To make it even better, I happened to find a link to this fascinating article on Twitter and read the story just before the movie started. It's all about how it's better to concentrate on doing your best rather than obtaining fixed goals and placing unnecessary pressure ... something I think we can all relate to, especially at the start of a new year.
There you go, that's short-post Friday for you!
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI am in a long discussion with a SA expat human rights activist. We talk about the possibility of the resettling of the afrikaans people from squatter camps, in Transylvanian villages in Romania. At the moment this is only an idea, a discussion. You know the situation in both sides, so i am curious about your opinion, eventualli are you interested in this discusion. With respect, Kiss L
It puzzles me, why only Afrikaans people? For starters, not many Afrikaans people live in 'squatter camps' compared to the poorest black majority. That said, I see the following problems with this idea:
Delete1: What does Transylvania have to offer poor South Africans that they cannot get in South Africa?
2: South African people are not used to the Romanian winter conditions (snow, intense cold etc). You're talking about taking the poorest people and dumping them into an even more challenging condition.
3: Who is going to pay for plane tickets (R7 000+ per person), and couldn't this money and the rest of the re-settlement costs be better spent on giving the poor people an opportunity to earn money for themselves in South Africa (e.g. tools, training or some community upliftment scheme)?
4: From a legislation perspective, I don't know if Romania will just allow foreign immigrants without some local ties (e.g. Romanian spouse and proof of support - e.g. not relying on hospitals etc) or employment.
5: I get the feeling that Romania has enough poor people, so you could even start sparking xenophobia if local poor Romanians feel that poor South Africans are receiving preferential support in their own country.
I'll be interested to hear your thoughts on the above.