Bakhithi, ziyakhala manje! Awukho umsebenzi! According to the latest StatsSA report, our economy is stubbornly shedding jobs. Kunakele!
Covid-19 issues and lockdown are still with us, and politically, there is too much noise and disunity among people. One wonders what the impact of all these concerns is to the mental health of the population. This is no time for finger pointing but helping to find a solution and lending a hand. By Nimroth Gwetsa, 31 August 2021. Continue reading
In times like these, it is easy to lament at life for the hardship, setbacks, pain, and sufferings we are experiencing. Our anxiety is heightened, hope is almost lost, and despair is about to set in.
But even in such circumstances, we are alive and have many other things going well for us, yet those good things are not recognised, their value diminished, and much focus is on our inconveniences and lack.
Sometimes we need to appreciate what we have going well for us than our lack. To appreciate the true value of what we have, just imagine what the quality of your life would be if you had what you currently lack and lost all that you currently have and are probably assuming.
Many would rather wish they were dead than go through such life. James Ingram was right, “You never know what you got until it’s over” – Always You, 1993. By Nimroth Gwetsa, 31 July 2021. Continue reading
Stock is money. Having large quantities for months of unsold stock on retail shop floors seems unwise. Equally so, having no stock available for days, of known fast moving or highly demanded goods, is unwise. Yet in many South African retail shops, it is unsurprising to find an oversupply or undersupply of goods in stores.
Does it mean retailers are forced to accept whatever the producer wants them to list, or is it the case of management at head office deciding on what the stores must list in spite of demand, or is it a lack of relevant technological solutions to provide intelligence information enabling managers to make informed decisions, or is it the case of poor usage of technology within the organisation? By Nimroth Gwetsa, 31 May 2021. Continue reading
Last month, I spoke about an old gentleman mechanic and his reliance on intuition and experience to diagnose certain manufacturer’s classic vehicles faults. I also spoke about his aversion to using relevant technology tools for fault diagnosis.
My investigation vindicated the old man’s aversion to diagnostic tools. In the previous article, you will recall I mentioned that the good old mechanic specialises in a certain manufacturer’s gasoline-engine vehicles. The old man’s aversion is attributable to the manufacturer driven by unquenchable desire to capture the customer market and thwart customers’ reliance on independent service repairers like him.
I now question the value of having vehicle manufacturers voluntarily taking up membership with Society of Automotive Engineering (SAE) for standards when they do not fully comply with their published standards. By Nimroth Gwetsa, 30 April 2021. Continue reading
In my garage is a classic I bought seventeen years ago. For the past few years, it has been parked and not used regularly, but taken out once or so a week to maintain the health of the battery and other moving parts for lubrication and rust prevention. I know many will criticise the soundness of my financial management in keeping such a vehicle. We possibly have a “drug” of some sorts we obsess about, enabling us to be children again. Mine is the love I have for this modern classic.
To avoid having ownership headaches, I have honoured all its annual service maintenance requirements through the dealership of the original-equipment manufacturer (OEM). The move has thus far increased my confidence to have it as an option for any trip I wish to undertake, whether around the corner or over long distance. That my family shares in my confidence is another matter, suffice it to say when the OEM dealership presents me with a bill, I feel like swearing at people in the building, including the state of our governance in the country.
These people are not playing. They do not hesitate to present you with a bill equivalent to a budget of PPEs for a small village of migrant workers! But that is not the main reason for my telling you this story. By Nimroth Gwetsa, 30 March 2021. Continue reading
Notwithstanding the digital divide prevalent in our country, for many, voice and data connectivity are necessities of life along water and electricity far more important to some extent than food. I do not know about you, but I know many others like me easily losing appetite even, when having to face power, water and connectivity outages with no access to backup services.
What is more frustrating is having those outages occurring closer to or outside normal office hours, say from four in the afternoon on weekdays or twelve on a Saturday or any other time on Sunday. The frustration is owing to many service providers limiting their (onsite) support to office hours on weekdays mainly.
If ever you did not know you had comorbidities, wait until you have deadlines to meet and these outages occur outside those “normal” office hours, then assess your health afterwards. Living in South Africa means investing, not only in these primary services, but having backups too for all your needs to avoid having burst arteries. With these “basic” services already so expensive for many, who would have sufficient resources to invest even in backup solutions? By Nimroth Gwetsa, 31 January 2021. Continue reading
The COVID-19 era has redefined the way of life and I doubt we will revert to the way of life before the occurrence of the pandemic just as life changed after 911 and is reported to have also done after world wars. We need to accept that the life of mask wearing, sanitisation and social distancing will remain with us for years.
Though many are apathetic still to threats of getting infected as seen from their continued overcrowding interactions without taking prescribed precautions, I would not want to trivialise potential destructiveness of COVID-19.
Apart from President Trump, I am yet to hear from anyone who has been infected by the virus and felt its impact dismissing it as another variant of flu, yet many critics with no prior COVID-19 infection easily make such claims. By Nimroth Gwetsa, 29 December 2020. Continue reading
On 26 November 2020, several media houses published a story of Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) having frozen R111m from the bank account of one Thabo Simbini, a businessman from Hammanskraal, for his alleged fraudulent claims from the scheme designed to provide financial relief to employers and employees adversely impacted by covid-19.
Simbini is alleged to have claimed for more than six thousand employees from the Temporary Employer/ Employee Relief Scheme (TERS) when he was the only employee in his business, Impossible Services (Pty) Ltd. We take comfort in the knowledge that AFU’s action shows Simbini will be held accountable for his deeds, but such fraudulent submissions should not have initially succeeded.
We know government is inefficient, but basic reference checks could have flagged the claim as fraudulent even when using antiquated technological solutions. Lesson for us all, even small businesses, is to never relent in keeping records even if on a simple spreadsheet. Of all man-made innovations, spreadsheets should count among the best things since sliced bread. By Nimroth Gwetsa, 30 November 2020. Continue reading
Sometimes truthful and integrous life can cause serious unbearable personal and relational pain, ranging from personal isolation, stagnation, bankruptcy, ruined relationships to depression. While acknowledging the seriousness of such problems, their occurrence is often temporary, though it may feel as though years went by when experiencing them.
I do not think those lying their way or trampling on the rights and welfare of others to their advancement enjoy a blissful life in the long run. I want to believe they do not sustainably enjoy peace of mind. Publicly, they may seem to be living a good and peaceful life, but if they were to tell the truth and nothing but the truth, they would admit experiencing longer-term pain in other aspects of their lives, whether directly or indirectly through something or others they care more about.
We need to weigh what matters to us the most, “choose our poison” and stick to it. If it were up to me, I would want everyone choosing life based on truth always and not deceit and pursuit of instant success at the expense of goodness. By Nimroth Gwetsa, 30 September 2020. Continue reading
If you want to be dependable, effective and build long lasting profitable relationships, learn to keep “it simple”. Many technocrats make the mistake of trying to prove their sophistication by complicating simple matters. Perhaps they are not doing this to impress. Maybe they want to win by instilling fear and silencing opposition and those proud enough to ask for explanation of jargon used.
Business problem solvers must do their best to keep it simple, for having it any other way will result in strained relationships. By Nimroth Gwetsa, 30 July 2020. Continue reading