December | Circle Of Concern Magazine by Circle of Concern Magazine

DECEMBER 2014

Social | Economic | Political Minded Leaders

CIRCLE OF CONCERN

MAGAZINE

The Black GOLD MZANSI IS NKANDLAFIED AND ZUMAFIED Cell C LOST IN BOTH FIELDS! PROACTIVE ENVIROPRENEURSHIP RSA R19.50

2310-8827

It is either you shut up or go home, SANRAL anthem THE NEED FOR CAREER GUIDANCE IN SCHOOLS

10 D

igits

INSIDE THE MAGAZINE | PAGE 4

CONTENTS

DECEMBER 2014

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY Minister lauds disability-friendly hotel 6 Editorial : Let Go 10 Cover story : The Black Gold

Making IT in an ICT environment Proactive Enviropreneurship

CellC lost in both fields

Why you should become a BRAND? BRAND 19

EDUCATION, SOCIAL AND POLITICS 20 Years of Science, Technology and Innovation in South Africa 7 Bcom (Roban Island and Freedom Fightiing) 11 Mzansi Nkandlafied and Zumafied

The need for career guidance _Researcher writes. 31 E-toll Chaos- shut up or go home

Komane Golden

EDITORIAL With Managing SPACE Editor

Depoliticising vital institutions

The Team EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Komane Golden | golden@circleofconcern.co.za JUNIOR EDITOR Molebogeng Mashobane | lebo@circleofconcern.co.za FINANCE EDITOR Kulani Mhlanga | Kulani@circleofconcern.co.za COPY EDITOR Marvin Malaka | m.malaka@circleofconcern.co.za EDUCATION AND SOCIAL EDITOR Harold Ncongwane | harold@circleofconcern.co.za WRITERS Ofentse Maluleka Andrew Sako Michelle Nchabeleng Lebogang Mabotha Thulani Masilela SUBSCRIBTION Sako Andrew | andrew@circleofconcern.co.za | 071 328 7107 ADVERTISING Golden Komane | golden@circleofconcern.co.za | 071 328 7107 PUBLISHER Circle of Concern Magazine

Opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of this magazine, its editor or its publishers. The mention of specific products in articles or advertisements does not imply that they are endorsed or recommended by Circle of Concern Magazine or its publishers in presence to others of a similar nature, which are not mentioned or advertised. While every effort is made to ensure accuracy of editorial content, the publishers do not accept responsibility for omissions, errors or any consequences that may arise therefrom. Reliance on any information contained in this publication is at your own risk. The publishers make no representations or warranties, express or implied, as to the correctness or suitability of the information contained and/ or the products advertised in this publication. The publisher shall not be held liable for any damages or loss arising , incurred by readers of this publication or any/ other person/s. The publisher disclaim all responsibility and liability for any damages, including pure economic loss and any damages, resulting from the use of any service or product advertised in this publication. Readers of this publication indemnify and hold harmless the publishers of this magazine, its employees and servants for any demand, action, application or other proceedings made by any third party and arising out of or in connection with the use of any services and/or products or the reliance of any information contained in this publication.

INSIGHT

Know Your Country | PAGE6

FORWARDING Minister lauds disability-friendly hotel

Source: SAnews.gov.za (http://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/minister-lauds-disability-friendly-hotel) Cape Town – Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom says the opening of a hotel that employs deaf people is the first of its kind and should inspire the hospitality industry to follow suit. The Park Inn Radisson Hotel opened its doors in Newlands, Cape Town, on Thursday night. The hotel has partnered with the Deaf Federation of Southern Africa (DEFSA) to build a hotel that boasts facilities that creates a special access for people with disabilities. A third of all staff members at the hotel are deaf. One non-executive member of the board is deaf and DEFSA also holds shareholding in the hotel. Speaking at the opening of the hotel, Minister Hanekom said by employing staffers with disabilities, the hotel had raised the bar and posed a challenge to the local and international hospitality sector. “What this does in the world of tourism and in the hospitality industry is that it raises the bar. When we talk about responsible tourism, when we talk about community participation, it challenges all other hotels around the country to do the same – to rise to the challenge,” he said. Minister Hanekom also said involving deaf people was a way of tapping into the potential of skilled professionals that have been overlooked by employers. The Minister said South Africa has more than 400 000 people who use sign language, and that just over one million people in the country are almost deaf. “If we can tap into this potential, we can make this country a better place, and I think that is what we should be doing.

“We should be looking at the great potential, the great talents that we have for our people, recognise these talents, unleash these talents,” he said. He said 70% of all deaf people in South Africa were unemployed because of societal attitude. “It is an attitude that needs to change,” said Minister Hanekom. The Minister also said the country had one of the greatest constitutions in the world that has a Bill of Rights that advocated for the right to dignity of all that live within the borders. “When you have a job, you are one step ahead to having a life of dignity. Through this project, we are harnessing and tapping into the potential of the many people in our country,” he said. Minister Hanekom congratulated the management of the hotel for having taken the initiative to partner with DEFSA and said government would do all it can to support the hotel going forward.

EDUCATION

Know Your Country | PAGE7

Science and Technology on launch of coffeetable books: 20 Years of Science, Technology and Innovation in South Africa. The year 2014 marked a milestone in South Africa's history, as the country celebrated 20 years of democracy. During the year government highlighted numerous achievements since the dawn of democracy.

Source: Department of Science and Technology areas, playing an important role in major international projects and making groundbreaking progress in research and development. "For example, today we host a huge allocation of mega international projects, such as the Square Kilometre Array. South Africa is also increasingly making its mark in the international arena in terms of scientific publications," said Dr Mjwara, addressing officials from the Department's entities and from Japan, who attended the event.

In this spirit, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) celebrated its achievements by launching a coffee-table book called 20 Years of Science, Technology and Innovation in South Africa.The book highlights the role and importance of science and technology in society. The DST's Director-General, Dr The coffee-table book highlights the work that Phil Mjwara, launched the book on has been done since the adoption of the Tuesday evening, 9 December 2014. White Paper on Science and Technology in 1996 â&#x20AC;&#x201C;when science only benefited a few â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to In addition, the DST launched another today, when a majority of South Africans, coffee-table book marking the 10-year especially the marginalised, are benefiting cooperation between South Africa and from science.The publication draws attention Japan in the field of science and to the many initiatives and programmes such technology. as information and communication technology projects that are connecting rural communities The coffee-table book, 20 Years of to the Internet for the first time, research to Science, Technology and Innovation in discover vaccines for diseases such as HIV South Africa, chronicles South Africa's and TB, and the exploitation of indigenous journey in achieving government's ideal plants for medicinal purposes, among other of "A better life for all" though science, things. technology and innovation. The book also records the country's endeavours to It also provides insight into larger projects carve out a niche for itself on the global such as the Square Kilometre Array and the science and technology stage. cutting-edge engineering involved in it, as well Addressing the launch event this week, as industry projects such as a viable titanium Dr Mjwara said that over the past 20 industry in South Africa, the benefits of space years South Africa had increasingly science and how the exploitation of hydrogen become a hub of scientific and and fuel cells can provider cleaner alternative technological excellence in a number of energy for the country in the future.

EDUCATION As a developing country, South Africa recognises that international cooperation and science and technology partnerships are important in the endeavour to enhance its knowledge-generation capacity. The second coffee-table book, South Africa-Japan Cooperation in Science and Technology, illustrates how a North-South relationship could be mutually leveraged to benefit both countries and their people. The strong relations between South Africa and Japan are evident in the range of activities that have taken place since the signing of a bilateral agreement in 2003. The two countries have since invested more than R85 million (over R72 million contributed by Japan) in more than 50 joint research projects and other programmes that have provided South African researchers, scientists and students with access to Japanese expertise and science facilities. The interim chargĂŠ d'affaires of the Embassy of Japan, Mr Hiroaki Fujiwara, expressed delight at what both countries had achieved since signing a bilateral agreement in 2003.

Know Your Country | PAGE8

He remarked that more than twenty Japanese universities had frameworks for cooperation with South African universities and research institutions, including those between the Nagaoka University of Technology and the Tshwane University of Technology. "I hope that the book, which has been launched today, will not only be very useful for reflecting on the past cooperation, but also be instrumental in further promotion of cooperation in science and technology between Japan and South Africa," said Mr Fujiwara. Both Dr Mjwara and Mr Fujiwara paid tribute to former Japanese Ambassador Yoshizawa for his efforts to promote the science, technology and innovation cooperation during his term in this country, and they were looking forward to welcoming new Ambassador Hiroki in mid-December.

INFORMATION | PAGE 9

EDITORIAL

Editor-In-Chief | PAGE11

Let Go! Less than 31 days for the year to vanish within the thin air. Everyone is delighted physically so but their hearts are still mourning for the letdowns they had to deal with throughout the year. Its time to understand that letting go of such bad knowhow is the only option in the box. You cannot be stuck in that mess, turn it into a message and let it pass. Your future is kindly waiting for you and do not waste time looking back. View a dawn as a chapter of your life, we often miss what other chapters has stored for us by simply revisiting the first chapters more than 20 times. If you cannot changed the past then let go of them. Imagine if you were still on the chapter of childhood, you would not be matured today. You managed to let go of some stuff in your life why can’t you let go of the current failures.

You have to sweep the mess and let your heart and soul rejoice in a tidy vacuum as you are waiting for the new stuff. 2014 is almost over and let us prepare for 2015 with strong and positive mindset. I see the great year ahead only if you can understand that rubbish belongs in the bin, a simple philosophy to put in mind. Enjoy holidays and be safe! Circle of Concern Magazine love you.

Golden

“You cannot be stuck in that mess, turn it into a message and let it pass”

POLITICS

BCom (Roban Island and Freedom Fighting) Golden

There is one worst qualification in South Africa and that is BCom (Roban Island and Freedom fighting). Our government failed decimally to have the interest of our people at heart because it has been requiring BCom (Roban Island and Freedom Fighting) for critical leadership positions. If that isn’t true then explain it to me, how Jacob Zuma became our president and how Hlaudi Motswaneng ended up at the heights of SABC? I definitely understand that there are lot of allegations roaming around but saying Jacob Zuma is not fit for the chair is a fact. Actually him and other cadres with BCom (Roban Island and Freedom Fighting) in government departments and state owned enterprises. We do venerate the fact that these folks fought for sovereignty, thumbs up.

However we cannot die for two word freedom fighters, yes we cannot. How we conduct ourselves is how we will be internationally judged, our president doesn’t have a simple matric certificate yet we want our fellow brothers and sister to be educated. I knew right away that something stinky was going to happen before Nkandla saga brought to the table. These are things you can expect from individuals who graduated from the University Of Nowhere with BCom (Roban Island and Freedom Fighting) simply because they understand nothing but self-enrichment.

These are things you can expect from individuals who graduated from the University Of Nowhere with BCom (Roban Island and Freedom Fighting)

To achieve both economic growth and economic development, we need to scrap away the current hiring process in government departments and state owned companies. Political power done and dusted now we want economic independence. We need the right people at right positions. The fact that the government failed doesn’t simply mean that they never cared but the truth is, they cared less compared to their stomachs.

POLITICS

Politics with G | PAGE12

Mzansi Nkandlafied and Zumafied With Golden Who to trust, Public protector or Ad hoc committee? The Nkandla issue became everything the parliament worries about since the release of Public Protector’s findings. It is not just a parliamentary drama that makes good headlines for publications to sell but the societal betrayal by the members of parliament and president Jacob Zuma himself. The economic growth has been declining while the arguments on Nkandla incline. Many unresolved issues and problem faced by ordinary South Africana in particular. We have never seen arguments on National Student Financial Aid Scheme budget but yet students drop out as a result of lack of funding. This shows us that our same president does not care about education and yet we all understand why. With R120K, Nkandla will be part of agenda until he pays the money. The theme is not to forget about the matter and go forward but to find a common solution. The powers and privileges of the office of the Public Protector need to be enshrined. We thought the report of the Public Protector supersedes any report with an exception.

This showed the ordinary South Africans that the African National Congress and its leaders do not care about the future of this country. Watching parliament is interesting for those who never bothered themselves to watch it before but pains those who are aware of the purpose of the National Assembly. One has to explain how the hell in earth a Tuck-shop, Transformer & LV Room, Genset Room and Refuse Area cost R 956,381.16. Without the Fire Pool and Parking which cost R 2,819,051.66. Looking at the graph, you will clear see that something is fishy and still smells. If South Africans are paying tax for people like Zuma to lavishly upgrade their homesteads then we are doomed. We already knew the outcomes of the Ad hoc committee before they could be release. It was actually ANC study group. How the ANC conducted itself on Nkandla matter showed us clearly that they are no longer recognising the working class who casted

their votes to them. This clearly shows the end of democracy. We have not forgotten the situation were ANC MP was disciplined for not siding with the party in parliament. Further, as a party, the ANC has shown that it does not take kindly to its own siding with the opposition, as illustrated by the call for ANC MP Ben Turok to be disciplined when he abstained from voting on the Protection of State Information Bill (the Secrecy Bill)-ISS article What’s the use of sending lot of MPs to parliament if they cannot express themselves? Why not sending one MP and take care of the rest at Luthili House. ANC must stop protecting president Zuma on Nkandla issue and take care of its voters. We don’t want to see what happened in parliament few weeks ago to happen again. It’s our money and the dishonourable members must stop wasting it. And you Jacob Zuma pay back the MONEY.

COVER STORY

Black The Gold | PAGE13

The Black GOLD Michelle Nchabeleng

The color black is mainly associated with the not so pleasant things of the world. ‘Blacklisted, black eye, black mail’ the list gets as ridiculous as ‘black magic’ but as incredulous as it may sound, black is the new GOLD. Bid farewell to the perspective that everything black is either incapable or bad. What do I mean? Think about the clothes you are wearing at this instant, how you got to work this morning, the music or movie you played as entertainment thereafter and the medication you took before bed. All that summed up in a three letter word. OIL!

Black oil.

COVER STORY

rude

Black The Gold | PAGE14

oil

essential fossil fuel commonly called petroleum in a liquid state found within the Earth. Its components includes hydrocarbons, organic compounds and small amounts of metal. Its composition varies with the type of crude oil and its extraction. It is through the heating and compression of organic matter over long periods of time that crude oil forms. The remains of organisms such as algae and zooplankton settle on the bottom of the ocean, these organic materials then combine with mud and as times passes its temperature increases due to the pressure from the heavy layers of sediments. This process is referred to as diagenesis and alters the chemical composition into a waxy compound, kerogen which later turns into a liquid through cataganesis. must climb the tree!

“This commodity’s imperativeness goes unquestioned, oil is used in almost all areas of our daily lives.”

This commodity’s imperativeness goes unquestioned, oil is used in almost all areas of our daily lives. It generates heat, drives machinery, fuels cars and airplanes and its components are used to synthesize chemical products such as plastics, detergents, paints and medicines. It is quite a remarkable resource thus it is essential to enhance our ability to extend the production lives of existing oil fields. But at what cost? From being utilized to serve purposes as essential as power generation and feeding the world’s population through its role in producing fertilizers and packing food items to serving purposes as luxurious as producing DVDs and mp3S, the world consumes about fourteen billion of litres each day! This suggests that oil is a major driver of the economy of many countries, oil companies make up a great stake of a country’s economy. It affects everyone, through employment, investments even consumption.

COVER STORY

Black The Gold | PAGE15

“Unless government appropriately regulates oil developments and holds oil executives accountable, the public will not trust them to drill. And we must!”Sarah Palin

It’s demand is not only an indication of how much of it is needed but also of how much of it will be needed, since it is a non-renewable resource this puts us at risk running out of this natural capital that keeps us “alive” but most concerning , it has a negative impact on the environment. Because it is a mixture of many different kinds of atoms it affects the environment and the organisms that live in it in many different ways. Oil is reputed for being “acutely lethal” to fish, that is it kills fish and in essence threatens biodiversity. Oil also has benzene that causes leukaemia and its exposure to people may make them more susceptible to infections.

Moreover when oil is burnt it causes air pollution, usually the combustion does not reach completion, and this means that incompletely burnt toxic compounds are produced in addition to water and carbon dioxide. These compounds can cause heart problems or even death. Many trees have fallen victim to acid rain, an after math of burning petroleum. Increased temperatures from oil combustion cause nitrogen gas surrounding the air to oxdize forming nitrous oxides and sulfer oxide from the sulfer in the oil combine with water and form acid rain. Acid rain kills fish and results in acidic water basins with dead fish.

COVER STORY Acid rain also corrodes machines and deteriorates archaeological structures. The melancholy is that all these are a consequence of human actions. We often complain about the unstable weather conditions we encounter, a large factor to the ever unstable weather conditions is the emission of carbon dioxide. It goes without saying that the burning of large amounts of petroleum results in large amounts carbon dioxide which traps heat in the atmosphere depriving it the ability to escape and in the long run causing global climate change. Then next time we think about the rights that humans are entitled to, we should also think about the responsibility that should be entailed with ensuring that these needs are met. Whether it appears to you as being gold or as black, the inevitable remains, it isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t completely bad or perfectly good just as any other existing thing.

Black The Gold | PAGE16

As usual we have placed our needs before those of the environment and It seems In innovative thinking we practice a lot the saying of biting the hand that feeds us forgetting that planting a seed of evil will grow up to our ruin. Be motivated to not only be involved in crude oil through ownership but also as an investor in its conservation and in research that aims to decrease its demand and increase the supply of alternative bio-fuels- hopefully delaying the inevitable until a new and more environmentally sustainable energy source is found. There is only a finite amount of crude oil in the world and costs are rising to recover what remains. As crude products are so essential to our economy today shortages would lead to significantly higher prices and could precipitate another energy crisis. We were always taught to make good habits our friends and bad habits our enemies, let us apply this wisdom in all that we do that affects the environment. Remember he who would want to have the apple

TECHNOLOGY

Surviving In Tech | PAGE16

Making IT in an ICT environment

Andrew Sako Information Communication and Technology (ICT) may be considered as one of mankindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s greatest inventions of the 20th century comparable to nuclear energy. One notable feature of ICT compared with other energy-intensive system technologies is that it involves many persons: inventors, designers, developers and above all, users. ICT requires extensive support from many people and also has a great impact all over the world. ICT has already been used to address environmental, economic and societal problems. For example, sensing technology has been used to monitor environmental conditions; simulation and prediction to support decision-making on environmental issues; and database technology to support the accumulation of monitored data sets. There is still much scope for ICT to be applied to environmental problems, for ubiquitous computing is expanding the realworld applications of ICT. Further, there are many intelligent information processing techniques involving adaptive and learning capabilities that would provide flexibility for decision making.

BUSINESS

Branding | PAGE 19

Why you should become a BRAND? BRAND Harold Ncongwane

harold@circleofconcern.co.za

Quote often we come across individuals who are referred as being wealthy or successful. From a distance view their lives appear to be perfect and well established, so we admire them.

In other words when individuals think or hear your name, a certain image must come into their minds and this process shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be hard for the person hearing about your name.

However we tend to forget one thingthat their names are like social networks, so they trend. Many writes and motivational speakers have spoken what can one do to become successful, however they many donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pay great attention to branding as vital for one to become successful.

Many people think that building a brand only applies to business and organizations that would like to appear appealing to customers, while some ambitious individuals understand that in order to attract wealth and success you need to learn how to self yourself ,as much as a big company also needs to sell its products to customers. Companies often try to distinguish themselves from other service providers through branding and marketing in order

Branding can be defined as act whereby your name is associated with certain characteristics or products.

BUSINESS to gain an interest from the clients.The truth is these principles also apply to us when we think about our careers and goals. You need to find out what makes you different from other candidates who are looking for the same opportunities that you are interested in. Developing a brand starts by selfknowledge and deep introspection- whereby you have to understand yourself first before you can discover your uniqueness. Knowing yourself means that you are aware of your strengths and weaknesses. You can choose to build your brand by either you weakness or strengths since these are aspects that make you different from another person. Branding yourself means identifying the most different and even the weirdest thing about yourself and using it to make a living.

Branding | PAGE 20

such a society like South Africa we are used to the notion of working hours a day at an office, where we are headed by individuals with their own philosophies and work ethics. However we also witness individuals who have become an office instead of working in an Office, they are working from home and wealth and a luxurious lifestyle follows them around wherever they may go. This is about building a brand and making yourself known.

We have seen how things are done in the media industry where an individual may start as singer and due to the progress he or she has made in the singing, they may be called to do some acting on a local soapie. Film producers or directors will work extra hard to mentor an individual with an already established brand. Some individuals may call this nepotism and corruption, but I disagree.

Johannesburg, Gauteng province: Dobonsonville, Soweto. Photo: , MediaClubSouthAfrica.com.

This is a wise move by directors of the soapies because they understand the power of branding.

If the singer is one of the cast members then viewership will increase. This will mean more business for them. Therefore, having a brand talks about forcing someone to hire you by virtue of your name.

BUSINESS

Branding | PAGE 19

Bloemfontein, Free State province: A positive community image used in bank advertising. Photo: Graeme Williams, MediaClubSouthAfrica.com

This is why we see the same faces on TV on different shows. It is because of what their brand and hard work. Many people still have not got the (Ahha!!) moment by realizing that employers always look at your online profile when they screen you, before they call you for an interview. It most cases what comes out of the internet or search engine is taken to define the person you are. In some cases it may determine whether they take you in or they shut the door and leave you outside from their company.

Branding means where ever you go or you need to always sell yourself to make people to be aware about what you can offer to them. There are a number of platforms you can use to build your brand. These include online social networks such as LinkedIn, twitter and Facebook. As The last Note, If you want to see how far your brand is try to Google your name. What Do You Find and what image do you portray to potential investors?

Branding means where ever you go or you need to always sell yourself to make people to be aware about what you can offer to them.

ENTREPRENEUSHIP

Enviropreneurship | PAGE24

PROACTIVE ENVIROPRENEURSHIP By Ofentse Maluleka

maluleka@circleofconcern.co.za

Entrepreneurship At school level we are taught different definitions of entrepreneurship and their role in the market world at large. â&#x20AC;&#x153;An entrepreneur is someone who identifies a business opportunity and take further steps in producing goods and services for the marketâ&#x20AC;?. We were not really taught the philosophy behind this market venture. Entrepreneurship is more like leadership; it takes courage, determination and hard work to operate as an entrepreneur.

Entrepreneurship is more like leadership; it takes courage, determination and hard work to operate as an entrepreneur.

ENTREPRENEUSHIP In this environment creating, building, expanding and sustaining a venture is what an entrepreneur needs in order to achieve his goals and have a sustainable business. The most important factor for an entrepreneur is to gather all the necessary information and also resources to exploit opportunities in the market place, for long-term wealth creation and capital gain. In a nutshell entrepreneurship is basically the process by which individuals pursue opportunities without and sometimes with regard to resources they currently control.

Enviropreneurship | PAGE25

In a nutshell entrepreneurship is basically the process by which individuals pursue opportunities without and sometimes with regard to resources they currently control. control

Eniropreneurship The environment becomes a sensitive cause when one operates his/her business using nature resources for producing goods and services. To remain in good shape as an entrepreneur in this sector, sustainability measures needs to be integrated. Policies need not only to include the social and economic means but also environmental sustainability during implantation and planning. Sustainability of this kind requires one to fully understand how his/her production capacity upholds. For an agriculturist, the amount of fertilizers and

irrigation applied to crops needs to be evaluated and controlled. A certain number of crops needs an amount x of fertilizers to be fully ready for cultivation. Being an active player in this industry requires knowledge on the environmental conditions of your farm.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;To remain in good shape as an entrepreneur in this sector, sustainability measures needs to be integratedâ&#x20AC;?

For a positive output, requires a strong input process. The study of the area, type of slope, soil properties, climate, water availability and the scale of your farm are vital for production success. Environmental management should be the leading factor if you want to be a giant role player in such an industry

ENTREPRENEUSHIP Acid rain also corrodes machines and deteriorates archaeological structures. The melancholy is that all these are a consequence of human actions. We often complain about the unstable weather conditions we encounter, a large factor to the ever unstable weather conditions is the emission of carbon dioxide. It goes without saying that the burning of large amounts of petroleum results in large amounts carbon dioxide which traps heat in the atmosphere depriving it the ability to escape and in the long run causing global climate change. Then next time we think about the rights that humans are entitled to, we should also think about the responsibility that should be entailed with ensuring that these needs are met. Whether it appears to you as being gold or as black, the inevitable remains, it isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t completely bad or perfectly good just as any other existing thing.

Enviropreneurship | PAGE26

ENTREPRENEUSHIP To be an environmental manager does not require having a background in environmental science but having a basic knowledge about the environmental conditions of the area, the average amount of goods to be produced and the level of labour and skills required. Thus environmental economics is a vehicle to balanced environmental, economic and social systems. Being an active entrepreneur utilizing natural resources directly or indirectly requires managing and controlling your waste. As part of profit generation through the benefits of goods and services, one should protect the environment to ensure future enjoyment and accumulation such profits through sustainability mechanisms and the understanding of the business model.

Reduce | Reuse | Recycle

Enviropreneurship | PAGE27

The role of sustainability Limits to economic growth are controlled by the type of sustainability model followed. Herman Daly in his article on sustainable development distinguishes between 'weak sustainability' and 'strong sustainability' in that the weak sustainability assumes that natural capital and human made capital are basically substitutes and strong sustainability assumes that the two forms of capital are complementary. Natural capital is a resource that is limited and requires the use of the 3 Râ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to make it sustainable, ReduceReuse-Recycle. The amount of waste generated should be studied and reduced, make other products from using wastes generated as resources and lastly recycle the remains. An environmentally sustainable business model must maintain a stable resource base, avoid overexploitation and promote resource conservation. As an enviropreneur, natural capital is balanced with human made capital knowing that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s useless to have the equipment and labour but with a degraded environment. Where natural resources are depleted. The profits must be evaluated and used to protect the environment and restore it through the use of improved business models and better skilled labour. Therefore enviropreneur is the way forward.

ENTREPRENEUSHIP

In The Market | PAGE28

Cell C lost in both fields!

Komane Golden

Legal & Reputation One of the South Africa’s leading cellular network downed its reputation after the attempt to clear its name against contentions made by an angry customer. Surely something better could have been done in returning its dignity unlike taking the legal routine which was helpless in restoring hope in their customers. A court order was not a good idea even if they could have won it. This serves as a lessons to entrepreneurs and business leaders who choose not to engage the customer before taking further steps. An angry customer printed a huge banner written “Cell C the most useless service provider in SA_Cell C Sandton City”.

According to the reports the banner cost an angry customer more R60k. This is uncommon in South African market. The customer George Prokas incurred costs when raising his voice and feelings regarding the service he got. This shows that the level of frustration the customer had to deal with was extraordinary. Cell C immediately filed an interdict to take the banner down because it believes that’s its defamatory and unlawful but they later lost the battle.

This is bad for the company mostly during the digital age where a statement or allegations can reach millions of people in 30 seconds. Would they had dealt with the matter in an appropriate manner, their name would have not suffered more pains. Surely Cell C need to be mentored by Woolies because they encountered kind of the same problem but their response earned them customers’ respect. We hope something like this would not happen in future and to other companies. Let all entrepreneurs and business leaders remember that the customer is the king. Their inputs and dissatisfactions must not be thrown in a bin. Value any feedback and deal with complaints appropriately.

DEBATE

ENVIRONMENTAL DEBATE| PAGE 29

DEBATE

Why is it difficult for devoloping nations to practice environmental sustainability?

Most developing nations have different social, political, economic and cultural views when they consider sustainable development. As part of their development plan strategy they need to put the goals and aims of sustainable development into action. ABONGILE

NEXT MONTH

The podium for orators to raise their concerns and view without fear of expulsion. Stay in the knowing while you are interacting with young leaders. Let’s all raise our voice and grow our understanding. Have your say, debate us.

Shortly his conversion toand the The after economics number-one position, Meyiwa, environmental systems are went to represent his province in not well designed to the Transnet U14 and Coca-Cola accommodate all tournaments the major U17 Inter-Provincial factors development. in 2000 as of a 13-year old. It was Developing countries have through one of these competitions that systems young Meyiwa again political that was identified by scouts are so biased, money is who not referred him to try out with the used evenly and most Pirates Development Academy. developments take a huge Shortly after his conversion to the capital to the so-called rich number-one position, Meyiwa, went to represent his province in countries. We have to help the Transnet U14 and Coca-Cola small enterprises and U17 Inter-Provincial tournaments encourage entrepreneurship in 2000 as a 13-year old. It was in the African natives. We through one of these are not wellthat educated about competitions young Meyiwa environmental systems was identified by scouts and who referred to try out with we don’thimconcentrate on the it, Pirates Development only capital is whatAcademy. we want.

I think that’s because developing countries do not have sufficient resources to research and implement environmentally sustainable methods, do we have adequate labour? Do we have appropriate machinery? Will we not be expected to hire foreign labour and in foreign currencies? Research is expensive and today’s decisions are made on the economic margin at the lowest possible cost. It would not help anyone to implement a method which will be expensive to maintain. Herman “De Admire”

TSHWARELO “Statuski”

Do you think it's important to scrap Mathematical Literacy out?

DEBATE

The environmental systems are a big issue when it comes to developing nations. Most developments are structured to obtain profit and share amongst the proposed developers and little to the hard workers and the environment. We have to advocate new environmental laws and dedicate ourselves in advancing them well by proper implementation. Poverty and environmental degradation in the developing world is more severe because of lack of leadership in the bureaucrats. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time that sustainable development priorities are well presented and involve democracy in all forms of systems, economic, social or environmental. The developing world should train officials from other sectors to practice sustainable development by introducing new ways of using natureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s resources. EUNICE

ENVIRONMENTAL DEBATE| PAGE 30

The reason being is that many countries developing countries are faced with socioeconomic problems such as poverty, unemployment and lack of services such as sanitation and of health facilities as a result resource are exploited to address this problems. Economic development is given more priority than environmental protection this is evident in the national law in the national of these countries that incorporate sustainable development. Implementation of this concept is still a problem due to poor planning and lack commitment by stakeholders to ensure that socioeconomic needs are met and to ensure that resources. Population growth is another factor that makes it difficult to practice sustainable development. To achieve sustainable countries should develop environmental laws that promote sustainable development and implement of course. FAKAZILE

The notion behind sustainable development is the vague and quite debatable. Being able to use resources and conserve the environment for the future generation remains impossible if sectors such as agriculture are pressurized to produce yields to satisfy the needs of the ever-growing populations. Agriculture in this regard can lead to land degradation due to expansion of agricultural lands and unequal distribution of wealth. Developing countries have arid to semi-arid climates but practices such as irrigation are used regardless of the water scarcity in these countries. The current reckless use of natural resources does not fall under the notion of sustainable development. TUMI

EDUCATION

CAREER GUIDANCE | PAGE 31

THE NEED FOR CAREER GUIDANCE IN

SCHOOL

Fortunate Silinda

EDUCATION

CAREER GUIDANCE | PAGE 32

The South African unemployment rate has been reported to be at 25.5% in the second quarter of 2014. These estimates suggest that 60% of youth are unemployed. This suggests that 6 out of 10 young people are unemployed. It is unfortunate that a

Doctor

majority of these individuals are young black people who have qualifications. One might question why there are a number of

Teacher

unemployed young people in our country when

there

are

number

posts

advertised daily. These trends are informed by the lack of skills in our country. A number of unemployment graduates in our country have social science Degrees. However the South African economy is in need of other skills other than those from the social science disciplines.

South Africa is suffering from lack of

skills

the

following

disciplines, medicine, engineering, accounting,

law,

agriculture.

Hence

artisan we

and

have

number of posts advertised seeking these skills.

This would suggest

that our education system and economic needs do not speak to one another. I am saying this because it appears that we are producing more graduates who are not currently needed to improve our economies competitiveness in the global market, and to advance and grow socio-economically as a country.

EDUCATION

The

CAREER GUIDANCE | PAGE33

imbalance

between

the

demands of the labour market and the number of graduates produced can

only

achieved

developing, training and sustaining a high-level human capital has to be

developed,

trained

and

sustained. I believe that one of the ways

achieving

strong

economy is through effective career counselling in schools particularly am

emphasising

schools conducted

because studies

township we

once among

government, private schools and former model C schools around Gauteng in 2012.

It was disappointing to see that the government schools we went to did not have an educational psychologist. We only saw educational psychologists in private schools and former model C schools. In addition, this observation

government schools. I

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The imbalance between the demands of the labour market and the number of graduates produced can only be achieved by developing, training and sustaining a high-level human capital has to be developed, trained and sustained.â&#x20AC;?

made sense when I reflected upon my experience regarding the number of students who came to seek among others career guidance services when I was an Assistant Student Counsellor.

EDUCATION A number of students would approach our offices seeking career guidance because they were not sure which qualification to pursue. Others would approach our offices because they encounter challenges to continue with their studies because they enrolled for the qualification because they felt that they had to enrol for a qualification. Some students would want to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree only to find that they do not have the required grade 12 subjects for the qualification. This observation made me see the challenges students from government schools are faced with. I would like to believe that if there is an effective career guidance system in these schools we will see a lot of students continuing with their studies. Furthermore, career guidance will also provide students with a variety of careers they can pursue mainly careers in science, engineering and technology. Students will also be able to have an idea about the requirements for the qualifications they can pursue.

CAREER GUIDANCE | PAGE34

EDUCATION-IN-BRIEF

SOCIETIAL CONCERNS

E-toll In RSA | PAGE 35

It is either you shut up or go home, SANRAL E-TOLL anthem Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Environmental assessment is a tool used to evaluate and reduce the significance of environmental impacts of development activities, to facilitate and promote sustainable development (Lee and George 2000:1). To promote sustainability through the integration of environmental, economic and social factors into policy planning requires that such assessment is conducted under a coherent and proactive public participation. SANRAL has experts who can conduct this process competently but still decided to exclude and restrict public participation.

Ofentse Maluleka

Question is, why SANRAL refuses to consider meeting the public halfway. There must be something our government is not telling the public. Considering that SANRAL has distanced itself away from public participation during this stage, the established panel by Gauteng Premier David Makhura is supposed to record public comments on the other SANRAL refuses to review the. The panel seems to be a waste of time as SANRAL just not consider those views as being relevant

SOCIETIAL CONCERNS

E-toll In RSA | PAGE 36

The e-Tolls Chaos The economic value placed on the development was communicated with the public before the upgrade of the roads. SANRAL should have conducted the SIA process way before development proceeds during the development process. The road being more like an open resource is not easy to regulate and that is why paying for e-tolls is such a challenge today. Placing economic value on development (in this case the Gauteng freeway road) requires that thorough research be conducted to investigate and identify its impacts as being environmentally, economically or socially. Therefore this clearly shows that the project did not follow the environmental impact assessment (EIA) regulations which are under the South African environmental legislation known as NEMA (National Environmental Management Act).

Because under such legislation, environmental, economic and social factors are taken into consideration when development has to proceed. The e-Toll system has a serious social impact on everyday users of the road and had they conducted SIA properly such impacts could have been mitigated way before the upgrade on the roads was done. The issue of economic value is the central theme of this chaos happening today. What I know is that placing economic value on any development after a major upgrade of development requires thorough assessment and research on the “willing to pay” objection by users and thus this is linked to “ability to pay”. For someone to be willing to pay for the road, he/she has to understand why economic value is placed for using the road, not because the developer says so. Yes, there have been talks that the government took a huge loan to improve the road but then such information should be communicated with the public much early before or during the development upgrade.