For those that dont know, this concerns Zimbabweans who have been working on fruit farms (mainly grape farms) in De Doorns which is about 3 hours out of Cape Town. They have had their homes and property destroyed by South Africans who have forced them to leave on the grounds that Zimbos take their jobs and undercut locals by accepting lower wages.

I am pretty disheartened by the reports about these attacks because I had the privilege of going there and visiting a church of Zimbabwean farm workers at this time last year for a research project I was working on that dealt with the casualisation of farm labour (ehe, I am a labour law researcher and my field of specialisation is precarious or vulneable workers) . We spent the whole morning in a church service where these people gave testimonies about the trials they had been through to get to De Doorns. Many of them had come straight from Zim, after hearing (from family or friends) that De Doorns was a good place to find a decent job and some money. Others had been living elsewhere in SA and had come to De Doorns in search of greener pastures. A lot of these people had completed high school and had worked very dignified jobs, teachers and so on. Many had children that they had left at home or were old enough to be retired, but they had felt they had no choice but to come here and work.

One lady recounted how she and a group of others had travelled all the way to the Eastern Cape to get their asylum papers because the farmers did not employ workers without papers of some sort. They spent several nights there before they were even allowed into the Home Affairs Office and served. Only on the first night they were able to sleep on the bus, the rest of the time they slept out in the open and with no access to water etc they were not even able to take a bath during that time! The lady (very bold and with a lot of drama and humour) said that the home affairs people had treated them as dogs and tried to chase them away, and so she and her friends decided “bva tirimbwa” (then we are dogs), and refused to back down and refused to leave until the Home Affairs people assisted them. YHO, the lady had guts! A very sad tale was that of a Zim farm worker who was part of this congregation that had died while in De Doorns. Money was tight so there was no question of taking him to his family in Zim for burial. In fact money was a problem for him to be buried in De Doorns, he had been sitting in a mortuary for two weeks because the family and the congregation had not been able to raise just over R 1000 that was needed to take the body and bury him.

My colleague and I spent the afternoon interviewing individual workers to get to know more about their personal experiences. We spoke to about 20 farm workers who worked on different farms in the area, but their experiences were very similar. EVERY SINGLE ONE of them said they were earning R 60, which at the time (we had confirmed in separate interviews with South African workers) was what the South African casual workers were getting everyday.Many of them were employed through SOUTH AFRICAN individuals who operated as labour brokers by supplying workers to farmers in exchange for a fee. They worked long hours, no social security benefits, no sick leave and no work no pay really. This was very similar to the situation of South African workers we had previously interviewed. So while I cannot totally dispute the claims that the South African workers have made, I really think there is reason to be skeptical about these claims that all the foreigners are undercutting the locals.

Things were very very hard for our people, it was just heartbroking to hear their experience, and at the time there had been some xenophobic rumblings but those were nipped in the bud before things got out of hand. At that time I was very grateful that God had spared them and that at least they were able to live and work peacefully. But that was only to be for so long. So reading these reports now really makes me sad because they are not random people who I dont know from a bar of soap. Reading about these attacks, I can see their faces, hear their voices, feel their hands on mine as we shook hands… They are fellow Zimbabweans, whom I sat and fellowshipped with, sang and prayed with, talked and laughed with. People who were very warm, very welcoming and friendly and shared a lot of jokes and good Zimbo humour despite their circumstances. We were so humbled to be invited to the pastor’s home where we shared a meal with the family, it was just so moving.

That was a profound experience for me because up until then I had thought I had problems. But here were my fellow country people living and working under really appalling conditions, talking laughing, holding on to their hope and faith, they were were so dignified. They were keeping their heads up in the worst of circumstances! I was truly awed and ashamed of myself. It was truly inspiring, there was a semblance of a silver lining to this cloud.

AND NOW THIS??????????????

Thixo somandla, senzeni na? Nhai Mwari tatadzei? Lord, What have we done??

By Pamhidzai Bamu

I think that the decision of the Vice-Chancellor of the Univ of the Free State to withdraw the charges against those Reitz boys should be reviewed. It really looks to me like this man did this to appease the people that run and fund the university and to prove that that he is loyal despite being black. He talks about forgiveness and reconciliation and how the boys should not be blamed because they are victims of a system and institutional culture that condoned this type of thing for so long. What about all those people that were involved in racially-motivated crimes and killings during apartheid? Things were much worse back then, BUT we all recognised that the only way to move towards reconciliation and healing was if the perpetrators publicly told the truth about what they had done and showed remorse and asked THE VICTIMS for forgiveness. In this case, there has been no public statement or apologies by these young men to the workers and to us about what they did. Instead, their VC has taken the fall and apologised and asked forgiveness on their behalf, as if they dont have some sense to distinguish between right and wrong, no matter how twisted they have been taught to be. If the VC really wanted to make this about healing and forgiveness, he should have allowed the proceedings against these boys to continue to make sure that all sides had their say in this. The boys themselves should have been required to do something (or things) to show that they were sorry. The university’s paying for compensation to the victims and turning the residence into a centre for reconciliation really should be secondary to the boys initiative to take responsibility and do something to redress. This whole thing goes to show how the dignity and worth of black people does not mean much in South Africa, because we all know that such a decision would not have been made if these victims had been white! In Shona we have a saying: “zvinotsengerwa mwana, iye omedza” (literally, you can chew for the child, but the child must swallow for him/herself) which means that adults can only help children to a certain point, but they must ultimately take responsibility. Vice Chancellor Jansen, shame on you! You have chewed and swallowed on behalf of these kids? What kind of example are you setting for the youth? By doing what you have done, you are only breeding more racial hatred and tension.

By Pamhidzai Bamu

RICA is the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication-Related Information Act. The customer registration section of the RICA, as set out by the South African Government requires everyone who has an active cellphone number or purchases a new Prepaid Starter Pack, to register their SIM cards from 1 July 2009.

Now there is nothing wrong with this act as its aim is to help law enforcement agencies to track criminals using cellphones for illegal activities, thereby contributing to make South Africa safer for everyone. What I wonder is, why is this only being implemented now? Something of this nature should have been done when the cellular network operators were setting up in South Africa.

What I find to be even more interesting about RICA is how it will apply to foreigners in South Africa. Take for example a visitor coming from Germany for the World Cup in 2010. He needs a SIM card so he can stay in touch whilst he is in South Africa. Now RICA requires one to produce some form of identification. Now the visitor from Germany will have his or her passport which is fine. Now the second requirement for RICA is to produce proof of residence. Now where does a visitor to South Africa get proof of residence from? They are only visiting. So does this mean that they can not purchase a SIM card in South Africa?

So I went to task yesterday to test this out. I wanted to purchase a new SIM card. So I told them that I am a foreigner visiting South Africa so I do not have proof of residence. The sales person was now confused. They did not know how to handle this situation. He insisted I produce proof of residence which I do not have. He then went to the back to ask his superior and he came back and said it is not possible to make the purchase. So I left and went to another shop and guess what, same response. Then a third shop… Same response.

So to sum it up, I was not able to purchase a SIM card as a foreigner from a shop which is emphasising on RICA. I knew if I really wanted a SIM card I could just go to the vendors on the street and they would sell me one. So I tried that and I easily got a SIM card and did not have to produce any form of ID or proof of residence.

Now besides foreigners, how are they going to get every South African with a SIM card to register for RICA? RICA started on 1 July 2009 and I wonder how many people who already have SIM cards have willingly gone to register for RICA. I guess not many. If the said something like, “If you do not register for RICA by 31 December 2009, we will cut off your line.” I am sure that would get people running to register with RICA.

So the Presidency finally got its hotline setup today. For those who do not know what is happening, Jacob Zuma promised us during his campaign that he will setup a hotline whereby we could call in and air our grievances. Officers at the Union Buildings call centre will handle calls and respond to public inquiries, and citizens will be able to lodge their queries by dialling the toll-free number, 17737.

It has been reported that in the first 3 hours of operation, they received 6000 calls. Now I have not yet called in to see how this is all going to work but I can imagine the kind of calls they are going to be receiving. I seriously doubt that a lot of people will be phoning in to praise the government as the bulk of the callers will be complaining about service delivery, schooling, housing, electricty etc. I would hate to be one of the people answering the calls!

What I am interested to find out is what happens when someone makes a call. Do you get given a reference number for you to then follow up your query with? With the large number of complaints that are going to be received, are the government going to be able to handle all the requests and attend to them? I think people also need to be told when to use this hotline. If I do not have electricity, should I call this hotline? I don’t think so, I should contact Eskom. But if I have never had electricity in my house for years then I must call this hotline. So I guess it is a matter of being reasonable enough to know when to use this number and I hope us as South Africans are able to differentiate when to call 17737.

It will be interesting to see how well this hotline works and we must see evidence in one form or the other of it working. What are your thoughts about 17737?

According to Julius Malema, the African National Congress Youth League leader, ‘The International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) decision to test Semenya is racist and sexist’. One cannot blame anyone to be annoyed at what has gone on. But it is not racism or sexism, it is downright disgraceful behaviour from the IAAF and jealousy from those that were beaten especially the Italian and Russian competitors who are quoted of saying “For me she is not a woman,” Furthermore it is offensive, hurtful and humiliating to a young superb athlete of this calibre, who has outrun her rivals in a world champoinship by over two seconds, when normally the difference between the first three is 100th of a second. The IAAF has certainly let this athlete down.

For more Zapiro cartoons visit www.zapiro.com

Almost everything about the issue is fuzzy: Where does one draw the biological line between male and female, exactly what standard is used by the track authorities in deeming a female ineligible to compete as a woman, precisely what tests answer such questions. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has asked for reports that will take weeks to review - from a gynecologist, an endocrinologist, a psychologist, a specialist in internal medicine and a gender expert.

The recent spate of striking has left most people, especially those who require doctors the most, divided on the issue. People understand that doctors work in unhygienic, cramped conditions; work without substantial-enough pay and examine patients without basic equipment (gloves, towels, etc.), and yet they are angry that doctors have been striking for weeks. Is it fair to ask these brave doctors to endanger their lives everyday?

I think we all need a shot of empathy, change in perspective – a proverbial shoe-exchanging. Would these people, who are so critical of our medical staff, be able to work in nurseries (in which the air-conditioning isn’t functioning) for over forty hours, without a break, and without access to a shower? How about examining and treating HIV- and AIDS-infected patients without syringes, surgical masks and gloves?

I think not.

The government has offered a 2 – 26 percent increase, as opposed to the 50 percent requested by the striking medical personnel. This offer is an insult; doctors provide a service that is sorely needed, especially in a country like ours where violence-related injuries are a daily occurrence, and where our HIV-infection rate is scraping the ceiling; no wonder they are seeking greener pastures overseas. It’s sad that we only appreciate their services now that they are not providing them.

Sadly, this sentiment of appreciation and compassion (as I’ve pointed out) is not shared, and is even resisted, by our government. They even had the audacity to fire the people who have refused to go back to work! Talk about adding fuel to the fire, already raging out of control …

It is stark and unfortunate that those who have done nothing wrong, the patients (the elderly, the terminally ill, and so forth especially), have to suffer because of their belligerence.

It is yet to be seen how this will play out: doctors are now caught between what they swore to do when they took the Hippocratic Oath, and putting their own lives in peril – the proverbial battle between Life and Death rages on …

I was outraged when I was reading the The Star newspaper this morning and I saw a headline saying, “Bulls fan says she was verbally abused”. When I saw the headline, I thought to myself - what could this all be about? I was thinking along the lines of a woman rugby fan being verbally abused by a bunch a drunk fans at the stadium. But that was not the case as this story was about a black woman who was verbally abused by a Bulls fan at Loftus on Saturday where she went to watch the Bulls take on the Cheetahs.

According to the article, the woman was told, in Afrikaans, the the Union Buildings were on the “other side” - which the woman understood to imply that she and her niece were not wanted at Loftus. The article does not say if the man was white or black but it is pretty obvious that it was a white man saying this to the woman. “You should go to the inauguration of the president at the Union Buildings, you shouldn’t be at Loftus,” is what the man said to the black woman.

We all know that the Union Buildings were a hive of activity on Saturday as Jacob Zuma was being inaugurated as the new president of South Africa, meaning that this man may have been suggesting to the lady that she should be at the Union Buildings where she would be welcome as she is not welcome at Loftus. Why should she have gone to the Union Buildings? Because she is black?

I myself would not be surprised if this story is true and this actually happened to the black lady. I have always had the impression that Loftus on a day the Bulls are playing is not the best place to be if you are a black person as you will be in a serious minority. Granted that rugby is a predominantly ‘white’ sport but does that mean a black fan of rugby should not feel comfortable and welcome when they decide to go out and watch a rugby game? If my memory serves me correct, a similar incident happened to a black fan when they went to watch the Springboks play rugby. Why is it so hard for blacks to be able to freely enjoy themselves at a live rugby match?

I am a big rugby fan and have watched a lot of live rugby at Newlands in Cape Town and I have never for one day had a ‘racial’ problem there. I have yet to watch rugby at Loftus but after reading this story today, I am having doubts about going to watch rugby at Loftus as I am black. Is it just a Loftus and Coca-Cola park thing?
Should this be the case? NO! I should be able to go, watch and enjoy myself at any rugby venue in South Africa that I please. I am also paying just like the other fans who are there regardless of their colour.

Jacob Zuma announced his new government on Sunday. There were a few surprises and some restructuring in the ministries The full list of the new ministers can be found below together with a video of President Jacob Zuma announcing his new appointments. Let us know what you think of this new team.

Yesterday marked a ‘new dawn’ in South Africa when Jacob Zuma was inaugurated as the president of the country. As I woke up yesterday, the weather was terrible, it was grey and overcast and I wondered what was going to happen at the inauguration if it rained. I switched on my TV to tune into the live coverage of the inauguration and you could see the rain coming down and those already gathered at the Union Buildings had their umbrellas and raincoats. At that time I started to receives text messages and emails saying that this rain and gloom is a bad sign! “How can our next president be sworn in on a day that is so dull and gloomy?” I too was getting very worried. But I was sure that the organisers of this event had made provisions for rain. In African culture, rain is a sign of blessing so even if it rained it would be a blessing for that day, whilst some would say the rain is a sign of the infamous Jacob Zuma ’shower’!
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Zikalala said that he was leaving with his head held high. Snuki Zikalala has always been surrounded by controversy especially for his support of the ANC and in particular his support for the Thabo Mbeki faction. Zuma supporters accused him of using the public broadcaster to promote Mbeki at the expense of Zuma. In 2006, Zikalala was at the centre of a ‘blacklisting’ scandal, involving the barring of political commentators believed to be critical of Mbeki. In 2007 Snuki manouvered the resignation of the veteran SABC journalist John Perlman. As a result of Zuma’s election victory at Polokwane and again in April 2009, it was only a matter of time for Snuki Zikalala to go. Click here for more Zapiro cartoons on Snuki Zikalala