The SA Politics Thread Part 3

JuliusSeizure

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That's nonsense. This is a silly argument in the first place.

He made no particular effort with afrikaans. He probably learned it as a kid because he had to and can as a result use it when convenient.

This is just normal for most/all South Africans. Except that there is a lot of overlap in African languages so some people get a few languages extra for free.

Maybe he should have made an effort if he's ambition was to run a rural kzn town. That is obviously not the case.

He boasts about being in politics since he was 22 which is 25 years now and the bulk of those 25 years were spent in DA KZN. He obviously failed when there.
 

ToxicBunny

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You said it yourself, Zulu's vote for Zulus, when the ANC has another Zulu, ANC will be back in KZN, JS is not Zulu so why should he bother? Maybe the DA needs a white Zulu like a Johnny Clegg?

I'd have taken Johnny Clegg as party leader for the DA.

The congresses would have been epic, and they could have saved costs by not having to bring in outside entertainment.
 

TheChamp

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You said it yourself, Zulu's vote for Zulus, when the ANC has another Zulu, ANC will be back in KZN, JS is not Zulu so why should he bother? Maybe the DA needs a white Zulu like a Johnny Clegg?
Err... I wasn't saying they had a chance to win KZN, growth doesn't mean they govern the whole province, there is still a decent amount that would vote for the DA, the DA are coming from a high of over 13% in KZN during Mncwango and Ntuli's tenure, and they are not exactly a party that can afford to lose 2% anywhere.

But as I said they have taken a different direction as a party and getting that 3% they lost in KZN is not as important as getting back the 1 or 2% they lost to the Freedom Front.
 

The Darkness

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We should arrive at a point where it's okay for someone to confidently say, "I just did not feel like school and chose to do other things", instead of being compelled to give silly reasons, the stigma must come to an end.
That's nonsense. Celebrating mediocre decisions based on pure laziness should never be celebrated. Yes, one can become a success without degrees and studying, but the amount of highly successful people with degrees overshadows this by a huge margin. Surely you'd want your surgeon, or skyscraper engineer to be highly qualified?
 

surface

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That's nonsense. Celebrating mediocre decisions based on pure laziness should never be celebrated. Yes, one can become a success without degrees and studying, but the amount of highly successful people with degrees overshadows this by a huge margin. Surely you'd want your surgeon, or skyscraper engineer to be highly qualified?
:unsure:

@TheChamp
the stigma must come to an end.
@The Darkness
Celebrating mediocre decisions based on pure laziness should never be celebrated
 

The Darkness

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He says he did not have "funds" to complete his degree but attended a school which is actually more expensive than most University courses (almost R60k) and I assume he did not board at school since he is from that area and would have required more funds.

If business leaders like CIO Zwelakhe Mnguni can study their way to success from being a security guard, with nothing, then Steenhuisen's excuses account for nothing.
 

JuliusSeizure

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If business leaders like CIO Zwelakhe Mnguni can study their way to success from being a security guard, with nothing, then Steenhuisen's excuses account for nothing.

Sizwe Mabizela, VC of Rhodes University and Mathematician was a petrol attendant in his younger days. He still overcame the odds and did not rely on handouts.
 

surface

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But JS is democratically elected as a leader of biggest opposition party we have, legacy received notwithstanding. He is really successful in political terms. I really don't see any point in scoffing at his education. He couldn't/didn't do it for whatever reasons. Let us move on.
 

TheChamp

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That's nonsense. Celebrating mediocre decisions based on pure laziness should never be celebrated. Yes, one can become a success without degrees and studying, but the amount of highly successful people with degrees overshadows this by a huge margin. Surely you'd want your surgeon, or skyscraper engineer to be highly qualified?
That's a flawed logic though, what is laziness? If I decide that I am not keen on school and want to work straight after matric I am lazy? Someone who doesn't like books but prefers to learn through practical means is lazy? If Steenhuisen works his way to being the President of the country it's laziness that took him there? All the people who have made their fortune without formal education are lazy? If your opt to pursue your sports, musical or any other talent and make a living out of you are lazy?

Of course I want my surgeon or engineer to be qualified, why would I not want that? It's their choice and the field they wished to pursue. But a farmer who learnt everything he knows through his father and grows fine crops is somehow lazy because he does not have a degree that says agricultural science in his study?

The fact that countries like ours don't have a way to enable different people of our society to thrive in other ways that are not academic is a shame on our country in how it limits innovation, entrepreneurship and other forms of succeeding in life, not proof that it's impossible to make it without formal education.
 
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Mike Hoxbig

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Here's this guy again pretending to be calling the shots.

He's not wrong this time. The "DA-led narrative" is an arrogant one where they're making the coalition about them rather than the coalition as a collective...
 

The Darkness

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That's a flawed logic though, what is laziness? If I decide that I am not keen on school and want to work straight after matric I am lazy? Someone who doesn't like books but prefers to learn through practical means is lazy? If Steenhuisen works his way to being the President of the country it's laziness that took him there? All the people who have made their fortune without formal education are lazy? If your opt to pursue your sports, musical or any other talent and make a living out of that you are lazy?

Of course I want my surgeon or engineer to be qualified, why would I not want that? It's their choice and the field they wished to pursue. But a farmer who learnt everything he knows through his father and grows fine crops is somehow lazy because he does not have a degree that says agricultural science in his study?

The fact that countries like ours don't have a way to enable different people of our society to thrive in other ways that are not academic is a shame on our country in how it limits innovation, entrepreneurship and other forms of succeeding in life, not proof that it's impossible to make it without formal education.
This is a fruitless argument. In every field worth being in, a degreed person will outcompete. Read what I said in my last post. Sure, one can become a success, but there is more that what's learned at a university than the course. It opens up networks, creates a disciplined person and sets up a knowledge hierarchy.
And yes, I would expect a person who expects to lead a country to have multiple degrees and doctorates in sociology, business etc. I don't need someone with a gut & a matric to be making any sensible nuanced decisions. Laziness is this; not doing something when you know you should and could.
 
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He's not wrong this time. The "DA-led narrative" is an arrogant one where they're making the coalition about them rather than the coalition as a collective...
The biggest party in a coalition usually gets certain privileges though over the smaller parties simply because they represent more of the population. This happens all over the world. That includes that the view of the biggest party in a coalition prevails more often than not.
 

Mike Hoxbig

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The biggest party in a coalition usually gets certain privileges though over the smaller parties simply because they represent more of the population. This happens all over the world. That includes that the view of the biggest party in a coalition prevails more often than not.
Yeah that's fine, and stands to reason they'll even get the lion's share of positions.

But a coalition isn't "led", that's just a cheap attempt to make the coalition about a specific party. It's about negotiation and consensus. Even Corne Mulder agrees...
 
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