What I don't really understand about modern automotive manufacturing...

Growing up without much, I learnt to do without items of opulence. Today, I still appreciate minimalism & things that focus on absolute necessity rather than luxury. This taste transcends into my taste in cars. I've never really understood the concept of giant cars with massaging seats & "ambient lighting" - I understand that it must be nice but what is the core purpose of a vehicle? To get an individual from point A to point B under a certain speed limit. And as much as we appreciate supercars, they would have to travel under a national speed limit to really make sense. If your national speed limit is 120 km/h (75 mph), what use is a vehicle that goes faster than that? 

I'd like a commuter car to be three-wheeled (two front wheels & one back wheel), an electric vehicle with a speed limit of no more than 125 km/h (78 mph) & a 100 to 150 km (62 to 93 mile) 

range make sense to me. And, of course, it needs to have the capacity to carry at least 500 kg (1102 lb) for the groceries, giving friends/family a lift & moving items around with a two front seats & single back seat arrangement. Vibrating seats & touch screens can wait, this is the blueprint of my vehicles should I start a vehicle making factory. 

I wrote this blog after seeing this vehicle called the Masserschmidt Kabinen Roller & wondered why aren't there more three-wheeled, compact vehicles like the Microlino & Masserschmidt Kabinen Roller... The safety & enclosure of a motorcar with the simplicity of a motorcycle. 

Today, we have people in giant diesel vans (i. e. pick-up trucks in America) travelling alone to simply buy groceries & that's not what diesel vans were meant for. Diesel vans for me - were meant for carrying big work tools, a small workforce, construction equipment & perhaps farm animals. If your trade is not technical, manual work — my above-described vehicle (second paragraph) should suffice for a daily commuter. 

Electric vehicles for Africa

Optimal Energy Joule

What do anti-decolonization forces really want?

The question we forgot to ask is "WHAT DO ANTI-DECOLONIZATION FORCES REALLY WANT?" So, the Pedi get a federal province with their own bank, police, education curriculum & currency. What's the problem? Who is it harming? As someone in Gauteng, KZN or Eastern Cape, I would not give a damn. 

Then they say, "It threatens South African unity". These are black people saying this, not some Apartheid beneficiaries. South Africa is an Anglo-Dutch creation. Unless you are Anglo-Dutch, what exactly is the source of your patriotism? There is apocalyptic racism & tribalism going on in South Africa daily... what unity are they talking about? 

Mind you, decolonisation simply means cultural dignity for indigenous people. No one of any race ever died from language change & a minor upgrade of national institutions. Federal provinces with their own institutions would work. South Africa's provinces are already loosely divided by ethnicity, people. The Referendum Party & Cape Independence want to separate from South Africa. Why don't we let them go?! It makes South Africa look clingy & needy. If someone tells me they want to leave me, I just let them go. I don't ignore them & force them to stay. Give Orania, the Sotho part of the Free State province & Western Cape independence from South Africa. The Constitution of South Africa, African Union & United Nations legislature promotes self-determination. 

And sure, some people might be afraid that their financial possessions would become void in a new political system & measures can simply be taken to avoid this between financial institutions, places of employment, insurance companies & institutions in charge of national services which require monthly payments. With a detailed, clear plan it is not as difficult as it is made to seem. 

Zulu media on the internet.

Sometimes the best way to learn a language really is to immerse yourself in it. Here is some Zulu media on the internet for all who are learning the language.

YouTube: 

KZN TV news 

SABC Izindaba 

Newspapers: 

Ilanga 

Isolezwe 

Bayede 

Knowledge Hubs: 

Ulwazi  

Zulu Wikipedia

Zulu systems on Facebook

Bowuwazi 

Music: 

Maskandi on Spotify 

Amahubo akwaZulu

Zulu Pop 

Zulu rap

Song of the Year 

Zulu patriotic & marching songs 

Radio: 

Ukhozi FM livestream 

Ukhozi FM current affairs podcasts

Gagasi FM livestream 

Film: 

Zulu independent shortfilms on YouTube 

Zulu novels: 

Itshwele Lempangele & Amathonsi obuMbongi

Where the Zulu language is spoken in South Africa.

Masakhane Zulu 

History of the Zulu language

Types of African cheese.

Ivory Coast – Wagashi 

Cameroon – Peuhl Cheese 

Ghana – Wagashi 

Senegal – Lben Cheese 

Rwanda – Ikivuguto Cheese 

Xenophobia & the King's Speech.

I'm very much a Pan-Africanist, I believe in Africa making strategic alliances to increase economy, infrastructure & security. But I also do not believe in unity for the sake of unity because that just causes contempt. 

Now, South Africa is known to be xenophobic. This is because some people are defensive of the economy. The old "foreigners occupying space meant for locals" story. Which is mostly true in South Africa, easier jobs are easier to obtain for foreigners & foreigners cost less & are less likely to complain or be part of a worker's union so they cost employers less. But as much as foreign labour is good for employers, they're not always good for locals. Recently, there were news that foreigners are selling expired & toxic goods at their spaza (tuck) shops. I've lived in townships & have seen the local spaza shop economy replaced by foreigners & this is because our people were simply not competitive enough at times. Somalian foreigners obtain bulk savings by bringing their money together to get discounts & deals direct from producers of products. Foreigners even manufacture some of their own products to sell at their shops. And, sadly, we've even heard of cases of foreigners bullying local shop owners out of business. Some foreigners in South Africa are, genuinely, breaking the law with their businesses but it's laws that are not reported by South Africans themselves because many South Africans dislike authority. So both South Africans & foreigners end up being quietly lawbreakers because nobody wants to report illegal activity. 

Now, I've already blogged about the unchecked migration of people into South Africa. But who is in charge of this? Who is in charge of Home Affairs, migration & border security? Why is everyone but the people responsible talking? And the people talking are not reporting to authorities or to the people responsible for the mass illegal immigration & human trafficking in South Africa. You'd think the people in charge of Home Affairs, migration & border security don't care or want illegal immigrants in South Africa. 

The King's Speech: 

I watched a film called The King's Speech once, starring Colin Firth & he played King George IV of England. A king who had a problem of stuttering & through going to a speech therapist, this King of England eventually learnt how to speak without stuttering. We do not have such a problem in South Africa but we do have a Zulu king who speaks "off-the-cuff" & is taken too literally at times by South African media. 

South African media needs you to be very specific on what you mean while being politically correct & that is a very difficult thing to do on-the-spot. As a public figure or traditional leader, you simply need a speech written for public events because some paid journalists & people with agendas will turn light words into a serious matter. 

I'm not really that xenophobic but do believe immigrants should enter a country legally & contribute positively to the land they're allowed into. Hopefully, the people in charge of the systems controlling immigration into South Africa explain what's happening or people in South Africa may get rowdy (as they're known to do) & attack foreigners indiscriminate of whether they are legal or illegal.