Engineering career a tough self-build

‘TRAGEDY of SA youth who put education first” (April 24) refers. When you tell people you are an unemployed artisan, they think you’re joking or that there is something wrong with you.

Many people believe if you study engineering and technical studies you are guaranteed a job — and many are now finding that not to be true.

The Department of Higher Education year in and year out encourages students to go to a technical and vocational college and give university a miss, as they’ll get a more hands-on skill. They have even declared the current decade “the decade of the artisan”.

Engineering and related studies are the backbone of any economy, but in South Africa the field is heavily reliant on international and foreign companies opening offices here.

On top of that the opportunities available to train and employ local graduates are outsourced to countries like Cuba or Spain, where they write Spanish manuals for trains that could have been made here.

The government hopes that most people who study engineering would go on to open small businesses and employ others, but some fields of engineering operate with expensive equipment. And in the fields where it’s much easier to open your own business, the market then becomes saturated.

Thank you, Sunday Times, for writing this article. People must be informed so that they can know that there is a problem and that the unemployed are not the problem. — Cheryl, Pretoria

They should go it alone

TO me, in a way, it is a blessing in disguise that these graduates are not employed, so that they may venture into entrepreneurship. South Africa needs entrepreneurship development dearly. Tell these students to turn a lemon into a lemonade.

If we develop a register of these students, we may come up with a lot of self-help initiatives. — Esau Moloko, by e-mail

Punishment that fits crime

“ARMS-DEAL fiasco marks SA’s fall from giddy heights of 1994” (April 24) refers.

Last week in the Port Elizabeth Magistrate’s Court, a lawyer was found guilty of theft/fraud to the tune of R800 000. This case has been postponed for sentencing. The prosecutor wants a minimum sentence of 15 years.

Now back to the great scandal of Nkandla, involving over R250-million of the taxpayers’ money spent on the president’s private residence.

Should the president and three of his conspiring cabinet ministers be convicted in a South African court of misappropriating only R100-million, then by my calculations they would go to jail for 1 875 years each. — David Elvidge, Bathurst

Sold for a mess of chicken

ONE has to, in a twisted, convoluted way, give credit to the ANC. No matter what scandal it or its hierarchy are proved to be involved in, it has no qualms about openly and publicly making every excuse in the book, and blatantly runs to the defence of its leader, even though he has set the country, and his own people, on the road to ruin. How people can allow their lives and futures to be compromised and sold down the river for a box of chicken, a T-shirt, and empty promises, is astounding. — Leon, by SMS

The book of William

“A TEMPEST in a teacup over fate of ‘Robben Island bible’ ” (April 24) refers. The intriguing picture shows the Bard’s works disguised by pictures of Hindu deities on the back and front covers, but the name “Shakespeare” is quite clear on the spine of the book. — Alan Campbell, Port Elizabeth

Constant assault on our ears

I REFER to the letter “Loud lawbreakers” by David Lawson (April 24).

We have lived in the same suburb for over 30 years. For the past few years we have experienced a huge increase in noise pollution, particularly at night. Children shout and scream; adults do the same.

Why can’t people talk quietly anymore? Every weekend (and sometimes during the week) there are parties in the neighbourhood where drink flows freely till the early hours of the morning. The later it gets, the louder people talk and shout. Polite requests to turn down the blaring music are ignored.

One group of students hires a disco that plays ear-splitting music nonstop all night.

My husband and I are not in a position to move; our health is suffering because of this constant loud noise that disturbs our sleep — and that sometimes prevents sleep altogether.

We were taught to respect the rights of other people to live in peace. We were also taught to be kind and compassionate.

Judging by the behaviour of people nowadays, nobody seems to care. — Peaceful citizen, Pietermaritzburg

Due for a nappy change

“PLASTIC gets bum rap from green moms” (April 17) refers.

Love those colourful cloth nappies on the twins! Having brought my daughter up on Milton and white hand-washed towelling nappies, I have huge support for international Great Cloth Diaper Change.

Of course disposable nappies are “convenient” — I used them for outings and holidays — but to spend nearly R1 000 per month and contribute to large-scale pollution?

It might be difficult for working moms to use cloth all the time, but surely on weekends and time off [they could use cloth nappies, which are] definitely much cheaper. —Vivienne Lloyd, by e-mail

Character assassination

I TRAVEL about 20km to buy the Sunday papers. Lately I have had to throw the papers into the dustbin because of the Zuma verbiage splashed on the first page — gross character assassination from the pens of pig-headed journalists who are clearly on a political campaign. I will not waste my petrol and cash. — NS Zulu, Durban