A Free Robert McBride

   Some of us are still trying to recover from being let down badly by those we considered as our heroes. In the recent past, those we had put on a pedestal turned out to have huge feet of clay.

   Not so with our struggle hero - Robert McBride. His conviction on charges of driving while drunk and obstructing the course of justice were this week overturned by the Pretoria High Court after he appealed. These charges stem from a car accident in which McBride was involved while driving a state vehicle in 2006. The state had alleged that he crashed the car because he was under the influence of alcohol. At the time he was the head of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police. The Pretoria High Court ruled that "the state has not proved its case beyond reasonable doubt"(The Times, 28/03/2013).

   We admire McBride because he did not just talk about bringing about a change in the old South Africa from safe sidelines, but he actually risked his life by joining the armed struggle as a cadre of  Umkhonto we Sizwe - the ANC's armed wing then. Those close to him also attest that he showed this same bravery in many other instances during the turbulent period just before our first democratic elections. 

   It would have been a real pity if he had ended up in prison. McBride, and many others in the MK, for some of us, stands for what a real hero is. And that is someone who is willing to give it all up - even at the risk of his own life - in order to dedicate himself to fighting for a just cause.

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THANK YOU UNIVERSE. THANK YOU FOR OUR 'FEEL GOOD MOMENTS'.

                                               =======================

SO, SOUTH AFRICA AND THE WORLD OUT THERE, WHAT MADE YOU FEEL

GOOD THIS WEEK?

Let us know at - feelgoodmovement@gmail.com

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The DREAMS DO COME TRUE Tour - Part 14 & 15, Altmont High, Protea South

   Initially, I had resisted this idea of doing more than one talk per day. The request was for me to do three talks in one day(Tuesday 19th). I objected because I felt that it was going to be too draining for me mentally. Not to mention the tediousness of repeating the same content three times within a short space of time. 

   But the chief organizer here at Altmont - Komati Mashile - and the two matric students representatives - ausi Thato Sebotsa and sis Msizi Dlamini - insisted that I do them. If I have not done this before, this was going to be a chance for me to try it, they said. With it being three against one, I relented. But we settled on two talks in one day, instead of three. 

   And it is largely thanks to the efforts of the three above and the English Department HOD - Ma'am Nkamo Nkwanyane - that the two talks happened without a glitch. To actually pull this off was a big logistical exercise, because the Altmont High 2013 matric group is big. It is accommodated in five classes(A,B,C,D,&E). It was not possible to have all the matrics in one place as there was not a big enough room to take all of them. So this or that teacher had to be asked to allow us to use their periods here and there. In the end the matric group was divided into two. Classes A & B, I was to address in the morning session, and C, D & E in the afternoon.

Morning Session - Classes A & B

   - In this early session the students were fresh mentally and therefore more attentive. In addition, I had the benefit of having Ma'am Nkamo sitting in. This talk proceeded smoothly as a whole.

     I send my heartfelt thanks to sis Siphesihle and Wandile for coming forward when I asked for volunteers to come read from the book with me.

Afternoon Session - Classes C, D, & E

   - In the afternoon all of us - myself included - were not as sharp. It must have had to do with having eaten lunch. For this session there was also no authority figure in the form of a teacher. The noise level from the students was notably higher. I had to raise my voice in order to get the students' attention.

    As if that was not bad enough, I had one 'walk out' in this session. Five minutes into the talk, one student simply got up with his bag and left. I tried my best not to get too flustered by this, and continued with my goal achievement advice. But I must admit I did worry about a few others following him. 

   At the end of this talk,  I was relieved that it was over. It was a trying one. 

   A big 'big up', though, to ausi Paballo and Petros for being my volunteers when it came to reading  from the book with me.

                                               SOME THANK YOU's 

- At the risk of repeating myself : Ma'am Nkamo, Komati, Thato, Msizi, Siphesihle, Wandile, Paballo, & Petros. "I would have been nothing on Tuesday without all of you."                                                

                                                                                                        

- The teachers on whose periods we encroached.

- The Altmont High Matric Class of 2013.

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THANK YOU UNIVERSE. THANK YOU FOR OUR 'FEEL GOOD MOMENTS'.

                                            =======================

SO, SOUTH AFRICA AND THE WORLD OUT THERE, WHAT MADE YOU FEEL

GOOD THIS WEEK?

Let us know at - feelgoodmovement@gmail.com

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A Talk at Protea South Primary School

     This school is located in my neighbourhood(Protea South). It is a township public school. Also, this is the school that my niece(Thato) and nephew(Tumelo) attend.

   On Friday yours truly went there to give a talk on gender-based violence during their morning assembly. This talk was a  continuation of the theme of opposing all forms of violence against women and children, that started with the launch of the 'Stop Rape Campaign' in all schools on 1st March.

   Because I normally give such talks in English, the challenge at Protea South was how to speak in such a way that even Grade R learners( 6 to 7 year olds) would understand my message. At this level - primary school - the learners are not that proficient in English. I didn't want to use Sesotho(my home language) because with 11 official languages here in South Africa, I did not want to come across as preferring my vernacular over the 8 others. In the end I decided to rope in a translator. She was going to translate my talk into Isizulu, which is the most widely spoken vernacular language in the country.

   But as Murphy would have it, on the day when I most needed a her, my translator got stuck in traffic and never made it on time. I was left no choice but to soldier on by myself. I stuck to English mostly, but here and there I threw in a bit of Isizulu and Sesotho. And I was pleasantly surprised to notice that most of the learners did understand me. This was indicated by how well the Grade R and Grade 1 section, on my right at this assembly, responded to my prompts for feedback during the talk. Later still, when I met some of these Grade R's and 1's on the streets and asked them what my talk was all about, they answered,"Your talk was about saying NO". And it was.  The talk title was 'Saying NO to violence against women and children'.

  With that, this talk was a success indeed, ladies and gentlemen.

                                                 Some Thank You's  

- Ntate Mabaso(the Principal) - for the permission to do the talk.

- Ma'am Pearl - for distilling my message of 'No to Violence' so eloquently in vernacular immediately after my talk, and for doing so again later in class(so my niece tells me)."Much appreciated, Ma'am."

- Sis Thembi and Sis Judy(SGB members) - for a positive feedback on the talk.

- Ma'am Radebe, Ntate Mojapelo, & Ntate Matjila( both teachers and SGB members) - for commenting on the content of the talk afterwards.  

                             

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THANK YOU UNIVERSE. THANK YOU FOR OUR 'FEEL GOOD MOMENTS'.

                                     =======================

SO, SOUTH AFRICA AND THE WORLD OUT THERE, WHAT MADE YOU FEEL

GOOD THIS WEEK?

Let us know at - feelgoodmovement@gmail.com

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For the Budding Writers Out There

The Altmont High School Students Are Ready

   If their attentiveness and enthusiasm at the launch of the 'STOP RAPE CAMPAIGN' at their school this past Friday(1st March) is any indication, these pupils are ready to "STOP RAPE NOW!!!". 

   The 'STOP RAPE INITIATIVE' is a project that has been started by the Department of Basic Education(DBE) in partnership with LEAD-SA. It is a campaign that is meant to raise awareness about rape and all other forms of gender-based violence.

   According to the DBE and Lead-SA, this campaign is designed to be more than just talk. Learners in all schools across South Africa will also be educated through booklets and worksheets on how to recognize signs of physical abuse of the sexual nature and how to deal with rape itself.

    The Feel Good Movement was invited to be part of the national launch of this campaign at our local high school - Altmont Technical High. The Principal started the ball rolling by telling the pupils the reason for the special assembly of that day. Then there was a talk given on the subject of rape by the South African Police Service(SAPS) Youth Desk. A School Governing Body(SGB) member then rounded things up. Finally, the students were led in saying a special pledge. 

   All in all, I can say that this launch at Altmont High went off splendidly.

                                       Many Thanks to the Following:

- Ntate Molefe(the Principal) - for leading us kindly.
- Ma'am Baloyi(the Deputy Principal) - for guiding us.
- Bra Duma(the Deputy Principal)) - for filming this Altmont High launch.  
- Komati Mashile(the chief organizer) - for his MC duties.
- Ausi Mpho(SAPS Youth Desk) - for her talk on 'What is Rape?'.
- Ausi Mosa Mkhwane(gender-based violence counsellor) - for helping us say the pledge.                                                                                                                                                

- Ntate Kumalo(SGB member) - for urging those engaging in rape to 'stop and desist'.

- The Altmont High School pupils and staff members - for being such hospitable hosts.

P.S.
                          The ''STOP RAPE NOW!!!'' Pledge

We the learners pledge:
- To uphold the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, which means defending human rights, including children's rights.  

- To respect the laws of this country which make rape a crime.

- To respect everybody's rights irrespective of race, age, class, gender or sexual orientation.

- To condemn all forms of physical abuse, including rape.

- To act in our best interest and report cases of physical abuse, especially rape.

- To carry out our responsibilities in protecting children from harm.

                               =============================

THANK YOU UNIVERSE. THANK YOU FOR OUR 'FEEL GOOD MOMENTS'.

                                     =======================

SO, SOUTH AFRICA AND THE WORLD OUT THERE, WHAT MADE YOU FEEL

GOOD THIS WEEK?

Let us know at - feelgoodmovement@gmail.com

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