Money is much more important than religion

There are people who value their religion so dearly that every consideration is given to their religion before any occupation is decided upon. Religion overides any, and every, life choice for that matter. 

Now, the world economy is dictated to by money. The success of an individual, a couple, a family, a community and a nation, up to the continent, is measured by the amount of money and assets in its possession. Every country, city, town, community and family, including individuals, bases its power of success, and most of the success is brought to the fore by how much money is in the kitty. Money is important and powerful, and so are assets acquired through money.

Now, in your pursuit of an excellent career that will provide a prosperous life for you and your loved ones, will religion stand in your way to chase the best career and occupation that you qualify for away? Will you tolerate misery throughout your lifetime because religious considerations prevent you from taking up the very best job offered? Write to us, advice us on this matter so that countless other people can make informed decisions and carry on successfully with their lives.

Let us know your thoughts.

Embracing Change

With Amo

I’ve always wanted to challenge myself in ways that would see me thinking and doing better. Of course with change comes a whole batch of uncomfortable situations and their fair share of never ending groans. 

Having completed one year of varsity, you’d expect that 365 days of ‘independence’ and the constant struggle to stay afloat in the vicious pursuit of academic excellence would aid in adjusting to the ever changing world we live in. But, however, a rude awakening is perhaps the only means to get us accustomed to this ‘change’ concept. I find that, while you always try out new things, which, most of the time are small, yet significant steps, be it a new route to the shop or simply wearing your hair differently, you open up yourself to a range of possibilities. I recently just changed a course in my degree and although I was initially quite sceptical about it, I can honestly say that abandoning routine may well be the best thing to do regularly. 

You’ll see things from a whole new perspective and although you wont necessarily feel ‘brand new’ overnight, a walk amongst the birds is always a more favourable option than basking in the comfort zone.

As for me, everyday is a new prospect to re-invent and make advancements that will eventually make up the complete picture of fulfilment and self sufficiency. The winning pieces of the puzzle are in the choices you make daily. 

Amo is going to offer us a  bird's eye view of life at Wits every month from now on.

Amohelang Hlakotsa is a 2^ND year BADA (Dramatic Arts) at the University of The Witwatersrand. She is hoping to major in Applied Theatre and Directing.

Facebook: Amo Helang

Twitter: @AminaNouveau

Lesego Setou:Lessons from my bosses

Lesego Setou

A saying goes, show me your friends and I will show you who you are.  I think there is some great truth to that but I also think it’s not only friends that shape us, it’s every soul we cross paths with. Our traits are the sum total of our interactions with different souls in this beautiful journey called life; the traits developed can be good or not so good depending on whom we choose to be and what we understood about that trait. I also think a greater part of the leaders we become is also influenced by the leaders we crossed paths with, those we equally admired and those we did not venerate. I therefore decided to share the beautiful lessons I have learned and strive to embrace as I experienced them from bosses.

Mariekie Gericke- My first boss; a highly focused person with high work ethics, she taught me that reading is an essential part of every person’s work. She encouraged me to always keep abreast of what is happening in my field of expertise. Spent an hour of your day, reading something that will either challenge you to do things different, empower you to be efficient or give you more knowledge about your field of expertise

Gusti Coetzer- Hard working, punctual, these are the two words that come to mind when I think of Gusti. I used to travel with this boss of mine to meetings and never have I seen her late for any meeting, she had respect for time. I also loved how hard she worked; she never expected anything that she could not give

Annelize van Rensburg- This boss believed in me, she is the person who advised me to wear a suit after my initial interview with her, because she knew what I needed to warm my way into the Managing Partner’s heart , she invested time in teaching me the ropes and was never tired of my endless questions

Rene Van Wyk- Always pay attention to detail, I used to cry every time she had to check my reports, but this exercise has paid off, you will never catch me, sending an email or report or anything with spelling mistakes or without proof reading it first

Reshika Ramprsad- Be good at what you do, give your best and know that eventually hard work pays off. I am yet to meet anyone who can do a job with outstanding efficiency and effectiveness as this boss of mine

S’thembile Nene- Trust your people and lead with love and respect. This boss was authentic, cared for your growth in all aspects, technically and financially, many bosses claim to have their people’s interests at heart but very few genuinely care about the financial well being of their subordinates

Brian Khumalo – This boss brought an interesting dimension to my life of work, consciousness, I am at this point engaging the world of employment knowing that there is something bigger to my role and that big thing is that, I am a channel for magnificence and my primary key performance area is to remind others of the greatness they are. Brian was also very good at building relationships

John Jepsen- Work hard and play hard, this boss of mine had a huge appetite for work, but once deadlines are reached, he will then make time to relax, travelling was one of his favourites. I therefore know the importance of taking time off

Jeson Ingraham- With love and kindness you will never go wrong. This boss had a beautiful heart; he genuinely cared for his people, something which we sometimes miss in the world of work.

I have worked with giants, different in some ways, similar in others, but I could have missed it all, if I also did not have a teachable spirit, an attitude that is open to learning and that I got from my first bosses my parents.

COSAS apologises to the SA Informal Traders Forum

The Congress of South African Students (COSAS) has formally apologised to the South African Informal Traders Forum and the South African public, in response to the events that took place during their march on 30 July 2014. COSAS marched to the Gauteng Department of Education to handover a memorandum with various demands relating to “challenges in the pre-tertiary education”. Amongst their demands, COSAS called for:

• An end to corporal punishment
• A review of SASA
• An end to the sexual harassment of girl learners
• Supply of sanitary towels for girls at schools
• Safety and security in schools etc.
• In a meeting convened this morning by the Gauteng MEC for Education, Panyaza Lesufi, the leadership of COSAS led by President Collen Malatji and the Provincial Chairperson Nkhobo Khomongoe, apologised unreservedly for the manner in which some learners who participated in the march behaved, particularly towards hawkers.

The apology was welcomed by the chairperson of the South African Informal Traders Forum and their General Secretary, Brian Phaaloh.

All parties agreed that in all future marches of Cosas, a committee will be established to consult with the South African Informal Traders Forum, to agree on measures that will not have any negative impact on the businesses of hawkers.

MEC Lesufi said the meeting was important to ensure that the interests of the South African Informal Traders Association are protected when there are demonstrations, “The Gauteng Provincial Government has prioritised the township economy and the South African Informal Traders Forum forms an important part of this economy. We should therefore ensure that when there are demonstrations, their businesses are protected.”  MEC Lesufi further stated that though the department remains sympathetic to some of the issue raised by Cosas, the department strongly condemns the behaviour of some of the learners during the march.