(This piece first appeared in the Weekend Post on 31 October 2015)
I drive a 1997 Toyota. It has 476 000 kilometres on the
clock. I drive this old car mainly to embarrass my children, but also because I
know that renewing my car every two or three years has a hugely destructive
impact on our planet. In fact, a recent report in the Guardian points out that the amount of carbon that it
takes to make a car (its “embodied emissions”) is very likely to be greater
that the total exhaust pipe emissions over its lifetime. What the Guardian is
trying to say is that my clapped out old rust bucket is better for the planet
than a brand new super-efficient, high tech Hybrid!
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| My 1997 Toyota, when it was still young |
I take the health of our planet very seriously. You and I
know however that the truth about our country, and many others like it, is that
the most pressing threat is not the levels of carbon in the atmosphere, not the
depletion of the ozone layer, not even the desperate and sad story of the
Rhino. No, the most pressing threat to our society is poverty and exploitation.
Poverty is a breeding ground for disease, ignorance, corruption and crime.
Quite simply, we are all doomed if we are not able to build a stable economy
where each and every one of us feels that it is worthwhile to make our best
effort every day to improve the health and welfare of ourselves and of our
families. What I want to talk about today though, is what it is we do about
this situation. You see, I am inspired and impressed by the direct action
students across the country have taken in dealing with tuition fees. Inspired;
because students are showing us that it is far more effective to take direct action
than it is to put our trust in party politics. The students of 2015 have shown
us, that if we want to get something done, we must get off our backsides and
take direct action. The students of 2015 focussed on the issue. They set aside
party politics; they set aside complexion and economic status. They focused on
one issue and they were very effective.
But, “Direct Action” is not only about blocking traffic and
singing songs. “Direct Action” is about our choices. It’s about what I produce
and about what I consume. It’s about how I choose to act. So, it was no less
that an act of revolutionary defiance that I had my car repaired on my front
lawn this Saturday while my neighbours were indoors watching the rugby. (Yes,
the old crock breaks down from time to time!) You see, I could have opted to
have the work done by the recommended, massive Japanese owned multinational corporation, but instead I opted for “Direct Action” and chose to employ a
trusted, loyal and brilliant small time mechanic to repair the broken starter
motor. It cost me a lot less. He earned very good money. It’s a “win-win”
situation. No massive corporation, no CEO salary, no marketing budget and TV
ads, just a small time “guy” with his box of tools on my lawn. I do the same
when I need bicycle repairs, carpenter, plumber, electrician, tailor or
plumber. It’s the right thing to do.
You may be surprised to hear of the good work that the Metro
is doing to support small business. In
fact, all municipal construction projects now require that 25% of the work is
done by Small Medium and Micro Enterprises. Believe me, this is really painful
to people like me, who are called upon from time to time to design and manage these
projects. There is a heap of complicated paperwork involved and it really is a
lot easier to get the work done where your contractor is listed on the JSE. The
point is though, that the Metro is being responsible and is leading the way in
this action. My appeal is that each of us follows this lead. That each of us,
in our businesses and families make a commitment to allocate a portion of our
annual spend to emerging businesses. (Perhaps 10% may be easier to achieve
initially.) But even at those levels, by direct action, we will be able to make
a massive and lasting dent on poverty.
What I am proposing is that each of us builds “bridges”
between those of us who have emerged from poverty and those of us that are
making the effort to do so. It really is a two way street. If you are working
to emerge from poverty, make it easy for those that want to trade with you.
Answer your phone. Arrive on time. Do what you promise. For those of you that
are trading with those emerging from poverty; yes, it does take more effort.
You will need to search a little harder to find the service you are looking
for. You will need to check the references. You will need to pay promptly. But
that is the Direct Action that we can take. Consumers may complain that there
are not enough emerging businesses to address the most pressing needs, but we
must trust that these will emerge if there is good money on offer. Emerging
businesses may complain that there are not enough customers, but we must trust
that these will emerge when we have good product to offer.
Political parties cannot do it for us. The future is in our
hands and direct action is the tool we will use to build that future. Start
today!
