How many ways can a Government tell citizens that something rotten is fresh and appetizing?

Here we go again!!! Our government telling Botshabelo that the FET (Further Education and Training that Botshabelo is offering has to cease, because it cannot provide the quality needed. Like most citizens in the world, we are thrown into ‘white-coat-belief amnesia’, yes it, the government, has to be right. It has all the resources, it has 45 years of being bullied by Apartheid, it stands for the ‘poorest of the poor,’ right? Wrong!!! From first worlds to third worlds [is this the politically correct title, we would hate to be politically incorrect –to be behind what armchair analysts call us, poor people, at the moment] bureaucracy is bureaucracy, citizens could have fought draconian dictators but when same person becomes a bureaucrat, that’s it, sane, thinking person gone! Day becomes day not because it is day, but because the law says it is day.

I get it, all the privileged and educated readers, one needs law and order, law abiding citizens for a country to operate. But then there has to be an appropriate structure to “complement our obedience. However, what does one do when something is definitely rotten in Denmark? Rotten information forced onto Botshabelo could be profiled psychologically. Does the following strike a memory cord in you? This is wrong! I have to say something, but what are the alternatives? Should I say something? Everything in my being screams, wrong! But we stand alone, it is a very lonely place to stand alone . Surrounded by citizens eating rotten information saying that “ it is palatable, be brave, swallow it, they care about us”. My favourite, by mine I mean Marion, DON’T ROCK THE BOAT – even if it is sinking!!!

Botshabelo decided obediently to follow the edit writing on a Moses stone from the mountain that all the students that were taught on our campus last year have to go to the Magaliesberg campus to receive tuition because we are not able to provide the quality required and our site has not completed its registration. Even though, in 2010, Botshabelo had a contract with Westcol, a huge reputable FET college to teach on Botshabelo campus and do practicals and exams externally. This was suddenly deemed illegal and Botshabelo is told that until its registration goes through the students must be taught in Magliesberg,-24km trip per day, in order to ensure the youths rights are protected. Botshabelo buckled and became obedient, notwithstanding the odd stomach cramp while digesting the information.

Botshabelo was contented, old and young, honeymoon period, even though it’s never happened before, poor people getting a good quality deal! Nicole, in her financial wizard way went and panda’d [borrowed] money, the rest from our weekly egg and veg money, to pay the taxi drivers. Botshabelo felt proud, we were like normal happy people, all our young ones in Botshabelo crèche/nursery school built by Global Community, our young ones from grade 1 to 9 going to our registered, private primary school, and government teaching our youth. Botshabelo management sat down to celebrate – obviously ignoring the odd ‘too good to be true’ pangs.

First day back from college Botshabelo ignores, grumbling and moans from students about strange teaching techniques, verbal abuse etc. etc. Botshabelo management just needed a few more days of honeymoon, armour was in the drycleaners, and we were still busy checking our bruising, humiliation and stiches from Eskom, our geriatric Apartheid grown and ugly cousin energy producer. I am still harbouring fantasies of being over six foot instead of 5f 2inches braving an Aerian warrior from Eskom as he strides towards our electrical box and switches off our electricity, wails from Leigh and I of Aids children and adults, food, and water connected to pumping our water and that it is really!!!! Not our fault, falling on deaf ears. His bureaucratic grin becoming wider as I storm past him to push up the switch, I never realized how large and heavy the switch was, but aided by my rage of digesting rotten food, ripped it up. However, his grin became larger as our battle had begun; he put his hands on his hips to announce his participation in our joust. Me, feeling slightly inadequate, my small hand, short body, grey hair, second hand clothes only supported by rage – would it be enough! No! the energy God turned around to his truck and brought out a jousting stick that would have made his mother proud, images of phallus inadequacy on my part flooded my vision. His grin now of modelling proportions as he marched up to me and swung up the stick like Thor and high to the top of the pylon and ripped out all Botshabelo links to power. He won I lost. Fortunately, Con was at Eskom head office trying to apologize for not having noticed that their technicians had put in a new transformer in 2006 and could not calibrate it correctly thus giving us incorrect readings for four years and then wanting one hundred and ninety-seven thousand rand and yes with interest, now up to just under half a million. How’s that for digestion! So you could understand our need and anticipation of a honeymoon period.

Botshabelo youth continued moaning.

[this is the letter that we sent to Officials, we will add it to the blog] SOME OF THE INCIDENTS THAT THE LEARNERS REPORTED [these incidents can be verified independently from any of the learners]

1 Teaching in Setswana, because the teacher’s English is weak and other learners from the area in the class cannot speak English.

2 Cannot spell in English.

3 Reads a short paragraph and tells the learners that they must finish off the work and ask if there are any questions. So, no teaching.

4 A maths teacher who cannot remember where he is from one problem to another, always late, no energy.

5 Teachers late.

6 Teachers missing, no substitutes

7 Learner asked by lecturer to substitute from 02/02 until her return on the 07/02 February.

8 One teacher good in reading poor in speaking so teaches in Setswana.

9 One teacher walked in on the 4/02 and asked who wrote on the board and exclaimed ‘bullshit’

10 Cell phones are allowed in class. It became so disruptive that the learners had to ‘request’ that the teacher takes action, which was not done and the learner continued receiving calls.

11 With all the above problems the dates for tests and assignments are given.



The above is what Botshabelo educators were told they cannot achieve! They were correct.



We gave it a week, who can take that much whining. Leigh, Con and I decided to drive down to the Magaliesberg campus and go and check out the problem as concerned parents.

On our arrival, the campus was dirty, which, with the rains we could still overlook, we discovered some administrative staff and we asked for the campus manager only to be told he was not available as he had gone to a meeting. We asked to see our learners. The following was discovered:

1 No teaching in level 2, the lecturer had personal problems and the learners were told she would be back on Tuesday. This was from Wednesday.

2 Level 3, Selinah Gama had to go and find the English teacher who had not arrived for his class, and was told on questioning why he was not in class and that he should be in class, he retorted, ‘I should tell him something he does not know’, only after she stated ‘if you don’t come I will tell,’ did he make any attempt to go to class.

We marched our youth out and will be teaching back on Botshabelo campus from tomorrow, with registered and experienced teachers.

So just like Tehrrer Square in Egypt, our own little Liberation Square experiences a quiet lull before the next tirade, what we call ‘white noise’ [no racism implied],

Regards from Marion