Marketing Lesson: Xenophobia and the South African Government.

Don’t just TALK! Take ACTION! One thing marketers know through and through is that when you promise and you don’t deliver, your sales go to hell and you lose your job. Before any advertising goes on TV, Radio, Print or spread virally across social Media we have to make sure the product delivers what we claim to promise on every level. If this wasn’t such an important step, the Advertising Standards Authority would be out of a job.

Also, it makes perfect sense on a human level. People want to get what they are promised and what they spend their taxes on. We don’t spend our money so that we can hear nice things that make us feel all warm and gooey for our country. We want to see the leaders we voted for actually doing the work to make our country the best in the world and live up to the claim of “a better life for all”.

The current xenophobia crisis has shown the ugly insides of the government in power. All they are doing is talking, if they were working, really working for change… none of this would have happened.

So… the marketing lesson from all this as I had mentioned in the beginning… Deliver what you promise, or you’ll be in deep kak if you don’t.

Technorati Tags: South Africa, Xenophobia, Marketing

Xenophobia in South Africa, How Could This Happen?

Residents at the Ramaphosa informal settlement try to salvage building material before the blaze overtakes them on May 20.- Paul Botes, M&G

This xenophobia problem is getting way out of hand. What the mainstream media has failed to give significant coverage to though, the climate of fear which is being created across the country. This is not only facilitated by the violence which is spreading from province to province and town to town. Just this weekend, one of my friends whose family is originally from Malawi couldn’t leave his house because his dad was getting death threats over the phone.

This aspect is very scary, so many expats from other countries who I work with and deal with on a daily basis are now forced to keep low profiles so that people won’t hurt them or their families. It’s even gone to the point where these “Xenophobics” are using the Zulu language to distinguish whether a person is a foreigner or not. Many South African citizens are now being attacked because they don’t speak Zulu and hence are regarded as immigrants.

Zapiro’s take on the Xenophobic Attacks and their effect on South Africa’s image.

Various churches, mosques and other religious institutions are getting involved in order to help the immigrants who are fearing for their lives as various attacks occur around the country. For anyone reading this, please go and help out… apart from helping these people in need we need to spread education about this issue and stop all of this nonsense. This is South Africa! Why are we killing and destroying people’s lives? Is this what was fought for, for decades, and now in such a short time we’ve forgotten our own heritage?

Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another. – Nelson Mandela

UPDATE: UnitedforAfrica.co.za has a great webpage set up which uses Google Maps to track the events of the Xenophobia attacks in South Africa so that citizens can mobilise and help those who are affected by the scourge of xenophobia.

Technorati Tags: South Africa, Xenophobia, Violence

Why The Hell Did We Have Load Shedding?

Eskom’s decision on April 27th to suspend load shedding is a bit confusing now. I thought we needed the load-shedding to maintain capacity? Now it’s over and the 50% increase they wanted to apply to everyone got kicked out of all discussion and Alec Erwin was told to back off (the price of electricity is now still under discussion).

So the question is, if we can do without load-shedding now without all hell breaking loose, why did we have it to begin with? If people can suddenly decide that load shedding is not important while so many executives were saying it’s very important in order to maintain capacity, who’s lying?

Load Shedding is gone for the moment, thankfully, but WTF is going on? Can someone from government please make a clear statement and let us know what the hell is happening!

F**k Indian Durban, Part 2

A continuation from my previous post on the same subject.

I have had to deal with yet another phenomenon of the gossip/blabber-mouth/immature personages who invade every space and infect it, in this ever-increasing choke-hold of the Indian community in Durban. Maybe I should be more specific and tie it down to the Muslim Indian Community here, but I’m sure it’s all over the place.

I can’t believe someone around mid-twenties would be able to spread such absolute shit like this, and to the detriment of another human being’s reputation. What I can’t understand is this, doesn’t the new generation see through all the crap and try to better themselves and their communities instead of just regurgitate the ugly old habits of the previous generation? What ever happened to rebellion and questioning things and moving forward?

All I see in this community is the spreading of the same shit via new technology… unlike the old days when this used to happen through kitchen windows and in women’s circles, the barriers have been shattered and now boys and girls across age ranges are becoming purveyors of a culture of back-biting, slander and bitchiness using Web 2.0 Technology.

I have managed from the previous post to ignore such things and try and correct them whenever I can, but when people’s reputations get tarnished by information you have provided in privacy… and you have to hear about it from 3rd an 4th parties…. That is unforgivable. But then again, how could I be so naive to expect anything else from this cultural habit which I’ve seen fester and contaminate lives as soon as I set foot here.

I keep thinking… what would it take for these people to see what they’re actually doing? and how absolutely full of shit it is and the damages it causes and the lives it leaves in ruins… divorces, family feuds, etc. all stem from this same problem… A culture of talking behind other people’s backs, having a one-up-manship on everyone else, My family/clan/caste is better than yours, doing the other man down.

Fuck them.

Afro-Realists on Thought Leader

I recently published a post on South Africa’s foremost News Blog, Thought Leader. The post is called The Afro-Realists. It talks about the battle between the pessimists and the optimists about the current situation South Africans find themselves in and the future ahead.

F**k Indian Durban.

(Please excuse the rampant Profanity in this post, I really , Really need to vent.)

I can’t wait to get out of this God Forsaken place. All Durban has is the beach. If it didn’t have that it would be the ultimate hell hole. There is a reason why it’s only good for holidays, especially if you’re an indian. The things I have to endure in this place crawls under my skin. Constant Gossip, Racism, Classism, Caste Systems… FUCK! I am so sick of it. Every single indian female I run into (okay maybe not ALL) has this insatiable desire to know every little detail about my life… FUCK OFF! I swear I’m at my wits end… apart from friends like MJ and some others which make this ride in Durban just a little bit less tedious, this place is… oh fuck it.

I’ve had old indian women confess… “I know I’m racist, but that’s just the way it is…”, I’ve had constant questioning of mundane things like.. “Where you going? Where you went? What you did there? why?” WTF? like it’s anybody’s fucking business. I once looked dead straight at one aunty and said “Naah, I’m just tired from the strip club last night, and tonight we’re hitting the entire strip on point road.” Now, the thing is , these aunties know me too well to know that I’d never actually do any of those things… so I think they got the sarcastic message… “I don’t want to answer you, Leave me the fuck alone.”

Recently, I actually felt depressed, I mean seriously depressed… and I only realised this after the fact… I have never been depressed in my life, infact, my philosophy on life is that a Muslim can never be depressed (think about it). I can only conclude that this place (said with all the gusto of Agent Smith from the Matrix)… I feel infected by it.
Between Racists, Classists, Bigots, Hypocrites and just plain fucking idiots. I wanna go home :( Now try and ask me why the fuck I miss Johannesburg so much. You know why.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…….

Peace, (Ironic, I know…)

M.

UPDATE: Continuation at F**k Indian Durban, Part 2

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