Dube birds’ nest
Peter Thobejane
All of us are metalworkers and at some time we are soccer followers. And football is all about planning, tactics, and technical changes during the game. I am a full supporter of Moroka Swallows, the Dube birds.
When some coaches lose the game, they just accept defeat and go back to the drawing board to work on the mistakes that resulted in their failure.
Other coaches if they lose the game, they complain about referees for not protecting players. They ask to see videos of the match to prove that the referee made a bad judgment.
But when their team wins, they don’t complain, instead they congratulate their players.
This kind of behaviour provokes the supporters at the stadium. Fans start to look to see who the referee is and to ask, “did we win a previous game handled by the same ref?” And then they start to shout at the referee.
The question which one asks is – who is looking at the game – it is the referees and two linesmen. Then why is it always the referees that must carry the blame for the game?
Instead coaches must train players physically, mentally and teach them discipline during the game so that they can avoid unnecessary bookings.
And when the team loses, the coach must accept defeat and go back to the drawing board to work on the mistakes that resulted in their failure.
Culture is a collective hybrid
Siphiwe Dhladhla
No culture has ever developed instantaneously or in a vacuum.
Any culture is a collective hybrid drawn from a vast fund of human experience. We are all products of a complex and patchwork cultural genesis based on a wide range of social, political, ethnic, historical and even environmental influence.
It follows, therefore, that there can be no such thing as a completely “pure” culture, nor a pure race, nor a pure language.
I would also like to believe that, generally speaking, the most successful cultures (ie those which endure) are the ones which have taken the best of the past and adapted that for the future.
And I daresay that the form of culture envisioned by our employers will not stand this particular test of time.
Let them quit whilst the sun shines, and get on with the gear of transformation which will definitely make us proud as a nation in the near future.
From the next Numsa News, we will have a special page for ABET learners. You are free to write about anything in whatever language you like. Make sure you tell us what you are studying and gives us your name and address. Look out for prizes for the winning letter.