The plaster metaphor

There's a spot on Allan Dale Road, between Harry Galaun Drive and Grieg Street, that I believe demonstrates the kind of approach we take when dealing with problems. This spot on Allan Dale is in a dip that receives a lot of water and, often enough, the excess water doesn't drain away. If anyone has had the pleasure of racing down Allan Dale, you'll know that those coming from Kyalami Race Track will make a wide berth for a pothole who sheds its winter coat every summer. This evil little bugger is only encouraged by the mass of trucks and 4x4s that wikkel on by.

However, after the rainy season, when the Highveld approaches the dry cold snaps of winter, men in overalls  bring their tar and gravel to fill the hole and keep it snug as a bug for the cold months. But as soon as that first Joburg thunder storm hits, the tar washes off like the excess weight of a Matric girl about to go on vac.

As a local living in the vicinity of this pothole, I know this little process has been on repeat ever since I can remember. And what the people who repair the road don't realise, or maybe they do and it's not their department, is that there is a small river underneath this part of the road where drainage is clearly very poor. And each year, they stick a plaster over this pothole instead of addressing the underlying problem. 

I feel this small problem is reflected in areas like our education system, where the concern is on the Matrics and their pass rate, but what about the earlier phases of education? We're doing everything to increase the Matric pass rate by looking at helping students in Grade 12, but maybe we need to make a little more effort with our earlier grades. By the time Matric rolls round, there is less than a year for exam preparation; when we could have avoided this pothole by ensuring children have the skills to cope with highschool. 

Of course, I am merely glossing over all the issues with our education system which has been ranked 132th out of 144 countries according to the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Report 2012-2013. 

Another one of our problems we seem to approach with a small band aid in the hopes of fixing everything, is the massive number of road accident deaths after every Festive season. Between 1 December 2012 and 8 January 2013, 1 465 people died in the 1 221 fatal accidents recorded. This means 37 people died each day during the silly season. The cartoon plaster in this case saw the number of deaths drop by 10 - note the absence of a percentage sign.

According to this report from eNews Channel Africa (ENCA), the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) started their campaign late and the leading cause of road accident death is alcohol. I agree that drunk drivers and drunk pedestrians are a major concern, we also cannot excuse a whole host of other issues that take place on our roads. The easy things the cops can look out for are drunk driving, speeding and poorly maintained vehicles, but there are hardly any officers around to punish bad driving. It's easy to snap a pic of a speeding motorist and send them the fine in the mail, it's harder to nab a bad driver for dangerous over-taking. 

From what I witnessed when I drove to and from Plett this New Year's and the countless trips I've taken to and from Rhodes University, there are a number of drivers who over-take when it is far too dangerous. On my way back from Plett, I witnessed a driver in a BMW X6 overtake six cars. To a lot of long distance drivers, solid lines, blind rises and sharp turns mean nothing to them. 

So, to the RTMC and traffic officers, please stop reaching for the Elastoplast box on the shelf. Sticking more officers in the shade to collect pictures of speeding number plates is not the answer. 

On the whole, we need to start tackling the underlying problem. Potholes, our education system, road deaths and many other issues deserve more attention as opposed to the plasters you keep in your first aid kit. There's more to these issues. If you don't agree with me, just frequent Allan Dale more often and maybe you'll understand this metaphor.

"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone"

I'm not a very religious person, but I do think this quote rings true. And I am sure there are varying versions of this quote, but the meaning remains the same. We are often too quick to judge people for what they do instead of who they are.

I went to a 21st this last weekend where many of my high school class mates were in attendance. I hadn't seen some of them in months and it felt good to be reminded of how much fun I had in Matric. At times it was difficult to hear what everyone had been up to because the music was so loud and partying with my Rhodes mates can also be a little distracting. However, some didn't hesitate to fill me in on the activities of others especially one of our old school friends.

Often we are all too quick to say, "that's so high school" and to think that we actually grew up after we left. But, we easily forget how much stays with us after we've celebrated the end of our last exam. And one thing we'll never stop doing is the discussions we have about our former class mates once they've left. Granted, some of them you were never friends with; but after this last weekend, I saw how easy it was to disregard an old friendship for the excitement of a few minutes of gossip.

It would be unfair of me to say I was not phased by this little piece of information. All gossip is intoxicating and it's hard to deny otherwise. However, when it becomes venomous we need to stop and take a look at who we are. No one is without their faults or flaws, so when does it become our place to judge another person's actions? And more importantly who are we to tell them that it is wrong?

A poster used by the US Government during WWII.

We are told at a very young age we are all different, unique or special. We are also told to be tolerant and accepting. Therefore, because someone else possesses a unique view on the world or behaves in a different way, we forget to be accepting and tolerant of this variation in nature.

Please don't read this as if I am sitting atop my moral high horse. Of course, I engaged in this act of gossiping and it's hard to stop oneself from taking part. However, every now and then it's important to be reminded that we all have a conscience and lowering the standing of another person is in no way helpful or your place to do so.

Finally, a quote from one of my favourite people, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu:
"If I diminish you, I diminish myself."

A walk down Matric lane

WARNING: Walk down memory lane sequence about to begin. You have been advised of the contents.

Listening to OneRepublic's "Goodlife" and looking through the photos of my brother's last day at school is not helping my nostalgia.

I cannot believe it's been 3 years...
On our final day, those who had cars parked them in front of the school office and blasted 5fm from their speakers. Of course, this did not impress the teachers and the cars had to be moved and the radios turned off.

For the rest of the school the atmosphere was infectious. Who could not excited about being on the edge of freedom? The end was so close!

Writing our final messages

The day was spent signing shirts. We defaced the precious uniform that we had spent 5 years keeping neat and spotless - well, some of us.
Most of the girls fashioned pigtails and everyone donned a pair of sunglasses.

We were quarantined to the gym to the gym. We had to stay put until the school gathered for the final assembly. The final Matric assembly.

Matlha presenting the teachers their awards.

I remember our final walk through the corridors to our school hall. I remember the whole school and the teachers lining the edges of the corridors to clap us in. And I remember all the laughs, smiles and tears.

It was an emotional day. I had come to the end of my school career and in some instances the end of a number of friendships - Facebook doesn't count.

My last day meant the end of some pretty important friendships, because I would be matriculating with as many as 10 people I had spent 13 years of my 18 years of life with. I had attended Beaulieu Prep and Beaulieu College with these people and in most cases it was the end. These were people that had most likely seen me at my best and my worst. They were a huge part of my life and I was moving on. So yes, the idea of freedom and no more uniform was exciting, but there was so much more to my Matric final day than most people realised.

It's sad to see the end. But that only means that a new beginning is just around the corner. I can only wish my brother the best of luck for the future. I hope that his Matric exams go smoothly with a great reward at the end! And to the Matrics of 2011, good luck! 

The balloon tradition: not the most environmentally friendly tradition.