Introducing our school’s leaders

Jacob Zuma. Julius Malema. Hilter. Robert Mugabe.

These names are all synonymous with the word “leader”. Whether they were or are good leaders is, I think, a matter of personal opinion.

I recently participated in the English Olympiad. The topic this year was controversial: In camera: whose truth is it anyway? I thoroughly enjoyed this topic as it drove me to question and think about things which I would have not thought about before. I asked myself: why should we be led by others anyway? or have we, the people and youth of South Africa become a sad example of the blind following the blind? And the question that still eats away at my conscience when all the world has been silenced and I am left alone with my thoughts, do we know our leaders well enough to make a judgment or criticise them for their actions? If they are some super-human being who can do no wrong should they be scrutinised and at times feared? (Yes, my stream of consciousness likes to run off on wild tangents)

It therefore gave me the idea of sending out our bloggers to interview our school’s leaders in the attempt to humanise them. Maybe we will understand and respect them more.

Your editor

Nabeelah

Dear Mr Zuma

Another response to thePresident…

Dear Mr. Zuma

Sir I’ve got a simple question for you- “Have you heard about the Secrecy Bill or as your friends call it The Protection of State Information Bill?”Oh right, of course you haven’t. You’ve been to busy party-cipating in the planning of yet another wedding, choosing the perfect marble tiles for your tax-money-paid-for-mansion and trying to fix the plumbing in your shower head.

Since you have missed so much, let me fill you in. Your unqualified minister friends are trying to pass the “Secrecy Bill”. I’m sure they’re creating the bill for good intentions but unfortunately the bill has been written ambiguously and unfairly and therefore could be used to wrongly deny the public their right to know. Although your ministers would never abuse citizens rights for their own benefit- definitely not under your watch!

You say we live in a democratic country. Well information is the key to the public’s engagement with government and the public’s engagement with government is the key to democracy. Don’t deny us information, Sir. Don’t deny us democracy.

Sir, this countries people are not roaring, we are weeping, we are weeping for change, we don’t want this secrecy bill. The media should be able to inform us on our government’s decisions, how our tax money is used and how much of our money was used to upgrade you humble home. To be quite honest with you sir I don’t want to be reading about Nandos’ flame grilled 24-hour marinated Peri-Peri chicken, in the newspaper.  This country doesn’t need a big brother it needs a great leader who will make decisions in the interest of his people.

A great man, Edward Burke, once said that for evil to flourish, all that is required is for good men to do nothing. I beg you sir, please listen to your countries cries, be the good man you does everything in his power to make things right.

Yours sincerely,

Hhfhfjghjghjkgjkgkk  (The identification of this citizen is classified.)

Dear Mr President…About the “Secrecy Bill”

After a morning spent with “Right to Know” Campaign (in preparation for the English Olympiad), this is a response by Dayaan to the activity: “Write a letter to the President, expressing your concern about the ‘Secrecy Bill’.”

 

TO:     Chief Jacob Zuma
250 Million Rand Upgraded Private Estate
Shower Avenue
AIDS

Dear Mr. President

I am your biggest fan; and I have a lot of respect for you Mr. President Sir. I confess that the preceding line was only to persuade you into actually reading this letter. In actual fact, I do not like you very much.

Regrettably, this letter is not about me sharing my opinions about you Mr. President. I do not wish to, and do not own enough ink and paper, to point out your gross incompetence; feeble cranium capacity; and lack of morality. No, this letter has a higher purpose Mr. President Sir. I wish to open your eyes.

I wish to open your eyes Mr. President, to the back door evils of the Secrecy Bill. Pardon me; the ‘Protection of State Information’ bill. I’m sure (well, I hope) that you are well versed in the alleged “threats to constitutional rights” and much favoured “National Security” arguments. I shall not bore you with the cries of the millions of Journalists, Civil Rights groups and the thinking citizens of this nation adamantly against this bill and everything that it stands for. We all hate nosy Journalists, and those high-strung communist heal-the-world organisations are just a bureaucratic pain in the budget. As for the people, they should know by now that the government knows what’s best for … the government. Right?

Open your eyes. This is about more than just the Bill. It is more important than the itching backs shouting to be scratched. More pressing than the anticipated corporate gifts to the Zuma fund. I promise you Mr President that if this Bill is passed, it will be a huge step back in everything we’ve worked for. In the name of the teachings of the Freedom Charter, I implore you, open your eyes.

Once you do this Mr. President, you will realise that, like my trickery in the beginning of this letter, like the story you spun those judges about the arms deal, there is more to this than what you’re allowing yourself to see. Our right to know is a small little freedom. But it’ll be one less freedom that we will have.

Please Mr. President Sir. You have the Power. Don’t let them take our democracy away.

Sincerely

Mogamat Dayaan Salie

Grade 12