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QUICKLINKS TO OTHER VALUES ARTICLES Accepting DifferenceResponsibility Forgiveness Perseverance Self-Control Honesty Compassion Second Chances
Unemployment is one of the most pressing problems facing South Africa today, because unemployment often leads to other issues, including poverty and crime. People try for jobs and eventually give up when they are repeatedly turned down. It takes great perseverance not to give up when faced with continual rejection. Perseverance is also needed in many other areas of life - in studying, in sporting activities, in remaining HIV-negative and especially in our relationships with others. If one has goals and a hope for the future, one is more likely to persevere than if one does not feel there is anything to hope for or work towards. Articles on this issue produced by Heartlines Features:
THINGS WILL COME RIGHT IF WE WORK TOGETHER AS A NATION AND PERSEVERE,we don’t need unrealistic, pie-in-the-sky propogranda, writes Rev Dr Mvume Dandala. The will to persevere is invariably based on hope. The story goes that in Belfast, Ireland, graffiti on a wall which said: ‘Where there is Life, there is Hope’, had been changed to read: ‘Where there is Hope, there is Life’. How true this is. Setting clear goals for the nation will engender hope for the future. A place to start is to remember and learn from our own stories. What was it for so many years during the oppression and suffering of the past that kept people focused? It was the strong and powerful living hope that change would eventually come. What is needed today, is a message to our nation immobilised by the critical issue of crime, that this too will be overcome – strong, simple and clear. We don’t need unrealistic, pie-in-the-sky propaganda that says South Africa will be okay. The idea we need to get across is that things will come right if we work together. Everyone’s hand must be put to the plough. This means joining community police forums and engaging the police rather than criticising them for doing a bad job. From our pulpits, temples, synagogues and mosques in which godly values should not only be preached but practised, our people need to be soaked in a positive vision of positive national pride in the future with powerful signs such as reconciliation and sharing. It is this that will promote perseverance. I cannot persevere if I am not convinced of a positive outcome not only for my loved ones and myself, but also for the nation. A nation of entrepreneurs who seek to create wealth for themselves and for others! A nation of learners in school classrooms trying to outdo each other in dreaming of ways to improve life! Forget entitlement. Perseverance is not a burden, but the privilege of seeking to make things better. If I fail, I’ll try again. Remember the inventor who had tried 800 times to accomplish something and when he was ridiculed for failing said, ‘I may have failed but I have found 800 ways of NOT doing it?’ Change is never easy and rectifying the imbalances of the past through programmes like affirmative action will inevitably be painful, but unavoidable. Our white compatriots are part of the future and they must be given to understand that they are accepted – indeed - that they are needed. As a middle-aged white with years of invaluable experience - by sharing with those who have not had your opportunities - you become a key player, not a victim. Ploughing back and seeing the success of one’s endeavours, will not only engender pride in the rewards, but is likely to spur one on to even greater perseverance. Mentorship programmes done in a positive spirit must characterise our lives together as we rebuild our nation, would not only be a powerful incentive, but an affirmation of the mentor. The days of race-specific rallies must be numbered. Are we going to revert to the bad old days of apartheid, when national celebrations were seen as a day of leisure for the masses, supported exclusively by only one race group? How demographically representative of the country were the June 16 celebrations? And, before you admonish me for attempting to enforce racial integration, take time to ponder the advantages of a South Africa in which the intellectual expertise of our people of all races is retained to the benefit of all South Africans, rather than contributing to the glut of expertise in first world countries. Rev Mvume H Dandala is General Secretary of the All Africa Conference of Churches, former Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa, and is the recipient of the Presidential Order of the Baobab (Silver) for his peace-making role in South Africa. COMPETING ON PAPER GOT ELANA TO OLYMPICS. Elana Meyer is one of the country’s finest athletes. As South Africa honours its women this month and citizens engage in a national conversation on positive values, she spoke to Karien Jonckeere about how she finally got to her dream Olympics. By Karien Jonckeere. Like many South Africans growing up in the 1970s and 1980s, Elana Meyer didn’t even dream she would make it to an Olympic Games. But as the years passed, and the country edged towards democracy and a return to the international fold, a flicker of hope ignited in the long distance star. Finally in 1992, her patient persistence paid off - she became the first South African to win an Olympic medal in 32 years. “Growing up, the thought of competing internationally was so far removed from us. Zola (Budd) and I had been big rivals from when we were 13 and so when she went to compete for Britain in 1984, that’s when it became more of a reality,” explained Meyer, who retired from the sport only last year. “I actually ran a qualifying time for the 1984 Olympics so I was watching with big eyes, but I didn’t have a British grandfather like Zola did, so I knew it wasn’t going to happen like that for me.” Instead the determined Meyer decided to shift her focus and although she couldn’t compete against international athletes in the flesh, she devised another method of doing so. “After those Olympics, my focus moved from trying to be the best in South Africa to competing against the international athletes on paper and trying to better their times,” she explained. “Then in the early 90s the political situation started to change and that gave me a lot of hope that we could be accepted back into international athletics.” Meyer said that the early 90s were “very up and down times”, with hope and uncertainty among athletes. “The lead up to the 1992 Olympics was a bit of a rollercoaster ride as to whether we were being accepted back and could compete in Barcelona or not,” she explained. “It was very on and off. I would get faxes saying it might happen and then it was off again because the two athletics bodies hadn’t unified yet. “So the moment I walked into the stadium for my first heat was when I believed it was actually real. I could believe it and it wasn’t a dream. “I had waited for such a long time so when I walked into the stadium I was very emotional. I had missed a few good years of competing internationally but there were a lot of great athletes in South Africa who never got to compete. It’s almost difficult to describe. “It was all very emotional, and not just my race and the medal but just being there. I had looked forward to it for so many years. It was very, very special.” After the long wait, it was Meyer who claimed South Africa’s first Olympic medal in 32 years, finishing with silver in the 10,000m. “Obviously to get the medal was the cherry on top. And the silver meant gold to me. There had been a lot of political pressure and for me the celebrations afterwards were just spontaneous. I was just so happy. I had trained so hard for so many years and it turned out to be a great thing for all South Africans. It was great for African women. Derartu Tulu (the Ethiopian who won the race) became the first black woman from Africa to win an Olympic gold medal.” – Heartlines Features BACK ON TRACK By Karien Jonckeere. For SA cyclist Elsa Karsten things were going great. She had just won the SA championships in her age category and seemed destined for even greater things. She had already bagged a world masters title in 2003. Then, early last year everything came crashing down when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. A mastectomy followed and she is currently still under going treatment. But next week will see the deeply determined Karsten setting off on her first international tour since being diagnosed. The 41-year-old will be competing at the World Masters Road Race and Time Trial Championships in St Johann in Austria from August 20 to 26. “I’m excited, but also a bit nervous,” she admitted last week. “It’s not that I don’t think I’m good enough, it’s just that I haven’t done much racing recently. “But this time last year I thought I would never be able to ride a bike again. I hope things go well at the World Championships. I’m not on top of the world but I have been given a second chance and I want to make use of it. “Hopefully I can make it into the top three but just to be there will be great.” It has been a tough road for the former Pick ’n Pay 94.7 Cycle Challenge winner, who was back on her bike just four months after being diagnosed. She related her agony of persevering and the reward it has brought as South Africa honours its great women and its public is engaged in a national conversation on values. Karsten now goes for tests every two months and has an implant, as well as having to take medication daily – something she will be doing for at least the next four years. “When I was diagnosed with cancer I wasn’t really thinking about cycling. The only thing I thinking about was getting better,” she explained. “Afterwards I started thinking ‘why me?’ I had just reached the top and won the SA champs in my age category. “I was so depressed at one stage. But I went back to my doctor and he told me to go back to my family and by that he meant my cycling family. They had been organising fundraising events for me and everything and I thought I can’t disappoint them because then it would have been a lost cause. “Coming back and riding again was kind of my way of thanking them for everything.” Karsten took part in the Tshwane Go Banking event at the end of last month and even then, she admits, she had to dig dip just to finish the race. “On the third last lap I was going to quit. I was really struggling and not at all in my best form but I stuck it out. I just thought to myself ‘I’m not going to quit’. And on the last lap we caught the leaders and I finished with the bunch which kept me smiling,” she said. Obviously, being a cyclist, Karsten has gained great inspiration from American Lance Armstrong who overcame cancer and then went on to win the Tour de France a record seven times. “I have both of Lance Armstrong’s books and of course he was a great inspiration to me. There are pictures in there of him in hospital when he was getting treatment and you can see he was just so sick. “The doctors didn’t think he was going to make it but he did and got back on the bike. I thought if he can do it, so can I. Cancer is a funny thing. You have to fight it all the way. And if your head says no, you most probably won’t make it.” Karsten’s own advice to others who are fighting the same fight is to find their own unique way of dealing with it. “It’s different for every person and you have to deal with it in your own way. Don’t let people tell you how you should do it; do it your way. And never give up. “My mom has had cancer for 21 years and she has never given up. She’s also been a huge inspiration to me because she has struggled a lot. I have also always thought if she can do it, so can I. There’s always light at the end of the tunnel.” – Heartlines Features NO BOUNDARIES FOR KASS By Karien Jonckheere At the age of just 14 Kass Naidoo announced to her family she was going to become South Africa’s first female cricket commentator. This week, as South Africans ponder the meaning of perseverance, she spoke to Karien Jonchkeere of Heartlines Features about her latest achievement. They all laughed at the time, but the laughter has certainly died down in the last few years as Naidoo has exceeded all expectations in turning her dream into reality. “My family all laughed at me and said it was a great dream but it was never going to happen,” explained Naidoo who, after making a mark in radio, first started her TV career as the face of SABC’s coverage of the cricket World Cup in 2003. “I’ve always liked testing the waters and I want to know how far I can push it. I’ve been able to push quite a bit now and it’s scaring me because I think that dreams are there to be achieved and the more you achieve them the more you get,” she added. Another of Naidoo’s dreams has recently come to fruition with the launch last week of a new web-based magazine called gsport … for girls (www.gsport.co.za) dedicated to women in sport. “The first notion that people have is that women can’t do it – we’re too weak or we’re too feminine. I think there’s a misconception that if you’re feminine you can’t win and you can’t achieve at the highest and I think people like Penny Heyns (who was selected as gsport’s first inductee into the hall of fame) have proven that that is just hogwash. Doing the cricket I have come to realise that being a woman is the best way to be because we can’t compete with men – why should we want to compete with men? And I think the biggest message for us to put out to South Africa is that women can be women and still win. “I read this quote that said if your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough and I’m going with that because I think that’s what’s kept me going until now.” Breaking into the male-dominated environment of cricket, Naidoo has met with her fair share of opposition. But she has nevertheless managed to bring her own unique style to her work. When she first arrived to take up her position in front of the cameras at the SABC, she was told to wear exactly what her male counterparts were wearing. “I was asked to wear a blue blazer and I was asked not to be all girly,” she explained. “So I went out and bought a pink top, a yellow top, an orange top and a green top. I threw the blue blazer away and said ‘I’m really sorry but I can’t do it your way’. “And since then I’ve really enjoyed breaking rules so much and I hope that with gsport, we continue to do so and break the staidness that is around women in sport because some people feel no one is interested. And people are not interested because they don’t have the information to go with it. So aside from profiling the top women on gsport, we are going to get the best possible advice from the top people like Penny Heyns and people interested in winning. “I guess the problems I was faced in my career were that I haven’t played cricket, I was a girl, my dad didn’t play cricket – there were enough things that came through. I think the more adversity I faced, the stronger I became though. I surged ahead and I wanted to achieve,” added the former Durbanite who was inspired by West Indian Donna Symmonds who was the first woman Naidoo heard commentating on cricket back in 1992. “There were times I wanted to quit but that was fast overcome by the feeling that if I quit, the message I would be sending out would be that yes, you can get so far but after that you have to quit because you can’t get any further. It’s been tough, but I think my detractors are starting to support me. And I think it’s showing that women in the media can do the job as well, and very often, better than the guys.” Naidoo is not the only woman involved in sports reporting in the country although females in the sports newsrooms are rather scarce the further north one travels into Africa. There have certainly been plenty of changes in the past 30 years, however, as SA Press Association cricket writer Jane Bramley has witnessed. “When I first started working in journalism at the SABC there was a quota as to how many women they would allow to work there. And if a woman got married, she had to resign,” said Bramley. “But things have changed remarkably. I must say though that in sport I have never encountered too much opposition or hostility like Kass has. I think some people are jut threatened by her,” she added. Afrikaans daily Beeld’s soccer and swimming writer Marjolein van der Stad agreed. “There has never been any animosity from my soccer colleagues. There were little, niggly things in the beginning but nothing bigger than that as soon as they saw I was serious and actually knew what I was talking about,” she said. “In a sense I guess I was a bit of a novelty – a white, Afrikaans woman writing about soccer. When travelling to other countries in Africa, I am always hugely outnumbered. The only other women I see are usually TV production people. “I must say though that, working in an office full of men has been more difficult that actually being out in the field reporting. When I first started I was often in tears. It was just a completely different world I walked into but eventually you just have to accept it, and after 15 years I know what to expect. When I started I think I was a lot more sensitive and meek and mild but you have to learn to become more assertive, otherwise you would just end up sitting in the corner crying,” added Van der Stad. “I think it’s just a case of feeling undermined and not being taken seriously. But I enjoy the work itself. I love being on the edge of a pool or soccer field and the lows of the job have never outnumbered the highs so that is what has kept me going.” – Heartlines Features PERSISTANCE PAYS – on and off the court By Karien Jonckheere. In July last year, Liezel Huber was on top of the world. She had just won the Wimbledon doubles title with partner Cara Black of Zimbabwe and was making headlines across the globe. But it was her largely unpublicised accomplishments a few months later that have made a more lasting and long-term impression, especially on the lives of the people she has impacted. Based in the USA, the Durban-born tennis star was stunned by the news of the devastation brought about by hurricane Katrina. Having sustained a career-threatening knee injury just five days after winning her Wimbledon title, and being confined to her home in Houston, Huber decided she wanted to do something to help in the relief efforts. “It was devastating,” explained Huber. “I just happened to be in the right place at the wrong time I guess. I had time on my hands and knew I could raise funds. I sent out an email to my friends, who then sent it to their friends and so on. That's how Liezel's Cause got started.” Liezel’s Cause is the charity that Huber established to provide rent, utilities, furniture, children’s daycare and schooling and basic needs for the families left homeless by the hurricane, with the goal of helping them become independent. “My main aim was to get these families back to normal,” she said. “To get them out of the shelters, get the kids back in the school and basically just meet their needs. “I ended up helping 21 families, some large and some small. They are all doing great. Some have moved back to New Orleans and a lot have decided to make Houston their new homes. They are so grateful for everything and I am so grateful for everyone who came together, who made this possible,” added Huber. “They were all so inspiring and uplifting to me. I mean they had nothing and I had everything. They smiled, laughed and felt they were so blessed. It puts things in perspective. It’s so easy to be unappreciative or dwell on the negative. This really motivated me through my knee rehab. I will always be grateful to them for that.” Huber reckons that other top sportspeople in a similar privileged position to herself have a responsibility to give back to society in some way. “I feel we are very fortunate and so why not give back to society? If everyone can make a difference, it doesn’t matter how big or small, it can only be a better world.” Visit www.liezelscause.com for more details. – Heartlines Features HOW LONG SHOULD WE PERSEVERE AND WHAT FOR? A range of pro- and anti-South African websites has surfaced on the world wide web. Bate Felix checked some of them out and found that the question behind this raging debate taking place on these sites is whether to persevere or not. “I’m compelled to help other South Africans get out of the country to ensure both their survival and a much higher quality of life in a foreign country. I left three years ago as all my family had left 1-2 years before, and I had been the victim of a hijacking on the hospital premises where I used to worked in Cape Town.” This statement, posted on a website by a former Capetonian who emigrated to the United States, illustrates the attitude of a section South Africans who, in the face of unrelenting crime and other challenges the country is facing, have given up all hope, opted to emigrate, and are encouraging others to do so too. But some don’t believe feeling despondent and opting out is the right solution. “I've been fortunate to visit over 25 countries and so I think that I am sufficiently experienced to say that every country has its woes. The difference with South Africa is that certain sections of its population are obsessed by them, in some warped logic that one day they will be able turn around and say ‘I told you so’. It doesn't matter what the government does, they will never be happy”, retorts Ian Matheson in Ireland These comments encapsulate the current debate raging in cyberspace regarding the state of South Africa and how South Africans as individuals and as a collective, should and could contribute in seeking solutions. Caught in the middle are those who, like Buddess writing from Port Elizabeth, are undecided whether to leave or to stay, asking themselves what they can do and how long should they persevere. “I am one of those fighting the urge to leave,” she writes wearily, “I have two very small children and fear what will be left of our country for them one day”. While some have abandoned all hope and have sought greener pastures abroad, the likes of Ian Matheson and many others writing on the Homecoming Revolution website, believe that South Africans are not persevering enough in the face of adversities. For every website, blog or newsletters that emerges, urging South Africans to leave, rubbishing the country, the government, with gory tales of crime, filth and a total collapse of the society, an equal number emerges, not only extolling positive developments in the country, but also trying to rationally deal with the everyday realities, instead of taking an alarmist perspective. The debate has once more been thrust into the limelight by a Cape Town insurance broker, Neil Watson who decided to start a controversial website www.crimeexposouthafrica.org, aimed at exposing the true nature of crime in South Africa and in the process, discourage not only foreign tourists but also put pressure on FIFA not to organise the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. No sooner had the website gone up that many like Peter Boshof, and twenty year old Capetonian Adam Barnes, launched their own websites – www.realsouthafrica.co.za and http://southafricamoving.blogspot.com to counter what they say is a one-sided negative portrayal of South Africa by Neil Watson. Though the impact of these websites, blogs and newsletters would be hard to measure, the debates and arguments that go on in them, nevertheless underlines the significances of these questions to many South Africans. Most people contributing in these forums are concerned by upsurge of violent crimes, especially couple with other social ills and a wanton disregard of human life as the examples of people killed for things less than a cell phone illustrates. While websites like Neil Watson’s and others like http://escapesa.blogspot.com, http://getoutofsouthafrica.blogspot.com, and http://whysouthafricaiscrap.blogspot.com, which source and highlights crimes stories from various sources, including newspapers, have taken a pessimistic view and have even gone as far as encouraging and helping South Africans to leave, many others like www.sagoodnews.co.za and www.homecomingrevolution.co.za, have been set up to do the reverse. Martine Schaffer managing director of Homecoming Revolution, said, “I find is sad that people are very misinformed about the realities of South Africa and when they create these blogs websites and put out this wrong information in it, most people who don’t have a complete picture of what is happening see things completely out of context”. Schaffer said they don’t deny the fact that South Africa is facing problems, but how people respond to these problems and the solution they offer is what matters. She added that rubbishing the country and encouraging people to leave is not the solution, which is why Homecoming Revolution encourages South Africans who have left to return and urges them to persevere. From comments left on their website, it seems many are heeding that call. Sue Cubitt who left in 1999 for the UK said. “I have decided to return to Durban to start my new life again in a country I can see has definitely emerged as an example of what perseverance and determination can prove,” she said. "If your heart lies in SA, then that's where you belong. NO matter how great a place might be, if your heart is not in it, you'll be unhappy. Sure, there are problems in SA, but nothing that is insurmountable. Forty odd million people still call it home, and they all want a better future, and that better future is achievable,” concluded Soelyla in Germany who is also planning to return. – Heartlines Features HEADSTRONG AND PERSISENT, AND REAPING THE REWARDS As South Africans submerge themselves in the Heartlines national conversation on good values, Zweli Manyathi shares with Stuart Graham an amazing tale of perseverance. Zweli Manyathi, First National Bank’s chief executive of branches, had two options when he was growing up in Soweto. He could join many of his peers and get involved in crime or he could focus on improving life for his family. “I was a naughty boy when I was growing up,” he says. “At one point my parents sent me to KwaZulu-Natal for two years so that I could pull myself together. The move did great things for me. I became a young adult while I was away. “When I got back I had to choose between doing what my peers were doing, which was mugging people and committing other crime, or I could focus on the things that needed to be done to change the status of my family.” Manyathi says his very special mother was responsible for teaching him discipline. “She is a very strong force in my life. I would never have been where I am were it not for the discipline she taught me. Whilst in poverty there was this thing called hope. My mother believed that if you worked hard in whatever job you chose, you could create any environment for yourself.” One of Manyathi’s most trying times came when his brother was murdered in 1975. The incident shaped his views on forgiveness and second chances. “My older brother was killed by a person who spent six months in jail for the crime. “I was very bitter. When he came out, I was this big youngster full of himself. A thought of revenge came, but the counter balance was of what value would it be in my life? “Why should I do something that would risk me going to jail? Nothing would bring back my brother. Time passed and I greeted that person. I talked to him. I was at peace with myself.” He thinks people should always be given another chance. “Would I employ someone who has been in prison? It depends what they have been in prison for. Some women go to prison for killing husbands who have abused them. In this business, I would never employ someone who has been in jail for stealing money. In fact when a teller steals money from a customer, we sue him or her in their individual capacity. They broke trust, which is a critical value.” Manyathi says one of the only times his mother lost a grip on him was during the political unrest of 1976, when he got involved in student politics. It was during this time, however, that he developed his leadership abilities. “There were close on 1000 children at my high school. The student leaders would have to decide what we were going to do about this and that. We had to learn to respect diverse views. We had to take all the information we had and synthesise it.” A significant moment in Manyathi’s life came when his father, who used to work for a construction company, fell off a scaffolding and injured his leg. “My mother was a domestic worker. My father’s leg took forever to heal. I was a youngster with two parents who were unemployed and a number of siblings to look after.” He grew up overnight and became a breadwinner for his family. “I sold perfumes and clothing. I went door to door. I was chased by dogs, people were unfriendly and sometimes did not even answer the door. I had to do these things to put food on table.” When Manyathi finished matric in 1982 he decided to enrol for a teaching diploma. “A senior education diploma gave you the opportunity to study with UNISA. When I enrolled, I selected accounting, economics and business economics, but a teacher there said he couldn’t allow me to do the course because I had not done maths in matric. “Instead I would have to study subjects like Zulu and anthropology. I wanted to do economics, so I dropped out that day.” A group of teachers at the college took pity on Manyathi and collected R135 so that he could pay his registration fee for his economics degree at UNISA. “It was a wonderful act of kindness, but I was broke. I wondered how I was going to pay the UNISA fees.” A friend told Manyathi to go to Trust Bank, which was looking for people at the time. “I went there and got a job as a messenger. But I was naughty again. I would make my own envelopes and pretend that I had to deliver them. Instead I would go to Library Gardens and study for my degree.” Manyathi passed all his first year courses. Shortly afterwards a manager who knew about his qualifications asked him to babysit an account. Overnight Manyathi moved from being a messenger to a project accountant with a huge office. Manyathi says apartheid could have turned him into a very bitter young man, but that was not challenging enough. “When I was young I had this thing about proving to white people I could do a better job than they. I had an attitude of note. I was the first black corporate manager in FNB and because of my background, I took no prisoners. That attitude gave me pressure to be on the top of my game.” A few years after his break into banking, Manyathi joined Barclays Bank’s international division. From there he was sent to New York on a compressed MBA programme where he worked for the financial firm Glodman Sachs. Some of his colleagues at the course included reserve bank governor Tito Mboweni and Transnet chief Maria Ramos. “It was fascinating stuff. I was involved in commodity trading at Goldman Sachs.” It was there that Manyathi got what he says was a bad work ethic. “Those Goldman guys don’t know when to stop.” Balance has not happened automatically for Manyathi, who has six daughters. “I have to plan it. Twice a year I go to the bush. I go to KwaZulu Natal. I have stunning children. My one child is at UCT studying medicine. I structure myself around her,” he says. One of the messages Manyathi likes to deliver at his division’s orientation meetings each month is that success must first be defined in a person’s mind. “My sense of the world is that most of what happens is determined by us and not by circumstance. I define it and I do it. “Once defined, we are the only ones who can get to it. It is about what we chose to do. It is not about life dishing out unfair stuff. It is about how we respond to it,” he says. – Heartlines Features LIVING THE DREAM From garage cleaner to owner, Angela Ndziba, a smart entrepreneur tells Stuart Graham how it all happened for her as Heartlines, a campaign to promote positive values, gets South Africans talking about perseverance. When Angela Ndziba was growing up in Fort Beaufort in the Eastern Cape she never dreamed that one day she would own her own petrol station. Angela had 12 other brothers and sisters, five her own and the others adopted. Her parents faced a constant struggle against poverty, but they always made sure their children were brought up with strong ethics. "My parents taught me the importance of sharing,” Angela says. “I was taught that when you have lunch or dinner, then you should share what you have." In 1992 the family’s fortunes took a turn for the worse when Angela’s father died. Mr Ndziba had been working at a hospital in Fort Beaufort and had been the main breadwinner. Life became very difficult for the family. "We survived, but we had to struggle to make ends meet," Ndziba says. In 1998 Ndziba moved in with her brother in Jeffrey's Bay. She soon found a job as a cleaner at a Caltex garage. "I used to mop the floor and clean all over," she says. "It wasn't always easy, but I kept my head up. I am someone who needs to smile and be happy." It wasn't long before Ndziba captured the attention of the garage's owner, Darrel Staples. Staples took note of Ndziba's determination and promoted her first to petrol attendant, then to cashier and then to manageress of the garage. Late last year Staples sold his garage. Ndziba was worried about her future, but Staples told her to stay positive. "He said don't worry things are going to get even better," she says. Some time later, Staples approached Ndziba and asked her to be the 50 percent owner of his new garage. "I told him I had no money, but again he told me not to worry. We had to fill out application forms and go for interviews. It was a very stressful time. But one day he came and said the deal had been approved. I was now the co-owner of my own garage." Staples took Ndziba back to her home and they celebrated with her mother over a glass of champagne. In recent months Ndziba has completed a diploma in business management. She is now doing a financial management course. Her life has changed dramatically in the past three years. "I want to tell people that you can get anywhere you want to if you persist. Even if you are poor, you can become rich. Now I want to use my position to empower others. It feels so good. I am so happy now. It feels like a dream.” Ndziba says the cleaning lady at her garage is always smiling. “When I ask her why, she says its because she knows where I started.” – Heartlines Features Many gifted entrepreneurs never get the break they need. The government, through the Department of Trade and Industry has various programmes in place to help young entrepreneurs and small businesses. Below are some of them: Khula Enterprise Finance helps small, medium and micro-enterprises (SMMEs) get access to credit through banks. It also mentors entrepreneurs in various aspects of managing a business. The Umsobomvu Franchise Fund helps to fund youth business projects. It helps entrepreneurs gain access to business development services support, like accounting and business plan development. The Gender and Women Empowerment Unit manages the South African Women Entrepreneur's Network (SAWEN) and helps women entrepreneurs in Africa to overcome obstacles and barriers to their business operations. The Emerging Entrepreneur Scheme provides up to R100 000 with the fee payable at 4% per annum in advance. The duration is 24 months initially but can be extended three times for periods of 12 months each time. The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs finances companies who wish to invest in South Africa, together with a local South-African company. These companies can receive a contribution of 50 percent of the total project costs. The government has a skills development training strategy has been developed in partnership with the Department of Labour for the craft (product development and business/entrepreneur skills), film, design (interior design, graphic design, fashion design, text tile, ceramic design, jewellery design, industrial design, set design and others), and music sectors (business management, technology and song-writing). The Thuso Mentorship Programme aims to ensure the transfer of skills on a one-to-one basis. It offers pre-loan ad post-loan services. During the pre-loan service, clients are assisted with advice, counselling and development of viable business plans. The Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA) mandate includes the support and promotion of Co-operative enterprises to reach a greater variety of enterprises, particularly those located in rural areas. Heartlines Features YOU HAVE TO FORGIVE TO MOVE ON. Natalie du Toit, star swimmer and role model, says forgiving has contributed to her phenomenal success. She spoke to Karien Jonckeere as Heartlines, a campaign to promote positive values, gathers steam. By Karien Jonckeere. Natalie du Toit’s life changed forever in February 2001, when a young woman drove into her scooter. She lost a leg. It would have been perfectly understandable if Du Toit, who was just at the beginning of her international swimming career when the accident happened, gave up and wallowed in self-pity. But she chose a different path and says that her decision to forgive the other driver allowed her to move on to a different life – one which has produced the most phenomenal success. Du Toit started swimming at the age of six, but it wasn’t until she joined top coach Karoly van Toros at age 14 that she realised she could make it internationally. Having already competed at the Commonwealth Games in 1998, Du Toit’s next dream was to go to the Olympics, and despite everything that has happened since then, it still is. Du Toit recalls the day of the accident with intense clarity. “In 2000 I just narrowly missed out on qualifying for the Sydney Olympics and I was a bit down about that, but I came back with a vengeance and was training really hard for nationals the following April so I could qualify for international events,” explains Du Toit. “I had just come back from a competition on the Sunday afternoon and I had a biology test that Monday. I got back at about 4pm and was really tired so I went to sleep and woke up at 12 to study. “Then at 4am I got my school stuff and headed to the pool to train. I told my mom I was really tired and she suggested I go back to bed, but I was already dressed so I thought I might as well just go and got on my scooter. “I trained for an hour or so and then on my way back a woman took a short cut through a parking lot and didn’t stop dead at the stop street and pulled out into me. She basically drove into my leg and I landed in a sitting position with my legs out in front of me. “There wasn’t too much blood, but I saw what my leg looked like and I think I knew then already that I had lost my leg. It was broken in three places and my foot was one way, my knee one way and the rest of my leg one way.” Du Toit’s leg had to be amputated above the knee and says that even as she lay in the hospital bed, all she wanted to do was get back in the pool. That she did just a few months later. By the following year she produced a stellar performance at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester where she won two gold medals in events for athletes with a disability. She then also went on to qualify for the final of the able-bodied 800m freestyle, later being named as the most outstanding athlete of the Games. Since then, Du Toit has taken the Paralympics by storm, winning five golds in Athens in 2004. She has broken so many world records she has lost count. In addition she is in constant demand as a motivational speaker. And it’s her upbeat attitude and positive outlook that has so inspired the thousands of people she has addressed. “Obviously my life has changed dramatically, but a lot of good has come from it as well. I just had to realise that my life had changed and had to make the most of it,” reckoned Du Toit. “The thing is, it could happen to anyone. It was a freak accident and I believe everything happens for a reason. I don’t have any bad feelings towards the woman who drove into me. She was very young and I just hope she learned from it. “I have never met her since then, but her parents once came to a talk I did and they spoke to me and then to my mom afterwards. Other than that, we haven’t had too much contact. “I think it’s very important to forgive, otherwise you aren’t able to carry on in the future. If you dwell on the past the whole time, you just get yourself down and that’s depressing. You have to make the best of every situation. “You have to move forward and forgive and hope that the person has learned something from the whole thing. Everyone is here to learn and bad things are going to happen. You don’t necessarily forget because that’s now part of my life and part of my story.” – Heartlines Features SPORTS VOX POP ON FORGIVENESS By Karien Jonckheere. Questions asked:
Mlindeli Maneli (14), Soweto
Ryan Claasen (22), Eldorado Park
Ayanda Mkhize (14), Orlando Gardens, Soweto
Nablata Bhoola (53), Mayfair
Bongani Tivana (21), Orlando
Caiphus Ndebele (35), South Hills
Michael Collocot (38), West Rand
Thabo Tsotetsi (25), Khatlehong
Margaret Coxen (21), Turfontein
Lucky Manyama (49), Soweto
Darian Israel (24), Florida
Parshotam Chhiba (65), Lenasia
Katleho Mmoto (19), Parktown
Trenton Booth (28), Eldorado Park
Zakhe Chamane (16), Greenside
Nedia Faquir (37), Cape Town
Sidwell Muthembi (25), Soweto
Tshediso Mamoto (23), Orlando West
Mohamed Karim (28), Robertsham
Frederick Ntshaba (24), South Hills
FORMER STAR ATHLETE ZOLA BUDD RECOUNTS HER DARKEST MOMENT ON THE TRACK and the strength it took to move on. As South Africans engage in a national conversation about values, Budd explains to Karien Jonckeere the role forgiving played in life. It’s been almost 22 years since that fateful day when a young barefoot South African, running in the colours of Britain, made the headlines of almost every newspaper in the world. While the memory of those articles and analyses have faded with time, the feeling of animosity exuded by a crowd of 90 000 fiercely patriotic Americans is not something that can be easily forgotten. It has taken a concerted effort by Zola Pieterse (then Budd) to forgive, forget and move on with her life. Speaking from her home in Bloemfontein, the former world record holder who recently turned 40 explained: “I try not to think about the LA Olympics anymore. Obviously there have been quite a few Olympics since then and time erases a lot. “I have made a conscious effort to forget that one race and the way that I have done that is by filling my life with more important things like my three children,” she added. Pieterse was held largely responsible for the American favourite for that 3000m title, Mary Decker, tripping and having her Olympic dream shattered. And while the South African has always maintained that she was not guilty of having tripped Decker (and an IAAF jury also found her not guilty), she was snubbed by the devastated American after the race. “I never had bad feelings towards Mary. I think a lot of the bad feeling came from her side.” Part of the healing process after that incident came when Decker wrote Budd a letter later that year apologising for her attitude. The letter from Decker, dated 2 December, 1984 (published in Budd’s autobiography) read: “Dear Zola, I’ve been wanting to write this letter to you for a long time. The reason I haven’t sent this letter before is because I was sure that you would not receive it personally. I simply want to apologise to you for hurting your feelings at the Olympics. There are many reasons that people react the way they do at certain times in their lives and I’m sure you understand that was a very difficult time for me. I’m sorry I turned you away after the race, it was a very hard moment for me emotionally and I reacted in an emotional manner. I know that we do not know each other personally, but the next time we meet I would like to shake your hand and let everything that has happened be put behind us. Who knows; sometimes the fiercest competitors become friends. Good luck in Phoenix, I hope you are fit and healthy and I am looking forward to competing with you in the summer. Yours in sport, (signed) Mary Decker” “I was so involved with the political aspects of what was happening at the time but from an athlete’s point of view, that letter was very important. The following year we raced against each other quite often and the bad feeling was gone,” explained Pieterse. Having been exploited by agents, coaches, the media and even family members during her controversial career, and then having to deal with the murder of her father and then a divorce from her husband earlier this year, Pieterse has had to deal with her fair share of ill-feeling but says she harbours no bitterness. “Yes, I have forgiven the people who treated me badly during that time and have learnt from it and been able to move on to another life,” she reckoned. “I think what I learnt from my whole experience is to persevere and it also taught me a lot about not making assumptions and forming strong opinions about people without getting to know them, to accept people for who they are and also about getting second third and fourth chances. “My life would have been totally different if I could have just represented South Africa. I wouldn’t have had so much of the personal stress or the political stress. “It is very sad that generations of South Africans missed out. We had brilliant athletes in South Africa at that time who never got a chance, they were robbed of the opportunity to represent their country.” “I am grateful that unlike so many other athletes, I got to compete internationally but it came at a very high cost.” – Heartlines Features |
