DIY ?

[Mud Dog]

Stop complaining and do-it-yourself
(By Max du Preez)

Do you want things to be done, and done properly, in 2015? Then do it yourself. Behave as if government is not going to deliver any services, and if it does, see that as a bonus.

The poor management and planning, deployment of loyal cadres not up to the job, attempts at state capture, corruption and weak political leadership of the last decades are now really adding up and taking their toll. There are no signs that matters will improve in 2015.

DIY is the future. The middle classes are already doing a lot of that.

Security

There are about 445 000 registered private security personnel in South Africa employed by 9 030 private security companies, compared with 158 000 members of the South African Police Service and about 6 000 Metro Police officers. This number excludes informal car guards, and there must be thousands of them serving car parks and streets all over the country. The large number of ordinary citizens taking part in neighbourhood watches all over the country should also be factored in.

Without private security, South Africa would descend into complete anarchy. If you feel unsafe, step up your own security.

Potholes

Last year I got really fed up with the people in my neighbourhood constantly complaining about potholes on our streets. They would come by week after week and talk about little else: they are now big enough for a dog swimming pool, one would say, and another would complain that they had damaged his car’s exhaust system.

So I went to the hardware store and bought two 25kg bags of Ready Mix Hot Tar for a mere R50 each. I dug out the holes, filled them with the bitumen, banged it down and they were fixed – they’re still fixed nine months later. This is now being done in other neighbourhoods too.

Sure, it really is the job of local government. But would you rather blame and sulk or do you want your streets to be better?

Water

If you live in a municipality with poor water delivery, stop moaning. For only R1 500 you can buy a 1 000-litre plastic rainwater tank – or if you have spare cash, R6 500 for a 5 500-litre tank or just over R9 000 for a 10 000-litre tank. You get good, clean rainwater and it’s for free. Use your grey water for your garden.

Electricity

What would you talk about if we didn’t have electricity blackouts? It’s easy and cheap enough to do something about it.

When Eskom started “load shedding” last November, I had a crisis with WiFi and electricity for my computers and a few lights. I quickly bought a small generator for R1 600 that took care of all of that for the two hours or so per day I was without power. If I had more time, I would have shopped around for an affordable solar system to do that job. I use gas for heating water and for cooking. No problem.

Again, if you have a bit of spare cash, go completely off the grid. A moderate household using a gas geyser and stove and LED lights needs no more than a solar power system of about R70 000. Up your generating ability a bit and soon you can sell electricity back to Eskom. What is more, it’s cool to be green.

Education

Good education is not a problem for the middle classes. Most former Model C schools (as they’re still called) provide excellent and very affordable education. There are 5 145 of them that make up 21% of all state schools and have about 2.5 million pupils - close to 67% of them black. If the Model C school near you is lacking, get involved, mobilise the parents and the community and make it better.

But if you can’t find a good school near you, try one of the country’s about 1 500 private schools. If you can’t afford Kearsney College, Hilton or St Stithians, go for the Curro Holdings or ADvTECH schools which cost the same as the better Model C schools. Enrolment in private schools has increased by about 80% over the last decade.

If you are a responsible and caring entrepreneur or business person relying on good and reliable labour, don’t wait for government to provide for your workers. Help them build their own homes, supply them with rainwater tanks and solar panels and get involved in their children’s education. It can only be a good investment and it will make you feel better about being wealthy at the same time.

(The Marikana disaster would probably not have happened had Lonmin cared a little more about its workers’ lives outside the mine.)

Here’s the beauty of all of this: if the middle classes start taking care of themselves, the state would have much more capacity to spend on the poor. The better off the poor are, the higher our chances of remaining a stable country - and that is good for business. It’s a win-win, as the inspirational public speakers say.

Do I hear you grumble about the taxes you pay and now I’m suggesting you look after yourself? Well, get a better tax consultant. If you’re well off enough to worry about your tax burden, you can’t be doing too badly.

This all may sound very frivolous, but I’m deadly serious.

A large part of the malaise in South Africa today is the overwhelming negativity and paralysing pessimism. We’re b***hing ourselves into a depression. If enough of us keep on rolling our eyes predicting that we’re becoming Zimbabwe, we probably will in the end.

We’re forgetting that we’re the nation of “maak ‘n plan” people, a country that has overcome great odds and survived crises that would have sunk most others. We have great human capital and a culture of perseverance and innovation.

I think 2015 should be the year of new energy, new adventures, positive action and getting really involved to make South Africa a better place to live in. It will make you feel a better person too.

And in our spare time we can still mobilise and organise to stop the present government from stealing our freedom.

[Wurmscooby]

So true:

[4x4BEES]

Wise words there

[Toppie4x4]

Fully agree..................I only need water otherwise I am sorted. If you plan correct it will not cost an arm and a leg. Will go for the 1000 litre as I do not have any space for something bigger.

[george]

Good advice.Most of us is doing it already.We make a plan,BUT we cant let the useless government just go on and rape the country.
We need watchdogs and people that keep on complaining.

[Thabogrobler]

Ai ou Max....daai ou R 70k wat jou sak so brand...

[Oupa Stig]

Dink net hoeveel mods kan jy doen op jou Hilux vir 70k...

Ongelukkig is die man reg, en ons moet dinge vir ons self doen. Al waar hy verkeerd is is dat as die regering geld spaar op 'n middelklas wat homself onderhou, dan gaan daardie gespaarde geld nie gaan na die armes nie. Dit gaan gaan na Nkandla etc. Sorry Max. Aanhou droom.

[ChrisF]

uhm ja nee .....


is that not largely what we HAVE been doing for the last 2 decades ?


Max seems to miss one serious point though - those that pay the vast majority of the tax coffers are now to take care of themselves ....

his comment of Lonmin ... typical commy cr@p !! The REAL issue is the powers that be that allows these lowly paid workers to be indebted to the point where they have nothing left after the debt collectors are done with them .... so they are in a cycle whereby a SERIOUS portion of their salary goes straight to interests .....



but then, this is a cultural thing - living in debt. Many years back I stood in for a collegue that went on study leave. The assistant started bugging me for R5 and R10 each lunch time ..... The other chap did lend him a lot of money .... I made it CLEAR that I wont be lending him money ! For 4 months he survived perfectly !!! The very day my collegue comes back he asks him for R10 !

how will this cycle be broken if we keep on perpetuating it ???




PS - who HAS the figures for a "good model C" school, and for a Curro school ??? MAx seems to suggest these two costs about the same .... surely not ?

[ChrisF]

Stop complaining and do-it-yourself
(By Max du Preez)

Again, if you have a bit of spare cash, go completely off the grid. A moderate household using a gas geyser and stove and LED lights needs no more than a solar power system of about R70 000. Up your generating ability a bit and soon you can sell electricity back to Eskom. What is more, it’s cool to be green.
...

BLITHERING IDIOT should stick to talking cr@p .....


back in the REAL world - "go completely off the grid" - good luck trying to do that under R 150 000 !!!!!! Closer to R175k !! And try a payback period of 15 years !!!! By which time most components are due for replacement.

[pietpetoors]

If I can stop paying any form of tax, then I will do it myself.

[Bugzy]

If I can stop paying any form of tax, then I will do it myself.

Ja Piet, ek stem saam met jou....en die ouens wat R70K het wat rond le gaan nie kla oor al die dinge nie.

[Cleaner]

Jis daai man is vol van homself!

Regtig! So gaan sommer terselfdertyd Checkers toe en gaan koop jou kruideniersware, betaal by die till en los dan sommer jou waentjie met alles net so in daar by die till. Dan ry jy huis toen en gaan pluk maar jou groentejies wat jy self gekweek het en gaan slag maar een van jou drie kiepies wat daar tussen die groentetjies rondloop, want dis dieselfde prinsiep. Betaal jou nerwe af aan iets, moenie moun nie, en doen dit dan in anycase jouself?!?

Ek kan regtig sien hoe dit 'n goeie idee is. Bloody mamparra.