Has South Africa’s entitlement culture resulted in people getting used to living with trash?
After all, someone is getting paid to pick up after you, right? Or,
even worse …my parents picked up rubbish under apartheid, so I detest
doing that now out of resentment.
Let’s
be respectful and be responsible stewards of our country, and treat our
environment like we would like to be treated ourselves.
By Menzi Solomon Shange
Published on South Africa Today – South Africa News
“Orange juice for breakfast is over,” an investor interested in creating large, fair trade coconut plantations recently joked to me. These days, coconut water is king.
Coconut water is being sold by luxury brands, at up to US$7 for 33 cl, about the same price as basic champagne.
A booming market
Even President Barack Obama loves coconuts. Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
There is no doubt that the coconut market is exploding. Coconut water currently represents an annual turnover of US$2 billion. It is expected to reach US$4 billion in the next five years.
It is an important livelihood crop for more than 11 million farmers, most of whom are smallholders, cultivating coconut palms on around 12 million hectares of land in at least 94 countries worldwide. The coconut palm is popularly known as the “Tree of Life” – all its parts are useful.
The main products are copra – the dried inner meat of the nut, used for oil – and the husk, which provides a vital source of fibre. More recently, as we’ve seen, there is also high demand for tender coconut water and virgin coconut oil.
Braiding ropes made from the husk of the niu magi magi variety on Taveuni Island, Fiji, 2012. Cogent/Roland Bourdeix, Author provided
Whole mature nuts are exported and sold to factories that produce desiccated coconut and coconut cream. At least half of the coconuts are consumed locally.
Genetic diversity
Over millennia, humans have slowly selected and maintained numerous coconut varieties, used for many purposes.
Diversity of coconut fruits in ex situ genebanks. Roland Bourdeix
This has resulted in an extraordinary morphological diversity, which is expressed in the range of colours, shapes and sizes of the fruits. But the extent of this diversity is largely unknown at the global level. The huge amount of work that has gone into coconut breeding by farmers over millennia, and by scientists during the 20th century, remains greatly under-valued.
The rarest coconut varieties, for instance the horned coconut, grown and conserved on the Tetiaroa Atoll and in India, are not even recognised as coconuts by most people, especially Westerners.
Coconut conservation
The genetic diversity found in coconut populations and varieties, known by scientists as “germplasm”, is conserved by millions of small farmers.
A Samoan teen holds the famous niu afa coconut variety. Roland Bourdeix
A number of initiatives have been launched to recognise and support the role of these farmers, and to sustain them by promoting landscape management approaches, such as the Polymotu concept (“poly” meaning many, and “Motu” meaning island in Polynesian.)
The Polymotu concept capitalises on the geographical or reproductive isolation of various species for the conservation and reproduction of individual varieties of plants, trees and even animals.
Sadly, the coconut is endangered. One of the main challenges of coconut cultivation is the existence of lethal diseases, which are rapidly expanding and killing millions of palms. These pandemics are known as lethal yellowing diseases.
The genetic diversity of the flowers of coconut varieties on display at the Marc Delorme Research Centre, Côte d'Ivoire. COGENT, Author provided
Diversity under threat
Many coconut varieties that could be crucial for the future of agriculture are disappearing because of the loss of traditional knowledge, rapid transformations of agricultural landscapes, climate change and westernisation.
Due to the fragility of insular ecosystems, the Pacific Region is probably the location where the losses are highest.
During a recent survey in the Cook Islands, we succeeded with considerable difficulty in locating a sweet husk palm, known as niu mangaro locally. This is a rare, highly threatened form of coconut.
The husk of its unripe fruit, which in other species is usually tough and astringent, is tender, edible and sweet. It can be chewed like sugarcane. Once the fruits are ripe, the husk fibres are white and thin.
A comparison of the husk of a normal coconut (left) and a rare sweet husk coconut (right). Roland Bourdeix
Our survey was conducted together with a government agricultural officer. During the work, he took a tender coconut and started to chew the husk. Then he stopped, telling me, “I do not want people here to see me eating niu mangaro, because they will say I am a poor man.”
The consumption of traditional varieties being still perceived as socially stigmatising, not embracing a “modern” way of life. On the other hand, the consumption of imported food is considered as a mark of modernity and richness.
During another survey conducted in 2010 in Moorea Island, a Polynesian farmer interviewed about sweet husk varieties, known as kaipoa there, told me:
I had one kaipoa coconut palm in my farm, but I cut it down two years ago … Over ten years, I was unable to harvest a single fruit: all were stolen and eaten by children from the neighbourhood.
So, a traditional variety remains appreciated by the next generation of Polynesians, but the farmer is not aware of the rarity and of the cultural value of the resource.
Coconut lethal yellowing disease in Côte d'Ivoire: state of emergency. A video from Diversiflora International.
Discussions included the constraints and advantages related to coconut biology; links with conservation in institutional field gene banks; farmer’s knowledge regarding the reproductive biology of their crop; socioeconomic dynamics; and policy measures.
Nursery of coconut seedlings from the Green Dwarf variety for production of coconut water in Brazil. Roland Bourdeix, Author provided
In the case of the coconut palm, each accession is generally constituted of 45 to 150 palms, all collected at the same location. They are documented in a Coconut Genetic Resources Database and a global catalogue.
Cultivating legumes in a coconut plantation devastated by the Lethal Yellowing Disease in Ghana. Roland Bourdeix
Despite the upturn in the global market, many coconut farmers remain insufficiently organised, and investment in coconut research is incredibly scarce.
A yearly investment of about US$3 to US$5 million in public international research would be enough to address most of the challenges of coconut agriculture. But private companies benefiting from the market boom are still scarcely involved in research funding.
Coconut harvesters dance between trunks in Ghana. Roland Bourdeix
The coconut is a perennial crop, producing fruit year-round, but it takes a long time to grow. Investors, more interested in rapid profits, remain reluctant to fund the ten-year research programmes that are often needed to efficiently address the challenges of coconut research.
Coconut water brands will only make billions as long as coconuts are plentiful and diverse. More importantly, people all over the world rely on the security of this vital crop. Securing its future must be a priority for everyone who farms, eats and profits from the coconut.
Regrettably, Hendrik Verwoerd lost his life at a time when the
political scene in South Africa was on the brink of a total makeover.
Perhaps his foresight and aspirations to develop, change and turn South
Africa into a first class world country did not undoubtedly match the
plans of international and local people.
In his book, Stephen Goodson’s HENDRIK FRENSCH VERWOERD – SOUTH
AFRICA’S GREATEST PRIME MINISTER, he details mind-blowing information
every South African should know about Apartheid, Rothschild bankers, and
Verwoerd who was a man of fairness, dignity, and wanted equality for
everyone.
The question is whether Verwoerd is responsible for apartheid, based on the perspective order of events.
• 1809 – The Native Pass Law of the British Government at Cape of Good Hope passed compel black people to carry a passbook.
• 1865 – British-born Sir Theophilus Shepstone prohibited blacks in Natalia from having any voting power.
• 1894 – Cecil John Rhodes prevented a colored man Krom Hendriks from joining the national cricket tour to England.
• 1895 – Cecil John Rhodes compelled schools in the Cape to teach separate for whites in English and Blacks in English. (Verwoerd was not born yet)
• 1901 – 8th September 1901 in Amsterdam.
• 1913 – The British Native Land Act 2 prohibited black people to own land. (Verwoerd 12 years of Age)
• 1915 – National Party of South Africa 2nd July 1915. The ideology of
apartheid was never the ideology of the Boers but was a secret agenda
propagated by the paid British press and their agents in the
“Broederbond” to keep control over South Africa for Britain via the
Nationalist Party, which shows a deliberate falsification of history in
order to keep control over South Africa by design with conflict. The
aforesaid is in addition confirmed by the Nationalist Party secret
funds, mostly channeled to home in Britain, in institutions like
Barclays Bank or the Bank of England who was affirmed by the “one
stream” ideology of Jan Smuts and his predecessors with the land grab
and dehumanizing legislation that preceded the Nationalist Party rule
who had to content with the gross human right violations and a systemic
ruggedness with secret control prevent change.
Away from the Smuts/Brittan ideology JBM Hertzog (Minister of
Justice) employed a two stream ideology propagating equal rights towards
English and Afrikaner Communities which was reflected in the election
where Jan Smut (South Africa) seats were reduced from 67 to 54, Thomas
Smartt (Unionist) maintain 39 and JBM Hertzog (National Party) gained
27.
• 1918 – Establishment of the “Afrikaner Broederbond” (Jong
Zuid-Afrika) by the British as a secret extension of their influence in
the same way it was portrayed in the film of Mel Gibson “The Patriot” (Verwoerd was not a member)
• 1925 – British minister HW Sampson promulgated the Labor Demarcation Act to divide black and white. (Verwoerd 32 years of age and not in politics)
• 1927 – Immorality Act was promulgated in Natal controlled by Britain prohibit intimacy between black and white (Verwoerd 34 years of age and not in politics).
British Union Genl Jan Smuts promulgated • 1936 – Separate
representation in parliament. (Verwoerd was 43 and editor of a
newspaper)
• 1945 – The Native Urban Area Act prohibited blacks to stay longer than
72 hours in a white urban area (Verwoerd was 52 years of age into
politics but without a portfolio)
• 1948 – Nationalist Party took over on 4 June 1948 with the Pass Laws
and No Voting rights and other discriminate laws still intact,
established by the Britain.
• 1958 – Verwoerd 2 September 1958 in office as prime minister of South Africa. (State President –Charles Roberts Swart)
• 1966 – Verwoerd was murdered because he started to give the land
progressively back to the black people who were against the rugged
British plan, which was disowned by The British Native Land Act 2 passed
in 1913, for which he was killed. He was not killed by a disgruntled
black group or activists’ which is eminent from the following factual
events;-
o Establishes “Black education” as a national law. Many African countries haven’t achieved that to date
o the inflation rate was 2% or less
o Interest rate was 3%
o there was peace as a result of the transformation and restoration process
o the national growth was 7.9% the second highest in the world.
o the living standards of blacks was rising by 5.4% versus the 3.9 % of whites
o had no needs for foreign loans and/or indebtedness versus the current
indebtedness of approximately 50% and overall indebtedness approaching
70%. At present, the repayment to banks by the government is
approximately R500 million per day.
o Stafendas worked for Anton Rupert in London prior his appointment as a
messenger in the parliament while an illegal immigrant, appointed by
Hendrik van der Berg who was promoted ±6 ranks by John Voster as
minister of Justice at the time, to put him in control of security of
the parliament.
o It is well known that Verwoerd was assassinated by Zionist Banking
Cartel arranged through John Voster with specific input from the
Rupert’s and the Oppenheimer’s being controlled from London promoting
Voster to the prime minister.
• 1970 – Implementation of skimming from policies owners of Old Mutual
Via Old Mutual Bank a non-entity and stash money across the globe for
relocation and take over.
• 1989 – Implementation of SARB Act, Section 33 clause to suppress all evidence
• 1992 – ANC agree to take Political Power only and sign away all
economic survivability of SA (Old Mutual, ABSA, SAB, de Beers, etc.) –
MAS 57/08/92 – Pretoria North Case ref, investigation officer – Lt. Col.
AE Botha conducted an investigation into the irregularities, but it was
never made public or brought to court.
• 1994 – Project Hammer completed, ANC agree for Political Control only.
Julius Malema, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF)
habitually incites violence and hate speech against the white minority
group of South Africa. Farm attacks and the brutal killing of white
people can be directly linked to the incitement of hate speech and the
ongoing slaughter of whites keeps escalating.
Ingrid de J. from The Netherlands has contacted the Donald Trump
administration regarding the hate speech and violence against the
minority. Ingrid de J. has received confirmation from the Trump
administration acknowledging their request and a promise to look into
the matter.
Every
South African who wants hate speech and racism to end now have an
opportunity to sign a petition. The petition is to force the SAHRC and
UN HRC to recognize the hate speech and incitement to violence against
the whites and to take action against Julius Malema.
Most people expect to see scenes like this during a full scale war
but in fact this is an extremely common reality in the modern day South
Africa. A plotted map of violent protests around South Africa.
South
Africa, where it is a regular occurrence to burn people in the
communities, and frequently some victims are set alight while still
alive A
place where the police are vilified because they shot dead a group of
charging armed protesters who were told by their witch doctor “bullets
won’t hurt you”… Under
the ANC’s “genius” leadership – South Africa has not only become the
rape capital of the world but also the murder capital of the world.
Brutal
scenes in South Africa. On a farm in Randfontein, an entire family was
killed in the middle of March, including a nine -year-old girl Kayla .
Four uneaten sandwiches in the sink (not in picture) testifies that the
attack came unexpected and sudden. Photo: Nya Tider / Free West Media
South Africa has become a horrible place to live for an alienated and
forgotten white minority. Farm murders are rife and the white people
are attacked regularly young and old.
Farmer beaten during a land invasion crisis – Loteni area – Image – S A RuralAhh the South African Rand. Truly turned into toilet paper by the ANC. So what good has become of South Africa under the controversial ANC? Madness? Democracy? Freedom? A rainbow nation?
That all is BS. There is no democracy when your president has hundreds of corruption charges against him.
There is absolutely no freedom whatsoever when over 50 people are
murdered each day, forcing people to turn their homes into a prison.
There is no rainbow nation because black and white are not in the rainbow.
So, ANC, we thank you for painting a new undesirable flag and turning
South Africa from a first class world country into a third world dump.
The ruling party is dragging South Africa into a pit of horror and
until the current supporters and leader are replaced all hope is lost.
It is the personal ambitions that drive the ANC, and members are there
for self-enrichment, and this is the price of greed. President Zuma is a
real embarrassment to South Africa.
In the near future a crisis is approaching that is unnerving and causes one to tremble for the safety of our country.
Let’s
be respectful and be responsible stewards of our country, and treat our
environment like we would like to be treated ourselves.
Ingrid de J. from The Netherlands has contacted the Donald Trump
administration regarding the hate speech and violence against the
minority. Ingrid de J. has received confirmation from the Trump
administration acknowledging their request and a promise to look into
the matter.
A plotted map of violent protests around South Africa.
South
Africa, where it is a regular occurrence to burn people in the
communities, and frequently some victims are set alight while still
alive
A
place where the police are vilified because they shot dead a group of
charging armed protesters who were told by their witch doctor “bullets
won’t hurt you”…
Under
the ANC’s “genius” leadership – South Africa has not only become the
rape capital of the world but also the murder capital of the world.
Ahh the South African Rand. Truly turned into toilet paper by the ANC.
So what good has become of South Africa under the controversial ANC? Madness? Democracy? Freedom? A rainbow nation?
A plotted map of violent protests around South Africa.
South
Africa, where it is a regular occurrence to burn people in the
communities, and frequently some victims are set alight while still
alive
A
place where the police are vilified because they shot dead a group of
charging armed protesters who were told by their witch doctor “bullets
won’t hurt you”…
Under
the ANC’s “genius” leadership – South Africa has not only become the
rape capital of the world but also the murder capital of the world.
Ahh the South African Rand. Truly turned into toilet paper by the ANC.
So what good has become of South Africa under the controversial ANC? Madness? Democracy? Freedom? A rainbow nation?