than you do, neither should you arrive on time simply because this person you are meeting is the president of the United States. Instead in both occasions, arrive in time because you are meeting another human being, because you respect their time, and more than that, you respect them. Greet someone on the side of the road, not because they have money, or because they are the Chancellor or UCT, instead, greet them because and only because they are another human being..

I was watching a movie a few weeks ago with some friends, this movie was titled The Great Debaters. This movie is about a few talented college students attending school at Willey College in Texas in the United States. These students, lived in the era of active racial segregation in America, but regardless of the colour of their skin and the ‘humility’ of their tertiary institution, they became the national debating champions, defeating the likes Oklahoma State University and the reigning champions, the Harvard University Debating Team.

At the beginning of the movie, one of the Willey College professors says the following words, “Education is the only way out. The way out of ignorance, the way out of darkness, into the glorious light”. I took some time to think about this statement and the truth behind it. I then assessed the lifestyles of the different times and the effect that education would have in the different times. I came to a question I couldn’t really answer and give reason for: Is education really the only way out?

It is an undeniable fact that education is one of the greatest and most precious assets that one can have. Education helps you become more open-minded, look at the world from a different perspective, education is said to help you think, help you make better decisions. I then thought, what about the people who don’t have the opportunity to get an education, or what about those who just choose to leave school and pursue other ambitions, such as entrepreneurship, modelling, acting, singing and even some occupations that don’t need Bachelor of Business Science degrees and LLB’s? Is it rational, better yet is it fair to say that they are not open-minded, they don’t see the world from a different perspective, they don’t, they can’t make decisions simply because they didn’t go through the system of Harvard, UCT, UWC, Yale, Princeton, Wits? Is it fair that we make such conclusions about these people because they didn’t choose the life of lectures, tuts and regurgitation what is preached to them by a professor? Most certainly not.

Perhaps then we need to redefine what education is. The mistake that a lot of people make is that they seem to think that education can only be obtained at Oxford or at CPUT. When we talk of someone who we consider and educated being, we are speaking of someone who went through the system of Stellenbosch. We need to change this mentality. We need to come to the understanding that education is everywhere and that there are many means of obtaining an education

As a little girl, my grandmother would have me sit on her lap and she would lay down 70 years of wisdom onto my 6year old soul. She would tell me about how I ought to respect my elders, how I aught to love my neighbour and honour my parents. In my teenage years, she taught me how to cook great meals, how to care for children, how to care for myself as a young women. She taught me about the ups and downs of marriage. That was education.

In high school, I played Netball and had a brilliant Netball coach. Through him a learnt how to run in the air, how to always make a perfect shot, how to tag to my opponent, how to keep my legs firm yet flexible in a game, through him I learnt strategy, speed, and a love for the game. That was education.

It goes without saying that in the ideal world, we would all love to see people with degrees behind their names, especially because we are academics ourselves. But at the same time, e need to get out of the ideology that the education is only found in the lectures, textbook and the libraries. Part od it is, but not all of it.

Almost everyone can agree that sexual offences are an unacceptable trauma that nobody deserves to experience. What we might disagree on however, is what constitutes a sexual offence and how far does someone have to go in order to be declared a sexual offender. This is a problem.

The South African Constitution tells us that as people, we are not to sexual abused or offended and should one be convicted with such behavior, they will face severe punishment from the justice system. This is all fair and well. What is open for debate however, is what exactly constitutes as a sexual offence. Rape would be an obvious one, if a woman or a man has been raped; the perpetrator deserves the adequate punishment. But what happened when a man grabs a woman’s breasts without her consent, what happens when another human being touches you in places you are not comfortable with? Is that also a sexual offence? And what type of punishment would this perpetrator receive?

Rape has become such a common issue in South Africa and the rest of Africa that it now downplays other sexual offences. These days, so often a woman will go into a police station or any legal authorities to report that she has been sexual harassed or abused and so often, she will only be taken serious if the offence is considered a ‘serious’ offence by the person to who she is reporting it. And in many cases, serious means rape. Sexual offences such as being ‘groped’ inappropriately on the breasts or the buttocks happens so much in the world around us that these actions have become somewhat acceptable. This is wrong! I sometimes witness women being touched inappropriately in taxi ranks, parties and even on university campus and when the victims of these offences report, the cases are barely ever pursued because they not considered serious.

The justice system has to step in. It needs to step in and start to define what exactly constitutes a sexual offence and how each sexual offence is to be dealt with. But before that happens, we as young South Africans need to do something about it. We need to start speaking up about such matters, we need to voice out the injustice in this manner, and we need to have a unified voice, one that will be heard. We cannot sit back and watch our young women and even young men be treated in ways they don’t approve of and then allow those cases to just land up gathering dust in police station store rooms. It is our right, more than that our responsibility to speak up and speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. Furthermore, it is our responsibility to ensure that such things are not ignored or taken lightly.

It is our responsibility.

Whilst having a conversation with a group of friends concerning our futures and where we see ourselves in the next few years and what lifestyles and career paths we wish to pursue, someone made the statement “I can’t wait until we’re all grown up, living the dream in our ocean-facing mansions, driving our kids to school in the latest Porsche, eating gourmet meals cooked by professional chefs in our own kitchens” and everyone in the group seemed quite enthusiastic and seemed to be looking forward to this type of lifestyle, which only makes sense.

So I decided to pose the question “But is that all we’re going to do with ourselves? Be rich and live lavishly”. And friend responded “Well of course, isn't that the reason why we’re here, isn't that the reason why we’re working so hard to have a degree from the top University in Africa”. This answer saddened my heart.

Perhaps, rightfully so, it is okay to wish to live in a mansion and drive an expensive car because you have earned it. After all, that’s the reason why we make money, so we can spend it and that’s the reason why we work hard, so we can afford to live lavishly. But this mentality troubles me. It’s not so much the concept of living life lavishly that disturbs me, it’s the thought that we as young people have lost our sense of social responsibility. I genuinely believe that it’s okay to spend your money on whatever pleases you, but above and beyond that, I believe that social responsibility is something for all of us to share.

So often we take the opportunities that we have been given for granted, the fact that we have a chance of receiving a world class education, the fact that we never go a day without a meal, the fact that we don’t have to worry about what we will eat or what we will wear because everything has already been provided for. We often get so closed up in our own little bubble of convenience that we forget about the reality that so many other people face on a daily basis. The reality of not having food on the table at super time, the reality of having to wear the same clothes that three of your older siblings wore because there isn’t any money to buy clothes of your own and the reality of a life filled with stress and worry about ‘what shall we eat tomorrow?’. We spend so much time paging through Cosmopolitan magazine, indulging through the pages of Vogue and trying to keep up with the last trends whether it be fashion, cars or the latest ‘hand-out spots’. We believe that the purpose of our education is to ensure we live comfortably. And rightfully so. But I believe we as young South Africans, need a bit of a reality check.

Social responsibility is for everyone. It is not something we should fear. It’s not reserved for Missionaries or the Government, it is something that we should all partake in, at least that’s what I believe anyways. Social responsibility is not restricted to working in soup-kitchens or giving away money to feed hungry children in Africa. It could also be working in the justice system to enforce the law and protect people, it could be educating children, it could be making effective and sustainable policies in government, it could be lending a hand at an orphanage. Bottom line, anything that helps more than just you, but also the community around you and anything that seeks to make the lives of other just a little bit better, that is fulfilling social responsibility.

What we as the youth need to do is become more conscious, we need to notice the world around us and get the understanding that it does not revolve around us. I really believe in my heart, that we can all make a contribution to making the world better for each other, we need to find an area we’re passionate about and dive into it.

We have a long way to go.

But we must remember that “A Journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” – Chinese Proverb

Let’s get to it.

It feels... strange… being here that is. Being a part of such a wonderful group of people and being able to converse and engage with some of the brightest young minds in this country. It’s strange in a sense that although I’m so out of my usual comfort zone, it feels right. I feel that I’m in the right place, at the right time, with the right people. I feel that I’m on a journey, perhaps one of the most important journeys of my life. Self-actualization. I’m at a point where, I’m finding who I am, I’m beginning to understand my role in society and how I ought to use my strengths, my abilities and more so my passions to enrich the world around me. I was listening to an inspirational video about two weeks ago and the words that stuck from the video were “Bullets don’t scare you, mediocrity scares you, indifference scares you. Losing your life doesn't scare you, wasting it does”. Those words resonate with me because they speak of who I am, and they give me the reassurance that “I am who I am and I have the heart and the desires that I have, for a reason, and that reason is deeply rooted in service and leadership in society.

All the words in the English vocabulary are not sufficient in describing just how grateful I am to be a part of this amazing opportunity. Philosopher Herman Thurman once said “Don’t ask what the world needs, instead ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go and do that, because the world needs people who are alive. SAWIP, service to community, being a value based leader, being part of a group of people that are frightened by mediocrity, that is what makes me come alive. When I’m around change agents, people who have vision and drive to make South Africa a better home, not because they have to, but because they desire and chose to, that is what makes me come alive.

The desire of my heart is to be a value based lead, one that is not only educated, but also competent, ethical and strong willed. I want to be a leader for people, I want to drive things to greater heights and I believe that God has blessed me with this desire. I know that I am called to be a difference maker, someone who will challenge ‘status qua’, rock the boat, someone who will voice out the injustices of this country and even more than that, generate solutions. I know it because it’s in my heart.