Let the grassroots meet the treetops

The monthly income, of the population in South Africa, can be divided into five groups.

1. Monthly earnings of below R3, 000 per month group. (Lower income group) (Below grass roots) - The majority of citizens -
2. The R 3,000-10,000 per month group (What should be the middle class but is now the upper lower class) (the grassroots)
3. R10 -R20, 000 per month group or the upper middle class group. (The trunk)
4. The upper income group R20, 000 to R40, 000 (the branches)
5. The gluttonous group of over R40, 000 per month. (The treetop)


The aim should be to get the majority of money earners in the upper middle class and the base line for any South African the lower middle class.

A way to approach this challenge may be for the R20, 000 and over group of income earners to pay a percentage of poverty relief tax for each rand they earn over R20, 000.

This poverty relief tax should be used to

* supplement the basic pension to R3, 000 per month,
* to provide free schooling and medical care,
* and to boost the wages of the lower middle class group, so that the treetops do not tower so high above the grassroots.



Original post from: Get Africa Working

Strike while the iron is hot!

While the television broadcasting corporation in South Africa is under scrutiny, it may be the right time to take responsibility the role television to can play in educating and guiding a nation.

What is regularly shown on television may have a long-term impact on the minds of the viewers.

“What we view on television today becomes our reality of tomorrow”

The power of audiovisual stimuli should never be underestimated; it can make or break a nation.

Television could be utilized to close a gap in education for both adults and children.

Taking responsibility, for the quality of programs to be offered to the public, need not break the budget.

There are many volunteers who will volunteer their service for little more than gratitude -- Volunteers who will welcome a chance to make a difference.

Free training and VBEE (Volunteer Broad-spectrum Economic Empowerment) points which could be cashed in for *government favors. (Like VBEE points in the piggy bank)

We could start moving away from financial rewards for all jobs done.


People no longer need to travel to capital cities and stay over in expensive hotels to conference, or having the inconvenience of leaving their home towns.

Conferencing can take place in 'virtual conference settings' using computerized electronic media.

Volunteers can overview what is being offered, to the public, on the television screens. A team of psychologists, elders and other experts can determine the effect the viewing will have on the nation.

They can be trained and provided with the necessary computer equipment to attend virtual meetings or conferences.

Electronic conferencing can be launched from local libraries if the volunteers are unable to participate due to insecure living conditions or computer-illiteracy.

There are many ways to get the elders and other experts from all over the world together to nation-build.

Local librarians and teachers can be trained to help the volunteers with this task. It could be considered their duty to nation-build without expecting remuneration.

A VBEE piggy-bank system can here also be implemented to be used as bargaining points for promotion.

Africans can help other Africans to become proudly African again. They can learn to respect themselves and others again. We have so many damaged people in the country and on the continent.

People are damaged because of their past experiences as freedom fighters, child soldiers, poverty, drugs, immorality, illiteracy and violence. They need to learn what is normal and what thoughts are healthy and what is destructive to them and their environment.

We need to heal in order to respect and honor again.
We need to reach out to fill education gaps when a system breaks down or is not yet in place.

Television can become a powerful nation-building tool.

A few local soaps with a morale building script, instead of one that is based on divorce, back stabbing, murder and cheating can provide a great influence on the minds of the viewers.

People follow the examples of their idols.

We need to create heroes with a high code of ethics -- Heroes who are nation-builders.

----------------------------------

* VBEE points could be given to people who make a difference without receiving financial rewards for their service.

Suggestions of how volunteers can be remunerated by using VBEE points (Volunteer Broad-based Economic Empowerment) points

VBEE points could be like money in a bank and could be electronically loaded onto a debit card.
VBEE points could be used to increase one’s VIP status.
VBEE points count towards job promotions.
VBEE currency could buy a percentage of their rates and taxes.
VBEE points could buy entry to government and municipal facilities like museums and reserves.
Etc.

Original post: (http://sites.google.com/site/unityinafrica/television-to-heal-a-nation)

Educate Africa through free television viewing.

It is beyond a great majority of our workforce's comprehension to realize what harm their strike actions have on the economy.

They can not understand the importance of wealth sharing or that by empowering their companies and their country it will be in a better position to look after those in need.

Unfortunately many of our people in leadership positions have very little communication and managerial skills. It appears that some of them have little interest other than blowing their own trumpets.

It is not only our children, at grass roots, that need education.

We may need to train the whole population of South Africa to become proudly African and to recognize which of our combined actions are empowering and which will lead to lowering the general standard for all citizens.

The trend of violence and disrespect towards employers, places of employment and people in power need to change.

It may be the miss-management and glut of those in power that fuel much of the discontent of the people.

Can we blame the people if they want better living conditions while government leaders spend more in one night's festivities than a whole community will earn in several years?

Leaders need to earn their respect and become model citizens themselves.

Our television screens should display programs that will build the nation and heal the earth.
We need programs that will make us proudly African again and respect our environment and natural resources.
We need to curb viewing that encourages loose morality, sex, crime and violence.

Sooner or later people will act out that what they view on television. Sooner or later they will start accepting an immoral society, crime, violence and dishonesty as the norm.

Free television showing material under a strict moral code that will educate and empower African Citizens could be made available to all citizens.
Perhaps an independent task team, consisting of teachers and psychologists, needs to review and control what is being shown on SABC TV.

Sport, educational and morale boosting programs alone in three different languages should be aired on the free television.

The normal viewing, as is, can be made available through paid television to maintain democracy for those who choose to watch it.

This may sound like communism, but when the majority of the workforce in a continent was deprived of basic education, we need to correct those imbalances in society.
What better way to generate proud citizens than through free television broadcasting?

People need education on farming and self help and sustained living advice.
People need to learn to respect their environment and their leaders.
Leaders need more opportunity to communicate directly to the larger public to explain the motivation behind their actions.
.
Free educational television should be available to everyone with electricity or cell phones.

We can heal a nation, but we need to heal ourselves first.

The people don't need domination but education to make the right choices.

(Original post from "Africa -- Healing the divide"

NEPAD Newsletter 214

NEPAD

http://www.triomedia.co.za/work/nepad/newsletters/2008/issue214_3Mar2008.html

3 March 2008

.01 NEPAD expert looks at Africa's health workforce crisis - and what is being done to meet the challenges

.02 Africa's Great Green Wall project takes step forward

.03 Strong support for NEPAD Fish programme

.04 NEPAD-Spanish Women's Fund