True or False

The ANC have now confirmed 8 times to all South Africans that they condone a common thief as their president.

It is true that this President used our money to improve his home?

The answer is, of course he did, because the highest court in the land said he should pay back what he stole.

Whether or not he has paid back the money he stole, he is a common thief and should not lead the ANC or be the country’s President.

The ANC is therefore as guilty of theft as the President and who can argue this as an honest fact and truth.

If you can please tell all of us that we are wrong to have lost all trust in the governing party and that your support as governing party for a common thief is wrong or right. He took our money without asking. You cannot hide behind politics, this is clearly theft and he is a criminal.

I am a citizen of this country and request the ANC to correct the wrong doing because your party is dragging our great country down.

I have voted ANC before but will never do so again on principal.

Heritage

Heritage day could be a sequence of events but it is about History and Rugby.

Verwoerd, Tsafendas and Gazelles Tour.

So here goes…

1965 / 66 I was selected from Natal with Julian Bennet to tour Brazil, Argentina and Chile over three months as part of the Gazelles. Eight current Springboks were part of our team including Dawie De Villiers and Hannes Marais. The plan was to build a team to beat the All Blacks destined to tour RSA in 1970 which goal the Springboks achieved.

What took place prior to leaving was the invitation by SARB for the NZ Maori’s to tour RSA, was aborted by our President Dr Verwoerd who made it clear that they would not be welcome in our country. Two important events took place that are part of RSA and Rugby history.

On our arrival in Rio our game was cancelled as a result of our Apartheid system in particular not welcoming the NZ Maori’s to tour. The tour went ahead and we played all the other scheduled games, and won all the games including two test matches against the “Los Pumas” Argentina. Jannie Le Roux Manager, Flappie Lochner Selector and Isaac Van Heerden Coach were the officials and we had an excellent Rugby experience.

The second more significant event took place on the Pampas where we were hosted to a barbecue, where we watched the horsemanship and other skills of the Gauchos. At the time lunch was being served we heard that Dr Verwoerd had been murdered in Parliament. Naturally everyone was extremely upset, but to my astonishment and also Isaac Van Heerden’s most of the players wanted to go home.

Isacc and I had much to do with the continuation of that tour simply by stating that there was nothing to be gained by going home and that we were merely a sports team interacting with other countries to create goodwill on behalf of our country. Isaac was also seconded to the Pumas for three months by SARB and Dr Craven, to teach them the finer points of the game, really a great sporting gesture. So the invitation aborted the cancellation of the Rio game on arrival and the death of Verwoerd, have worried me all my life, these events were somehow connected.

I could not understand the connection of events until I heard a conversation and event described by Roger Gardner, involving a visit to a wine farm to entertain a British Rugby reporter by Doctor Craven, who made him stop outside a home in Stellenbosch. Dr Craven told the reporter that this was the home of the man who destroyed SA and our game of Rugby, it was the home of the late Hendrik Verwoerd

Well it did not take me long to solve a problem that had always seemed strange, was our President assassinated for banning the NZ Maori’s from touring RSA? If so who were the people responsible, and that I will leave for others to figure out. However it is a part of our history and it has concerned me all my life that Tsafendas a court messenger could stab Dr Verwoerd in Parliament with all the security present, possible but extremely unlikely, without an organized plan.

When you add Pratts failure to assassinate Dr Verwoerd six years earlier and the fact that Tsafendas served in the USA Security when Kennedy was assassinated, you have to consider the USA and SA liaison and the role of the Broederbond.

Rugby was used as a tool to gain respect for the ideology of the Government at the time and you may recall the Broederbond who I believe had a major say in Government and Apartheid and were extremely influential in our history.

 

The Richest Man in Babylon

I have read this book many times over for the last 50 years and each time I have learnt new things that impact on the way we conduct our lives both in business and socially.

Any person who wishes to accumulate wealth should read the book and like everything in life the lessons are all there for anyone to follow. The real question is the discipline and wisdom to apply all the simple logic that the stories cover.

The lessons taught by Arkad who became the richest man in Babylon in this simple read are about life and the way we fall into traps where money and wealth are concerned and how to avoid a lean purse and in his teachings to acquire wealth and a fat purse.

My impressions were so great that my wife and I have applied many of these lessons to our lives and so much so I purchased 60 copies and handed them to my staff over 20 years ago who either used the lessons or like most of us discarded the concept of how to improve their finances and had no idea of the gift the company gave them.

However, a few of those 60 have responded correctly and still value the gift to this day and I am pleased to report that these few who paid attention have also found they prospered and still refer to the lessons they learnt so many years ago from the Richest Man in Babylon.

It is not too late to get a copy and apply these lessons to your lives and discipline yourself in these simple but true lessons that if followed will make a difference to each of your lives as far as finance and a good life are of value to you personally.

1. Spend 7/10 of your earnings.
2. The discipline of achieving this is most important.
3. Once achieved, opportunities arrive.
4. Giving back becomes natural and is enjoyed.
5. Comfortable with oneself is a key factor where the discipline is always present.

Finally, the key is to have a plan and stick to the plan. Your life is far more important than a building and every building has a plan before building commences. Do you consider your life as less or more important than a building?

Why 76mm drywall here and 90mm Drywall there?

I am often asked the question as to why there are different systems which are popular in different parts of the country.

Why are 76mm and 90mm Drywall used in different parts of the Country?

In my mind the reasons go back to the history of the industry which was influenced by people who were leaders of the partition industry in South Africa almost 50 years ago.

Charles Allison the doyen of ceilings and partitions in South Africa was an Englishman with a magnificent beard who drank and smoked excessively whilst doing quotations for millions of Rands on the back of a match box or cigarette box.

If the client agreed on the figure he would invite them to see a mock up the next day at 8:00 am and Charles would call up his trusted workers and do the mock up during the night and at 8:00 am would shoo the workers out as the client arrived.

You may gather the type of Salesman Charles was and naturally the clients were so impressed that they placed the order.

I was introduced to 90mm Drywall Systems by Charles Allison during my employment with Andcor Durban when I attended a two week training course delivered by Charles in Johannesburg.

So, Charles Allison introduced 90mm Drywalls to RSA in Johannesburg and Pretoria and this was the standard in the industry.

Rod Gould Shopfitters became a reality two years later and I introduced a 76mm Drywall that was cheaper but did the same job in terms of sound and fire ratings. Being one of the main contractors at the time, Rod Gould Shopfitters was able to influence the KZN market which came to accept 76mm Drywalls.

So KZN is predominantly 76mm and Gauteng is predominantly 90mm and most of the country followed the largest market.

When Pelican Systems introduced prefab doorframes and prefab glazing and made doors to suit, we made inroads on other markets because these innovations were led from KZN.

Today the prefab doorframes and glazing can be sourced via Pelican Systems with doors to suit for both 90mm and 76mm systems.

There are others who had influence but this I know to be factual as to how the market has two thicknesses to choose from.

Riverside Sports Durban North beats previous record

Last year 500 sportsmen and women competed in team sports on one day at the Riverside Sports complex.

On Saturday the 20th of May, 630 players broke the record comfortable by competing in team events on one day.

The Hockey, Rugby and Football events are all pre planned and the games all started exactly on time with electronic scoreboards giving the results so that spectators can see the state of the games and who is winning and losing. As each game progresses.

This is a result of upgrades to the Turf, increasing the number of changing rooms, the new and innovative security lockers for teams and the renovations and improvements to the viewing areas under cover and the new bars and toilet facilities.

Please feel free to visit us to catch a sporting experience that http://www.riversidesports.co.za/ have managed to create in 10 years after being insolvent.

To the general public and all the schools that use our facilities, we invite you to join at the Membership fee of R250.00 per annum and R50.00 for scholars and save the R7.00 levy for parking. 37 visits per annum and you have the Club subs.

Could we achieve 10 000 members and improve a further with 2.5 million subscriptions to plough back into even better facilities? Imagine a gym……….

Royal Durban Golf Competition May 2016

Royal Durban Board authorises a staging of a National Club Competition with a difference, promoting a Competition that recognises the team game, BB and Alliance.

Royal Durban with Co-host Clubs, Country Club, Beachwood, Kloof and the two Mount Edgecombe Courses will host 720 Golfers from 90 Clubs from all over South Africa during the first week of May 2016.

Royal Durban Golf Club

Where each Co-host Club have agreed to 4 days of fields of 120 players at their courses to make the Tournament a success.

Royal expects the Competition to become an annual event for Durban at this time every year where the weather is superb. KZN Golf and all the Co-hosting Clubs have agreed on the proposed dates and concepts.

Gold Circle have also agreed to hold a race day at Greyville to coincide with the festivities on the Friday the 5th of May 2016 prior to the Finals on the Saturday at the Royal Golf Club.

Nile Dutch Naming Ceremony

On the 25^th May 2015 I had the most wonderful experience of witnessing the naming of the M/V Nile Dutch Rotterdam.

It was certainly an honour to be present and being in attendance I realised too what an honour it was to have the name giving ceremony in South Africa.

Cape Town Harbour was certainly a beautiful setting and the vessel looked amazing with the new white reefers so beautifully stacked on board.

Nile Dutch Naming Ceremony

For Nile Dutch to have built four new vessels is a wonderful tribute to their business and their focus on the West Coast of Africa is part of their success story.

Pelican Systems was proud to be a part of the Nile Dutch Rotterdam’s maiden voyage with 35 containers on board. The Nile Dutch Rotterdam was built in Shanghai China and made her first voyage to South Africa for the naming ceremony.

Nile Dutch dignitaries, the Godmother, Captain and Port officials gather to toast the new vessel

It is only when you stand next to a ship like this and go on board that you wonder at the magnificence of these vessels, their size and what they make possible.

View of the containers from on-board the vessel and the function area on the quayside below left

Control Room

Engine Control Room

Control Room

Pelican Systems congratulates Nile Dutch and wish the M/V Nile Dutch Rotterdam godspeed and safe journeys at sea.

An Interview with Rodney Gould

An Interview with Rodney Gould by Shaun Fitzgerald on the history of Pelican Systems, what it means to run your own business successfully, Integrity and a life well lived.

Shaun’s YouTube channel is focused on all aspects of Life, Happiness, Inner Peace and any subject that deals with the truth of our daily existence. The channel is people focused and runs through the interviews of ordinary people.

SUPPORT OF THE MOSES MABHIDA STADIUM

DURBAN RESIDENTS SUPPORT OF THE MOSES MABHIDA STADIUM HAS ALLOWED THE STADIUM TO BE ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL IN SOUTH AFRICA!

“It is good to see the City attempting to throw a more positive impression on this magnificent stadium.

As a sportsman, I am far from convinced having been involved in Durban’s sport all my life that the financial well-being the article paints, is in fact, something we can all be proud of.

Besides the huge losses, what really frustrates me is why the KZN Professional Soccer teams don’t use the stadium as their home ground and in this way host many soccer games to really boost the revenue and might I add for the correct reasons, after all it is a soccer stadium?

What are the reasons for so few soccer games being played?

Has the surface got to be protected so games are limited?

Are there so many other activities taking place that are earning the right income to pay for this at footballs expense?

Why can’t we find solutions so soccer is played more regularly and we create a football vibe at Moses Mabhida that is recognised by everyone who watches and plays at this magnificent stadium that has so few football matches per week, per month, per year?”

KZN SPORT & THINKING OUT THE BOX

I have written and re-written this communication many times and was still not satisfied with how I have framed the idea and concept.  On the 12/11/13 my friend Mbusi Dlamini visited me by chance and I asked him for his thoughts and advice.

His praise and criticism left me quite bewildered because I realised that his advice was correct and I did not know what he knew.  Nonetheless I have decided to incorporate some of his points that he made clear to me.

He advised me to wait because new faces would appear on the political scene after the elections and he said good ideas come from launching an idea at the right time.  He knows that the sports vision I dreamed of where only the casino and Moses Mabhida Stadium have been completed from the plan and vision 18 years ago.

His advice was to offer my knowledge and experience in sport to those that believe we could really put Durban and KZN on the world map forever.  Our new leaders are planning to capture the Olympic games for Durban and KZN some time in the future.

I have changed many of the points I made to attempt to justify the merits of such a plan, starting with the two stadiums, rugby and soccer, which are next door to each other and a good place to start.

My credentials are simple, I am passionate about all sport and what it can do for a community and nation by bringing people together and interacting socially, and I have practised this hobby of mine free.

So tackling the two stadiums, this is what I believe could be a real winner for all concerned to resolve the host of problems we are all facing.

The concept is to allow the Sharks (Pty) Limited to manage and control both stadiums and two different codes under the already famous Sharks brand, rugby and soccer.

Who wins??? Who loses???

1. The boxing match between the City and rugby goes away and becomes a thing of the past, where co-operation and vision will ensure a first class product for the City.

2. The City and the ratepayers save a fortune every year, and over ten years this would be more than the cost of both stadiums.

3. The City fathers could focus on more pressing problems and leave the stadium and the management of sport in the hands of experts and experienced citizens who make a living this way.

4. Jobs would be created for a host of different businesses under one set of leaders (who have already proven themselves).

5. Both sports would grow exponentially because of the professional approach.

6. Imagine having two streams of income and being able to reduce the financial risk by sharing of expertise and costs.

7. The short grass (soccer) and long grass (rugby) will allow both sports to play most weekends without extra costs.  There will be the opportunity of using the parking twice over a weekend with two games over a Saturday and Sunday on many occasions.

8. 18 years ago Natal (KZN) rugby sent myself and seven professionals to America and Europe to study professional sports stadiums and all that knowledge is contained in the document lodged with the City titled Durban Sports Vision.  It cost R250,000 at that time.

Please read and absorb where doubling the income and reducing overheads is the key to turning the two stadia into profitable businesses that can meet the player and spectator demands for top level sport that is built on a winning culture that the Sharks have created and can do it again for football because their experience and method has been successful.

Thanks to my friend for his advice, and hopefully some leaders will start this first and easy step forward for the citizens of Durban and KZN.