Rob Kerrich-Walker

Software Testing Consultant, Quality Coach, Chair the Gauteng chapter of the Special Interest group in Software Testing in South Africa

[Rob Kerrich-Walker @robkw]

#iitpsapresawards here we are in 2025. 💪

[Jil Theo @theo_jil]

I'm 54.

I wasted 24 years learning this the hard way. But I'll teach you in 5 minutes.

If you're soft, stop reading now.

Here are 24 uncomfortable truths I wish I knew earlier:

[Red to Green @RedToGreen8]

This is a fair statement that deserves consideration.

[As an example]: A white person who takes years to create a company, involving years or research, product creation, marketing, sales, etc must now hand over 30% equity to what amounts to a group of random strangers?

Why can’t they simply hire the best and brightest (regardless of race), to position their company for the best possible success. Everyone benefits that way.

There’d be far less antagonism that way, and prevent any freeloading.

I’ve owned companies in another country, and have always hired based on merit. History shows that hiring people based on skin colour, gender etc doesn’t result in the highest performing organizations.

If you are white, black, man or woman, and you are the BEST candidate for the job, that’s who I hire.

Filling quotas just to fill quotas always affects the consumer in the end. They end up being the ones who suffer, often paying higher prices or receiving sub standard service.

The private sector is what drives the economy, and when companies do well and thrive, the economy thrives. Just look at Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia etc.

It’s the long game. Think about our children, and their children, 50 years hence.

If a country is to thrive, we must encourage the best and the brightest, and not prop up companies by regulating who they can hire and who they can’t.

Short term thinking will hurt us long term.

I’m sure many will disagree, and I welcome your perspective and input.

I was born my body and that of course comes with my own historical biases. We can’t change how we were born, but we can change or minds when presented with other’s perspectives.

Peace out.

[Small Business Trends @smallbiztrends]

From Pen to Profit: Business Ideas for Writers https://t.co/q3KqMEirIM #StartupAdvice #DevelopanIdea

[Rob Kerrich-Walker @robkw]

@elonmuskTN R

[Democratic Wins Media @DemocraticWins]

BREAKING: In a stunning moment, Donald Trump just incoherently rambled about someone accusing him of sexual assault. Trump is senile, disgusting, and cannot be allowed back in the White House. Retweet to make sure all Americans see this.

[Karyn Maughan @karynmaughan]

Adv Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s litigation to force the Public Protector to pay her a R10million gratuity – after she was removed from office for misconduct and incompetence – amounted to her asking a judge to reward “constitutional delinquency”.

https://t.co/Kb94Dc4jif

[Karyn Maughan @karynmaughan]

Hello @WOOLWORTHS_SA! Wanted to express appreciation for your amazing assistant Phumezo (at the Canal Walk branch) who helped my visually impaired mom to find the winter clothes she needed. My mom finds shopping quite stressful, but Phumezo made the whole experience easy. ❤️❤️❤️

[Rob Kerrich-Walker @robkw]

They should do a referendum on this but they never will.

[Thatiley @Thatiley]

@Abramjee I will always say we need to bring back death penalty

[Yusuf Abramjee @Abramjee]

SARS official refused R200,000 bribe after R6 million truck-load of illicit cigarettes entered South Africa via Beitbridge https://t.co/9axP0hag5z

[Republicans against Trump @RpsAgainstTrump]

״I voted for Donald Trump — twice. I am a staunch, almost redneck conservative, registered Republican, Oklahoman and American…

After reading Liz Cheney’s book, the committee findings and the DOJ indictment, I do not understand how Donald Trump can possibly be considered as a legitimate candidate for the most important job in the world. Frankly, I don’t understand how he is not in jail right now.”
https://t.co/NJfO22WJqC

[CALL TO ACTIVISM @CalltoActivism]

A Trump supporter was seated next to an older woman on an airplane and he turned to her and said, “Do you want to talk? Flights go quicker if you strike up a conversation with your fellow passenger.”

The old woman, who had just started to read her book, replied to the total stranger:

“What would you want to talk about?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” said the man. “How about how they stole the election in 2020 and Donald Trump should be president.”

“Okay,” she said. “Those could be interesting topics but let me ask you a question first. A horse, a cow, and a deer all eat the same stuff – grass. Yet a deer excretes little pellets, while a cow turns out a flat patty, but a horse produces clumps. Why do you suppose that is?”

The man, visibly surprised by the old woman’s, thinks about it and says, “Hmmm, I have no idea.”

To which the old woman replies, “Do you really feel qualified to discuss politics, when you don’t know shit?”

[Rob Kerrich-Walker @robkw]

This is one good reason why we were placed on this earth.

[Karyn Maughan @karynmaughan]

I left my phone in an Uber right before a flight and was PANICKING in the airport. @HeidiGiokos saw me, asked me what was wrong and then proceeded - with help from her friend - to track down the phone and get it back while we were flying. She also shared an Uber home with me.❤️

[Yusuf Abramjee @Abramjee]

No brakes!!!!

[Rob Kerrich-Walker @robkw]

The sad truth is!

[Rory Duncan @RoryDuncan1966]

I was there when Mugabe went on his destructive rampage against us whites and took our farms, destroying the economy and forever altering the trajectory of Zimbabwe.

I was there to watch "Operation Murambatsvina," where Mugabe bulldozed the homes of 1000s of black Zimbabweans, causing untold harm and death. He even razed homes to the ground while families were inside.

I was there to watch as the North Korean trained 5th Brigade swept across Matabeleland and killed over 30 000 rural villagers in a blatant act of Genocide.

I was there when Mbeki said, "South Africa will continue in its process of quite diplomacy when dealing with Zimbabwe's internal policies," As Mugabe murdered, tortured, abducted and imprisoned opposition supporters as he rigged a lost election.

Today, the ramifications of that resonate in a cruel tone as millions of Zimbabweans scratch a living in South Africa as illegal foreigners, sapping the lifeblood out of this country.

Today, instead of unity among Africans, there is growing hatred and xenophobia between blacks as despotic kleptocrats, across the continent continue to loot and maim their countries and citizens.

Yet today, South Africa is in Europe complaining about the actions of countries, in a war on the other side of the world, that means nothing to us here back at home and helps not a single citizen of South Africa.

Alive with tragedy and hopelessness. How blind, how cynical.

[Mavros @MavrosTruth]

@ThuliMadonsela3 Maybe, nust Maybe, start blaming Hamas Leaders

[Rob Kerrich-Walker @robkw]

At #iitpsapresidentsawards with some colleagues I haven’t seen for awhile @IITPSA @sigistsa @SASTQB

[Mark Keohane - RUGBY, CRICKET, SOCCER & MESSI @mark_keohane]

@SimonBorchardt Bullshit ... SA paranoia ... if we good enough we win; if not we lose.

[Mmusi Maimane MP @MmusiMaimane]

I am currently in Germany attending workshops on various matters with other South African political party leaders.

A key part of my research area is understanding how Germany manages coalition negotiations and agreements.

The future of South Africa will require leaders who have an increased knowledge pool around multiple areas of governance and this trip has contributed to that gain of information.

BOSA is not part of the multi party charter, however I believe it is important to engage with multiple opposition party leaders when it comes to matters of South African interest and this trip provided an opportunity for such discussions.

Thank you to the Konrad Adenauer Foundation for facilitating this project.

[CALL TO ACTIVISM @CalltoActivism]

I absolutely love this story........ It made me cry.

"An 87 Year Old College Student Named Rose
The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t already know.

I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned round to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me
with a smile that lit up her entire being.

She said, “Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I’m eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?”

I laughed and enthusiastically responded, “Of course you may!” and she gave me a giant squeeze.
“Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?” I asked.

She jokingly replied, “I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids…”

“No seriously,” I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.

“I always dreamed of having a college education and now I’m getting one!” she told me.
After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake.

We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months, we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this “time machine”
as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.

Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.

At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I’ll never forget what she taught us.

She was introduced and stepped up to the podium.
As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor. Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, “I’m sorry I’m so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I’ll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know.”

As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, “We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop
playing. There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success.

1) You have to laugh and find humor every day.

2) You’ve got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die.

We have so many people walking around who are dead and don’t even know it!

3) There is a huge difference between growing
older and growing up.

If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old.

If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight.

Anybody can grow older.

That doesn’t take any talent or ability.

The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change.

4) Have no regrets.

The elderly usually don’t have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those
with regrets.”

She concluded her speech by courageously singing “The Rose.

She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives.
At the year’s end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose died
peacefully in her sleep.

Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it’s
never too late to be all you can possibly be.

When you finish reading this, please send this peaceful word of advice to your friends and family, they’ll really enjoy it!

These words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE.

REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS
OPTIONAL.

We make a Living by what we get,

We make a Life by what we give."