Should I stay or should I go?

In recent weeks, SA has made both national and international news for all the wrong reasons. Firstly there was the #rhodesmustfall campaign, followed by the xenophobic attacks. Both gave me cause for pause, and for the first time I seriously considered whether it is time to start looking for jobs elsewhere and to consider emigration.

The #rhodesmustfall campaign at UCT was about the fact that 20 years on, South Africa is still in the grip of Apartheid. Yes, the laws have changed, but transformation has been slow. For some, the rate of change has been too slow. There is still a lot of anger about the fact that whites still hold the majority of the country's wealth, and still appear to enjoy much more privilege. 

Throwing poo at statues (which quickly spread from just happening at UCT to taking place in various cities and at various statues) that are symbols of colonialism and racism and Apartheid seems to have catapulted the discussion about transformation into the forefront of discussions in civil society, government and institutional powers in a way that previous discoursive attempts have not. I disagree with the the decisions made about the statue, but I sympathize with the sentiments. If nothing else, this whole situation has really made me think about what it is like to be your average non-white South African living in this country.

Yet, then anger that I have felt directed towards me has been disconcerting to say the least. If one listens to the news (despite the fact that only the extremists and their doings make the news), then one could be forgiven for thinking that we are truly on the brink of becoming Zimbabwe, where whites are truly in physical danger. If one believes the news, then it is time to get out, while we still can.

At the same time, because of poverty, gross institutional inefficiencies and some ill-timed (and ill-conceived) words by King Goodwill Zweletini we have seen repeated xenophobic attacks in the Durban area against the immigrants from our neighboring countries and further afield. So much has been said about how the whites are to blame for everything that is historically wrong with this country, that it is sometimes hard to believe the capacity for black-on-black violence in this nation. Yet, the human heart is the same no matter the colour of one's skin, and its capacity for fear, anger and jumping to in conclusions (as my dad always says) is the same.

As I said, as I have pondered these two climatic events I have, for the first time, given very serious thought to emigrating. Why, you may ask? Because of fear. I looked to the possible future and was scared by what I could imagine.

Yet as I prayed about it, as I prayed into these situations and asked God for his guidance, he has very clearly been telling me to stay. A decision made in fear is never a good one. If I allow fear to rule my decision-making process, I will make wrong choices. If I allow God to rule my decision-making process I will make the right choices. I am reminded now, as I write this, of the saying that the safest place to be is in the centre of God's will. From the verses I have been reading as part of my daily devotionals, Gid has clearly been telling me to stay put and to trust in him alone - not to look to the circumstances around me, but only to look at him.

Does this mean we will be personally and physically safe? No. Does this mean my children will have an easy life? No. Yet neither of those things are good reasons to leave - not when God has other plans and I am a part of one other plans. I simply have to trust that God is working in ways I cannot see, and that his plans are plans to give me hope and a future, not plans to harm me or my children.

And of course, things are not as bad as they seem - the vast majority of this nation's people are not extremists. They are not blood-thirsty lunatics. The majority are average people trying to go about their lives in peace. Yet, these events have given us a fresh opportunity for discourse and dialogue, for a real chance to move towards transformation. Once again this nation has a real opportunity to shine the light of Christ for the world to see - if only we would grasp it!

When is stealing not stealing?

When you're just taking something because you don't have the money to pay for it.

Yup.

At least, that's the reasoning of some folk in the Western Cape. They don't have money to pay for food, so they went to Pick 'n Pay and just took it. After all, they argue, the government should institute a policy of giving R1500 to every single unemployed person so they could have enough money to feed their families. And since they don't, well, these folk will take the law into their own hands and just take what they need. It's not stealing though.

Of course, I'm not sure I could tell the difference between stealing and taking stuff that doesn't belong to you because you don't have the money to pay for it.

It's a bit like Julius Malema's comment that "sleeping around" is not having sex, or maybe it is, but he's not telling us what it means.

While I think this country has tons of potential, and while I believe that the majority of people (in the Western Cape - I can't vouch for the rest of the country given the overwhelming support Malema seems to enjoy) are reasonable, rational, logical human beings, it's events like this that make me wonder where we're heading as a country.

When I taught in the UK I learnt that many adults NEVER develop logical, rational thought. They simply are incapable of formal concrete thinking. While in SA I had never come across this phenomenon because of the sheltered existence I led. In the UK, however, one is not protected in the same way unless one's parents and family are royalty or stinking rich multimillionaires.

On my return to SA, I couldn't believe some of the things happening. I mean, surely anyone with half a brain would refuse to listen to the Julius Malemas of the world? Surely they could see his ignorance and bluster and realise that he's not fit to be anyone's leader? It's like a re-run of Mbeki's "AIDS isn't caused by HIV" statements.

Apparently though, the reason that idiots get into power is because there are hundreds of other idiots who are even more idiotic than them. Like the twits who stole food from Pick 'n Pay today (or was it yesterday? my brain is so fuzzy from tiredness I've lost track of the days...). Anyone who reasons that today isn't actually the 23rd July, but is the 23rd July instead, needs their head read.

So folks - if you want that flat screen TV, or that DVD-r, or Wii, or whatever, and you don't have the money to pay for it, well, that's fine. Just walk into your friendly electronics store and take it. After all, you're not stealing it; you're just taking it because you don't have the money to pay for it.

How does SA fare??

The Sheffield University has a team who have produced a computer programme that alters the map of the world (or the relative size of the countries and continents) based on data available on a particular question. Their results make for very interesting reading. How does SA fare, and where are going if we don't change things fairly soon?

This is what the normal, to scale map of the earth looks like.

This is the earth in relation to the number of TB infections
This is the earth in relation to the number of HIV infections.
This is the earth in relation to the number of malaria infections.While this is scary, because it puts into perspective the problems we face in Africa and South Africa particularly, there are other things which are just as scary. For example, the lack of the development of technology.

This is the earth in relation to the amount of scientific research currently being conducted.

And this is the earth in relation to the number of patents being registered. It's a measure of both creativity and entrepreneurship.
So basically, unless we do something radical about our education system, SA is doomed.

Education: the life or death of our planet

WARNING: This is a long post. But it's about an important matter, so I think you can forgive me.

I am definitely getting pregnancy brain. This afternoon we had a PROGRO, and I forgot about it completely - even though I'm on the committee that organises these sessions for the staff! Sigh!

We were very privileged to have Prof Brian O'Connell as our guest speaker today. He is currently the Rector and Vice-Chancellor at UWC, but he has a very long history in education, having started out as a humble teacher. Before being appointed Rector of UWC, Brian O’Connell was Head of the Western Cape Education Department, from 1995 to October 2001. He obtained a B.A. Honours Degree in History from UNISA (with distinction), and M.A. and M.Ed Degrees from Columbia University in New York. O’Connell’s contribution to education has been acknowledged and rewarded with a Fullbright Scholarship to the United States, two British yCouncil grants and an Anglo-American Chairman’s Fund grant. So - rather a distinguished guest, actually.

His topic was based around our theme for the year, which is "Leadership in the classroom". He started by looking at why Homo sapiens has been so successful as a species. Essentially, there are 5 so-called humanising factors that have enabled us to be so (frontal cortex, development of language, development of technology, adaptive capability, and a scientific sense, if memory serves me). He then outlined the top 10 current revolutions facing humanity en masse, which are all occurring simultaneously - things like globalisation, population explosion, global warming, technology explosion, etc).

His point was that in order to cope with these 10 revolutions, humanity is going to need to think its way through them, which will rely upon us having people who are able to make use of their humanising factors - their ability to develop the necessary language to communicate effectively about the problems facing the world and to develop the technology needed to solve those problems, which requires the use of their adaptive capabilities, etc, etc. The only way to achieve all this is to have excellent education.

Thus, he established the centrality of education to the life or death of humanity as a species, but also of the planet as a whole. As I said - you really had to be there to hear the whole argument... what I'm writing here really doesn't do it justice, but as I suspect this is going to be an extremely long post, I have to try to keep it as short as I can.

Bringing this home to SA, Prof O'Connell then took us through a brief or potted history of the aftermath of 300 yrs of colonialism and 50 yrs of Apartheid on our nation, w.r.t. education in particular. Essentially, the problem was two-fold: more money being spent on the minority, and many of the majority boycotting education in protest to Apartheid. We all know this, but the picture he painted of how we got there was fascinating. It certainly opened my eyes to some things I hadn't realised. Of course, I was only born the year before the Soweto uprising, so that doesn't really surprise me.

His conclusion from this brief history tour was that the new democratic government was faced with 3 possibilities. Pour enough money into education so that the majority could be brought up to the standards of the minority (but that would mean not spending money on housing, primary health care, provision of primary services like sanitation/ electricity/ water, etc); Grow the economy dramatically (but with an entire generation having boycotted education, how would that be feasible?); Reduce the unit expenditure.

Had the government taken the strategic step of painting a picture for the nation, we might have been able to go the route of the first option. However, the ANC promised the people that they would all receive a house, electricity, water, appliances (fridges, stoves, etc) , land, etc, etc, etc. To go back on those promises would have spelt disaster.

The second option was no option, so that left the last option. The problem with this option is that it left everybody dissatisfied. It's the 1.6 rule. Let's use an analogy to explain it. Assume there are 10 children being educated. Under Apartheid, the government spent R5 on the first (white kids), R3 on the second (coloured kids), and R1 on each of the other 8 (black kids). That makes R16. Reducing unit expenditure means spreading that R16 equally between all 10 children - R1.60 each.

The first child isn't happy because you can't provide quality education to a child on just R1.60. The second child isn't happy because he fought in the Struggle, but now is getting less. The other eight children aren't happy either, because they had been promised the R5 education the first child had been getting.

So now we sit with a system where no-one is getting a decent education in South Africa. This is a problem. Why? Well, for SA to succeed, it has to deal not only with learning about what democracy is and how it operates (and that's another whole post on its own because the people living in this land have never had true democracy), but they are also faced with the 10 revolutions taking place in the world. In addition to this, we are already severely limited by the debt the Apartheid government ran up by taking loans from the national pension schemes... to the tune of R1.4 BILLION. (Trevor Manuel - we bless you for the work you have done over the past 14 years trying to repay that debt as quickly as possible!!!) AND, SA has the additional problems of TB and HIV. (I'll do a separate post on that...)

To add insult to injury, the new democratic government decided to change the curriculum. Anyone who has taught in SA will understand the debacle that Curriculum 2005 has been from a purely practical stance. e.g. No textbooks. Why? Because the politicians forgot that to teach a new curriculum you need new textbooks. (I kid you not! They simply didn't bother to budget for them.)

However, something I didn't understand about the new curriculum was explained to me today. The ANC wished to steer clear of anything that smacked of Apartheid, but with education they did the exact opposite. By changing the curriculum, they were actually sending the message that blacks, coloureds and Asians did not have the brains or the wherewithal to cope with the previous curriculum... i.e. the message they were sending was that the whites were right in thinking that the rest of the nation were inherently inferior.

OMW! Why didn't I see that before????

Instead, they should have stuck with the original curriculum (and saved themselves oodles of money that could then have been spent on raising standards in non-white schools.

But anyway, now we are sitting with a situation in which kids' literacy is amongst the worst in the world, in which education is not highly regarded, and in which we are failing to adequately prepare our youth for their future role in leading this country.

It is into this scenario that he addressed us as teachers. I have always believed that teaching is not just a job. I have always believed that what I do really matters. After today though, I see a new facet to that belief. What I do really matters, because the future of this country, and the future of the world, rests upon the quality of the education its children receive. Without a quality education, we will never develop the potential of the geniuses who will find the solutions to the revolutions currently facing us. If that doesn't happen, well, we can kiss this world goodbye.

In 50 years' time, the suburb in which I live will be under water and Table Mountain will be an island.....

...UNLESS... unless I (or my colleagues across the world) can nurture that one child who will make the scientific breakthrough that will help to not just solve the problem of climate change, but reverse it.

Education is not just central to the future of the planet. Education IS the future of the planet.

ANCYL

The more press the ANCYL gets, the more I have to laugh at their spokespeople. They really have the most RIDICULOUS things to say. I guess that recently (there isn't time to go into all the history) it all began with Julius Malema, ANCYL president, who commented that the ANC was not just going to win a two-thirds majority, but they were going to win a three-thirds majority.

Then, this week, Helen Zille made a comment that was unrelated to a question she had been posed regarding her appointment of an all male provincial cabinet, possibly in an attempt to deflect attention from herself. Her comment was about President Zuma (and THAT is another whole series of blog posts in itself) and his sexual conquests.

Jumping to his defense, the ANCYL made a series of ... I can only call it laughable statements about Helen Zille. The ANCYL is, apparently, "disgusted by remarks attributed to the racist girl Helen Zille, who when failing to defend her stupid and sexist decision to appoint predominantly white males into her Cabinet, attacks the president of the Republic of South Africa. Zille has appointed an all male Cabinet of useless people, majority of whom are her boyfriends and concubines so that she can continue to sleep around with them, yet she claims to have the moral authority to question our president.

OK. So, as if that wasn't ridiculous enough. This morning, on radio 702 (a Jo'burg based talk radio station)/ Cape Talk 567 (the Cape Town version of 702), an interview was held with another ANCYL spokesperson, in an attempt to clarify their statement. You can hear the podcast of the interview here, but two things that were said made me laugh:

1) According to the ANCYL: "Racist" means being someone who undermines black people.

Umm, yeah, I'm not sure in which universe that is the meaning, but last time I checked, it wasn't in this one.

2) According to the ANCYL: "Sleeping around" means sleeping around (not having sex with someone), and if you don't know what that means, then you need to look it up somewhere, because there is no other way to explain it.

OK, then. That really helped to clarify the situation. Thanks. So blue means blue, except that blue is not the colour in the spectrum that is between green and purple, and if you don't know what blue is, then you'd better find someone who can describe it to you, because there's no other language I can use to explain it to you.

In fact, the other thing that made me chuckle was that at the end of the interview the spokesperson told the interviewer to grow up when speaking about 'these matters'. OMW!! Open mouth, engage both feet.

Lessons from Nixon's administration

At the moment, it seems like I get most of my news via Twitter, since I can't recall when last I watched the news (let alone the news headlines) or listened to the news on the radio. (I very, very seldom have the time to read a paper.) Today's headlines are rather depressing - firstly that poor Tsvangirai has lost his grandson a few mere weeks after losing his wife, and that it looks like the charges against Zuma will be dropped. My heart is downcast for Tsavangirai. I can't imagine his grief. My prayers are with him and his entire family.

This whole Zuma business is also rather depressing. On the one hand, I believe the courts to be fair and just, particularly the Constitutional Court. That means that, if Zuma is not charged, I have to believe there are good reasons for it - like the fact that maybe he's not guilty. On the other hand, I believe that most of SA's leadership is corrupt and not above accepting bribes or putting their own personal interests above that of the nation. If I'm right, that means that there is a HUGE possibility that the 'damning' evidence Zuma may have on Mbeki and others would prove so embarrassing for the government that the prosecutors have been ordered not to see justice prevail in the 'interests of national security' or something.

Zuma was acquitted 3 years ago of rape charges. I still believe he's guilty. Why? Because proving a rape is nigh on impossible in the current legal system. In this area, I have no faith in our justice system. I believe that Zuma is a crook, as well as a rapist, but I'm facing the facts that he will probably be SA's next president. Since I believe that most of SA's leadership are also crooks, that means I don't think much will change for us. We'll still be ruled by men (mostly) who are egocentric. Those few women in power are just as corrupt, in my books. There are a few notable exceptions in both camps. I wish these few stalwarts strength in the coming days and pray that more honorable men and women are voted into power. I'm afraid I don't hold much hope of that happening though - we live in a corrupt and fallen world; having corrupt leaders is par for the course.

As I've been contemplating this debacle though, I've been put in mind of US politics, and the Watergate scandal of Nixon's era (1974). I read the autobiography of Chuck Colson, Nixon's chief counsel, a long while back. During his prosecution and imprisonment, Colson became a Christian, and now heads up Prison Fellowship (amongst other massive achievements). His description of the time has similarities with the current situation with Zuma. Colson confessed that he was guilty - maybe not of the crimes that the rest of the administration was, but certainly he had committed various other crimes. Instead of avoiding a prison sentence, he took the honourable route of accepting a prison sentence, if the judge saw fit to hand one down, which he did.

Some people have argued that if you were falsely charged with some crime, you would do everything in your power to have those charges dropped. Surely going to court and presenting your evidence there is the best route to proving your innocence? Or am I misguided on this? Most guilty people will avoid court, because they know that once inside the courtroom the evidence against them will cause them to be convicted. Only guilty people seek to hide from the light of justice. Those who are innocent know they can withstand the scrutiny. Ergo, I must conclude that Zuma is guilty.

To my mind, we have here two examples of character: a guilty man who was prepared to take his punishment (Colson), and a man who is doing everything in his power to avoid going to court (Zuma). Who would you trust? Personally, I'd trust Colson. Personally, I don't trust Zuma at all. If he was as innocent as he claims, why not prove it in court? If Mbeki is as guilty as Zuma claims, the this country needs to know about it, and what better place to do so than in court?

I think the reason that Zuma is avoiding court is that, as I've said on this blog before, the ANC leadership has lost all perspective. They appear to have lost touch with their roots, their heritage, their raison d'etre. Once, they were concerned with human rights and justice for all. Now, it would seem they are merely concerned with power - retaining the power they have and getting more of it. That makes them no different to the NP of old.

The NP used physical violence to maintain their hold on SA society and to subjugate the majority of this population. The ANC today is using bribery, corruption and denial of the truth to attempt to hoodwink the uneducated populace into voting them into power again. Both routes would ultimately result in the ruin of this country. Abusing democracy, whether to have a secret army that goes around imprisoning & torturing people or to retain power in order to have access to personal wealth creation tools (e.g. bribes), while trying to appear as if you uphold it is treachery of the worst kind in my book. For this reason, I am supremely grateful that COPE has been established, and I hope that it wreaks havoc on the ANC's campaigning. I won't be voting for COPE, but I hope they garner a tremendous amount of support.

What this country needs most though, is for Christians across the political divide to get together and pray. I believe the future of this country is approaching a knife edge, or a cross-roads, and the path we take will either lead to our eventual success, or our eventual downfall (think Zimbabwe). I can see a future in which the ANC leads us into becoming another Zimbabwe. I can also see a future in which we become an even stronger nation. In our first democratic election, widespread bloodshed and rioting was predicted. It did not come to pass. I believe the reason was that the People of God got on their knees and beseeched God to intervene - and I believe he did just that. It seems to me that such a time is on hand again. "IF my people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, AND turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear them from heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land."* Isn't it time we corporately confessed again, that this nation might be saved from further corruption and ruin?

The lesson from Nixon's administration is that when corrupt people genuinely admit (and repent of) their corruption and seek God's forgiveness, he raises them up again to become incredibly powerful individuals. So here's a gauntlet for Mr. Zuma: will you bow your knee to the Eternal God, forgo the power you so desperately seek to attain, and allow God to determine your future? For should you choose to do so, you may be surprised at what He gives back to you. If you choose not to though, be warned: 'This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live."** As a child of this nation, I hope and pray you make the right choice, Mr Zuma, because, potentially, the fate of this nations rests on your shoulders. To those who much is given, much is required. When you are called to give an account of the role you played in South African politics, and the leadership you have given this country, I hope you will be able to withstand the scrutiny - for your sake as much as for ours.

*2 Chronicles 7:14
** Deuteronomy 30:19

Ring the bell for change

I love watching the news. I could watch news all day. I don't read the paper, or listen to the radio much, but I do love the news. Having said that, I don't often get to watch, and when I do, I'm frequently disappointed by the SABC's version of the news. (I'm really starting to appreciate Al Jazeera, and the BBC news is always worth watching.)

I love hearing stories about what's going on in the world around me - from other countries to my local area. What I don't enjoy is seeing the same old thing coming up time and time again. For example, I'm really tired of hearing about the 2010 World Cup preparations. I am tiring of hearing about the recession we're about to go into, and I am definitely OVER hearing about how rubbish the ANC politicians are.

Our general elections aren't far away now (next month). As a result, all and sundry are trying to convince the public that they are the party to vote for, but the promises are all the same, and we all know that they're empty promises. No politician ever means what he/ she says. If they did, if it were possible to keep the promises they make, then this world would already be a very different place to live in, because those who were elected to power last time around (or the time before that, or the time before that) would have already made good on those promises.

The latest example of failure to deliver is that the government has refused a visa to the Dalai Lama to SA to attend a conference for Nobel peace laureates, to discuss how the 2010 World Cup (and soccer in general) can be used to promote tolerance, and to fight racism and xenophobia. Effectively, they have banned him from SA, indefinitely. As a result, the conference has been indefinitely postponed.

Now why, I ask you, would a government who should truly understand the fight for freedom, refuse to permit an international icon of peace, an international icon of the fight for human rights & in a similar league to our venerated ex-president Nelson Mandela, to a conference? Many people are speculating that it's because the ANC are in bed with the Chinese, who kicked up a huge fuss when our South African Nobel peace laureates extended the invitation to him. My opinion is that it's obvious to anyone with eyes to see that the ANC is no longer really interested in human rights. Now all they are interested in is power - getting it, having it, keeping it. SA's relationship with China is more important to the ANC than the human rights of either its people or the Tibetans.

Quite frankly, I find this disgraceful and despicable, but not at all surprising. The fact that the ANC is only interested in furthering its own aims, and no longer appears interested in the human rights it struggled so desperately for, for so many years, is old news. We know this. We're bored of hearing this. Move on.

The only good that might come of this, is, I hope, that more people will wake up and choose to vote for another party. While I'm not interested in listening to political debates (a negative campaign is boring to all concerned), I am very interested in seeing the outcome of this general election. I hope and pray that the ANC does not get its majority, and I hope and pray that COPE doesn't choose to sign an agreement with the ANC.

I hope and pray that this election will be a truly democratic affair in which the best party for South African wins - even if that's not the one I vote for - and I really hope and pray that that party is not the ANC. I'm tired of their empty promises, bored of their rhetoric, disgusted by their corruption. Time for change! Let's ring that bell and get some REAL news for a change.

V for Vendetta

You can tell holidays have started - not only have I read a book, but I've watched a movie too!

V for Vendetta is a very interesting movie, posing very interesting questions. The story is set in the UK in the future, when a Hitler style regime (Conservative party, wouldn't you know it?!!) is in power. One man, known only as V, and always masked, seeks to overthrow the government of the day, and takes as his model Guy Fawkes and the events around the 5th November.

V makes several very intriguing comments - about the nature of ideas and freedom, and about whose responsibility it is to protect freedom. Maybe because I'd just finished reading 'The Shack', which also deals with the nature of freedom, I was viewing it in a very different light, I'm not sure.

During the course of the story, V, who is initially portrayed as a hero, perpetrates several atrocities, some as a form of justice for atrocities perpetrated against the innocent, some in the name of creating freedom for others.

For me, given the current political climate in SA (where the president has sacked the national director of public prosecutions for very dubious reasons... and the speculation is that the actual reasons include being able to appoint someone who will not continue to prosecute Jacob Zuma, thereby smoothing his way into the presidential office), there were a lot of similarities between V's actions and those of the ANC in the Apartheid era. Yet, this in turn raises the question of whether violence is ever justified. Yes, the ANC did push the SA government of the day to the point where democracy became the only option. But at what cost?

The Hitler-esque party leaders are assassinated, which enables the general populace to experience a peaceful end to their nightmare. The similarities to the situation in Zim were inescapable. Would it be right for someone to assassinate Mugabe and his cronies, in the name of protecting the freedom and peace of the nation? Again, is there ever a situation in which violent means to a peaceful solution are justified?

Despite my portrayal of it, this is not a 'heavy' movie. It has its moments, but it's actually a very human movie, with your usual love stories and humour thrown in for good measure. But the dialogue is fast-paced and deep, so not a movie to watch when you're tired, or you'll miss a great deal! Definitely to be recommended.

Renovation, not incineration

Many years ago, a member of my immediate family, who is also a Christian, commented to me that s/he would not be voting in the (then) upcoming elections, because there was no point in Christians getting involved in politics. That comment has remained with me ever since. I have struggled with it, because it runs completely contrary to my beliefs.

Every time I read a story about Jesus, it is a demonstration of his love for those who were to all intents and purposes excluded from making or influencing political decisions - the poor, the homeless, the orphaned, the widowed. Surely we, as Christians, have a vitally important role to play in helping to create the political atmosphere that seeks to protect and nuture the poor, the needy, the helpless? Surely the gospel isn't just about salvation for eternity, but salvation here and now? Surely, we have been instructed not to walk past the Samaritan, but to do everything in our power to help? or have I got it wrong?

Today, the sermon was entitled 'Kingdom Entrepreneurship' and focussed on how we can help ourselves to recognise opportunities where we can bring the love of God - from creating employment to sharing the gospel. The content was great (the delivery less so), but what really struck me was this. When Jesus returns, the earth is not going to be incinerated or wiped out. When the Bible says there will be a new heaven and a new earth, the implication is that the existing earth will be restored and renovated. Surely this is an even greater incentive for us to be politically active? If the earth isn't going to be wiped out, then surely we have a responsibility to conserve (note: not preserve!) as much of it and its people as we can?

I really hope and pray that the future of SA does not lie in the hands of such as my dear family member, whose failure to vote opens the doors for increased crime, corruption and chaos. Rather, my prayer is that the future of South Africa will be determined by men and women with a Godly character who are willing to take a stand for truth and righteousness - whether in politics or in business. We've made the mistake in the past of separating the secular and sacred, and Apartheid was the result. Surely we need to learn that lesson and refrain from making it again?

I'm not advocating making South Africa a Christian nation again, or of making our parliament a Christian one, or even of voting for a Christian party like the ACDP. But I do think we need to remember that we will be held accountable for the manner in which we exercised the authority and responsibility we were given. If we've been given the right to vote, and we fail to exercise it, isn't that like burying our talents in the ground? And we all know what the Master said to that particular servant, right?!

Renovation, not incineration. I think that's a pretty good election season slogan, don't you?

The lighter side of politics

When I'm marking exam papers (as I am at the moment), I like to listen to the radio or a CD. It helps me to block out other distractions, and keeps me from getting bored out of my mind.

This morning, as I'm listening to BBC radio 2 online (to a podcast of Friday's broadcast of Steve Wright in the Afternoon) - my all-time favourite radio station - I nearly fell off my chair when they announced two political comments, so I just had to share them with you:

Boris Johnson (Conservative, Mayor of London, infamous for speaking without thinking, a regular guest presenter of 'Have I Got News for You'), when asked whether he aspired to being Prime Minister: I have as much chance of becoming PM as I have of finding Elvis!

Labour spokesperson: The greenbelt is a Labour initiative, and we intend building on it.