Andrew Stegmann

Forgive me, asks Gigaba amid Home Affairs chaos

Pretoria – Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba was forced to apologise to customers who had been at the department’s centre in Centurion since the early hours of Wednesday, but had yet to be assisted as the system was down.

He paid a surprise visit to the centre – and got more than he bargained for.
People wait for service at Home Affairs in Centurion. Following complaints from the public, Minister of Home Affairs Malusi Gigaba, left, paid a surprise visit. Here he listens to Joe van Tonder who points to his watch complaining about the lack of service. Picture: Masi Losi. Credit: PRETORIA NEWS
Gigaba listened to complaints of lack of professionalism and apparent laziness by staff at the centre and subsequently asked for forgiveness from the clients.

The minister promised that internal matters causing the poor service would be dealt with properly. “I will request an urgent plan from the director-general to transform this office,” he assured.
“This centre has also not yet converted into a smart ID office, and I will request an urgent plan to transform it.”

Gigaba was greeted with unacceptably long queues and a system that was offline for most of the day. The people who were in the queues informed him about the poor treatment they received at the centre on a daily basis.

Thato Montsho told the minister the staff at the centre were lazy and unprofessional.

Gigaba admitted he was shocked during the unplanned visit, which he said followed a tip-off about the poor service at the facility.

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Andrew Stegmann

Calls to eject Zuma grow – but some in business keep feeding the crocodile.

There has been pressure on President Jacob Zuma before. But never this intense, this cohesive, this justified. While only time will tell whether the deeply flawed leader of the ANC has finally over-reached, the volume of the calls for his head sound like a thousand vuvuzelas blasting away in a small room. The latest comes from trade union Solidarity whose Dr Eugene Brink issued the cutting statement below. Still, not everyone is convinced. There is a large bloc in the South African business community which actually believes Zuma’s most recent outrageous actions – reappointing the odious broadcasting chief; the attacks on Gordhan and the outgoing Public Protector – proves that his regime is stronger than ever. These worthies believe too much hope has been placed on Gordhan, and that he must be dispensed with before any meaningful economic reform can begin. Sounds to me like they are putting profits ahead of principle; feeding the crocodile in the hope it eats them last. The “voices of reason” in Zimbabwe tried that approach with Robert Mugabe. We all know how that worked out. – Alec Hogg  

By Dr Eugene Brink*

The time has come to oust Zuma so the country does not have to suffer under him any more.

Chairperson of the Solidarity Movement Flip Buys today said that South Africa simply cannot afford more of Jacob Zuma and he would have to go, or he would have to be asked to go. Zuma is busy expediting the end of his own reign, but he dare not be allowed to drag the country down with him. Zuma, rather than the country, should succumb. It is now just a matter of time before the ANC will turn against him en masse

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Andrew Stegmann

‘Even the Darker-Skinned Indonesians Point and Laugh’

As we wind down our series of stories from black expats, this detailed account from an Indonesia-based reader, Akosua F., is especially distinct because she discusses what it’s like to be perceived as African versus African American—two identities she’s worn. She also talks about how she sometimes misconstrues what she thinks are racial slights from well-meaning strangers because so many other strangers have mocked her. Here’s Akosua:

Imagine having to start a whole new life on the other side of the world. Well, that was me, when I had to leave the States—a place I had called home for the past 16 years—and head to Jakarta to continue my teaching career. While filled with some trepidation, as I left my family and friends, I saw this as an adventure, looking forward to what this new chapter of life would entail. I say looking forward to it because as someone who was born in Ghana, but lived, grew up and attended school in three different countries (Botswana, South Africa, and United States), I saw this as yet another international experience I could embrace. Little did I know what I would be getting into.

Once the novelty wore off, I became painfully aware of the way people reacted whenever I stepped outside of my apartment building, as I quickly learnt how “being the centre of attention” could have a negative connotation. The stares, finger pointing, laughing and double looks (sometimes more) became something that I encountered day in and day out. As a black person, while I had encountered some negative interactions due to the colour of my skin, nothing had been as intense as this experience.

Here in Indonesia, I have learnt what it means to be both black and African (I say African because here, as in America, there’s not much differentiation). Colourism is most definitely in play here, as the darker your skin colour, the more you are treated differently. There is a great preference for lighter/fairer skinned people, with skin whitening/bleaching creams littered around stores, all in plain view. Lighter/fairer skinned people are seen in commercials, on T.V., on billboards, etc.

However, one irony I have found is that even the darker-skinned Indonesians point, stare, and laugh. It’s not only confusing, but disappointing as well, because I would think that because we are both more or less in the same boat, we would be able to connect and even commiserate with each other. I suppose it’s that whole idea of the oppressed becoming the oppressor, in a bid to distance themselves, and hopefully, one day, find themselves being accepted as well. Thus, the idea is, “while I may have it bad, at least I don’t have it as bad you do.” And so the cycle continues.

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Andrew Stegmann

Crime, political instability and a struggling economy make SA a ‘pass’ for expats

While South Africa may be ranked as one of the cheapest and most affordable countries for expats to settle down or retire in, the country is slowly losing its appeal to foreigners, a new index shows.

The HSBC Expat Explorer index is based on an annual survey, which focuses on the experiences of expats in their new country of residence. The  overall league table ranks each country using a score that summarises expats’ overall impression of the country.

In the 2016 index, 45 countries were assessed, with South Africa ranking 33rd – down from 32nd in 2015, and from 22nd in 2014. In 2013, South Africa was ranked 15th, though it should be noted that more countries have joined the index since.

The survey is split into three main categories, looking at life for expats in terms of economics and financial security, family life and quality of life.

South Africa had its poorest showing in the economic category, where it placed 39/45 – the worst factor being the level of economic confidence, where the country placed last.

The second worst factor – closely related to economic confidence – was the political indicator, where South Africa placed 43/45.

The country’s economy has struggled in the last 12 months, adversely affected not only by global slowdown and natural disasters such as extreme drought, but also by political in-fighting and widespread corruption.

In the second category – family life – South Africa ranked 19/45, with particularly good healthcare for expats (8/45) in a generally affordable environment for kids. Two blights in this group include the poor quality of schooling (32/45) and tolerance in society (34/45).

In the experience of life and quality of life category, South Africa ranked a middling 22/45 – helped by a healthy property market (10/45), and South Africans’ friendly nature (10/45), but damaged by safety and security concerns, where again, the country ranked last.

The tables below show South Africa’s performance based on the survey:

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