by James Miller of SA – the Good News

It is 30 years since HIV/AIDS was first diagnosed in the USA. Today 5.5 million South Africans are infected. Anti-retrovirals have been delivered to nearly a million sufferers. Considerable progress has been made with mother to infant infection. 

But the stark reality remains that there is no cure for AIDS. So have the advances in treatment programmes in South Africa made us lose focus on prevention?

by Sarah-Leigh Paul

Editor's Note: About eight years ago a vendor, who I had come to know quite well through selling 'Homeless Talk', came bounding over to me on a frosty mid-July morning on the corner of Sandton Drive and Marie Avenue, his "spot". He said "Sir, you will like this - only six bucks". It was my first copy of "The Big Issue", and I suspect one of the early editions. I was so chuffed with the content that I featured the story of this entrepreneurial endeavour in one of my early books "Miracles that are Changing a Nation" the story of social entrepreneurship in South Africa. My friend James still occupies his "spot", sadly I don't see him as much as I used to. I now live 400kms away!

Steuart Pennington

What happens when a local NPO (Non-Profit Organisation), aimed at assisting unemployed and marginalised adults to become their own micro entrepreneurs, is approached by one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world to guest edit their magazine?

Firstly they say YES and then they produce a very powerful and very informative magazine, that is not only worth buying (as a good deed), but worth reading from cover to cover (what a read!).

When I was informed that Virgin founder and world renown entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson had thrown his weight behind The Big Issue’s first special edition on entrepreneurship, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it.

I did this through buying one from my favourite local vendor, who was out in the rain with a smile on her face, and who made sure I knew that this was "a very special edition". For good measure I bought a second one from another bedraggled vendor for my "out of town parents".

In this week’s newsletter we have included our updated version, (larger, longer, and better) of South African "Fast Facts". These have been broadly categorised into Economic, Political, Social, Tourism, Education, Environmental and Miscellaneous facts. All these facts have been sourced from the hundreds of surveys that are now available at the push of a button from Google, Wikipedia, Nationmaster etc.

Having said that, it is important to understand that no survey on anything covers every single country in the world. There are approximately 230 countries listed globally, 209 members of FIFA, and 189 registered with the UN (although some researchers will tell you the number is 250 if "countries" like the Vatican City, independent from Italy, are taken into account). The deepest survey we have come across includes 192 countries (Unemployment Statistics), but most surveys don’t exceed 140 countries, and in many only the world’s top 60 countries, as measured by $GDP are included.

There are only 80 countries with a population in excess of 10 million people. South Africa ranks in the late 20’s/early 30’s on many of the basic measures e.g. population 25th, $GDP 32nd, $GDP (price purchasing parity) 25th, land size 25th, roads network 17th, rail network 11th, air network 25th, beer consumption 12th etc.

Given our history, it is extraordinary how well South Africa performs in some areas and sadly (and easily explainable) how badly we perform in others. In www.sagoodnews.co.za, we often feel somewhat schizophrenic as we celebrate the good and confront (lament) the bad. And, of course, we live in eternal hope that the Powers that Be will use the lessons from the areas in which we excel to improve on the areas in which we fail.

Having said that, we are "worst in the world" at nothing! If you read anywhere in our media that we are "worst in the world", Google the issue, establish the size of the survey, and then write to the offending journalist/newspaper editor/talk show host/television announcer and correct him/her!

Our intention, in time, is to add a new "fast fact" every week, and "yes", we will add a section on where we do worst!

Enjoy!

Steuart Pennington and James Miller (editor sagoodnews.co.za)

by Steuart Pennington of SA - the Good News

Today, South Africa joins the continent in celebrating Africa Day, a day to reflect on the proud achievements for the African continent and its infinite possibilities.

Africa Day is held on 25 May each year and is used to pay tribute to the continent's rich heritage, diverse languages, ethnicity and cultural backgrounds that make up its residents. The day is held in high regard as it marks an important sign of unity amongst the people of the continent and reaffirms the resolve to reconfigure the world along the values of human dignity, equality, and justice for all.

"The government and people of the Republic of South Africa acknowledge that the future of our continent is closely linked to our own future - as aligned in our foreign policy objective of establishing a better Africa in a better world," the International Relations department said in a statement to mark the day.

People often ask whether Africa is changing 

Many people warn of the danger of the "single story" of Africa. The countless tales of death, disease, disaster and despair prevail. However, if one looks at the "numbers" coming out of Africa, a story of a rapidly changing continent emerges:

by Marion Ellis 

On a hot March afternoon in the KZN Midlands a tour bus squeezed itself through some nondescript gateposts and down a tree-lined avenue, stopping in front of a group of women sitting on a grass verge. Their heads were down, their fingers flying, they were focussed on a large white cloth that lay between them, which they were all working on.

The group alighted somewhat uncertainly from the bus - this was an unscheduled stop. And there was no obvious signage on any of the buildings scattered around the rustic setting. A smiling man approached, welcoming the visitors and began telling them the story behind the spot they were on … he pointed to the seated women, his hands flew in the air, his broad gestures were clearly describing something significant. The group was spellbound.

One of the members of the group turned to me and said ‘’get him – I want to speak to him’’, so I tapped him on the shoulder mid speech, and led him to her. A few seconds later I saw a blaze of delight on his face and the biggest smile imaginable.

Editors Comment: So often one hears that Ubuntu is dead; or that it is part of ‘old’ African culture, but does not exist within the youth; or that it is a ‘black thing – not part of white culture’. So, when I met Sonja Kruse, an attractive, white, 30 ‘something’, living in the heart of Zululand I found her story literally incredible. Here it is by Sonja Kruse

Have you ever had a dream that is so powerful, so clear and so consuming, that it drags you away from your perceptions, into a new reality? That’s what happened to me. I had a dream. In the dream I saw myself being called to the road, carrying a backpack, a camera, a phone and a R100 and setting off on a country-wide ‘Ubuntu" tour. 

by Justin Foxton of Stop Crime, Say Hello

A young mother rocks back and forth, hands clasped tightly between her knees. She bites the edge of her lip; rocks and bites, rocks and bites. She looks cold – but it’s a sweltering March day in Durban. She is hungry.

A father sits two seats down the way. He looks like he’s about to be called into the headmaster’s office. He is nervous but tries to look cool. He too is hungry.

A child screams. She is just 14 months old and several hours in the hallway of the Durban Children’s Court has got the better of her. She is also hungry – and needs changing. 

In front of this little family - neatly wrapped in a receiving blanket and placed in a social worker’s car seat on the floor - is a tiny baby girl.

By Brigitte Jacobs

As South Africans we often challenge ourselves as to how we can make a difference in our country, at the same time being wary of an approach that seeks to bring about the change we think appropriate! We know that the country is brimful of undiscovered talent, sometimes hidden in the hills and valleys of our rural areas. We know that the entrepreneurial spirit exists but it is battling to gain access to the modern world of sophisticated dealers and buyers. We know that a little empowerment goes a long way to ensuring the sustainability of some of our poorest communities.

Steuart Pennington of SA - The Good News writes:

"Economic instability, political instability and social instability are the least of my worries, its geophysical instability that really bothers me!", a returning South African (from Brisbane) joked as he celebrated his return at a Homecoming Revolution event recently.

So what is happening to the so-called Brain Drain in SA? Are we still leaking talent, or has the hole been plugged, and is talent beginning to return ‘home’.

A South African educational success story. 

By David Wylde, former President of the International Confederation of Principals and a consultant to Penreach.

From Bushbuckridge, one of the worst performing educational districts in South Africa, emerges an inspirational, individual success story that deserves further scrutiny so that it can be held up as an example to others.

By Steuart Pennington of www.sagoodnews.co.za

Local government elections are to be held on the 18th May. Once again we the voting public will be serenaded with posters, promises, propositions and propaganda. After four general elections, characterised by personal vilification, will this local government election be any different? Will the parties contesting the election once again engage each other in a battle of invective? Or will we, as the electorate, be enticed by a choice that is more compelling and that makes us reflect on our voting habit? After 16 years of democracy, we have learnt a few things. Do our politicians appreciate this?

By Steuart Pennington of www.sagoodnews.co.za

We all had a bit of a scare with our beloved Madiba recently.

For a few days the world media focused again on our country, except that this time there was a real sense of anxiety regarding the world’s most famous icon, compared to the last time when the world obsessed about our ability to host a successful World Cup!

So it was with interest that I noticed a fairly ordinary looking plinth on the side of the R103 near Howick in KZN (the old national road between Johannesburg and Durban in the 50’s and early 60’s, now part of the esteemed KZN Midlands Meander) which read:

Editor’s note:/ We came to hear of the great work Africa Health Placements was doing in transforming South Africa’s fragile healthcare system and asked them to share the good news with our readers. The article is written by one of their hard-working members, who is also an avid reader of SA Good News. 

By Jeanette Strydom of Africa Health Placements

Overcrowding in public facilities, long hospital queues, sub-standard healthcare due to overworked doctors, and the implementation of a National Health Scheme? This is what we hear on the news and read about in the newspapers - honestly, it all sounds a bit overwhelming to the average South African. To me, it sounds like an opportunity for real solutions.

I have visited a rural hospital where women who have just given birth lay two to a bed, because there weren’t enough doctors to see to them. That being said, I have also seen hospitals where patients are tended to quickly and efficiently - where these patients have the choice of getting their ARVs from the hospital itself or from one of the mobile units in and around the community in which they live.

Change can happen behind your back right in front of your eyes”, a teacher once warned me. The recent Adcorp research, which involves tracking the employment circumstances of a million job seekers per annum, on employment/unemployment and activities in the formal and informal sectors of our economy is a good example of this. For years we have been told by Stats SA that ‘official unemployment’ is currently running at 25% of the economically active population and rising, ie that some 9 million people are unemployed (and that the projection is 45% by 2020). 

By John Battersby and Yingni Lu

There are periods in the dynamics of global power when the shift in trends is of such a scale that it is almost impossible to perceive the full impact of the moment. This was certainly the case with the phenomenal rise of China as a major global economic power.

And it is happening again with the rise of Africa as a priority investment destination, as it moves into a similar position that China was in three decades ago, when that country began opening its economy to global forces.

By Helen Zille, Premier of the Western Cape

In his best-selling book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell seeks to unravel "the story of success" - exceptional success, not just great achievement.

He defines an outlier as a "statistical observation that is markedly different from the norm" and asks: why do some people achieve so much more than others? How come they lie so far outside the ordinary? What is the secret of their success? He tries to find the answers by examining the lives, times and circumstances of legendary figures like Bill Gates, the Beatles and various sports stars.

 In each case, he finds the fortuitous combination of three key factors: 

• Opportunity;
• Natural ability combined with enormous personal effort; and
• The proverbial "hand of fate" - a confluence of circumstances that make exceptional things possible.

Editor's note:/ At SA - The Good News we are passionate about conserving South Africa's natural resources because it is paramount for our livelihood, tourism, biodiversity and not least of all, the legacy to be inherited by future generations. Hence our occasional inclusion of climate change articles and stories like the one below.

By Ann Burke of the Bill Barnes Crane and Oribi Nature Reserve

As I took in the sights and sounds of the Nguni Festival in Greytown in October last year, I smiled to see farmers with their wives and children in tow, mingling amongst the hefty green John Deere Tractors, discussing the merits of each piece of equipment with one another and the sales reps. From my view at top of the festival grounds, I gazed over the beer tent and the sound of children shrieking with delight on the carnival rides filled the air as did the tantalizing smell of cooking sausages. Except for the snippets of conversation I  heard, I could have been in several locales - the fairgrounds in my hometown of Baraboo Wisconsin, USA, the Royale Show in New South Wales, Australia, or the Thresherman's Festival in Saskatchewan, Canada. The conversations were in Zulu, Afrikaans, and English and I knew I was in South Africa - the country I first fell in love with in 1993.

January is traditionally a month of decisions and possibilities. If you think of the many changes and decisions you've made in "life", you'll realise that some of the most important decisions of your life have been made in a January month.

January is also a month of repurposing and realigning our lives to our core values, getting "back on track" as it were with the things that we purposed to do, but went off track with during the year-end rush and holiday festivities. 

January is a month of opportunities and questions - what will 2011 hold? What will it hold for my country and what will it hold for me? Is this the year to retire? Is this the year to complete my degree? Is this the year to start my own business? Is this the year to buy a home? With the dawn of January, there is a promise of a year ahead of endless options and time available to exercise them.

Reading several news sources to see what the experts think 2011 will hold, I've found that some of the opinions agree with my own. Apart from the usual political wranglings, and those that will come with Local Government Elections in May, I do not believe that 2011 is a year of special visibility or hype for South Africa as 2010 was when we hosted the Fifa World Cup Football Tournament.

2010 was an extraordinary year for South Africa. It was a landmark year like 1995 and 2007 when sport played an important political and social role in the life and future of the nation.

As much as it was a landmark year for South Africa, it was also a notable year for the African Continent as we saw the Fifa World Cup tournament come to our shores for the first time ever.

Although there were several other events that made 2010 significant, the World Cup was certainly the biggest and most publicised.

Here's what made 2010 memorable:

Everybody loves stories, especially heart-warming, inspiring stories just before Christmas.

South Africa is blessed with and abundance of such stories. We have 56 000 registered NPOs in the country all doing unbelievable work in the face of difficult and sometimes insurmountable odds. We have extraordinary stories to tell.

Sadly, many of these stories do not make the mainstream media. Most of our editors still hang onto the old and tired paradigm of "if it bleeds it leads". Yet, when there is a good story that inveigles its way into the newsroom it becomes the talking point everywhere.

Last week I met with Kim Feinberg of Tomorrow Trust (see Appendix 1). Boy, does she have a story to tell! Her primary interest is education. She reminds: "Remember your education? Revising late into the night, the intensity of exams, the gut-wrenching cross country runs, the homework that had to be done when you would have rather been out with your friends? But it wasn't all that bad. Remember laughing until you could not breathe, the long summer holidays, the trips, the first crush, the first kiss, the joy of graduating? ...Now imagine your school days without the support of your parents. Take away the transport. Then take away the books. Now take away the meals and a good night's sleep. Don't stop there. Take away the advice, take away the role models, take away the feeling of security. It would have all turned out very differently".

It is often said in answer to the question, "What scares you most, being bitten by a black mamba, being charged by an angry elephant or making a public speech?" that making a public speech is the most feared! 

On Tuesday evening I had the pleasure of attending a dinner arranged to celebrate the contribution of 25 TEACH SA Ambassadors who have improved the performance of some of the most challenged schools in the Thokoza and Vosloorus Townships. TEACH South Africa, founded by Deloitte and supported by Barloworld, recruits young, talented university graduates and inspires them to "put something back" by agreeing to a two-year contract teaching in disadvantaged schools.

South Africa's economy and job creation has been in focus throughout 2010. The economic growth predicted as a spin-off to hosting the 2010 Football World Cup did not materialise. GDP growth for the year has been adjusted to 3.3% year-on-year - lower than originally forecast. Unemployment is currently at 25 percent of the estimated 25 million economically active population, which is between six and eight million people without formal work. Government recently unveiled an ambitious economic plan to create 5 million jobs over the next decade, a target which critics say is unrealistic.

The question is…Is there a silver bullet to solve the economic woes of those who can’t find work?

"Every single time I've seen it done, I've been amazed at how, even in a matter of two hours, by simply sitting and listening to others talk about where they come from you actually come to the conclusion that we're all migrants: whether economic or otherwise. We have come to where we are because we all come from somewhere," says Mothomang Diaho, head of the Dialogue Programme at the Nelson Mandela Foundation (NMF).

In 2009 I spent a few weeks interviewing refugees and asylum seekers in South Africa for the United Nations refugee council (UNHCR). The focus of the project was those who had been seriously affected by the so called xenophobic attacks that rocked South Africa in 2008. The story I heard over and over again from refugees - mostly from Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ethiopia - was one of civil war or persecution in their home countries, followed by an often dramatic journey to South Africa. These stories should have ended in the asylum seekers settling into a life of relative peace and prosperity in their new country of residence. Unfortunately, for many it ended with them being violently chased out of the communities they were living in, with their homes and shops looted by armed gangs.

In the recent months the established "news media" has been under attack from what, in Zulu military strategy, was termed "the horns of the buffalo". The first attack came from Government in respect of the Protection of Information Bill and the Media Appeals Tribunal, and the second from the intended launch of The New Age newspaper. To counter these two "horns" (i) SANEF has met with Government and (ii) the Independent Newspaper Group has launched a nationwide campaign to counter the arrival of The New Age. Both initiatives are filled with the rhetoric of "right to know, free speech, media freedom, truth, good journalism, fairness" etc. It seems that SANEF is genuinely concerned about media muzzling (the editorial line) and the Independent Group about circulation (the bottom line). Interestingly, in both there is very little talk of concomitant responsibilities and even less of what constitutes news and what represents the truth.

In his book "Flat Earth News", acclaimed British journalist Nick Davies examines the state of journalism in today's world. He deals extensively with the issues of news and truth. What he has to say is pertinent. In respect of "news" he argues, "Modern journalism is the rapid repackaging of largely unchecked, second-hand material, much of it designed to serve the commercial and political interests of those who provide it... The mass media are constantly vulnerable to being infected with falsehood, distortion and propaganda".

In commemoration of Archbishop Desmond Tutu's recent retirement, The Tutu Peace Centre announced it would be hosting a series of public dialogues with the purpose of bringing South Africans closer together.

"I have always had a single vision for our world," says Tutu. "A world committed to peace, a world in which we are all family, a world in which we are all heard, cared for and loved. My sincerest wish for these public debates is that you open your hearts and minds, listen, participate and speak out."