Gauteng, South Africa – Forever Resorts South Africa is delighted to announce the appointment of Eugene van Jaarsveldt succeeding Kobus Tait who is retiring from his position as the Company's Managing Director. van Jaarsveldt will assume the position on Tuesday, 1 June 2021 and will be based at the Company's Head Office in Gauteng.

van Jaarsveldt brings over two decades of experience in the Hospitality and Tourism sector to the position with a deep understanding of the industry, business skills and an innovative mind-set. He aims to maintain a strong strategic direction, grow and develop the Company, strengthen various partnerships and build onto the success of the group. van Jaarsveldt's journey with Forever Resorts started in 1999 where he joined the team at Warmbaths, A Forever Resort. Since then he has worked at various Forever properties including, Forever Blyde Canyon and Forever Badplaas where he held the position of General Manager for several years. More recently, he held the position of Group Business Development and Marketing Executive.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly presented challenging times for us as an industry over the last fourteen months, and navigating the market dynamics towards our full recovery is the current priority. The Forever Resorts group will continue to deliver safe and innovative experiences combined with exceptional hospitality to guests visiting our properties across South Africa. I am excited about the future, and look forward to enjoying this new chapter in our Company’s history with our passionate team, our loyal guests and our valued partners, van Jaarsveldt said.

"For the past 43 years, Kobus has been an integral part of our Forever Family and has shaped the organisation during its various transitions. His passion for the Tourism industry and vibrant approach to business will be missed. We would like to thank Kobus for his invaluable contribution and leadership he provided during his time with the group, and wish him a retirement filled with many more adventures", van Jaarsveldt concluded.

Tait's journey with Forever Resorts started in February 1978 where he was a Senior Financial Clerk at Forever Blyde Canyon, Mpumalanga. Since then Tait held multiple positions within the group across South Africa before taking up various Managerial roles and ultimately the role of Managing Director in 2003. Tait will be joining his wife in retirement and will be taking up his role as a full-time grandfather to his two beautiful grandchildren.

More about Forever Resorts South Africa

Forever Resorts offers the discerning traveller a superb variety three, four and five star accommodation options strategically situated in key areas throughout South Africa, namely Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Free State and the Western Cape. The group offers something for every traveller – luxury Lodges, adventure holidays, self-catering holidays, Caravanning and Camping, Conferences, Weddings, Functions, Hydro’s, beauty Spas, Hiking trails, Boating, Fishing, eco-adventures, waterparks and so much more! Visit www.foreversa.co.za for more information about the group and their offerings.

Artist/Producer/DJ Moniestien reported growth from Spotify’s 2019 end of the year Wrapped country demographics statistics, resulted in a 333% audience growth in South Africa, which we find staggering, Moniestien a Afro House, Deep House and Soulful House Artist/Producer/DJ on the Monie Power Records label roster have released many songs and also collaborated on projects with South African artist to likes of Venessa Jackson, Scara, C.Lab, Conscious X, Samo V, Crazy-B SA, Ntsako, and adding his own Afro House & Afrobeat sound into all the projects, at this percentage pace Moniestien will surely grow into some or all of the African countries and abroad, you can listen to Moniestien’s songs on Traxsource, Beatport, Amazon, Deezer, Shazam, Pandora, and iHeart Radio, so go listen for yourself and see why he have grown so much in South Africa, feel free to listen here, Moniestien Music.

The Trans Africa Water Alliance (TAWA) consortium has announced a far reaching plan - three years in the making - to solve the looming water crisis in parts of South Africa, starting in the Western Cape.  Under the leadership of Dr. Konstant Bruinette, former Chairman of the consulting team behind the acclaimed Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP), the consortium's plan uses the principle of gravity-driven pipelines to bring water to drought stricken areas.

Intrinsic to the plan is that each project will pay for itself over a number of years.

TAWA comprises civil engineers, government partners and other relevant role players.  Although the idea of building gravity-driven water delivery systems for Southern Africa is not new, the significant funding challenges posed have meant that these ideas have, until now, not been implemented to deliver the water  required.

The 2017 water crisis in the Western Cape has prompted TAWA to promote four major pipeline projects to the Western Cape authorities, the Development Bank of Southern Africa, the Trans Caledon Tunnel Authority, Department of Water Affairs and Sanitation and the Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Commission as well as authorities in Namibia, Zambia and Botswana.

The proposed major pipelines are the line from a new dam on the Orange River at Vioolsdrif to the Cape Town Metro; the line from Vioolsdrif to  Swakopmund;  a line from the Kunene River to outside Windhoek; and a fourth line from the Zambezi River to Eastern Botswana and South Africa.

Plans and cost estimates for four smaller pipelines have also been prepared and proposed to various water authorities. These are from the Eastern Cape's Van Der Kloof Dam to deliver water to Port Elizabeth and then to Cape Town; a second line from Boegoeberg to Cape Town; a third from Colenso to Albert Falls and on to Durban, and lastly from western Lesotho to the Modder River to supply water to Bloemfontein.

Bruinette and his team believe these gravity lines will solve the bulk of water problems in Southern Africa. The main constraining factor for water authorities is the funding required for these projects.

TAWA has responded by actively seeking funders for these long term plans.

Less cost than desalination
According to Bruinette, the most urgent project is the construction of a first phase Vioolsdrif Dam on the Orange River, and then to build a gravity-driven water delivery pipeline to the existing Voelvlei Dam, which currently supplies water to the Cape Town Metro water system.
This is so that the Western Cape no longer has to rely only on rainfall and be at the mercy of intermittent, catastrophic droughts.
The cost of the project will vary from US$2.5 billion to $4,5-billion depending on whether the Cape Town water supply quantity is expanded by 15% or to 50%.
The proposed cost is below US$1 per cubic meter which is a fraction of the cost of desalinated water and can be delivered over four years from start of the project to completion.
Later phases include plans to similarly bring water to Swakopmund in Namibia, as well as other drought stricken areas of Botswana and South Africa.

Reliable and sustainable
By way of background, a gravity-driven system allows water to flow through pipelines over vast distances under the force of gravity without the use of external and costly energy sources such as pumping.  Gravity-flow water delivery systems are reliable, cost-effective and can deliver large quantities of water to areas a long way from the source.

In 1986, Lesotho and South Africa signed a treaty to harness the former's abundant water resources. Dr. Bruinette’s engineering consultancy, BKS, in a joint venture with Acres International of Canada, was then commissioned to plan, design and project manage the construction of Phase One of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP).

Since then the LHWP has been acknowledged as a feat of engineering excellence, its essential achievement being the use of gravity fed tunnels and pipelines from dams to divert water from the mountains of Lesotho to water-starved Gauteng and other areas.

Dr. Bruinette explained, “This concept is not new and goes back thousands of years to Roman times.  As long as the source of the water is higher in altitude than the delivery point, the water will continue to flow.  The Romans successfully used aqueducts to move water over vast distances under gravity.  This literally transformed civilization in Europe.  Obviously, modern technology allows us to vastly improve on this ancient system.”

Opportune time
Questions will inevitably arise about international co-operation, funding, environmental impact and many other key issues. These will be answered.
However having worked on the scheme over the past three years, Dr. Bruinette and his partners believe the time is now for government, business, development agencies and other stakeholders to seriously consider an economically-sound and practical solution to the problem of water supply to Cape Town, and other areas in southern Africa, over the next 50 years.

“This solution is not a fantastic pipe-dream. LHWP has shown over more than 30 years that a gravity-driven water supply is a practical and economic way of solving the problem,” Dr Bruinette said. “We are actively engaging with potential investors in South Africa, Europe, USA and the UAE and we need government, local authorities and the general public to get behind this project.” he concluded.

/ends

About TAWA
The Trans Africa Water Alliance (TAWA) was registered in 1972 by Dr Konstant Bruinette an expert in the field of water with over 30 years of experience delivering water successfully to Gauteng via the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP), for which he was the team leader in the early 80's. Thirty years on Phase Two of  the LHWP is underway. The proposed TAWA plan is to supply fresh water from the major rivers in Southern Africa, the Orange River, the Kunene River and the Zambezi River, by gravity with no pumping, to the thirsty countries of Namibia, South Africa and Botswana.

Issued on behalf of:  The Trans Africa Water Alliance (TAWA)
Client contact:            Dr Konstant Bruinette
Email:                          This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Editorial contact:        Kerry Botha
Tel. No.                       083 263 0644
Email:                         This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

About Dr Bruinette
Dr. Konstant Bruinette has a PhD in structural engineering from the University of Illinois, USA, where the National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA) funded his doctoral thesis on the Analysis of Space Frames. He received MSc(Eng) and BSc(Eng) degrees from the University of Pretoria – both Cum Laude.

He is a member of the South African Institution of Civil Engineering and a Professional Engineer registered with the Engineering Council of South Africa.  He was for many years a member of the American Association of Civil Engineers as well as a Board member of the Foundation of Research Development, a sister organization of the CSIR.

He is a leader of people and businesses with strong engineering, technical and innovative skills.

While water is fast becoming Africa’s most important currency, African Tank Systems is playing a significant role in contributing to the success in the Agriculture, Industry, Business and Mining sectors of African countries as well as to keep African communities running.

We are living in a world where water will determine who thrives and who doesn’t and who you bank with make all the difference.

African Tanks Systems (ATS), a leader in custom designed water storage tanks has been awarded the exclusive rights to represent Tank Connections who is an industry leader of custom designed bulk storage tanks and integrated storage systems. The storage products and services of Tank Connections are recognized as the best available in the industry.

As the leader in providing innovative industrial storage tanks in Southern Africa for many years, ATS has become known as a ‘water bank’ providing an economical, convenient and stable supply of water to protect every community in Africa from the risk.

ATS provides different types of ‘water banks’ – Cement storage tanks, Bulk Liquid storage tanks that include:  aluminium geodesic domed tanks, industrial liquid storage tanks, fire protection tanks, anaerobic digester tanks, waste water storage tanks and municipal water bulk reservoirs  and Dry Bulk Storage Tanks that include:  biomass storage tanks, food storage tanks, plastic resin storage tanks, chemical storage tanks, AG & Meal storage tanks, power utility tanks, mineral storage tanks, flue gas desulfurization and limestone tanks and cement storage tanks.

Their expertise,on-the-ground experience and exceptional service has taken African Tank Systems far beyond the borders of Southern Africa to various countries across the African continent including Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Gabon, Mauritania, Namibia, Kenya. Quality products and exceptional service has made the African Tank system brand well-known and trusted throughout Africa and beyond

Our ‘water banks’ act like a ‘savings account’ so that businesses and communities have the water they need to keep running, even in times of water scarcity.

That’s why African Tank Systems is contributing to the world’s first bank for the business of water and the leader in supplying hygienic water storage tanks

Like a bank, African Tank Systems manages its risk to deliver the most secure and long-lasting ‘water bank’ on the market by building quality into every part of the process.

Home owners or project managers who are looking for professional contractors, such as plumbing Pretoria or roofing contractors in Johannesburg,  but don’t know where to find a trusted and verified contractor can now turn to Contract Us. Contract us is a leading search portal in South Africa that has been built to help homeowners and project managers find the most skilled contractors within the country.

Our newly launched website  is ideal for contractors looking for a platform to list their services on. Potential customers can find the information that they require about the company beforehand, and later on decide to choose one of the many licensed contracting company’s services for their project. We have a number of verified contractors listed on our website under the following categories:

• Building and Renovation
• Electrical Services
• Painting Plumbing
• Roofing

Each and every contractor that is listed on our website has been screened and verified, making it easy for you to choose from only the best in the business.

For property owners, the task of maintaining your home can become a daunting process, especially if you do not know how to go about the renovations. Contract Us recognizes this hassle faced by property owners and has developed a solution in the form of a website.

Searching to find the most skilled contractor for the job has never been easier. Our online platform is designed to create the best user-experience for home owners who are looking to connect with a contractor within the country. Users can easily direct their search according to different cities such as Durban, Pretoria and even Cape Town.

Contractors wanting to use our website as a platform to list their business on can enjoy the advantage of connecting with property owners in the most effortless way possible. According to the business practices, the company ensures that “Your active listing will allow for the property owners to contact you either via the Contract Us website or directly on your Company’s website.”

We look forward to connecting property owners with excellent contractors in South Africa. Browse through our website today to take a look at expert contractors near you. Simple click to preview the company that suites your needs and requirements for your project. All the necessary details, such as contact details, location categories and a description of the company are listed for your convenience. Alternately, if you are a skilled contracting company within the country, why not get connected online by signing in and following the easy prompted steps to list your company on our website now.

Local artisans and vendors wanting to sell their products and unique gifts in an online craft shop in South Africa are increasingly signing up with The Market Place.shop, who recently launched  their new-look website.

The Market Place.shop was founded in 2005 with the aim of providing a platform for South African artists, designers, home crafters etc. to sell their unique gifts and crafts online. It operates as an electronic based business on which people are presented with the opportunity to sell their goods or services as well as connect with a broader group of customers within their target market.

1. Their clientele consists of two types of people:
2. Individuals who are searching  unique gifts South Africa on the Internet 

 People who sell these items or offer those services within South Africa and wish to use our online craft shop as a network to do so.

We prefer to move away from the distribution of mass-produced goods that can be imported from the international markets and pride ourselves as being known to proudly support vendors and crafters in South Africa.

Our online craft shop is still in its early stage of initiating the electronic exchange of goods and services however, we currently offer a wide range of categories for potential vendors to list their products or services under. These are not limited to, but include:

• Handmade Clothing and Accessories
• Skincare
• Handcrafted Gifts
• Arts and Crafts
• Home Décor
• Eateries
• Men’s Gear

Our online shopping portal is best described as “a local farmers market on the web”. We strive to bridge the gap between the seller and any potential buyers that are using the internet as a tool for online shopping.  The organization has realized this gap when it comes to internet trading and aspires to create direct contact between the two parties with the use of an online craft shop. This ensures that possible buyers visiting our website can view products and connect directly with the local artisans and service providers that make use of our platform.

.By simply using the internet as a source for information, customers are granted complete access to search and find exactly what they are looking for. The Market Place online craft shop operates just as any other shopping website that you would find on the internet. Buyers can easily facilitate transactions, add items to the cart and successfully complete the checkout process all on our dedicated website.  On the other hand, the seller has the ability to convey important information such as prices and provide a useful short description about the items on sale without any hassle.

Looking ahead, our main objective is to be able to grant local businesses, that fit our company profile, the advantage of increasingly overwhelming traffic towards their small-scale business by simply using our website as a well-established online market.

If you would like to sell your products on a South African best online craft shop, why not create an account on our website today?  Alternatively, you could visit our online craft shop to search and find beautiful unique gifts proudly made in South Africa to present to family and friends this festive season

Mr Craig Newman, CEO, Johannesburg Expo Centre 

From MamaMagic to the Vodacom rAge Expo and HuntEx to SA Fashion Week, there are exhibitions for so many different niches in South Africa every year. And for the most part, the exhibition industry is showing no signs of slowing down.  

One of the most recent events, Vodacom rAge, is a perfect example of the extent to which likeminded people will turn out in support of an event that plays to their unique interests. Several exhibitors reported that they did so well, they had run out of stock by day three of the event.  

Vodacom rAge caters to a very specific niche – the toys, gaming, sci-fi and fantasy market. According to PR Newswire, the global toys and games market is expected to expand at a Compound Annual Growth rate (CAGR) of 4.6% between now and 2025.  

That’s just one example of a powerful niche market that’s gaining ground year-on-year. Exhibitions are focused marketing opportunities that bring your target market to you and allow you to network with your audience for ongoing sales. They’re fostering niche pocket economies everywhere.  

Expo trends now 

Other niches are also on the rise, and the exhibition circuit is a great opportunity to capitalise on consumer interest, even in a struggling economy.  

It’s not just the big ones that are doing well. Smaller-scale exhibitions are also seeing an increase in attendance. For example, broadcasting, entertainment and communications technology expo, Mediatech Africa, attracted 7525 visitors in July this year – a six-percent increase over last year, with 701 brands on display and 148 exhibiting companies. 

South Africans love a good exhibition. We’re a culture of hobbyists and weekend project collectors who love to turn up for a day out at an expo centre to consult the experts who know about the things we like, buy the latest and greatest goods and enjoy fine fare from food trucks, donut stands and boerewors roll sellers.

Having attended many varying exhibitions myself, as an industry professional and exhibition enthusiast, I can confidently say that we’re in a business that’s growing every year. Trade shows, conferences and exhibitions contribute to the local economy, boost tourism and enhance South Africa’s GDP.  

Exhibitions truly tap into the South African entrepreneurial spirit. An article published by Fin24 in 2018 states that visiting business delegates – many of them here for conferences or exhibitions – contribute around R115bn to our GDP annually.  

The feelgood factor 

The common denominator, whether you’re at Africa Health, Discop Africa or Vodacom rAge, for the most part, is the positive energy you encounter as you wander between the stands and showpieces at most South African expos and shows.  

The Rand Show in April this year completely changed lives with a local entrepreneur making a whopping sale of over R500 000. And it’s a testament to the fact that destination shows can provide a captive audience for exhibitors. In this case, it was the Rand Show’s dedicated SMME section, activated by the South African Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development. And I’m sure we can expect many more stories like this one to come.  

What does the future hold?  

New tools and technology are making the exhibition business more exciting than ever before. Dedicated event management software is making it easier for organisers and exhibitors to plan their efforts to the letter, and electronic booking or ticketing solutions have done away with human error when it comes to letting people in and out. 

Mobile technology is becoming more and more prevalent every year, with just about every big expo having its own dedicated app to help guests navigate their event and stay up to date with any panels, showstoppers or press events that are scheduled during an expo. 

Digital design and the advent of technologies such as 3D printing have made stands easier to create, set up and strike, not to mention more appealing to the eye than ever before. And if you’re not that keen on the crowds, who knows? There may be more Virtual Reality expo experiences coming up sooner rather than later.  

At the time of writing this, having seen the faces of the people in the crowds at the likes of the Rand Show, Vodacom rAge, the Design Indaba and more, exhibitions are still putting smiles on faces. And every year, they just get bigger and more advanced. Stay tuned for 2020’s exhibition circuit. It’s going to be the most impressive yet.

By *Annelize van Rensburg - www.signium.co.za

Qualifications fraud is a big problem in South Africa and, although not prominent at executive level, it does happen. To stamp out this practice, the National Qualifications Framework Amendment Act 12 of 2019 was signed into law on the 13th of August this year. It provides that people presenting false qualifications could serve up to five years in prison.

Being a businessperson who depends on honest, qualified staff, I am very happy about this development. In a country where corruption is exposed daily and where honesty and trust need to be reinstated, it will help prevent further fraud and corruption. At least there is now a material penalty to deter recruits from using forged qualifications.

However, the law does not solve the larger issue of candidates lying on their CVs.

In a struggling economy, jobseekers may be tempted to falsify information that could help them gain employment or skip some rungs on the ladder to the career and lifestyle to which they aspire. They might lie about previous titles held, their actual reward packages, their scope of responsibility, having a criminal record, being blacklisted or any other facts that either hinder or help their quest for their next top paying position.

Verification firm, Managed Integrity Evaluation, says that of 552,000 CVs it checked in 2017, 14.3% of candidates had misrepresented themselves or lied about their qualifications.

Executives typically face rigorous background checks and generally know better than to lie on their CVs. However, there are exceptions to the rule. For those who lack integrity, their desire to get ahead may tempt them to obtain false qualifications, withhold past wrongdoings or fabricate achievements.

Such actions are not only criminal but could bring into question the integrity of the hiring organisation's governance framework as well as having a negative impact on its growth and sustainability.

Yet, to cut costs, some companies are forgoing the extensive checks performed by executive search firms through their validation partners and the resulting analysis that gives assurance of a sound hire.

Executives are sometimes appointed by virtue of being a member of a trusted circle of business associates. Reward packages may be negotiated over a game of golf, and the position awarded without independent background checks. This is extremely risky.

Research has proved we’re not as good at reading people as we think. Knowing you can trust executive hires through fact-based research, trumps feelings of trust derived from regular social or business interactions. An appropriate rule of thumb is “better the devil you know” because that’s the devil you can avoid.In a time of public demand for better corporate governance, as well as transparency and justification of executive remuneration, every organisation must ensure the executives it employs have faultless track records. By using impartial executive recruiters or so-called headhunters, that engage trusted verification agencies to validate qualifications down to the finest detail, it will find the leaders it deserves.

*Annelize van Rensburg is a director of Signium Africa (previously Talent Africa), a leading South Africa-based executive search and talent management company servicing sub-Saharan Africa.

By Devan Moonsamy CEO of The ICHAF Training Institute

The view that someone is a threat because of their being a foreigner, and should therefore be pushed out of an organisation, and out of the country, is based on fear. Such fear may be understandable because unemployment is very high in South Africa, and it is also fair that South Africans expect the government and companies to prioritise them. Unemployment is a source of frustration, conflict, poverty, a loss of self-worth and self-confidence, and socioeconomic exclusion. However, this is as true for South Africans as it is for anyone else. Despite our problems, South Africa is among the most stable nations on the continent in terms of our demography, society, economy, and our cherished democracy. Many other Africans live under dictatorships (such as the socialist and oppressive ZANUPF party under Mugabe until November 2017, and now under Mnangagwa) and other oppressive rulerships which have tyrannised the people and plundered the national economy. National stability is partly measured according to the rate of human flight, refugees, and displaced people. Less stable nations, where there is much suffering and poverty, have an outflow of their labour force. Economic and political refugees may have no choice other than to flee to a country where they will be safer. South Africa is still such a safe haven in many respects, and immigrants are afforded temporary or permanent residence and protection. Organisations in South Africa are also employing refugees and immigrants, indicating that there is space for them in the economy. Some Africans are happy to work in South Africa for the most meagre wages rather than return to worse conditions in their home country, which may be war torn or bereft of the most basic human rights.

What seems to make this problematic is job scarcity, particularly for the lower wage categories. Some feel they have everything to lose from an influx of non-South Africans, and it is understandable that they will be defensive of their jobs, workplaces and communities. Chasing out foreigners will not solve the unemployment problem, however. This is because there are not as many immigrants as people think there are. People just notice them more because they appear different from South Africans. Furthermore, ‘international migrants in South Africa have much lower unemployment rates than others. This is unusual. In most other countries, international migrants tend to have higher unemployment rates than locals’ (Wilkinson, 2015).

Why then has South Africa needed to call in its army to deal with xenophobic violence in recent years? Anthropologist Dr Zaheera Jinnah from the African Centre for Migration and Society says there is a disconnect between reality and perceptions about immigrants. A mere 4% of the working population is composed of immigrants. ‘A lot of what has been said and reproduced is based on hearsay and anecdotal evidence or myths,’ Dr Jinnah explained (quoted in Alfreds, 2017). The major reason for hostility against non-South Africans is thus found in the name ‘xenophobia’. It the fear or phobia, and not the reality, surrounding foreigners which leads to violence. Underlying anger is fear. Yet such fear may not be justifiable, especially when it degrades into brutality.

Immigration is a necessary and inevitable phenomenon. People have been migrating around throughout history and they will continue to do so in the future. South Africa has not closed its boarders to foreign labour, as well as to foreign students, despite nationwide outcry and violence against these individuals in recent years, because of the big picture factors. If South Africa tries to prevent all legal immigrations, it will isolate the country economically, especially from the Southern African Development Community (SADC), as well as from other nations. South Africa is a dominant SADC member, providing leadership and guidance, having considerable sway in decision making, and a valuable foothold in the region which we can’t afford to lose. Regional and international trade is a large source of employment, revenue and economic growth. Xenophobic discrimination and violence are not justified because we are members of international communities of cooperation and sharing. We cannot afford to alienate ourselves from the rest of Africa, but this happening, with nation such as Nigeria being enraged by the terrible treatment of their people in South Africa. We must never think we have nothing to gain from other nations such as Nigeria, or that it is no longer our duty to show kindness to strangers.

Bilateral and multilateral country agreements are highly advantageous for South Africans, but xenophobia places these agreements at risk. These have to be relationships of give and take. We can’t send South Africans overseas to be educated, to work, trade, showcase their talents and projects, or to engage in cultural exchanges, and then return here with the fruits thereof, while denying all these to foreigners. There has been much concern over brain drain in South Africa, and our major means of combating this are brain exchange and brain circulation (see Nyarko, 2011; Fourie, 2006). The significant loss of skilled human capital is a reality. We need to replace these lost workers. While the government is pushing education as hard as possible, we have also lost educators and experts to train and mentor South Africans before they can replace lost the human capital. To make up the deficit, foreign expertise has been brought in, and should, ideally, be warmly welcomed as well. In the example of Oba at the beginning of this section on race and ethnicity, we can see how important he is in the context of scarce skills. Oba has superior expertise and he can find a job just about anywhere he wants to in the world. That his co-workers won’t listen to him, learn from him and are pushing him out of the organisation is their and our nation’s loss, not his.

It is easy to see how much we need experts like Oba from around the world to come and share with us their knowledge and help us work towards a better society. It is much harder to talk about that elephant in the room: the vast majority of non-South Africans living here are not as highly skilled as Oba and many are illegal immigrants. During his tenure as Home Affairs Minister, Malusi Gigaba described the situation in an enlightening way: ‘many of them [immigrants] don't stay permanently in South Africa‚ they come and go out. Some of them stay permanently and commit crimes, but they are no different from South Africans who were born here‚ live here‚ commit crimes and also have malicious intentions to society in general.’ Gigaba said that most immigrants from Africa enter the country using legal, legitimate documents and they conduct transactions with South African businesses, thus supporting jobs in South Africa. The use of legal documents should ensure that immigrants are ‘just as safe as South Africans and also contribute to the diversity and social cohesion of the country’ (Gigaba, quoted in Goba, 2016).

There are many different types of legal and illegal immigrants in South Africa, and it is hardly fair to lump them together. There are many who contribute to the economy, the education system, and social change. There are some who have malicious intentions, but it is up to our police and state authorities to deal with this group. If citizens become involved, by means of what would be termed ‘vigilante’ or ‘mob justice’ in communities and in the workplace, we face numerous problems. The proper legal channels and processes, part of our precious democracy (which needs to be protected), are undermined and weakened. For example, undue interference in a case of crimes committed by an immigrant muddies the waters, making the investigation harder to conduct and control. If vigilantes take action, it will undermine the balance which officials work hard to maintain in the justice system, and it prevents the authorities from prosecuting criminals to the full extent of the law.

Xenophobic vigilantism is discrimination and, at best, it is a nuisance for law officials in trying to fulfil their duties, as well as an impediment to organisational and national progress. At worst, it is unjustifiable violence, victimisation and harassment of any non-South African with complete disregard for their real character or activities. It casts South Africans in a very poor light: as narrow-minded, selfish, prejudiced against our fellow Africans, and lacking an understanding of what it means to be citizens of the global village.

Devan Moonsamy runs the ICHAF Training Institute, and he is the author of Racism, Classism, Sexism, And The Other ISMs That Divide Us, available from the ICHAF Training Institute.

The book tackles contemporary issues in the South African workplace, including a variety of diversity-related challenges and how these can be addressed. It is an excellent guide for managers to harnessing diversity for success.

ICHAF offers SETA-approved training in business skills, computer use, and soft skills. Devan specialises in conflict and diversity management, and regularly conducts seminars on these issues for corporates. To book a seminar with Devan or for other training courses, please use the contact details below.

Tel: 011 262 2461 | Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
Website: www.ichaftraining.co.za | www.devan-moonsamy.com

The Place of a Mercy and Hope continues to astound! Grand opening of Baby and Toddler Care Centre in Addo, Eastern Cape, South Africa

The Place of Mercy and Hope known for its mission for helping the poor in the Sunday’s River Valley, Eastern Cape, South Africa for the past 13 years opened its newest project, a Baby and Toddler Care centre. The Place of Mercy and Hope Baby and Toddler Care centre has capacity for caring for over twenty children (ages 0-3years) allowing parents to continue their daily work on orange farms knowing their children are in a safe and caring environment.

he Addo area, famous for the Addo Elephant Park, has Formal and informal settlements with many disadvantaged communities. For the past 13 years, the Place of Mercy and Hope has been helping these communities by providing a Creche, Pre School, Soup Kitchen, Adult Education Courses, a Clinic and assisting families obtain birth certificates, identity documents and social grants. Hundreds of children and adults are educated and helped annually.

The Place of Mercy and Hope not only helps communities but employs locals from the Addo area and provides educational development when funding is available. Currently, the Non-Profit Organisation has a staff of thirteen dedicated people that help the Place of Mercy and Hope achieve its mission. The Place of Mercy and Hope follows the ethos of the Marist Brothers and Sisters of Mercy, religious organizations who were responsible for founding the Place of Mercy and Hope.

Sr Martha, one of the Directors of the Place of Mercy and Hope, was thrilled to see a new division of the Place of Mercy and Hope become a reality and expressed his gratitude to a significant funder, Cape Span for making a dream possible.

To find out more about the Place of Mercy and Hope, you can visit their website www.placeofmercyandhope.com