10 years ago

SOCIAL investment initiatives by the private sector are having positive pay-offs against crime. De Beers’ latest social investment initiative has seen R100 000 made available to Women Against Crime (WAC). Speaking at the handover on Friday, Judge Appie Steenkamp from the Committee for Crime Prevention said the money would go towards training WAC members.

FOR ONCE in a very, very long time I was left speechless. Normally I have an answer for everything no matter if it makes sense or not.

The incident that left me gobsmacked was the little ignoramus who decided he was the one in charge and unceremoniously just dunked a bottle of water over a teacher.

I tell you if I had found myself in that exact same situation I probably would not have reacted in the same way this teacher did. She deserves serious respect. I would probably have given him a backhand chop or a short-arm clothesline while he was still thinking of emptying the contents of the bottle out on me.

This teacher, although you could see she was angry, took the offending bottle from him and disposed of it before walking away.

I guess everybody reacts in different ways to situations like this.

What is becoming of our youth? This child is supposedly in Grade 9 which makes him about 14 or 15 years old. The teacher you can see must be, maybe, in her early 30s, which common sense tells me she would more or less be the same age as this boy’s mother. Would he, in all his arrogance, have done the same to his mother?

I know exactly what would have happened to me if I did that to my mother. I would probably have still been walking towards her and she would have smacked me halfway back up the passage. The only thing is I wouldn’t have dared to.

We were brought up to respect our elders and knew that respect earns respect.

And, if we thought of back-chatting, my oh my ….

If the teacher instructed you to do something, your only response would be, “Yes Ma’am.”

I remember when I was in Standard 9 (Grade 11) we had an English teacher and he had this hair that looked like it had been sewn on with fish gut. I remember I made fun of it; and it wasn’t long afterwards that I ended up in the principal’s office. I was told by the principal that I would have to write an essay on respecting teachers and elders.

I remember in my arrogance almost taunting him and saying that I would rather take the cane than write some stupid essay.

Admit it, the punishment would have been over so much sooner, but would I have learnt anything from the situation?

I also knew I would have had to answer a barrage of questions from my mother if I came home with cane marks on my butt and legs, and I probably would have got some more of the same.

I opted for the essay and that was the first and last time I ever disrespected a teacher.

This is not the first incident that has happened in a classroom. There have been quite a few others lately.

Not only has it involved pupils attacking teachers such as this incident, but teachers attacking pupils and pupils attacking pupils.

But where does the blame actually lay? With our disrespectful youth? A lot of parents say when they drop their children off at school they become the school’s problem. But the school’s hands are tied. They are not allowed to mete out corporal punishment.

I can understand that a lot of parents are busy working their butts off trying to give their children the best education they can. That, however, is no excuse. Or is it OK to have a disrespectful child as long as you don’t have to deal with them?

Just remember that “kids say the darndest things”. For many of them they are just mimicking what they see at home and thinking this is acceptable behaviour. They are your reflection.

Is that the way you want the world to see you? THE ROGUE behaviour of our MPs from across the political spectrum has gone beyond robust engagement and now borders on utter disrespect for voters.

For the past couple of years, the national legislature, which is supposed to be the parliament of the people, has increasingly become a theatre of personal squabbles between MPs and a ring for the clash of egos of politicians.

Quite often, the interest of the country and that of the people comes last in the fights that have characterised the National Assembly.

There were times when MPs were beaten up by security for rightfully demanding accountability on the part of former president Jacob

Zuma.

But Tuesday’s antics on the part of some MPs were just unacceptable, and indicative of how low some MPs can stoop in such an august House.

That during President Cyril Ramaphosa’s question and answer session, Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba showed EFF spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi his pinkie finger underscored how misbehaved and immaturish our MPs can be.

The scuffle between EFF MP Nazier Paulsen and Agang SA’s Andries Tlouamma was probably one of the lowest moments in the House.

At the heart of the matter in both instances is neither service delivery to the people of this country, nor anything in the interest of this country – but a clash of egos.

Granted, MPs have the absolute privilege to say whatever they want, to promote robust debate and freedom of speech, which was designed to ensure accountability on the part of those who govern the country.

However, a combination of abuse of this privilege to pursue narrow personal and party interests, and the disdain for accountability by those who govern, conspire to render Parliament a house of chaos.

Our MPs will do well to remember that Parliament is not a boxing ring to settle political scores, nor a house of theatrics to display egos, but a crucial platform of the people to hold those in public office accountable.

As taxpayers, we pay MPs and public servants a lot of money for their upkeep and that of their families. It should dawn on public representatives and their parties that Parliament is not their fiefdom – but the Parliament of the People.

We deserve better!