We miss you, Lady Howard
So, what do Donald J. Trump and Bheki Cele have in common? One is President of the United States of America and the other is Minister of Police in South Africa. What do they have in common? Height? Maybe. Skin colour? Definitely not. A sense of humour? Well, let me check. Shooting from the hip? Now we are getting there.
What I have admired about these men is that, since the advent of the coronavirus, they have been there for the respective nations they serve.
Of course, Trump has been widely blamed for having been too slow to take the threat of this virus seriously from the early stages - and he has in turn found scapegoats in China and the World Health Organisation (WHO) - but he has since come to the party.
He is visibly a worried man, a man faced with an enemy that will not tuck its tail in the hind legs and disappear just because Trump has publicly ridiculed it, calling it all sorts of denigrating names. This is an enemy that strikes while the FBI and CIA are awake and vigilant. Like the rest of us, Trump is feeling cornered and helpless.
As we speak, around 60 000 Americans have been killed by this novel virus. It is a scary situation straight out of a Steven Spielberg movie. About a million others are infected and fears are that the death toll could rise higher than the 60 000 maximum Trump had prayerfully predicted.
Bheki Cele, on the other hand, has proven to all and sundry that he is the right man for the position of Police Minister.
He has really supported President Cyril Ramaphosa in the unexpected fight against COVID-19.
Since that country went on full lockdown, Cele has rallied his troops to serious action. They have been uncompromising in enforcing lockdown regulations across SA.
Yes, they have made mistakes here and there and sometimes deliberately misbehaved but they have largely been able to control the spread of the virus.
Citizens who wanted to take chances and dely the rules have learned the hard way that this is war. We have seen numerous arrests, even of police officers who thought the badge was a licence to steal.
After all has been said and done, these two leaders are among those that have been there for their nations, diligently serving their countries with aplomb. They have not disappeared. They have not buried their heads in sand like the proverbial ostrich.
Others include Emmanuel Macron of France, Boris Johnson of the UK and Paul Kagame of Rwanda. There are many others, too numerous to mention by name.
Tragically in Eswatini, this has not been the case. While Prime Minister Ambrose Dlamini has been seen at press conférences now and again, the efforts of his Cabinet have been nothing but a damp squib.
Their fight seems to be forced and half-hearted. This has left the nation confused, disoriented and disappointed. The number of COVID-19 cases keeps rising.
The confusión is a result of a leadership vacuum, coupled with a now all-too-obvious lack of unity within Cabinet. The team at hospital hill is a fragmented bunch.
That is probably why Lady Howard Mabuza, Minister of Education and Training, has been conspicuosly absent from almost all press briefings meant to keep the anxious nation up to date with government's policy and direction regarding the coronavirus.
Where is she? Is she okay wherever she is? If so, does she not have anything to say to the kingdom's teachers, parents, pupils and college students who are wondering what the future holds in terms of the school calendar.
The minister seems to have given the reins to Principal Secretary Bertram Stewart, who is not famous for being an approachable man. Don't get me wrong. . . Stewart is a dedicated civil servant and an all-round workaholic but his public relations skills need a bit of brushing up. Unless and until you get to know him (as I have), you will never know that he can be such a nice person. He only warms up to you once you earn his respect.
Needless to say, this is not a trait that public servants in positions like his should have. They should be more accommodative and forthcoming.
That is why Lady Howard should come to the party. She should come out of her shell and at least share her fears, hopes and plans with the rest of the nation. She should start earning her lucrative salary. Parents are anxious and students are getting bored and frustrated.
How can Lady Howard sleep at night, knowing that schools are closed but she, as minister, is just hiding somewhere, watching reruns of Our Perfect Wedding? This is wrong. It's imperfect.
What I have admired about these men is that, since the advent of the coronavirus, they have been there for the respective nations they serve.
Of course, Trump has been widely blamed for having been too slow to take the threat of this virus seriously from the early stages - and he has in turn found scapegoats in China and the World Health Organisation (WHO) - but he has since come to the party.
He is visibly a worried man, a man faced with an enemy that will not tuck its tail in the hind legs and disappear just because Trump has publicly ridiculed it, calling it all sorts of denigrating names. This is an enemy that strikes while the FBI and CIA are awake and vigilant. Like the rest of us, Trump is feeling cornered and helpless.
As we speak, around 60 000 Americans have been killed by this novel virus. It is a scary situation straight out of a Steven Spielberg movie. About a million others are infected and fears are that the death toll could rise higher than the 60 000 maximum Trump had prayerfully predicted.
Bheki Cele, on the other hand, has proven to all and sundry that he is the right man for the position of Police Minister.
He has really supported President Cyril Ramaphosa in the unexpected fight against COVID-19.
Since that country went on full lockdown, Cele has rallied his troops to serious action. They have been uncompromising in enforcing lockdown regulations across SA.
Yes, they have made mistakes here and there and sometimes deliberately misbehaved but they have largely been able to control the spread of the virus.
Citizens who wanted to take chances and dely the rules have learned the hard way that this is war. We have seen numerous arrests, even of police officers who thought the badge was a licence to steal.
After all has been said and done, these two leaders are among those that have been there for their nations, diligently serving their countries with aplomb. They have not disappeared. They have not buried their heads in sand like the proverbial ostrich.
Others include Emmanuel Macron of France, Boris Johnson of the UK and Paul Kagame of Rwanda. There are many others, too numerous to mention by name.
Tragically in Eswatini, this has not been the case. While Prime Minister Ambrose Dlamini has been seen at press conférences now and again, the efforts of his Cabinet have been nothing but a damp squib.
Their fight seems to be forced and half-hearted. This has left the nation confused, disoriented and disappointed. The number of COVID-19 cases keeps rising.
The confusión is a result of a leadership vacuum, coupled with a now all-too-obvious lack of unity within Cabinet. The team at hospital hill is a fragmented bunch.
That is probably why Lady Howard Mabuza, Minister of Education and Training, has been conspicuosly absent from almost all press briefings meant to keep the anxious nation up to date with government's policy and direction regarding the coronavirus.
Where is she? Is she okay wherever she is? If so, does she not have anything to say to the kingdom's teachers, parents, pupils and college students who are wondering what the future holds in terms of the school calendar.
The minister seems to have given the reins to Principal Secretary Bertram Stewart, who is not famous for being an approachable man. Don't get me wrong. . . Stewart is a dedicated civil servant and an all-round workaholic but his public relations skills need a bit of brushing up. Unless and until you get to know him (as I have), you will never know that he can be such a nice person. He only warms up to you once you earn his respect.
Needless to say, this is not a trait that public servants in positions like his should have. They should be more accommodative and forthcoming.
That is why Lady Howard should come to the party. She should come out of her shell and at least share her fears, hopes and plans with the rest of the nation. She should start earning her lucrative salary. Parents are anxious and students are getting bored and frustrated.
How can Lady Howard sleep at night, knowing that schools are closed but she, as minister, is just hiding somewhere, watching reruns of Our Perfect Wedding? This is wrong. It's imperfect.
Spielberg's gonna kill you í ½í¸‚í ½í¸‚
ReplyDeleteThats true brother we should all play a role like the police, army and correctional, 977, Fire they are all out except for civil servants who are enjoying a paid break
ReplyDelete