THE TREATMENT OF FOREIGN WORKERS IN SOUTH AFRICA

Research has reviewed that foreign workers in South Africa especially workers from poor African countries for example Zimbabwe, face ethnic discrimination in silence. Acts of xenophobia are at rife inside the South African workplace and many foreign workers are facing discrimination.

Issues to be canvassed

The story will not cover all kind of workplaces, but will mainly focus on foreigners who work in restaurants and also domestic workers. It will also highlight the illegality of these workers and how employers are taking advantage of this. This story will investigate the experience of foreign workers in South African organizations. The story is going to highlight how a lot of foreign workers are experiencing discrimination at work.

Likely sources

• Foreign waitresses and waiters
• Domestic workers
• Domestic employers
• Restaurant Managers
• South African co-workers
• Immigration officers
• Officials at a foreign embassy

Documents

The Basic Condition of Employment Act (BCCEA)

United Employment Fund (UEF)

Community Agency for Social Enquiry (CASE)

Questions to be asked

Waiters and waitresses            -    Are their working conditions favorable

-          Are they being treated equally as other local workers

-          Do they have legal documents to work in South Africa if not why?

-          Are they experiencing any form of discrimination

Domestic workers                   -     how do they feel about their working conditions?

-          Are they getting what they came for

-          Are they experiencing any form of discrimination

Domestic employers                -     how do they treat their workers?

-          Do their workers have legal document if not why did they employ them?

Restaurant Managers              -    do all their workers have legal working documents?

-          Do they trust their foreign workers?

-          Are all their workers registered under the UEF?

-          Are they treating their foreign worker the same with local workers

South African co-workers       -     do they treat their foreign co-workers with dignity

-          Are they comfortable to share their workplace with foreigners

Officials at a foreign embassy – what do you think about this issue?

-          Can they do anything to help their fellow Zimbabweans?

Immigration officers               -     Do they know about illegal foreigners working in South     

                                                        Africa?

-          What are the consequences of working illegally in South Africa and also of employing illegal people?

Feasible analysis of how I will pursue the story

• Interact with foreign restaurant and domestic workers
• Read published documents which highlight the treatment of foreign restaurant and domestic workers
• Interact with employers to hear their own side of the story
• What the SAPS (South African police service) do about this sine they know some of these workers are illegal
• Check the history of my story what happened and what is happening
• Look at the context – the background of the story
• The scope- whether my story is an national issue, local trend or an incident
• Check where my story is leading
• Look at its impact on readers, why should they care about my story

 

How the story is newsworthy

This story is newsworthy because it will clearly highlight and bring out the truth about the working conditions of foreign workers in South Africa, whether they are bad or good. The story will tell the society about what is really happening in South Africa. Since South Africa is multinational country and a lot of people from disadvantaged African countries come to South Africa for greener pastures, the multimillion dollar questions are, are they getting what they came for and is south Africa what they thought was? These questions will be reviewed in the story.A lot of people have to know this because it affects them every day. My story will connect emotionally with a lot of foreigners in South Africa. My story is timeliness therefore it is relevant and more newsworthy.

Coverage – multimedia elements

• Hyperlinks are to be used.
• Voice recorded Interviews are going to be conducted.

Difficulties I anticipate in covering the story

• Some workers will hesitate to reveal the truth in fear of losing their jobs.
• Some managers will also hesitate to reveal the name of their companies in fear of tarnishing the name of the company.
• Illegal workers will be afraid that the authorities will get hold of them and get deported back to their countries.
• Xenophobic acts might occur.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

REFLECTION

Why did I choose the issue I did?

I chose this issue because I feel that the whole of Africa has to know what is really taking place in South Africa. I want people from disadvantaged countries to make the right choice whilst they are still in their home countries.  I also chose this issue because I feel that foreign workers have to know their rights in their workplaces. This story is going to uncover wrongdoing and bring it to light. I chose this story because it will uncover illegal man oeuvres.

The basis I claim my story as appropriate

I claim that my story is appropriate because this is something which is happening. Discrimination in the workplace towards foreign workers is something which is happening. This story will help ignorant foreign workers to take affirmative action against their employers and exercise their rights as workers.

Public interest

This story is of great public interest because it is going to help the general public to know the truth about the treatment of foreign workers in South Africa.  The story will give people the information they need to take part in the democratic process. My story will bring light information affecting foreigners’ well-being and safety. It will improve their understanding of and participation in the debate of their treatment. It will lead to greater accountability and transparency in foreigners’ lives.

What I hope to reveal

I hope to reveal the reality about the treatment of foreign workers in South Africa. I would also want to reveal the importance of being a legal working foreigner in South Africa.

 

 

 

 

Debate: It would be better for everybody, including journalists and their audiences, if newspapers just went ahead and died.

Introduction

The debate will be against the title mentioned above. My main focus is on the differences between mobile phones and newspapers bringing out the advantages of newspapers and the disadvantages of mobile phones. The debate will evidently show that it will be destructive for journalists and their audiences if newspapers just went ahead and died. According to Farhi (2005), in UK studies have shown that newspaper circulation has dropped anywhere from 10 per cent to 40 per cent in a mere decade, and it shows no signs of stopping but still the newspaper will not die.

Definition of newspapers and mobile phones

A newspaper is a printed publication consisting of folded unstapled sheets and containing news, feature articles, advertisements, and correspondence. The Press Gazette (2012) defines a news paper as, “A publication, usually issued daily or weekly, containing current news, editorials, feature articles and advertising.

A mobile phone is an electronic telecommunications device, often referred to as a cellular phone or cell phone. The business dictionary(2000) defines it as a  small wireless device that has at least the same functions of a standard wired telephone but is smaller and more mobile. Most mobile phones provide voice communications, Short Message Service (sms), Multimedia Message Service (mms), and newer phones may also provide Internet services such as Web browsing and e-mail.

Advantages of newspapers over mobile phones

 

Newspapers are cheaply available, and they are found everywhere, which means that they are readily available, making it very convenient. Compared to smart phone, one does not need to be rich to get hold of a news paper, smart phones are expensive therefore a limited number of people can afford to have one. Also, the newspapers that we know are very user-friendly, as they contain lots of information rolled up into one-bits on food, fashion, politics, and many others. Other than that, newspapers are also generally easy to recycle after reading.

Many other advantages that other mediums do not have, is the newspapers’ mobility. People going to work may not carry notebook computers with them all the time, and even then, they might not have broadband. One can carry them anywhere and they are lighter than a laptop. In addition internet access is not available everywhere in all countries for example Zimbabwe. That is the reason why they are more reliable than the other mediums. Load shedding and power failures also don’t affect newspaper reading or production. Also, some mobile phones might have the function to read your news flashes, but they may be either too expensive or too looking at them for too long a period might damage your eyes.

Job creation

Our world is facing a lot in terms of unemployment because the population is growing rapidly.  Old media has played a major role in creating employment for a lot of people. If newspapers and old media “just went ahead and died” who would take care of the families of the people who were working in the factories, in the streets selling newspapers and door by door making deliveries. A lot of people both educated and uneducated have been employed in television and broadcasting centers and in publishing houses. Unlike in online and social media, only experienced people and computer and internet intellectuals are employed.

Traditional media is here to stay and it can reach a lot of people whether rich or poor and it can be published or aired in different languages catering for both the literate and the illiterate and hence unifying people. Martin Langeveld, a columnist for Harvard’s Nieman Journalism Lab, recently found that more than 96 percent of newspaper reading is still done in the print editions. The online share of the newspaper audience only amounts to about 3 percent, he found Morton (1997:7).

Tangibility.

One great advantage that a newspaper has on mobile phones is that it is tangible, having the ability to be touched and perceived. People have been socialized in a world of things they could touch, interact with and keep such as newspapers. These are some of the processes, behaviors and routines that are fixed that the newspapers have managed to bring and maintain, hence it becomes difficult to read the news in a form which is not tangible as is presented in mobile phones. New media has changed everything physical in the world, from DVDs and CDs to paperbacks and board games, is evaporating right before our eyes, turning into invisible and insubstantial digital data stored in the online “cloud” Fishkin (2004:33).

Credibility

News papers are credible, they are well sourced and thoroughly researched, live and reliable sources are interviewed, and before a story can go on air or be published it is first edited. Online news is not credible they are released every now and then, after a few minutes a story is published; this shows that there is not enough time to source and research on those stories, hence at the end of the day the audience is bombarded with half backed stories which lack credibility Fico and Lacey (1991:53 ).

This new media is bringing about the death of Journalism as a career because everyone can write and post a story, people have blogs where they post news and what they see happening around them, there is no one to check on the credibility of those articles and therefore worthless news is being published to people. This is challenging journalism as everyone is now writing and posting when they feel like.

Conclusion

The traditional mass media still have advantages despite the rapid spread of new media. Unlike some new media, the traditional media is not anonymous. It imparts opinions and analysis with faces or the writer’s name which can make it more convincing. Most of the old media have groups of professionals who are resourceful and qualified to present the real issues to audiences or readers.

 

 

 

REFERENCES

“mobile phone” Word Central: business online dictionary. 2000.

http:// www.m-w.com/dictionary.htm

John Morton, “Short Term Losses, Long Term Profits,” American Journalism Review, 19 (7) 1997

 

Farhi, P. 2005. A Bright Future for Newspapers. American Journalism Review 42(6), p.4.
http://www.ajr.org

 

K. P. Fishkin.2004. Taxonomy for and analysis of tangible interfaces. Personal and UbiquitousComputing, ISSN 1617-4909, London: Springer-Verlag Ltd,

 

 

Lacey S and Fico F (1991), “The Link Between Newspaper Content Quality and Circulation,” Newspaper Research Journal, Spring, p46-57.

 

Slapper, G., 2012. What is a newspaper: online journalism? Press gazette . 2 may. p5

 

 

 

Tourism Approach

Johannesburg tourism’s competitiveness

22 May 2012

By Nyasha Jacqueline Gwaku

A small but thorough survey was done of tourism in Johannesburg by the Johannesburg City Council in conjunction with the World Bank during 2012.

While such a basic approach is contestable, it is argued that while the resultant data may not totally reflect the current status of tourism in Johannesburg it is adequate to be considered analytical of the general status quo, major trends and directions within the city’s industry.

The exact situation measurement of the competitiveness diamond looks at local and foreign demand and consumption of tourism product and services and questions whether it is supportive of international competitiveness or not. Looking at the country of origin of visitors to South Africa, the most notable finding is the difference in statistics gained from the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) and South Africa Tourism regarding visitors from Africa. DEAT report that 17% of foreign visitors to South Africa come from Africa, while SA Tourism report the number is at 16%.

The difference lies in a large number of job seekers, cross border migrants and other non-tourists reflected in the DEAT figure of 17%. The SA Tourism figurefollows a method which looks only at African tourists who arrive in South Africa by air. This difference reduces the total number of tourists to South Africa from 5,4million to 1, 7 million.

The reason for the importance of the African market segment is that the majority of African tourists visit Gauteng and Johannesburg at the exclusion of other national cities.

As such a deeper understanding of African tourism will be crucial for understanding tourism in Johannesburg.

Tourism Strategy

Sexy, Sex and Safe Sex

 PLAY IT SAFE

30 April 2012

By Nyasha Jacqueline Gwaku

Nobody has a body to die for. Safe sex is always better! It is fun, and you don’t have to worry as much, that was the issue on the 18^th of April. Lecture theatre four was packed with Monash South Africa students who attended the open mic session.

Monash university students are developing increasingly open attitudes toward sex but do not have a strong awareness of safe sex . The open mic session gave the students a platform on what safe sex is and how to practice it.

During the open mic 65% of the attendees said they used condoms and nearly 30% said they did not think it was necessary to use condoms. Teenagers are now losing their virginity very young and frequently at an age where they don’t have any idea about how to protect themselves against the unwanted consequences of sex. So inevitably, there are times when teenage love-making, instead of being beautiful and fulfilling, leads to disaster.

“Students are becoming more open to sex because they have more knowledge of sexual freedom,” said Professor Setswe the professor of public health. He went on to say that them as professors they should improve their awareness of safe sex and noted that most students at Monash University had suffered from Sexually Transmitted Diseases. He also attributed the lack of knowledge about safe sex to the way in which many students get their knowledge of sex from pornography movies.

“My knowledge about sex would be totally empty if l had not watched porn movies” said a Monash student who was present in the open mic who declined to be named.

In the open mic it was clearly highlighted that condoms are the best way to avoid contradicting and spreadingf sexually transmitted diseases   (STDs). Condoms prevent bacteria and viruses found in semen, vaginal fluids and blood from coming into contact with your body.

It is also important to use condoms always and to use it correctly each time and never to use the same condom twice. The professors had the courage to teach students how to use condoms correctly and also telling them the different types of condoms available for them.

                 

“I think it is best to use the condom because it does not have so many complications compared to the morning after pill and the pill and also it is at least 99% safe,” shared Miss Leah Coffee an arts student at Monash university.

Unsafe sex is also leading to the rise in the abortion rate amongst the female students at Monash. The increased level of sexual activities which takes place around Monash University often results in higher level of unprotected sex and a number of unplanned and unwanted pregnancy which may lead to abortion.

Professor Elna Mc InTosh the school sexologist who was also present at the open mic session said, “Young men and women know about the common forms of contraceptives such as the contraceptive pill and the morning after and also the condom , but lack the knowledge of how to use them.

“There is need for much more educational and awareness programs about the use of contraception and contraceptives in relation to safer sex practices,” she said.

“Knowledge is power and in order to make good, responsible life choices it is important to be well informed,” she commented.

The university has been criticized in the past for its condom distribution programme, especially by parents of younger students who claim the scheme encourages people to have sex.

“We want Monash University to be the safest university in the world to have sex,” said Professor Elna Mc Intosh. “A lot of people come here for that, so we want them to practice safer sex.”We’re not promoting sex, we’re promoting safer sex,” Sweeney said. “At Monash and around the country, adolescents and pre-adolescents have sex whether you give them condoms or not.”

“Unintended pregnancy is a social issue that severely jeopardizes the quality of life for parents and their children. College age women between the ages of 20-24 have one of the highest rates of unintended pregnancies due to lack of contraception use and unsafe sexual practices. Since 80% of college females are sexually active and not seeking to become pregnant, it is important to provide these women with effective contraceptive options”, stated Professor Mc Intosh.

This session therefore recommends sex education/family life education for young people to encourage them to delay sexual activity as much as possible and practice safe sex when it eventually commences. There is also the need to sensitize the young people, parents, teachers, the community and all stake holders on the magnitude of the problem and to open up dialogue that will break the social, cultural and other mysteries hindering adolescents and youth reproductive health education and services at Monash.

REFERENCES

Professor Elna Mc Intosh           e-mail: disa@icon.co.za

phone: 011 787 1222

Professor George Setswe            e-mail: geoffery.setswe@monash.edu

phone: +27 11 950 4430

Patience Leah Coffee                   e-mail: plcof@student.monash.edu

phone: 073 273 2262

RADIO MONASH

Monash South Africa goes on air

23 March 2011

By Nyasha J Gwaku

Radio Monash is the student radio station of Monash University South Africa representing over 1, 000 undergraduate and postgraduate students who study at Monash University.

The idea they settled on was to use Marius’ IT expertise to set up a social network just for their school and sell local advertising on the site.

http://www.radiomonash.fm/

“The online radio will provide local information as well as sessions from local bands and opportunities for the school and clubs to use the service to broadcast plays and concerts” comments the station manager Mr Jimmy Nyakudanga

Radio Monash currently broadcasts online via web stream, giving the diverse students population a global voice. Radio Monash offers students the training and the chance to fabricate a radio program that truly reflects their zeal, creating exclusive listening completely unlike the usual ultra-repetitive radio experience, while at the same time helping foster the Monash University student community.

Mr Nyakudanga sees the Radio station growing big in the next five years to come. “We will be grouped in the same category with Pretoria University and Witwatersrand who have had their radio stations running for the past years,” he insists. to access Mr Nyakudanga’s interview you may follow the link below.

http://youtu.be/ZW3q9s4hb64

The radio station also gave the students the opportunity to start their own Radio shows for example Monash Ablaze a Christian radio show which was created by some Journalism second year students Lynn Murahwa, Hillary Chodokufa and Tinashe Ndlovhu.

“It’s just a Christian radio show which is there to broadcast Christian material offering opportunities for various church leaders to tell the Monash society their services and churches,” comments Mr. H Chodokufa.

“We are really happy to have our own radio station at this school. It is giving us students the opportunity to air our views about the school,” comments Trymore Rare one of the students.

Radio Monash offers students the training and the opportunity to produce a radio program that truly reflects their passion, creating exceptional listening completely unlike the usual ultra-repetitive radio experience, while at the same time helping promote the Monash University student community.

The station’s music department offers members a chance to review and interview local and international acts, with the opportunity for their music journalism to appear on-air and online. Broadcast news bulletins give students with an interest in journalism an opportunity to gain writing and broadcast production experience.

(Keppi and Penni on air AT Radio Monash South Africa)

You may also follow this link to see the girls on air:

http://youtu.be/TqSwF3eYDfg

Students who wish to listen to the interesting, life educating sessions aired on Radio Monash can do so at the leisure centres chill out and hot sport. Radio Monash ultimately combines student life at Monash University with a passion for music, media and broadcasting.

TUTU ACCUSES GOVERNMENT OF BEING MORE INFERIOR COMPARED TO THE APARTHEID SYSTEM

Dalai Lama denied visa to South Africa

05/10/2011

By Nyasha J Gwaku

Johannesburg

Noticeably shaking with anger, Archbishop Desmond Tutu sent shivers through the nation yesterday when he launched a boiling attack on President Jacob Zuma’s government, saying it was worse than the apartheid government and a shame – and he would go as far as praying for the ANC’s downfall

The former anti-apartheid activist’s harsh words against the ANC were prompted by the government’s failure to grant a visa to the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, to attend Tutu’s 80th birthday on Friday.

Tutu has warned that the government would “shoot itself in the foot” by again refusing his fellow Nobel Peace laureate entry into South Africa.

“Our government is worse than the apartheid government, because at least you were expecting it from the apartheid government,” Tutu said at a news conference in Cape Town.

“We were expecting we would have a government that was sensitive to the sentiments of our constitution,” Tutu said.

Yesterday, two days before Tutu’s 80th birthday, the Dalai Lama – who had first applied in June for a visa to visit South Africa – withdrew his application because he did “not want to create any inconvenience to anyone, individuals or governments”.

It was dependably learnt that the government was to notify him yesterday that his application had been deprived of.

This is the second time in two years that the Dalai Lama has been refused entry into the country.

Monyela emphasised that the Dalai Lama was not refused a visa. “We were still subjecting this application to the application processes when he took the decision to cancel,” he said.
“The high commission in New Delhi, India, was actually going to communicate with him yesterday evening or this morning Indian time in terms of the feedback from the application processes.” The visa application process took time because of the logistics involved in such a high-profile visit, Monyela added.

The University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, where the Dalai Lama would have given a lecture, will stage a protest march on Wednesday over the visa debacle, it said.

Read more stories about

Dalai Lama

• Sexwale seeks mercy from Tutu – 05 Oct
• SA siding with oppressors: Tutu – 05 Oct
• Dalai Lama row makes international news – 05 Oct
• SA did not deny Dalai Lama – dept – 05 Oct
• Dalai Lama would’ve received visa – Motlanthe – 05 Oct
• Twitter users support Tutu over Dalai Lama – 05 Oct
• Twitter users support Tutu over Dalai Lama – 05 Oct
• Dalai Lama saga ‘bad publicity for SA’ – 05 Oct
• Tutu’s outburst a political turning point? – 05 Oct

Frans Boekkooi – Sculptor

A MAN WHO SPEAKS TO HIS WORK

By Nyasha J Gwaku

03/10/2011

Port Elizabeth

Frans Boekkooi is a full time sculptor who studied under renowned sculptor Anton Momberg from the age of 14, and winning his first major sculpture award (ATKV) at sixteen.  He has exhibited widely and work features in collections in the UK, US, Australia, China and Holland as well as various corporate collections in South Africa.  At present his work can be seen at his studio / gallery at 13 Walter Road, Charlo, Port Elizabeth.

   

Frans is a sought-after commissioned artist who works from ideas and photographs to the client’s specifications and achieves an astounding likeness to the subject.  Among his clients are architects, interior designers, corporate buyers and art lovers who want an exclusive and personal work of art. Confidence Mgomezulu an interior designer who was  in the art gallery confirms, “His work has a langauge which only the art lovers can understand.”

” My sculptures feed off the nostalgia of innocent times, lost in thought or activity. Sometimes they even embody the thoughts or pictures born in a moment – but every piece has meaning. To me, at least, they speak.”

He received the ‘Best on Show’ Award at the 2000 EPSAC Annual Exhibition. His work features in collections in the UK, US, Australia, China and Holland, as well as the Presidents Collection.  He lives in Nieu Bethesda, a small village in the Karoo, South Africa with wife Joyce  Boekkooi and two lovely kids .

He also loves work by other artists and he says they inspire him for example artists like Vannesa Gaye, Irmin Henkel, Tanya Roux and Edoardo Villa. He gets his inspiration from nature, he admires nature as it is. A glimpse of the inside of the sculptors studio ( with a new sculpture in the making.He did his studies with Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in the fine arts department.
   

In the first picture  Frans is working on “Holly” while still in wax and in the second picture he is doing a detailed work on Elize in aclyric resin, something he said was an inspiration from an old picture of his mother.

In the studio  Frans does not work alone but he has other artists who help him do his work. One of the workers Lorenzo Doplees said he is proud to work for such a talented man who inspires him too. This week Frans is going to do an exhibition at the Boardwalk ampitheatre in Summerstrand. He is confident he will sell a lot since many people like his work.

To follow Frans you can email him at frans.boekkooi@southaefricanartists.com or follow him on tweeter by tweeting I love this artist.

For further information email the studio : heidikeb@mweb.co.za

To view aother local artists click here Local Talent – Artists