I wish to clearly state my lifelong pursuit of clarity in speech and writing, starting with my career as a primary school teacher in 1959.
Real recognition first came with my first degree from Unisa in 1977, where it was pointed out that English could become my area of specialisation. There is no vanity in the claim, only a deep need for my reader to understand my consternation at the latest State of the Nation Address (Sona) which we sat through the other day. Clarity was the last thing the beleaguered president achieved in his endless and repetitive ramble.
My article is written in the wake of the erudite piece by Professor Bheki Mngomezulu, from Nelson Mandela University, in the Sunday Argus on February 12.
He starts out by pointing to the need for the Sona to reflect on previous promises, then assess the realities and last, highlight strategies for the way forward. That is pretty clear and coherent, and as clear an evocation of what Sona should be, regardless of who delivers it.
But then, he writes: “In a way, President Cyril Ramaphosa touched on all three areas. However, his speech was riddled with structural challenges. The speech was not organised in a coherent manner. This made it difficult to see what its focal points were or how he had done his self-assessment on each of the 2022 promises.”
My piece enters the fray at this point. In the end, it doesn’t matter what is said as much as how it is said. If the speech or oration is designed to appease a nation confused in its unattained promises, a nation suffering under darkness and economic disaster, or a nation torn between loyalty to fairness and a continued pittance of R350 a month, then whoever is addressing the issues should at least be cogent, clear and focused. You owe it to your audience.
This is not a political piece. It is an appeal for clarity, cohesion and an assurance that one can know whether to trust the teller or the tale. Ancient coal-fired generators of electricity is as archaic as the six-volt battery. Entering the sub-text of all the commentators in the Weekend Argus was the suggestion that the profit motive for MP shareholders in Eskom was more important than service delivery.
This is an old song. It applies to all businesses who rush to raise prices when the fuel price rises instead of tailoring products to meet and acknowledge customer loyalty.
If shops can have regular sales, why do they need to follow the upward spiral with fuel hikes? Isn’t the reality of sales living proof that they make a profit anyway?
When will service providers wake to the fact that the customer is always right simply because they are the customer.
I paid a few thousand rand a month for the past few months, and, by now, the issuers of my receipt know my mantra: I am paying for a commodity which I can’t say I am getting. That is a sad truth.
You reap what you sow, but this sorry lot, called the ANC, has made the new Constitution a hiding place for miscreants who think of nothing except the golden handshake at the end of a term of sweet nothing. Zero, Nada, Zilch.
A new man in the president’s office will turn load shedding around? Good Lord, they paid so many consultants millions to tell them that third-grade coal, diluted with building offal to increase weight, and monopolistic tenders for payment to provide this rubbish, is a recipe for this mess. In 30 years of “new” education, we haven’t produced one inventive or creative thinker to turn this runaway train around.
What we need is the truth about why the generators break down. Who pockets the money for low-grade fuel? What do the on-site engineers and foremen tell the workers about their daily task of keeping the engine running? Good Lord, people. Don’t change the personnel. Change the mindset. We are not idiots.
* Alex Tabisher.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.
Do you have something on your mind; or want to comment on the big stories of the day? We would love to hear from you. Please send your letters to [email protected].
All letters to be considered for publication, must contain full names, addresses and contact details (not for publication).