Happy birthday tata Nelson 'Madiba' Mandela

It is my grandest and most humbling wish to meet this extraordinary human being. In fact, an ordinary man from the Eastern Cape village who dreamt of doing extraordinary things, and went on to change the world - forever. On his 89th birthday, may Madiba be celebrated by the world and that all of us learn the best of human qualities in us that are crystal-clear reflected in tata Mandela.

No doubt about a ripple he had that started lasting long after our generations. No doubt that his magic, as ordinary and humbling as it is, will go on as an eternal legacy.

Your's is a most adored, inspiring and fulfilling life most of us only dream of, but through the humility, understanding, tolerance, smiles, and forgiveness that you teach us each day you do so something extraordinary, one like me is much grateful and wish for the world to bow and learn then go on to share with anyone willing to receive. That way, all of us can become extraordinary human beings in our own right, like you have been Madiba.

Links of a celebrated life:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KfH727Rcvg&mode=related&search=
http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2148834,00.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8r2Osw5Hxk
http://www.news24.com/News24/MyNews24/Your_story/0,,2-2127-2128_2148512,00.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2xGDr_P_uc&mode=related&search=
http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2147996,00.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hz4oPzzXMU&mode=related&search=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqAhjT_d8fQ&mode=related&search=

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South African economy built on cheap black labour

South Africa is built by black foreigners. Cheap immigrant black labour. The very foreigners that we are xenophobic towards. The area that I live in, Mooikloof Ridge (Pretoria East) is under hefty development of countless security complexes, including golf estates and the like.

The labourers that work the erection of new complexes in my estate and the surroundings are all but South African. I've personally interacted with a number of them. They speak, predominantly, SeSotho of Lesotho, Shangaan of Mozambigue and Shona of Zimbabwe - languages which I grew up around. They build our South Africa. Our beloved country and our bounty-full economy - which, us all South Africans benefit from in so many ways.

But the conditions they live in are, if not non-existent, appalling. In Pretoria East, adjacent to Mooikloof Ridge, they live, literally, under trees in a veld inside makeshift dog-fitting plastic 'houses'. I just find that disgusting that somebody hired these willing, laborious and dedicated black people and then never bothered to consider providing them with livable humane accomodation - even if it was some of those for-hire shacks. They get water from a near-by stream to drink, cook and that's where they also wash - as we see them naked in the afternoons as we drive by cozzily through these ripping cold.

I can't doubt that the employer couldn't procure the labour of some of the lazy South Africans who would be dead first than seen laying a brick (I'm generalising here). I have no doubt, again, that the employer is holding a gun to these foreigners' heads as they know they are (most of them) in the country illegally and have no recourse. At least the one thing that they don't rave about is going on strike endlessly whilst the economy kneels down. The exact reasons why they should be treated better than they are.

I worry about this for one reason: The way one treats others, or their guests, is a reflection of their moral fabric or the non-existence of it. So if these bunch of South African contracting companies treat this fellow neighbouring South Africans in this inhumane fashion - albeit shocking underpayment - what does that make of them? What does that make of us South Africans? Especially when looked through a foreign mirror? I bet as better, more powerful African country we wouldn't care less right?

I'll be first to admit that illegal immigrants should be helped back home for flouting the rule of law. But at the same time, I'll support the development of the South African economy but not at the inhumane exploit of others, especially if such people are just helpless and willing to do the work that some unemployed South African wouldn't do.

Build on SA. Bouy on SA economy. But this brothers will one day despise you as they do that other super power.

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"Judge of a man by his questions, rather than by his answers." - Voltaire