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WOMEN’S MONTH 2014: WITCHES’ MONTH?
GLAD IT’S OVER
Thank goodness it’s over! After a traumatic last three weeks of the Women’s Month 2014, my balls feel free again. I can breath again. I want to love again.
Midmorning of August 08, I’m driving up to Gauteng with The Queen Mother. At some point between Welkom and Kroonstad, we meet one of the most intimidating road blocks I have ever seen anywhere in post-1994 South Africa. The Army, Road Traffic Police, and South African Police Service (heavily-armed, Marikana-style) made a very, very strong presence. All women. Only a fool would want to fuck around here.
First check point is by four Army officers on us. They give us some road safety info materials, wishing us a safe and enjoyable journey further ahead. Very warm, polite, and happy. I’m thoroughly charmed. Now I am in my element, I thought quietly. One of the ladies even congratulates my mother on a great catch. All laugh heartily as Queen Mother replies, “No, no, no! This one is for you. Ke letsibolo la ka/ He is my first born, and he is single. Come on ladies, Twitter, Facebook!!!” This, of course, draws a lot of attention towards us, the police looking a bit uncomfortable a few metres ahead, though.
Next check point is Road Traffic Police. The seriousness, and hard faces of the lady officers here failed to warn me of the impending nightmare I was stopping into as we are waved to park our car on the road side. Document check.
I was born by a hard, tough, and strong woman. During my formative years I was raised by a High Priestess whose followers came from all corners of South Africa and beyond: my maternal grandmother was both a spiritual healer and medium. Despite a turbulent childhood till well into her teenage years, my younger sister has grown up to be one Super Woman in her own right.
The vast majority of the women I know, or have heard of, on both sides of my family, in South Africa and Zambia, are very strong personalities whose presence is/ was noticed everywhere they are/ were. My male relatives, my closest friends and Brothers, the whole lot of them seem to fall for and marry the strongest of women. It’s no wonder, then, that strong women ever so fascinate me. I admire strong women. I respect strong women. I love strong women. I adore them … (Continued in the book: “MACHONA BLOGS – As I See It”. Order Simon Chilembo books on Amazon)
Simon Chilembo
Welkom
South Africa
September 03, 2014
END POVERTY SOLUTION
HIGH VALUE JOBS, HIGH VALUE PEOPLE, PROSPERITY
In the short term, it is politically functional to create low value mass employment job opportunities on community-based menial work projects. This is not a functional poverty elimination approach in the long term, though. It is simply a way of managing poverty, as well as buying time to contain the potential outward expression of anger and frustration by the poor as long as possible.
Service delivery protests currently ravaging certain parts of South Africa may be a sign of things to come, though, when this kind of poverty management is exhausted, and no better alternatives are in the offing.
Society will in the long term gain by far from investing in high value job creation opportunities across the board. The seemingly relatively fewer thriving in high value jobs as entrepreneurs, innovators, and experts in various technological, as well as societal management skills not only drive the economy through higher purchasing power arising from higher available disposable income, they in turn create job opportunities of a higher value than community based low value mass employment ones. And, they pay tax.
For example, I’ll postulate that, all things remaining equal, and assuming rational behaviour, as well as economic expenditure and saving patterns in a dynamic economy, R.30 000,-/ month paid to one junior-middle level professional creates more real social economic value than the same amount paid to sixty low value mass employment workers receiving R.500,-/ month each. The thought that there are working people still taking home a net of R.500,-/ month in South Africa in 2014 boggles my mind … (Continued in the book: “MACHONA BLOGS – As I See It”. Order Simon Chilembo books on Amazon)
Simon Chilembo
Welkom
South Africa
August 18, 2014
CHILDREN: WHAT DO THEY KNOW?
SOULS LOST IN SPACE
In my mature age years, the one other ugly scar on my body bothers me only so very rarely. I see it every day, but I almost never notice it these days. My love in my 30s used to be fascinated by this scar, and loved caressing it with affection every so often. She would get confused when I expressed irritation at this, because it feels so very unpleasant when another person touches this scar.
Over the years, my enquiry as to how I got this scar has been answered dodgily by those for whom it would be natural to know how it happened. What I have gathered, though, is that, when I was barely 2 years old, while my parents were away on holiday, a man who had a xenophobia inspired hatred for my father struck me with a sharp object in an attempt to kill me.
My resemblance to my father is very striking. I’m told that this man hated my father so much he meant that by killing me first would, naturally, make my father so angry that he, my father, would want to fight this xenophobic man. This way, the latter would then have a valid reason to kill my father also, claiming self-defence … (Continued in the book: “MACHONA BLOGS – As I See It”. Order Simon Chilembo books on Amazon)
Simon Chilembo
Riebeeckstad
Welkom
South Africa
Tel.: +27 717 454 115
July 30, 2014
MBA ILLUSION
Epitome of Education?
The elegance of MBA programmes all over the world lies, among other things, in the fact that they are designed, marketed, and taught by great storytellers, super orators, impressive performers; illusionists par excellence.
In a wonderfully crafted way, they sell to millions for millions the world over, the idea that, with an MBA from an internationally accredited university, you can snap a finger here, snap a finger there, and the earth will dance under your feet.
Works for some. Disastrous for many. MBA programmes can produce boundless visionaries, eternal dreamers. And that may be as far as it goes for many.
In a pre-MBA course I got into a lifetime ago, I learnt that in much the same way Doctors- and Lawyers-to-be are trained, MBA education is about teaching the candidates information management towards sound, effective, and, ultimately, profitable critical decision making in business, big or small. It’s about where to find information, how to identify useful and relevant information, which parts of the information are relevant for which decision making processes at which level and when. Moreover, it’s about how to distribute information according to intended audience or recipient/ -s, how to store information relevant to its value in the organization, how to discard no longer useful information … (Continued in the book: “MACHONA BLOGS – As I See It”. Order Simon Chilembo books on Amazon)
Simon Chilembo
Welkom
South Africa
July 28, 2014
WARRIOR NATIONS: Kamikaze v/s Knowledge
WHICH KIND OF WARRIOR ARE YOU?
Many a warrior nation takes pride in their apparently major preoccupation of endless churning out of Kamikaze-like Warriors solely focused on dying for their own causes, sacrificing others of their own people in the process. Indeed, justifiable causes, in many cases.
Other nations will, on the one hand, do the same also, while on the other, they devote some of their time, energy, and resources to doing and making other things that contribute to the progress of, not only their own nations in isolation, but humanity as a whole.
By investing in R&D projects seeking to find answers to the ever-challenging questions of how to improve the quality of life in all aspects of living for all on earth, these countries add to the knowledge bank of humanity with respect to understanding how the natural world functions, in order that life on earth can be sustained and propagated in more effective ways. These knowledge based Warrior nations also allow for growth, perpetuation, and sustenance of culture of thought around the non-material existential questions of humanity as well. Knowledge based Warrior nations add value to global society, therefore … (Continued in the book: “MACHONA BLOGS – As I See It”. Order Simon Chilembo books on Amazon)
Simon Chilembo
Welkom
South Africa
July 27, 2014
GLORY YEARS
GOLDEN AGES
©Simon Chilembo, 2014
We all have
Our own
Golden Ages
Enjoy it
While you last
Gold shall glitter
With or without you
Diamonds are forever
I’m here
I live
I love
Beauty everywhere
Let The Platinum Age begin
©Simon Chilembo, 16/ 07- 2014
Simon Chilembo
Riebeeckstad
Welkom
South Africa
July 16, 2014
38 YEARS AN EXILE: VII
HOME AT LAST! Part 7
1-Year Anniversary: The Truth
Simon Chilembo, Pres/ CEO, Empire Chilembo ©Simon Chilembo, 2014
In search of myself, I came forward to the roots in the land of my birth exactly a year ago today. I’m here; I live, I love. I’m poor. My sanity is intact. Symbols of my profane world wealth are standing firm on solid ground. I have no choice but to rise and stand tall. My life is good. One discovered shocking truth about my life could have wrecked it all had it not been for the presence of the other truth … (Continued in the book: “MACHONA AWAKENING – home in grey matter”. Order book on Amazon).
SIMON CHILEMBO
Riebeeckstad
Welkom
South AfricaJuly 02, 2014
GOD MUST BE SO WEARY
RELIGION OF PEACE?
Simon Chilembo, Chief Executive President
If I wake up blown up dead tomorrow, be it known that in all of my dear life, standing on African humanistic thought and philosophical platform, anchored on contemporary Western philosophy democratic thought, and spiced with Christian values defining my personal relationship to God, I lived with profound respect for religion in all its forms and manifestations. I had to.
It’s because, as a free man of the world and lover of all humanity, some of my best friends, sisters and brothers of all skin colours and tones of the spectrum, were from all corners of the world, and practiced all kinds of religions; worshiping and praising all kinds creatures, spirits, and gods in many different ways. Amen.
I am deeply fascinated by religion. Mankind, the most complex, the most inquisitive creature on earth, must have gotten so afraid of what they found out about themselves that they created God. God would be both a reason and scapegoat for mankind’s actions. So, it’s okay, people will kill other people, including their very own flesh and blood for God; this as prescribed by God in relevant religious scriptures. Simple. No responsibility for one’s own actions for mankind.
All’s cool in the name of God. God must be an extremely busy being, with much blood in their hands. No wonder there is so much confusion in the world today. God has no time to rest … (Continued in the book: “MACHONA BLOGS – As I See It”. Order Simon Chilembo books on Amazon)
Simon Chilembo
Riebeeckstad
Welkom
South Africa
Tel.: +4792525032
June 20, 2014
UBUNTU DEFILED
UBUNTU ACCORDING TO UMUNTU
In the beginning there was Muntu, person. Just a person, a thing. Muntu became woman, became man; got a name, identity. Muntu became u-Muntu thereby. Somebody. A unique individual.
©Simon Chilembo, 2014
U-Muntu became hungry, and began to need and crave for things to stay alive, as part of being a living entity. Some things u-Muntu could do alone and privately; others needed cooperation with other u-Muntus (read a-Bantu) in order to improve effectiveness and efficiency.
Such arose roles and functions with rising complexity in how u-Muntu organized and structured co-existence with other a-Bantu, forming communities, society. Furthermore, to ensure sustenance and perpetuation of communities, which, with generations, would grow to nations as we know them today, u-Muntu devised the whats, the hows, the whens, and the whys of things.
Thus arose geographical region specific rules, laws, customs, traditions, and cultures to ensure some degree of order and coherence in society … (Continued in the book: “MACHONA BLOGS – As I See It”. Order Simon Chilembo books on Amazon)
Simon Chilembo
Welkom
South Africa
June 18, 2014
Simon Chilembo 