Women's Roles

Should women’s roles be limited in the kitchen?

Ever since 1994 which was the year which the apartheid ended, women’s roles in our country changed. As we all know, before that it was required that women were not allowed to have jobs and earn a salary for themselves, all they were required to do was to stay at home and become housewives and take care of household works like, cooking, cleaning and taking care of the kids.

 Well all that has changed now, these days women are allowed to have jobs and earn salaries for themselves and their families, some women are leaders in the Country and some are owners of big properties. Due to this some men think that women shouldn’t have jobs, that they should stay at home just like the old times, many men feel threatened by women who work in higher positions than them. Men believe that they should be the ones who go out to work for their families while their wives stay home and become housewives. So should women’s roles be limited in the kitchen?

I disagree with the fact that women’s roles should be limited in the kitchen. As we all know that this is the 21’st century and things have changed. Certain rights have been developed for women ever since the apartheid ended. Rights like, the right to equality and freedom. So women and men should have equal rights at all times, no one should think that they are better than the other. Women are free to do whatever they want to do as long as they are not breaking the law, they are allowed to find jobs and provide for their families as well. So this issue of men being the only species to work should grow out of individuals because the old is gone and the new has come. Women should indeed be able to serve in equal rights as men; the whole thing of men being the only severs is completely sexist. Women can do anything men can do, if a woman wants to serve her country, who are you to judge or even stop her from doing it.

Some men are just very selfish, they don’t want women to jobs because they want to be the ones who rule in the family, the ones who earn salaries so that their wives can depend on them. Yes men are the leaders in the family, even the Bible states that, but that does not mean that they should overdo it. Yes men are stronger than women, but there are women who are stronger than men, and that doesn’t mean that women should be pushed away because of their sex. That is like judging someone by the colour of their skin and that is very wrong.

After viewing all the aspects of weather women’s roles should be limited in the kitchen, Mrs Mashishi who is a dentist was interviewed just to hear her side of the story and weather she agrees or disagree with this fact, and this is what she said; “Men and women are equal, so why do men have different rights? Women have the right to choose, so why don’t they have that option? Yes I know that back in the old days women stayed at home and cooked, cleaned, and took care of the children; but it is obvious that our world is much more evolved than it was back then. Yes men are the stronger sex, but if women want to serve their country they should at least have the option”.

After hearing Mrs Mashishi’s side of the story Mr Modise who is the owner of Incroyable Guesthouse in Midrand was also interviewed just to hear the story from a male perspective and this is what he said; “yes I think women’s roles should be limited in the kitchen because ever since women got their right to be equal as men and to freedom, they started to loose respect for their husbands in their homes because they felt that they rule their homes as well just like men since they both earn a salary for the family. So it was better in the olden days when women stayed at home and focused on households activities”. After hearing Mr Modise’s side of the story I realised that not all people disagree with this , some agree that women’s roles should be limited in the kitchen especially men.

So not all people have the same perspective about women, everyone has their own judgements, but with the research that has been made about women’s roles being limited in the kitchen a majority of people seem to disagree with this due to the rights of women and the new evolved world.

 

References

tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/main/stayinThekitchen

www.debate.org>opinions>society

www.sunfell.com/gender.htm

Zwelinzima Vavi

Was it ethical for Zwelinzima Vavi to have sex with a junior COSATU employee?

COSATU secretary general Zwelinzima vavi has been accused of rape by a COSATU junior employee (whose name has been withheld for ethical reasons). She claimed that claimed that on January 25 2013 Vavi came to her office at COSATU house, grabbed her, locked the door and forced himself on her.

This was a private and very sensitive matter but everyone around the country was and still is talking about it. People are asking questions like, is he guilty or not? But the truth will eventually come out at some point. Vavi has been interrogated a lot the public about these rape accusations towards him. Vavi issued a public statement confirming that he had intercourse with the employee but denied rape. “He in turn laid a complaint of blackmail and extortion against the woman and her husband at the Sandton police station, claiming that the couple had demanded R2million to let the matter go away.(Londa Lowen, 2012)

Now after vavi admitted having intercourse with the COSATU junior employee the public started to ask more questions as he was a public figure and leader to most, so why would he commit such? Why would he have sex in the work place and with a junior employee who is on the other hand married? Is it ethical for them to have sex during work hours and in the place of work? This incident has been viewed as a very unethical thing to do especially by someone who is a general secretary, someone who is valued by a lot of people in the country. Now will the public still respect and value him as they did before?

As expected the Congress South African Trade Union (COSATU) central executive committee took a decision to suspend Zwelinzima Vavi, its general secretary. An internal board will now sit and find him guilty of bringing COSATU into disrepute and he will permanently be removed from the leadership of COSATU. Some people believe that he is really guilty of rape, they believe that since he had powers he believed that he could abuse his powers then get away with it. Well Vavi keeps denying rape repeatedly.

This is an extremely intimate, private, personal and delicate matter that requires great sensitivity and maturity to manage on my part. It involves dignity and lives of private individuals. We all have constitutional responsibility to defend each other’s dignity and integrity, Says Mr Z Vavi. Adultery (as wrong as it is )is not the enemy here, the circumstances surrounding Vavi’s adultery are the main concern. He could have sex with the employee somewhere else not at the work place. Not only is vavi a product of men society, he occupies a political position that take his inherent teachings from the society and assists him to further fulfil them.

So weather vavi is guilty of rape or not he still committed an unethical action by having sex with a junior employee at their workplace as he admitted. Abuse of women is a very serious offence. Abuse of power is very serious; no one should be above the law. In this case vavi’s guilt has not been established. “we have seen scandals like this before in South Africa” said political analyst Somandoda Fikeni “sex scandals don’t have precedents of taking out leaders” he said, adding that vavi’s political career will be weakened, if it survives.

Zwelinzima Vavi says that he recognises that some people remain “unforgiving” about his affair with a COSATU employee. He also said that he committed an error and he apologised for it, but added that many people accepted his apology and many remained unforgiving.

 

 

Bibliography

Linda Lowen, about.com guide. September 18, 2012

newswall.co.za/news/latest/the-new-age…/vavi-s…sex…/a2va3.201067

www.citypress.co.za/politics/dlamini-on-vavi-we-are-not-enemies/

www.enca.com/south-africa/vavi-pleads-privacy-following-sex-scandals

Christianity.

What is Christianity?

Christianity can be described in many ways because people tend to interpret it in a way that they would understand. Some describe it as believes, some as character, some a tolerance, but what exactly is Christianity?

“Christianity is a religion based upon the teachings and miracles of Jesus”(oxford advanced learners dictionary). For those who don’t know who Jesus is, Jesus is ‘’Christ”. Christ means anointed one. Jesus is the anointed one from the God the Father who came to this world and fulfilled testament laws and prophecies, died on the cross, and rose from the dead physically. He performed many miracles which were recorded by the Gospel eyewitnesses.

Now that one has an idea of what Christianity is and where it all started, what does Christianity do for those who believe in it, in other words what is the use of Christianity? Christianity teaches that there is only one God in all existence, that God made the universe, Earth, and created Adam and Eve. God created man in his own image. This doesn’t mean that God has a body of flash and bones. Image means that the likeness of God’s character, rationality etc, so because we are in the image of God, every person is worthy of respect and honour.

Christianity teaches that God is a trinity (father, son, holy spirit), that Jesus Christ is the second person of the trinity, that Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead physically, and that all people are under the righteous judgement of God because all people have sinned against God. Christianity further teaches that once a person is ‘’born again’’(become saved) the holy spirit lives in that person and the person is changed, “therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature, the old things passed away behold, new things have come”,(2 Corinthians 5:17), this actually means that God lives in the person and the Christian then experiences a true and living relationship with God.

·         Christianity made people who were things into real men and women, more into sons and daughters of God.

·         It gave those who had no respect, their self-respect; it gave those who had no life, life eternal.

·         It told men that, even if they did not matter to other men, they still mattered to God.

·         It told men that in the eyes of God they were worth the death of his only son.

·         Christianity was, and still is, the most uplifting thing in the universe.

The challenge with Christianity these days is that some people believe in it and some people don’t. People these days do no worship and honour God, but instead they worship and honour their own god’s who is not our father who art in heaven. Some people worship their own idols and some even worship animals, thats how lost and deceived we people are these days. Some people do not follow the commandments of our father who art in heaven but instead they do anything as they please. As a Christian, there are certain characteristics one needs to have in order to be visible to the public that you are a child of God and you are born again, And that you represent the kingdom of God.

A Christian follows Christ’s model in, thinking, speaking, and doing what the lord requires. He follows after Christ’s kindness, compassion, love, holiness, and sacrifice, practicing daily prayer, Bible reading and applying what we learn as we live by faith and God helps us to mature more and gradually become like the Lord Jesus Christ. A Christian should be a sample of Christ.’’ The nearest resemblance to Christ people can see on earth must be Christians”. (2 Timothy 2:19)

One of the worst states in life is to be called a Christian in name and not live for Christ. So we should live for Christ for he paid a great price for our freedom and redemption from the penalty and power of sin. (Galatians 5:24, 1Corinthians 6:20).

God is Great.

 References

Carm.org/what-is-christianity.

Good News Bible, Today’s English Version-British Usage, Bible society of South Africa. Cape Town.

Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary, international student’s Edition.

The impact of digital divide on the democracy and government

The impact of the Digital Divide on the democracy and the government of South Africa.

Access to the telecommunications and through that information remains a development issue for South Africa and bridging the digital divide is an on-going challenge for the South African government. Changes in the economic landscape also contribute to the widening digital divide and shape the way people access information and communication. “with an estimated 4,590,00 South African internet users at the end of 2006, and a total of 378,00 broadband internet subscribers as of September 2008, the number of internet users has grown. But this number is still a drop in the ocean of 45 million people”. (Sally-jean Marishane, 2009).

e-democracy is a relatively new nation and remains somewhat fluid due to its fundamental relationship with technology and the internet, fields that are themselves ever-changing, and somewhat unpredictably so.” E-government is a critical aspect of e-democracy providing a foundation through open government and transparency initiatives towards a more informed, active citizenry” (Gordon Brown, 2009).

E-government refers to the use by government agencies of information technologies (such as wide area networks ,the internet, and mobile computing) that have the ability to transform relations with citizens, businesses, and other arms of government. The impact or outcomes of e-government are as follows:

·         Better delivering of government service to citizens

·         Improved interactions with the business industry

·         Citizen empowerment through access to information, or more efficient government management.

The digital divide, or the digital split, is a social issue referring to the differing amount of information between those who have access to the internet and those who do not have access. The term became popular among concerned parties, such as scholars, policy makers and advocacy groups in the late 1990s. Broadly speaking the difference is not necessarily determined by the access to the internet, but by access to ICT (information and communications technologies) and to media that the different segments of society can use.

Just like any other countries, South Africa is also affected by the digital divide.in 1994 the new South Africa was born and great optimism and hope characterised the nation. Many people anticipated the new policies and firm measures of redness would contribute to the creation of more equitable and fair society that would enable South Africa to become a player in the global economy (czerneiwics, 2004). What makes South Africa interesting in terms of the digital divide is the country’s multi ethnic and multi lingual profile. According to the Trusler (2003) South Africa has to deal with a number of challenges before they can begin with initiatives for bridging the digital divide. Their challenges issues are as follows:

·         A high level of inequality

·         A weak ICT infrastructure particularly in rural areas

·         A lack of ICT readiness in the government

The digital divide is not indeed a clear single gap which divides a society into two groups. Researchers report that disadvantage can take such forms as lower promance computer, lower quality or high price connections, difficulty of obtaining technical assistance, and lower access to subscription based contents.

The lack of access to ICT deprives citizens of a chance to access information relevant to their development. Even the assumptions that making telecommunications devices available in semi-rural areas and rural areas contributes to increased universal access is erroneous. We need to go beyond the access equals-development scenario.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Cain Miller, C. (2008) ,how obama’s internet campaign changed politics. The New York times, November 7.

Hamilton, M. (2006), The role of libraries in bridging the digital divide, Academic information service, October 26.

Internet world statistics 2008: www.internetworldstats.com

South Africa -the Good news (2008) mobile internet users exceed pc users, 27 November. www.sagoodnews.co.za

Personality Profile

They say that entreprenuers are made not born but with talent its a different ball game. Lethabo Dikgale is a very multitalented young man who was born in the town Polokwane Ivy park and thats were he discoverd his major talents.

Lethabo Dikgale is a young man who is blessed with several talents which most young men don’t have. Lethabo is singer, a songwriter, and a painter which is a very rear activity amongst our young stars of today.

He started discovering all these talents when he was in primary school where he had to choose between playing sports or participate in some sort of activity at school. Since he didn’t like all these physical activities where people run around he decided to do arts and join a choir at his school. At that time he just participated in these activities because they were forced to participate in something at their school.

The day that Lethabo discovered that he can really sing was when one day his choir asked him to test the microphone and that he must sing something, and that’s when they discovered he is a great singer and he can go really far with that kind of voice.

Lethabo stated that people in his community supported him as he went further with his career in music. He sang in several churches in his community where he blessed people with his powerful voice. ”my Mom and Dad supported me all the way”, said Lethabo.

Lethabo also stated that what inspires him in his paintings is that he is able to express his emotions through painting and people tend to love his paintings to an extend that they would want to buy his paintings at a very high price, just by him expressing himself on paper. So when he discovered people really love his painting then he started to make it his hobby and paint often.

With his song writing he states that he can write about anything in general and his lyrics tend to change someone’s situation out there. “When I write I want to make someone smile or solve a certain situation through the lyrics that I write”.

This young man has achieved so much just at the age of 23, he has been in several professional bands, He has written songs for great artists around South Africa, and at this age he is really doing well for himself.

Amongst all these exclusive talents Lathabo sates that singing is actually what he is really connected to more that painting an song writing, singing is I am going to continue doing to change people’s lives out there if that is what it takes. “I want to become a producer, and I would like to inspire more people to do what I can do and better”, said Lethabo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Network Society

Network society

According to castells, a network is a decentralised matrix of nodes through which communication can occur with a multidirectional freedom which is neither time-bond or spatially restricted. In his trilogy, castells traced the effects of three independent processes that have come together to produce a new society.

·         The information technology revolution

·         Economic crisis of capitalism and communism

·         New social movement like environmentalism and feminism.

I agree with the fact that mobile and wireless technology will spread the network society to the most remote places and the deepest pores of the world.

In the network society, power is no longer controlled by institutions, organisations, or symbolic controllers. It is defused in global networks of wealth, power, information, and images, which circulate around a variable landscape. A new culture is formed by networks in which a space of flows transcends a space of places. According to castells, space is inseparable from time. A space of flows produces timeless time. Together, the space of flows and timeless time produce a culture of real virtuality, through a system of codified meaning that becomes reality, a concept that strongly resembles baudrillard’s theories on simulation and silmulcra.

5 Characteristics of Network society

·         An informational economy in which sources of productivity and competitiveness for firm, regions, countries depend more than ever on knowledge, information and the technology of their processing, including the technology of management and the management of technology.

·         A global economy that is not the same as a word economy, and is new reality.

·         National, regional and local economics depend ultimately on the dynamics of the global economy to which they are connected through networks and markets.

·         The network enterprise is a new form of organisation characteristic of economic activity, but gradually extending its logic to other domains and organisations.

·         The transformation of work and employment; the flexi-workers. There is no major surge in unemployment (except in Western Europe) but there is great anxiety and discontent about work. Power relations have shifted in favour of capital with much downsizing, subcontracting and networking of labour, inducing flexibility and individualisation of contractual arrangement.

 

Mobile technology is taking off in leaps and bounds. While this technology is relatively new in the big scheme of things, it is certainly not new in anyone’s mind; indeed, it truly feels like mobile devices have been around forever. It has changed human history; it allows us to stay connected regardless of our geographical location.

Mobile technology has helped global communication to improve. It has facilitated efficient business processes by enabling easy recording customer’s information, updating information and placing quick orders with suppliers. Advancements in the mobile technology have facilitated the production of smartphone that are lighter, cheaper and faster. However, ethical end legal issues have also risen as users interact with mobile technology.

The potential benefits of mobile technology are many. It has enabled businesses to improve the quality of services offered to consumers. Customers are able to pay for their bills using smartphones; it saves customers travelling costs that they would have incurred if they paid their bills in the premises of the business.

Mobile technology faces several legal issues. One of the major issues is on the liable party in case a security breach occurs when a customer pay his/her services through mobile technology. It is either the customer or the service provider who faces the legal liability depending on the circumstances of the case.

Mobile technologies have also caused many social problems. Drivers are exposed to the risk of the road accidents when they communicate via mobile phones while driving at the same time. Scientists also claim that mobile technology devices expose users to many health risks. Such devices produce electromagnetic fields that are harmful to the human brain. Excessive electromagnetic fields have been to cause memory loss, and brain trumors. (EHHI 2012).

So the fact that mobile and wireless technology will spread the network society to the most remote places and the deepest pores of the world is very true accirding to the research that has been made.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bibliography

Castells, M. (2001) The internet galaxy. Reflections on the internethe internet galaxy. Reflections on the internet, business and society, oxford university press, chapter 4, pp.116-39

Sonya.R (2012) The social media tightrope

www.ericsson.com/thinkingahead/networked_society

www.newinfluencer.com/mediapedia/network-society/

 

should companies hold their employees responsible for individual activity/activities on social media?

Should companies hold their employees responsible for individual activity/activities on social media?

When the social networking began, many companies dealt with it by not dealing with it; by this meaning they simply banned/blocked social networking sites on the company network. Social media, while still a growing trend, is fast becoming one of the most effective and important marketing channels available to any business.

I agree with the fact that companies should hold their employees responsible for individual activity/activities on social media. Social media has become a way which people communicate these days, verbal communication is being ignored lately because of social media. Many employees these days tend to use social media at their workplace for their own personal reasons and that is unacceptable. Yes, social media may be used at the workplace but it must be used for things which are work related and will benefit the company not only the employee.

Today’s young workers have grown up with internet access and come to the job with the expectation that they will have those resources at their disposal. If you deny them the ability to check their facebook pages during lunchtime or tweet when they are taking a coffee break, they will find a way around it or leave to work for a company that has fewer restrictions. There is probably a case to be made for restricting usage of social networks by employees while they are at work.

Companies that have a history of poor treatment of employees or those companies with bullying aggressive work environments are discovering that social networks are their worst enemies. On the other hand, companies should be able to forbid employees from sharing trade secrets, financial information, customer data and other important documents online.

With the majority of internet users now also engaging in social interaction through platforms such as facebook, twitter, google, blogs and you tube businesses can no longer afford to only market by means of websites. Social media marketing allows for the extension of your business online presence to where the users are.

The highly interactive and instaneous nature of social media presents great opportunities as well as challenges for businesses. Brand can now interact and engage with the target audience in ways never before possible, but the media requires careful planning and execution to ensure brand perception issues.

Social networking sites have become the modern-day water coolers, they provide employees with an unprecedented platform to interact and express their opinions about their co-workers, managers and jobs. Faced with now undeniable reality of pervasive social networking by employees, many employers have implemented various policies and practices to attempt to mitigate any negative consequences of disgranted employees using social media to post harmful remarks about work.

Organisations can’t let policy changes stop them from moving forward. Instead they need to remain complaint, educate employees and build the brand all at the same time.

It is important that we recognize the business value of social media in order to connect with clients, employees and the media.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Debra Littlejohn Shinder, july 14, 2009 2:42 pm. Accessed on 9 march 2013

George F. Shell, February 9, 2011. Accessed on 9 march 2013

Waters, G.2012. ‘’social and media law enforcement’’. Accessed on 9 march 2013

www.roche.com

 

The possible environmental effects on fracking exploration of gas in South Africa.

The Possible environmental effects on fracking exploration of gas in South Africa’s Karoo region.

In 2009, petroleum agency South Africa granted permission to shell to conduct an assessment of shale resources in the karoo basin, the semi desert area known for its arid beauty and arching poverty. but deep beneath its sheep, an arid region spanning 800 miles between Johannesburg and Cape Town. In December 2010, shell submitted three separate exploration license applications for areas around 30,000 square kilometres each, in the Western cape, Eastern cape, and Northern provinces of South Africa.

In South Africa, hydraulic fracturing, also known as ‘’fracking” has been the subject of heated dabate, international oil companies, notably shell South Africa, bundu and oil, and falcon gas and oil, applied for shale gas exploration permits in the Karoo in 2010. Environmental groups such as treasure the Karoo action group (TKAG), which believe fracking will cause irreparable damage to the Karoo’s biodiversity and underground water reservoirs, contested this.

South Africa department of water affairs figures that  of the so odd towns, villages, and settlements falling within shell’s concession in Karoo, 37 rely entirely on groundwater, 10 use a combination of groundwater and 3 use the surface alone.

During the fracking millions of litres of water, sand and chemicals most of which are toxic, corciogic as well as teratogenic diesel fuel, naphthalene compounds etc are pumped into boreholes at a high pressure to release natural gas trapped in layers of the underground rock.

Large parts of South Africa’s beautiful, but water-poor and ecologically sensitive Karoo region are under threat of being devastated by mining operations to extract natural gas using controversial technique called hydraulic fracturing or fracking.

According to geologist Gerrit van Tonder, fracking in Karoo will eventually contaminate the groundwater supply, whether due to well casing failures or upward migration of fluids from faults and fractures.

Shell says the drilling will create needed employment and alternative to the country’s reliance on coal, but the remains concerns about benefits for local citizens.

The government will stop the exploration of shale gas in South Africa’s karoo region if it is found that hydraulic fracturing or fracking poses any risk to the water table or to the square kilometre array (ska) telescope project, says mineral resources Susan Shabanga.

The government insists that if it becomes apparent that exploration is harming the Karoo, they will shut it down. The report presented to the capinet says careful regulation of disposal of the noxious water produced during fracking would be crucial, but some fear that the lure of energy independence and the prospect of creating jobs in a country where unemployment is currently running 25% will prove too tempting no matter how much damage is done in the process.

A critical evaluation is then carried out on the potential impact on fracking in the karoo. The lack of a conclusive scientific consensus on the environmental externalities and economic benefits of fracking is evident.

So it can also be viewed that  the exploration also had a positive impact in the country not only did it cause distractions and abit of depression. towards other provinces in the country.

 

References

De Wit, MJ, 2011. ‘’The great debate in the Karoo’’, accessed on 27 February 2013.

Rutendo Dhilwayo ’’fracking in the karoo:a step in the right direction’’, 16 November 2012.

SANews.gov.za, accessed on 27 February 2013.

Shell. ’the Karoo Basin’’, accessed on 28 February 2013.

South Africa imposes ‘fracking’ moratorium in Karoo. April 21,2011.

Living life to the fullest

As we all know life ie very short so its important as individuals to live it to the fullest.