@Markosonke1 Exactly why municipalities are running out of money! I used to work for one. Square tubing from supplier (at the time) R70 per meter. BBBEE Supplier price R280 per meter. Municipality chooses R280 over the R70 version..
𝐈 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐃𝐀 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐆𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐬 𝐁𝐚𝐲 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐌𝐜𝐏𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧.
The questions from the audience were surprisingly aggressive, but what stood out more was the response.
Much like Piet Croucamp has argued before, the message was essentially: “Do you realise how good you have it? I’m from Durban. There, nothing works.”
That mindset is a problem.
We shouldn’t be benchmarking against failure.
Stop comparing yourself to the ANC. Start comparing yourself to excellence.
Expect more.
Jesus rose from the dead and the first person He went to was His brother who thought He was crazy.
Not Peter. Not John. Not the twelve.
James.
His kid brother. The one who grew up sharing a room with God and didn’t know it.
Think about James for a second. His older brother is Jesus. Not “Jesus the Christ.” Not “Jesus the Savior.” Jesus the guy who worked in the carpenter shop and came home smelling like sawdust and sweat. Jesus who snored. Jesus who ate too fast. Jesus who their mother treated different and James never understood why.
Because Mary kept her mouth shut.
Luke 2:19. She kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Angels showed up at His birth. Shepherds fell on their faces. Wise men brought gold. And Mary told nobody. She just watched her firstborn grow up in a ghetto in Nazareth and kept the secret in her chest like a coal she couldn’t put down.
James didn’t know his brother was God.
He knew his brother was weird.
He knew his mother looked at Jesus different. He knew Joseph moved the whole family to Egypt when they were little and never fully explained why. He knew that one time his parents lost Jesus at the temple and found Him three days later arguing with rabbis like He owned the place. Twelve years old. Already gone.
Then Jesus grew up. Worked the shop. Paid the bills.
Because Joseph died — the Bible doesn’t say when but Joseph disappears from the story — and in Jewish custom the eldest son takes over. So Jesus wasn’t posing for paintings in that carpenter shop. He was feeding His family. Putting bread on the table for His mom and His brothers and sisters in a town so poor Nathanael said “can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
Then one day He left.
Walked away from the shop. Walked away from the family. Left James holding the hammer and the bills and the responsibility for a widowed mother.
James was pissed.
Mark 3:21. His own family went to collect Him because they said He was out of His mind. That’s James. That’s the brothers. Showing up to bring the crazy one home before He embarrasses the family worse.
John 7:5. His brethren did not believe in Him.
His own blood. Ate dinner with Him for thirty years. Didn’t believe.
Then Wednesday happened.
The brother James thought was insane got arrested at night by temple guards. Got beaten until His face swelled shut. Got whipped until His back looked like raw meat. Got nailed to wood and hung up on a garbage hill outside the city.
And James had to stand somewhere — maybe in the crowd, maybe at home, maybe hearing it secondhand — and process the fact that the brother he called crazy just died like a criminal.
Three days and nights of silence.
Three days of James sitting with the guilt of every eye roll. Every argument. Every time he told people “I don’t know what’s wrong with Him.” Every time he showed up to drag Jesus home because He was embarrassing the family name.
Then Sunday morning.
Jesus rose. Conquered death. Walked out of the tomb.
And He went to James.
1 Corinthians 15:7. He appeared to James.
Not in a crowd. Not at a distance. He went to His brother. The one who didn’t believe. The one who thought He was crazy. The one who was pissed that He left the family behind.
He showed up and let James see the holes in His hands.
Matthew 28:10. Go tell my brethren. Not my servants. Not my followers. My brethren.
John 20:17. My Father and your Father. My God and your God.
He rose to the highest position in the universe and His vocabulary didn’t change.
Most men get a promotion and stop returning phone calls. Jesus conquered death and called the brother who doubted Him family.
James went from “He’s out of His mind” to leading the church in Jerusalem.
James went from trying to drag Jesus home to writing a book of the Bible.
James went from skeptic to martyr. They threw him off the temple wall and when he survived the fall they beat him to death with a club. He died for the brother he once thought was insane.
That’s what happened when Jesus showed up after the resurrection and said brother.
One word changed everything.
He’s not calling you servant today.
He’s not calling you subject.
He’s calling you what He called James.
Brother.
The same James who didn’t believe. Who rolled his eyes. Who showed up to take Him home. Who sat in the dark for three days choking on regret.
He went to THAT guy first.
If He went to James, He’ll come to you.
CANCER HAS BEEN CURED
Ivermectin & Fenbendazole cure cancer.
Pass it on.
BREAKING NEWS: First-in-the-World Ivermectin, Mebendazole and Fenbendazole Protocol in Cancer has been peer-reviewed and published on Sep.19, 2024!
The future of Cancer Treatment starts NOW.
My thanks to lead authors Ilyes Baghli and Pierrick Martinez for their incredible inspired work, FLCCC’s Dr.Paul Marik for his extensive work on repurposed drugs and every co-author who worked hard to bring this paper to life.
I hope that this peer-reviewed paper lays the groundwork for a brand new future for Cancer Treatment.
Many of you know that I have been helping thousands of Cancer patients with high dose Ivermectin, Mebendazole, and Fenbendazole
FOLLOW ME, THE NEXT DROP WILL BE SHOCKING
For a long time, dementia was seen as an inevitable part of aging or the result of poor genetics.
But according to new research:
More than 40% of dementia cases are easily preventable.
Here's what you can do to slow your cognitive decline:
@PaulivW Go for it! @PaulivW there is no way that they are innocent. Brilliant investigative journalism, you should get an award for what you have done. Can't wait to see justice prevail!
As the nation awaits the imminent arrest of Julius Malema and Floyd Shivambu for playing a big part in the looting and destruction of VBS, watch this video by our countries
heroine, @PaulivW explaining how Julius Malema spent the MILLIONS he looted. Worth nothing; it was all spent in so called WMC business. Malema's call for support for black business is for others only. JULIUS MALEMA FOR HIMSELF ONLY DOES WMC. Bloody hypocrite
From day one; Pauli van Wyk, told South Africans exactly what happened in VBS. Her story did not change, she came with all the facts and with receipts. She was maligned. She was victimized. She was insulted. They hurled abuses at her. @PaulivW was 100% correct about Julius Malema, Floyd Shivambu and the EFF.
Pauli has been vindicated.
Pauli's VBS story was journalism at its best.
SOUTH AFRICA AND ITS PEOPLE SALUTE PAULI VAN WYK
@GaytonMcK Great job! The hardest part is starting and you are earning respect by starting. If you continue this way, I will really believe you are going to make a difference in your post. Keep going!
I've been fairly quiet for a while on this platform because I've felt it to be in a very toxic space during and after the elections. I also took some time to think about my plan going forward and I decided to no longer comment on political issues as there's no value in doing so. That said, I am more committed than ever to focusing on the things I can control so I'd like to share what I've been working on for the last few weeks.
FIFTY of us are on a mission to raise funds to build a classroom for LIV Lanseria, an orphanage and school in Gauteng dedicated to creating healthy families, empowered communities, and future leaders for South Africa 🥳
We have already raised over R10k before posting about it here for the first time. I have attached renders of the classroom design and each picture has its own caption for additional context.
I'm hoping you will consider making a small (or large) donation toward this worthy cause: https://t.co/Ql8NicMZDL
WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?
In March, I started the Suits & Sneakers membership program and there are currently 50 members. One common denominator between us is that we all believe in the power of active citizenship, which is the idea that we don’t have to wait for external entities to create the change we wish to see in our beautiful country.
WHO IS HELPING US?
Suits & Sneakers has partnered with xPod who are manufacturing the classroom at cost price and no profit will be made on the project. We also have the backing of BackaBuddy who have waived all platform fees. In other words, every single cent is going toward towards LIV Lanseria.
WHY A CLASSROOM?
As a group, we decided to focus on a project that would make a sustainable difference over a long period of time. After a few weeks of deliberation, we decided on helping a rural school with a classroom because of our close ties between Suits & Sneakers and education.
WHERE TO FROM HERE?
We are documenting the entire journey of building this classroom on camera so that every donor can see exactly where the money went and what the end result/impact is ❤
I will be speaking about this project once a week on social media and on each occasion, I will delve into a unique aspect of this project.
It would mean the world to us if you took the time to donate any amount you wish. You can also help us by retweeting this post along so that more people can potentially get involved!
PS. Any donation you make to this project qualifies for a section 18A tax certificate. Donations can be deducted from your taxable income, up to 10% of your taxable income for that year.
Why do I not see any statement from @Nestlé or the Department of Health?? Please explain why you are adding unnecessary sugar????
Sugar in baby food: why Nestlé needs to be held to account in Africa https://t.co/F2KRxT8qol via @TC_Africa
For the last few months we have been exposing corruption at the South African Police Service Philippi Training Academy, please note that I am not using the word ‘alleged’.
The commanding officer, pictured below, is now simply being transferred to Hammanskraal in Gauteng. SAPS is run like the ANC and in most cases the problem is either promoted or transferred.
I/we will not stop! Hlubi and his cronies must be sacked and criminally charged. Whether in Hammanskraal, Kimberley or anywhere else, ons kyk vir jou kolonel, ons sal NIE ophou nie👀
Hopefully things will at least go slightly better at Philippi.
#RescueSA
An idea I can't stop thinking about...
Solomon's Paradox (and how to escape it):
In the Old Testament, King Solomon was known for his incredible wisdom. He was considered one of the wisest men who ever lived.
But King Solomon's life was quite a mess:
• Hundreds of wives and partners
• Obsession with money and wealth
• Absent relationship with son and children
In short, King Solomon was great at giving advice, but terrible at taking that same advice into account in his own life.
This story gave a name to a common psychological phenomenon:
When we provide clear, rational perspectives and advice to others, but are unable to provide those same quality perspectives to ourselves, we are falling victim to Solomon's Paradox.
We've all been stuck in Solomon's Paradox at one point or another.
Why? Well, it's quite simple, really:
When you're considering someone else's problems, you are objective, rational, and balanced.
When you're considering your own problems, you are emotional, irrational, and volatile.
It's not your fault—you're human, after all!
Two core strategies to escape:
Strategy 1: Create Space
Viktor Frankl, the Austrian philosopher and Holocaust survivor renowned for his contributions to existential psychology, has a brilliant framing for the power of space:
"Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response."
Pause: Our immediate reactions are almost always emotional, and we make bad decisions in the heat of emotion. Force a pause (whether it's seconds, minutes, hours, or days) before reacting.
Reset: Allow yourself to feel the emotional response, but remind yourself that you are in control of what comes next. Give yourself that power.
Engage: With a more balanced perspective, engage with the situation.
Strategy 2: Zoom Out
A rule for life: When in doubt, zoom out.
You live your entire life zoomed in. This can create challenges, as struggle feels bigger than it really is and growth feels smaller than it really is.
Forced zoom outs provide perspective, on the true nature of your struggles and the impressive nature of your growth.
Mental Time Travel is a useful tool for zooming out:
Imagine yourself in the past and consider yourself in the present.
Imagine yourself in the future and consider yourself in the present.
This zoom out forces perspective that breathes new life into a situation.
***
To fight back against Solomon's Paradox:
Create space and force new perspective.
The right questions (and answers) will come to you.
This hit me hard...
We all have "that guy" somewhere in our head.
So much of our success is determined by our ability to manage his influence over our day-to-day actions.
The reality:
Everything meaningful that you want in life is on the other side of something that sucks.
That suck might be 100 hard workouts.
That suck might be 100 bland meals.
That suck might be 100 hours of focused work.
The best things in life require upfront pain.
Embrace the suck.
We're all waging a constant battle between short-term pleasure and long-term fulfillment.
It's much easier to let the "guy" in our head win.
But most of the time, the hard way is the right way.
Yes, it's hard to delay gratification. It's hard to train your body and mind. It's hard to focus. It's hard to have difficult conversations. It's hard to show up for the people you love.
But it's even harder to live with the knowledge that you hid from all of those things.
Today, and all days, outwit "that guy" in your head.
Choose your hard.