Some days are diamonds some days are stones

John Denver's words  are so applicable to a day like today.  A bad diamond day - or maybe I should call it a bad doctor day - you know like in a bad hair day - just different.  Hester's mom has to go in for an operation  at the "world renowned" (sic)  Unitas hospital.  The doctor was an hour late for the pre-op interview - no excuses nothing - it is as if that is totally the norm and totally acceptable.  Mom was getting really tired (she is turning 90 this year) sitting in her wheel chair in the reception area where the airconditioner has gone south a few months ago ( my perception).  Then we got stuck on the 4th floor when the only lift going there packed up. Around half an hour later a technician got it fixed.  This optimist was getting warm around the collar.  If the staff wasn't so nice I would have blown my top - Didn't I mention it was a stone day?

I am now sitting in the waiting room writing this piece and waiting for the freakin aneathesist who we have to convince that he has to charge mom medical aid fees - One of the nice things in this process is that the form he had her sign about the extra "out of medical tariffs" does not conform to the law and I just decided there will be no argument there - I will enlighten him about that once the account arrive.  I just don't have the power for an argument this time of the evening.

I am now getting to the point where I am thinking of that nice Whisky I am going to have when I get home and I also getting a bit calmer and probably the stone do have a little bit of a shine to it - maybe , just maybe that is how diamonds are formed - waiting patiently for the stone to show its real colours !

I was just not born for this type of stone days !

Stand up and be counted

I am very often perceived as contentious in some of my comments and posts on my own Facebook page and on Groups I subscribe to.  You can say sometimes very contentious.  The fact of the matter is that I am not a Yes-man. If I differ, I will say so and will defend my viewpoint until someone can prove me wrong. Which of course does not happen very often. I will in most cases ask them to agree to disagree with me and let us go on.

Megan Power, who writes in the Sunday Times and in the Business Day newspapers in South Africa and is a bit of a rogue fighter for consumer rights writes in an Article in today's Business day (link :  http://www.bdlive.co.za/businesstimes/2012/10/07/clueless-banks-keep-riling-clients )  about client's woes with 3 of the big South African Banks and how they (the banks ) literally make their own rules as they go along and clients just have to foot the bill.

Why do people let banks and for that matter any business get away with this type of service ?  It is absolutely a service thing - a bad service day - week , month and for some of them bad service full stop - it is how they are trained. (my perception)

I have had the same treatment (actually I can write a book full of it ) with the other bank not mentioned in the article and with one or two other nasties in very much the same type of arguments. I just got fed up and in stead of just paying them what they asked I got myself a good lawyer and started taking them on.  Suddenly the tone changed - I am not being run over - They do not phone me or send me any threatening letters anymore. I still owe some of them money but I will now repay them on my terms.  Debt counselors are there for the working man and women.  What about the guy (like me) running my own business - basically self employed that ran into financial difficulties ?  

Here are some things you can do when you really feel you could kill someone:

1.  Do not kill someone

2.  If you totally agree with what you owe a creditor offer him what you can afford to pay him. And stick to your guns - they have all sorts of crafty ways to make you increase your offer - don't.  Send them and email with the offer and cover yourself with a clause that says :Without prejudice. And insist on you being able to review the offer every three months - You not them.  And only start paying them once they have accepted your conditional offer in writing.

3.  Never ever sign any new documents !  Never ,  Ever.  Only communicate with them via email with the clause Without prejudice in the body of your mail. And insist on a read receipt.

4.   Never(ever) make any arrangement  on the phone - a phone is only their to obtain an email address.

5.  If it is a bank you owe money to and you have a savings account/cheque account with them close it and go to an unaffiliated bank.  The bank you owe money to will grab your money out of your accounts the moment it lands there - They call this set-off.  I call it theft and I will lay a criminal charge against anyone doing that - most other people will not.

5. If nothing works as described above get yourself a good lawyer - one that is not affiliated to any of your creditors.

6.  If you are not happy with any service send an email to the CEO.  Banks for one cannot refuse to give you his email address - Try and get hold of her/his secretary's(personal assistant's) name and telephone number.  I have found that these ladies can work wonders with their boss once you are on them.

What is the bottom line ? Stand up an be counted - Don't be bullied - don't be a wimp - if you are you will be treated like one ! 

The need for greed vs the need for compassion

A recent article by Megan Power about the interaction of a big direct insurer (Outsurance) and one of their clients has prompted me to get involved. My involvement might not mean anything to Outsurance but they will feel the pinch !  I am bloody well going to make sure of that.

The facts are contained in Megan's article that appeared in Business times and in the Sunday times. For those that have not read the story here is the link  :   http://www.bdlive.co.za/businesstimes/2012/08/12/client-cries-foul-over-outsurance-policy-shock

It makes for some riveting reading .   It is the story of a mega corporate insurance company who goes looking for reasons to screw this woman (Figuratively )   She was physically raped in the ordeal that let to the loss she suffered in goods and that led to the claim she put in. Of course they found the reason in something that happened 10 years ago when an insurance policy was cancelled by another insurance company and which gave them just the reason they were looking for not to pay her claim. It appears that they have a whole team of experts that look into claims that might go over a certain amount (or some other funny criteria)  This of course is never told to any client on the telephone when an application is processed.

Now any normal person in today's life accepts that once you have been accepted by an insurance company they have done their homework. But greed (read Outsurance) does not work that way.  One can only assume that they have a margin - which it seems is around where the claim amount exceeds the premiums paid where they start looking for reasons to repudiate a claim.   One can also imagine that they have to find the funding to pay for the massive new building that is nearing completion in Centurion and the amateur speedcops waiving their hands whilst trying to impersonate community service in conducting traffic all over Centurion.

I can just hear the board members saying : Nail this girl. Do not show her any mercy.  She lied about something that happened a mere 10 years ago (But as you all know we never forgive) We have to make profit at all costs.  This little incident with that impertinent Megan Power should not let us waiver in our quest.

The final thing that any normal person would take into account is that they took her money, she accepted she was covered and this incident happened to her.  There is nothing to indicate that this incident did not happen and that she lied about anything to do with this incident.  This should be the only criteria that should count. What has something that happened (or might have happened) 10 years ago to do with the facts of this case ?The only conclusion one can get to is that of the need for Greed and apparently Outsurance is an expert in  this field as can be seen from this incident.

WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU TAKE A CHANCE WITH YOUR ASSETS IN THE HANDS OF A COMPANY LIKE THIS ?    YOU ARE DOING IT AT YOUR PERIL !

Oplossings vir Suid Afrika

Ons betree almal baie gevaarlike terrein wanneer ons wil voorgee dat ons al die antwoorde het.  Ons het nie. Dit is egter so dat dit somtyds nodig is om na oplossings te soek en voorstelle daaroor te maak. Die grootste uitdaging is egter die inwerkingstelling daarvan.  Soos ons almal weet is die huidige karakters in beheer van sake in die land se regering al bietjie meer as 18 jaar daarmee besig en gebeur weining om oplossings vir die probleme te vind.  
Dalk is die groot rede daarvoor dat hulle nie weet wat die werklike probleme is nie. Elke koerant (veral die op Sondae) het natuurlik die antwoord daarop maar moet daar aanvaar word dat diegene in beheer beter dinge het om te doen as om koerante te lees.
Hier is my stuiwer in die armbeurs :   Die top probleme en my voorstelle van hoe dit hanteer moet word : (In volgorde van belangrikheid):

1.      Werkloosheid :    Werklike syfers is waarskynlik nie baie akuraat nie maar dis in die miljoene.   Die formele sektor en staatsdiens is nie by magte om veel hieraan te doen nie.
Die voor die handliggende oplossings hier is Entrepreneurskap en Kapitaal projekte - groot en verbeeldingrykes !  


a)      Entrepreneurskap kan bevorder word deur onder andere onslae te raak van die lastigheid van BEE.  Die kennis is juis gesetel in die 10% of wat persone wat effektiewelik deur BEE uit die ekonomie gesny word.  Hier is n model wat skrywer reeds aan verskeie SETAS voorgestel het in n poging om befondsing te verkry:   Skep nuwe entrepreneurs besighede op die beginsel van 90% aandeelhouding vir nuwe intreders en 10% vir Mentors. "Mentors" in die sin is juis diegene met kennis en wat in terme van BEE uitgesluit is uit die ekonomie. Die werking van die Mentors sal juis wees om te sorg dat die intreder behoorlik opgelei word en dat alle administrasie volgens besigheidsreels geskied.  


b)   Vindingryke en Verbeeldingryke kapitaal projekte ( Soos die Medupe kragstasie)  Dit sal nie baie neem om Suid Afrikaners se gedagtes te ontsluit oor moontlike nuwe projekte nie .  'n Projek wat werkskepping en masse kan bevorder is byvoorbeeld die opgradering van Suid Afrika se paaie.  Die belangrikste element wat uit sulke projekte gehou moet word is natuurlik buitelanders se inmenging en roof van ons broodnodige hulpbronne en fondse ( Die etol debakel is 'n goeie voorbeeld van hoe dit nie gedoen moet word nie ) 


2.   Sekuriteit en Polisiering.   Dit sal waarskynlik nodig wees om die probleem van die beeld van die polisie te verbeter deur die huidige bestel as 'n "projek" te sien wat verbeter moet word. In so 'n geval sal daar van "projek" bestuurders gebruik gemaak moet word en nie van "Drankwinkel" eienaars nie.  


3.  BEE   Suid Afrika is die enigste land ter wereld waar die 90% meerderheid wetgewing nodig het om hulle teen die inmenging van 10% van sy bevolking in die ekonomie te vrywaar.  Wat die die 90% met die tyd begin besef het is dat die stelsel nie die 90% bevoordeel het nie en dat die 10% net van sterkte tot sterkte gaan.  Iemand met waagmoed in die "Magte en Kragte" in beheer moet net besef dat die skraping van BEE die land se inherente kennis wat opgesluit is in die 10% "Voorheen bevoordeeldes"  sal onsluit en 'n stortvloed van bronne beskikbaar sal stel wat ons nie in ons wildste drome kon  voorstel nie ! 


4.  Besluitloosheid en gebrek aan aksie.  "Getalmry" het nie die impak wat die Engelse woord Procrastination het nie maar dis presies waarom baie dinge beplan word en nie uitgevoer word nie.  Weereens is die gebrek aan behoorlik opgeleide en gefokusde projekbestuurders die rede waarom projekte nie van die grond af kom nie.   Die Gautrein projek en die Medupe kragstasie is voorbeelde van dinge wat beplan en gebeur het. Waarom kan die regering nie sy werkskeppings projek van die grond af kry nie ?   Stel professionele bestuurders aan en hou op om na die Kaders te kyk .    Hulle kon nie eers 'n AK47 behoorlik diens nie ! 

So what is problem ?

The BIG question as asked by Leader SA


“South Africa has everything required to be the wealthiest nation in the world – we have gold, platinum, natural minerals; we have Nobel Peace Prize winners and gravitas when it comes to leadership (excluding some examples of the last few years, of course); we have the most progressive constitution in the world; we have brilliant policies; we celebrate enormous cultural diversity and are essentially at cultural peace with each other.
"So what’s the problem?"  


Here is my longer version : 


South Africa is the only country in the world where 90% of the population have to introduce LAWS that govern the economic actions of the other 10%. I am not going to try to be politically correct.  Without knocking anyone these are major obstacles  holding us back:  BEE,  Affirmative action, Laws like the newly proposed  "gag" Law,  "Traditional leaders law" .  Having the most progressive Constitution in the world can be scratched with one stroke of the pen by introducing these types of laws.
The Gag law will hide corruption.  The Tradition leaders law will take away the power of black women -and men that won't stand up against it. 
The country should not be led by Political leaders - It should be led by Economic leaders.  We have none of either of the two.


The Entrepreneurial spirit should be kindled and expanded.  We talk too much and do too little about this. Instead of banks revising their lending criteria to help entrepreneurs they  prefer to go to court to cover up their dismissals. 


 We allow foreigners to take the bread out of our people's mouths - The contract with Sanral, Barclay's shareholding in Absa (55% - what they say goes and jobs are lost) 


In an effort to protect the workers we introduce silly labour laws that cost jobs.   
No coherent job creation project exist.   Again we talk about it and it does not come off the ground. 


Now these are only some of the problems - Leader SA you asked for the problems , Now why don't you ask for solutions ?
Start a discussion on each and every one of the problems identified - I can go on for quite a while longer but I think we need to turn this discussion around into something positive !


We should take note of the comments BUT I think it is time that we DO something about the problems -  There is a saying that one person cannot change the world - In fact it always starts with one person.   Nelson Mandela is living proof of that ! 

Of debt counselors and reckless lending

Recent discussions I had with some learned friends and coincidental news reports urged me to write this article.
As we all know by now Debt counselors are those merry men and women that irks debt collectors and banks alike to the nth degree while in the process masquerading as the saviour on the white horse helping those in dire need of rescue.
To define Reckless lending so that the man in the street (or the one reading my article) is that which banks and other credit providers do to keep debt counselors in business. They all have a model to calculate how near they can come to the fine line of reckless lending.  But again with the help of a Debt counselor friend of mine we did a test on about 100 clients of his and every single one of them could call foul ! " I have been recklessly lent to" The real problem is however far from just reckless lending resulting in countless consumers visiting countless debt counselors to create a sub economy of debt counselors driving around in new Mercs (which by the way has been financed by the same banks that are irked by the debt counselors - probably in a reckless manner)
Now that you all understand the terms here is my view of where the whole problem lies :  Actually it lies with the Mainly with the Lenders and to a small extend the consumers.  The consumers (a vast majority of them anyway) are totally oblivious of how credit works and the Lenders like to keep them there so that they can reckless lend to them and keep the economy going.     Any attempt at educating them will in all probability be met with a smirk and a no ways from the Lenders.  Some however might offer to do such "borrower education" for their new prospective clients in a manner that will show he/she needs the money or item about to be financed.
Anyone agree here is a gap for a regulation or two ?   NO new debt before the lender has undergone a proper borrower education program by an independent qualified business entity with no links to any financier of any sort?   Why do I have to write a test to obtain a firearm but then I can go and throw away my family's future on reckless borrowing offered by reckless lenders with no-one to answer to ?

Victim hood

The quote by Condaleeza  Rice prompted these comments :  

Bitterness and anger makes one believe that you are a victim of something. In most cases you alone knows what that something is.   In South Africa one hears the following quotes ever so often :  We were(are) VICTIMS of .............apartheid, affirmative action .......et all.   So where did this come from ?  Bitterness and Anger about things you can do blue all about. But it is nice to be a VICTIM.   People will empower you because of this. They might even feel sorry for you.  
I pondered a while about the second sentence there :  You will feel aggrieved and the twin brother of aggrievement is entitlement .   How can this be ?  Entitlement means laying claim to something - so when I am aggrieved it is ok to lay claim to ..................?  Is this where the land grabs in Zim is coming from - probably!
So now you think you are owed something and you do not have to work for it.  You are now on a really bad road to nowhere because there are people who will play to this victim hood, aggrievement and entitlement and you still won't have a job.  

Are these the policies the ANC is chasing ?   It was definitely the thinking of one Julius Malema who thought all youth of today sees him as the savior of  the victim hood (s)  But is also becoming the views of a lot of all other Colours in South Africa .

Stop your victim mentality and start doing something for yourself - Youth of this country - Nothing is for free and get with it!

Wallmart, Barclays and all that jazz

We all tend to "like" the idea of money flowing into the country when large corporations invest and sort of take over local businesses.  Do not fool yourself , they are not doing this for the love of the country or its people.  They are doing this for the love of money - The greed thing -

We all hailed Barclays as the saviour of the local human race whilst some militant (and other not so militant) trade unions had their reservations.   So some restrictions was place on what Barclays can do and cannot do.    But there were timelines coupled to these constraints and suddenly the truth hit home this week :  Barclays' intent is to outsource certain services overseas and specifically to India - I am now speaking about amongst others the IT department.   I hereby challenge Absa to publically state their intention with the sudden cutting of staff in their IT department and declare that they have no intention to sacrifice staff in the next 3 years and outsource services to India.

Why of why is Absa's staff still loyal to them - The traumatic experience this week of the IT department staff by getting retrenched and Physically marched out of their offices cannot be described in words

Watch out :  Absa has a will of their own that does not bode well for this country.   They have lost their position as the nr 1 Homeloans bank because of their stupid decision to cut out bond originators.   The are losing major private clients to their competitors.   They feel nothing for a client when they want to nail you because of arrears on your accounts ( Should you EVER get into trouble with them speak to me - I will tell you how to handle the problem)