RBD Newsletter--First Issue

MONATENG BULLETIN---All you need about your needs

Editorial
This is the first issue of Monateng that is aiming at transmitting good news to all the youths and students of Royal Bafokeng Nation. Monateng is an initiative inspired by critical and constructive debates that tend to emerge amongst the youths and students of our generation. You must be rest assured, this is not a gossip column journal nor a peer reviewed journal for academic purposes but writings by students and youths for students and youths.

In this debut publication we feature articles that are foundational to lives of young people in our generation. We plan in the future to feature articles of other people and celebrities of importance.

In our researches and writings we seek to be fair, objective and promote the liberties and rights of all South Africans as enshrined in our constitution.

May you relish and savour the sweat of your peers, juniors, contemporaries, counterparts and aspirant creative writers.

Included in this very first publication is an invitation to join royal bafokeng diamonds facebook group to be a member of the group. This group is not for entertainment purposes but seek to sensitise Bafokeng students and youths to issues of paramount importance that South Africa, Africa and the world are dealing with. They range from strategic administrative capacity building of the Royal Bafokeng to the United Nations.


Peter Mogomotsi Mpete
Melridge House (Johannesburg)
Chief Editor




The starting of your own business

Many are expecting at this point to get technical ideas and strategies on how to go about in entrepreneurship. They are attentive hoping to get those get quick schemes that populate our homes and desks if not our minds. We are expecting an expert and clearly not me to guide you through a simple process where you eventually arrive to be a Sandton resident and perhaps owning a Bentley or something along those lines. The legitimacy of my authority in this area is unequivocally questioned. It cannot be ignored that I never owned a business nor attended a business seminary. I therefore withdraw and aware of such constructive criticism.

Mine is a moral debate about the beginning process of independent thinking. We grow as simpletons under the auspices of our parents. As an African we are indoctrinated into the culture of Ubuntu; the philosophy stance that I believe endorses collectivism rather than individualism we see in the West. I believe if we are to go back along the South African time line to try redress the legacy of colonialism, the lot will fall of this understanding with its underpinnings. Long time ago, an African man was a collectivist, the remnants of that cultural ideology are still prevalent howbeit suppressed and suffocated by a mysticism of the West; the dominance of one cultural stance by the other. What shall we call this? -- Cultural mysticism.

I have grown to realise and value tolerance, attentiveness and engagement. The only way to understand is to listen and to listen so that you understand has to do with you suspending all the prejudices or pre-judgements. You have to be unbiased but yes, of course, the core of your being has gravitated towards a belief of some sort whether you believe it or not. It is there whether you vocalise it or not. It is a belief system which puts everything in order for you and gives you sanity in this world that is full of confusions and contradictions. The system in operation serves as the operating system that arranges the pattern of thinking and of living. In this kind of framework, defence mechanisms especially rationalization takes pre-eminence. The system serves as the lens through which you see, analyse and infer about life. You cannot go beyond your belief system for you will have to discard it first and think along new lines.

Can there ever be an effective and highly sought after operating system in individuals and communities to rationalise, interpret and live life? I think the answer is yes but I will resort to specifics. Mandela as a politician had a belief system or operating system that was far advanced and later readily accepted and legitimised by the populous of South Africa as one of the world most outstanding belief system. The system he possessed gave rise to the Rainbow nation and led South Africa through a difficult transition that emerged successful. Bill Gates, Donald Trump and other outstanding figures had a particular belief system that separated them from the rest. They are currently under study for people are looking for their secrets to succeed. Most of the time people are looking for aspects without realising that the whole foundation has to be demolished first before building can take place. You cannot pour new wine into old wineskins. You cannot make the old trouser new by patching it for the patches will tear it further. We learn from these two parables that for something new that is working to thrive, we need an overhaul of the system. We need to start again at the foundations because our lives are passively based on assumptions, early indoctrination, unconscious modelling and cultural predispositions. We need to go through a rigorous, sober, independent, individual and active building of a new belief system of universal acclaim and recommendation. If it is working for anyone at anytime in anyplace then we have to apply the Golden Rule-- tolerance, attentiveness and engagement.



Dreaming by Peter Mpete

Dreaming of the night sky,
Harmonious times under the sky,
I looked around only to look away,
I searched around only to search away,
What is wrong with me?
Desperation so violent,
The tornado of loneliness and aloness
A whirlwind of aggressive love.

Dreaming of the bright sky,
Peaceful times under the sky,
My friend where are you?
How long will I look?
How long will I search?
I am but a mockery.
In shame I hide myself,
No one to receive my unfeigned love.

Dreaming of the light sky,
Passionate times under the sky,
I long to meet you, I thirst for you
My soul readies itself to fire,
Fire of love from the furnace of
Ingenuity, genuinely at all
You are a friend in need.



Drinking Among College Students

According to the Harvard School of Public Health, binge drinking has reached epidemic proportions on United States college campuses. It goes on to say that drinking is the most frequent cause of academic failure, vandalism, public indecency, fights, sexual assaults, date rape, accidental death, and murder. The study showed that 87% of all college students had been negatively affected during their college work by binge drinking.
MADD reports that there are 10 million current drinkers under the age of 21 and that 4.4 million of these are binge drinkers while 1.7 million are heavy drinkers. They also report that eight young people a day die from alcohol-related crashes and that alcohol users are 50 times more likely to use cocaine than young people who do not drink. Alcohol is the most destructive drug in the world, and for Christians to maintain that there is no real way to oppose alcohol is to admit we are paralyzed and incapable of opposing evil.

Glossary of Important Terms

• Politics: The public resolution of conflicting values and interests within a context of basis consensus.
• Government: The public institutions that are given the tasks of resolving social conflict, providing services to the population, sustaining relationships with other governments, and maintaining order.
• Policy: The general direction of decision-making in regard to a political problem.
• Ideology: Coherent set of thought patterns which consist of beliefs about the factual nature of the world, and opinions about good and bad, moral and immoral behaviour.

Adapted from American Democracy: The Third Century by John R. Todd and Dina Titus.

RBD Newsletter-Second Issue

MONATENG BULLETIN--All about your needs

Editorial

2010 has been a great year for many people and perhaps a bad year for others. Life has its gives and takes as we all know and realise by now. We rejoice with those in high spirits and also mourn with those who are grieving and experiencing hard-pressed moments. I always say that the tenacity and resilience of an individual are evident through storms and hurricanes of these times. Take whatever bad situation as your winter where your internal work is consolidated with a twinkle of a hope for summer hanging on the horizon.

In this second issue that is long overdue, we unpack the realities, activities and challenges experienced by Royal Bafokeng Youth in different spheres of life as some are studying,some unemployed and some trying various jobs for survival. The important question is, where is our nation heading to if our youth is neglected or rather abandoned to hassle for themselves. We approach this scope of debate for constructive purposes as any other advance can render our purpose and plans useless.

In the good name of our nation, king and the Bafokeng people, let us intellectually engage our terrain so as to arrive at a consensus for partnership and commitment of Bafokeng people towards a truly and genuinely prosperous community where everyone is equal and protected by the law.

Peter Mogomotsi Mpete
Melridge House (Johannesburg)
Chief Editor

RBD Special Review of Royal Bafokeng Institute (RBI)- Loan Bursary

As the students of Royal Bafokeng Nation (RBN), we are grateful to our nation and its leadership for constantly putting our agenda forward. The reports on education funding in our nation have stipulated that close to R50 million is spent on education annually. This is a high figure considering the income profile of our nation as dependent on their current asset portfolio. Such spending indicates where the priority of our nation lies and that is of course, education.

It has long been in our minds that our king together with the leadership of Bafokeng desire what is good for our nation and as a result have put their trust and hope in us, the future torch bearers of the Bafokeng people. At this point in time the budget figure, the consideration and deliberations concerning education are audible and promising.However, the efficiency and culture of RBI Loan Bursary Scheme is worrying and worth an analysis.

An entity that works with high volumes of applicants and candidates should be posed as an outstanding and relevant formation capable of high calibre researh and development. We all know the developments of RBI Student Loan especially the recent ones. We have seen management come and go.Different strategies and tactics were involved at different junctures of this rapid developmental process. There were also incidents where the views and decisions of the entity were abjectly criticised by the populous of RBN. The fabric of the Bafokeng people was antagonist to the formation that is responsible for the attainment of Vision 2020 and MasterPlan 2035 through intellectual development. Now if our important institution has been under severe attack and criticism from the masses, we should expect the consecutive developments to address such a rift and redress or address important issues so as to mend or rectify the relationship between the Central Administration and the community.

The truth of the matter is all entities are representatives of the leadership of RBN. If an entity does not deal with challenges at the onset then we have a problem of uniting our nation for the good cause.Through RBI , with their mandate of youth development, we have an opportunity of creating the right atmosphere to realise and champion our interests,goals and vision. Our young people and students are crucial to our plan and strategy as the baton has to be eventually passed down to them. In our approach and dealings, we should realise at all times that this crop of our nation has got the potential to make us what we aspire to be. As such our treatment of this a promising pack should be considerate and sensitive. We should be aware that we do not kill dreams and suffocate great minds. Our capacity and purpose as a nation through institutions that cater for such minds should be to recognise, acknowledge and groom this magnificient talent for the good of all.

We have to put in place support structures that will attempt to reduce the disadvantage gap as a result of our public schooling system. We have to compensate for that and put measures in place to quantify such disadvantages so as to target specific problems and challenges affecting young people and students of Royal Bafokeng Nation(RBN).

The administration of RBI has to be proactive in their Research and Development endeavour to capture the challenges imposed by the public schooling system and redress these infringements through a systematic and holistic approach that cut across the entire education system. This process could be a dual-call to both Bafokeng and the government. The transtion of our young learners from the protected and naive school grounds to a tough and realistic tertiary institutions should be closely monitored and a thorough evaluation of the Bursary programme should be conducted from time to time. An easy step to approach this hassle of the transition is to get an in-depth knowledge of the operations of the institutions that Bafokeng students register with. Understanding the nature and process of each institution would give the Bursary Scheme an advantage of advising and guiding students to right institutions of fit to the student's credentials and academic profile. If we are to achieve our vision such mentoring and coaching are necessary.

Unpacking Vision 2020

"We, the Baofeng people, Kgosi and the Supreme Council are determined to develop ourselves to be a self-sufficient nation by the second decade of the 21st century" (So Help us God) (words in brackets are mine)

When you look at the foundation and architecture of America, you realise that the founders had a vision to bring about a country that will give opportunities to all its citizens. There is a consensus in that vision that America is a land of possibilities and everyone can be what they want to be. America today is still viewed as a role model, frame of reference and the epitome of success and prosperity especially by some developing and under-developed countries around the world.

In Africa, after many bitter battles and rearrangements of political governance, we have tried to coin our own way and vision. The African vision is advocated and championed by the former president of South Africa, Mr Thabo Mbeki, who has recently established Thabo Mbeki Foundation together with Thabo Mbeki Leadership Institute to address African problems through African Rennaissance. We believe through this dream and vision that solutions to African problems are and should come from the African people and not adapted from any other nation no matter how powerful.Regardless of this initiative and passion for our own way, America should be applauded for its success and prosperity over the years to the point where they are in terms of global civilization standards.

Yes its true that African people should embark on their own way to arrive at the new Africa with fruits plenty enough for everyone. As Bafokeng people, we fit in this plan and vision as we are South Africans first and Africans second. We have to focus at the corner of Africa we are in to realise this milestone and hallmark in the space of history. As Bafokeng people, with the current population of about 300 000 and estimated to double to 600 000 in the near future, have the resposibility and obligation to look at ourselves so as to have a common resolve resulting from the common predicament and legacies.In our commonality lies a consensus and we all agree that unemployment, illiteracy and poverty are ailments and social ills that need to be weeded for all to experience the gains of the new democratic order and for Bafokeng people, is for all to experience the heritage and legacy of the Bafokeng Nation.

Our vision is safeguarded by all citizens of the Bafokeng people as we are a community collectively owning our land and assets. We are the custodians of the Bafokeng Heritage and Legacy to see to it that the little we have grows in leaps and bounds forthe benefit of our community and future generations. The previous generations of Bafokeng people sacrificed a lot for the succeeding generations and we have to appreciate and take advantage of that. The irony of the situation is that we have been advantaged however its still our responsibility and obligation to apply wisdom and knowledge in all our endeavours to arrive at the point where our land is at peace because its citizens are united in a cause to see all prosper and Bafokeng people contributing to the well-being and strength of South Africa and Africa.

In our vision we position ourselves to be self-sufficient in the sense that we want to gather and ripen all that is needed for a community to be vibrant and thriving. We want to groom, recruit and develop great minds and hearts that will catch and run with this a collective vision for by being part of it, you have a burden, albeit an easy one, to see to it that Bafokeng people move away from the situation they find themselves in to a new situation where all people are contributors and drivers in our economy. We want to endorse the economic emancipation of our people and see them participate in the mainstream economy. Yes its true that we want to alleviate and push back the frontiers of poverty,illiteracy and unemployment in our land, nation and communities. We want to see a confident, an abled , empowered and knowlegeable Mofokeng taking the reigns of economic participation by being independent yet responsive to the collective call to develop one's own oikos or family, community and nation.

Bafokeng people care and have shown in their history line that a self-less and sacrificial life is the one worth living. Giving time, life and devotion to a good cause has brought this nation tremendous wealth and prestige across the nations of the world. We have to ride the same cloud with aspirations and ambitions big enough to ignite our passions and elevate our esteem in our pursuit of the land of phoka le mfoka.

Bafokeng re neilwe lefatshe ka ntlha ya maatla, nonofo, bogatlhamelamasisi le botlhale ba bao ba tsamaileng fa pele ga rona.A re ipopeng seopa sengwe go lwantsha sera sengwe le sengwe se se re nyemisang mooko gore re tle re kgone go fitlhelela ditoro le maikaelelo a rona. PULA!!

Extras

Do not forget to invite members to join our facebook page and if you have any queries you can e-mail us at royalbafokengdiamonds@gmail.com or visit our website at www.royalbafokengdiamonds.cfsites.org

Send us articles and any suggestions you have as we prepare to register as an NPO and officially launch our group at Phokeng.

Review of Melridgean Culture will be posted on our wall. Its a nice read about Student Life of Bafokenf students at Melridge house in Braamfontein, Johannesburg. All those who like the juicy details, will be turned on by the article.

Cheers