The Rep 14 October 2022

THE REPRESENTATIVE 14 October 2022 Tel: (045) 839-4040 / editorial: bobeloz@therep.co.za / advertising: charodinev@therep.co.za 7
Cards from Komani to beloved queen
SMILE FOR THE CAMERA
Pretty princesses take part in a beauty pageant at Brenda’s Day Care in
Aloevale on Saturday, a fun way to end off the school holidays. Participants,
between the ages of three to 10, had a blast. Picture: SUPPLIED
LEN’S NEWS
There are still many
royalists in our
communities, and
some who may wish they
had the boldness to write to
Her Majesty Queen
Elizabeth II, especially after
she and her family visited
Komani in 1947.
Well, one local family
did. The late Hilson
Shuman’s father, Ken, loved
“most things British”, and
was thrilled to meet King
George VI, Queen Elizabeth,
and princesses Elizabeth and
Margaret during the royal
visit to SA in 1947.
Shuman led the calvary
procession to Komani.
He broke protocol,
dismounted and introduced
himself to the royal family
including the young Princess
Elizabeth who later became
Queen Elizabeth II.
He was always very taken
by the queen and said she
was a gracious lady.
Over the years, whenever
Queen Elizabeth c e l e b ra t e d
milestone birthdays or
events, the Shuman family
made sure there were cards
of best wishes from them in
SA.
They always received an
acknowledgement from
Buckingham Palace and
often a short note from
Queen Elizabeth herself.
At the beginning of July
2016, the Shuman family
KEN SHUMAN
received an
acknowledgement from
Buckingham Palace in the
form of a “thank you card”
and a personal letter from
Queen Elizabeth II.
It read: “I send you my
grateful thanks for the kind
words you have sent to me
on the occasion of my 90th
b i r t h d ay.”
Recently, grandson Ken,
(Hilson’s son) sent the
following letter, addressed to
King Charles III. Ken used his
first name, William, which is
very “English”.
“Dear Sir, we are deeply
saddened to hear of the
passing of Her Majesty
Queen Elizabeth II.
“The Shuman family
would like to express
heartfelt condolences to you
and your family. Our
thoughts are with you and
your family at this sad time.
“We join many millions
across the globe in paying
tribute to a much loved and
respected monarch, a figure
known for her profound
sense of duty and devotions
to her country and the
ROYAL VISIT: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who
recently passed at the age of 96, and her family visiting
Komani in 1947 Pictures: SUPPLIED
commonwealth. Her loss
will be greatly felt, and her
service always remembered.
Yours faithfully, William
S h u m a n .”
This letter was enclosed
in a beautifully designed
card.
Did you know that Cyril
Ramaphosa will be the
wo r l d ’s first president to be
visiting King Charles III on an
official state visit.
How amazing is that. Th e
monarchy is still keeping up
their ties with our country.
No, ministers should not pay
OUR ROOTS
I am sure you have seen all
over the media the furore
about the benefits ministers
get from the fiscus.
Let’s break it down –
previously the public works
department was responsible
for providing and paying for
water and electricity up to
R5,000 per month on all stateowned
residences occupied
by ministers and their
deputies, and anything over
that the occupant had to pay.
Earlier this year, the
president changed the
ministerial handbook and all
the expenses related to the
provision of water and
electricity to those stateowned
residences are now to
be incurred by the public
works department, entirely.
Those up in arms point out
that these ministers earn in
excess of R160,000 per
month, so surely they can
afford to pay their own way.
There were also
newspaper reports that the
state spent more than R2m on
generators for the minister’s
houses in the last year or so.
Cosatu spokesperson
Sizwe Phamla said: “It is
extremely insensitive for this
administration to cushion the
members of the executive,
while expecting extreme
sacrifices from the workers
and the unemployed.”
At first glance it seems
overly generous, unwarranted
and wasteful. There are 126
official residences both in
Pretoria and Cape Town that
can be used by ministers.
These ministers are almost
always up and about doing
their work, so in reality how
IN TOUCH
Phumelele P Hlati
many of them actually stay in
those residences for an
extended period of time?
Many of them earn
enough to be able to buy
themselves very comfortable
private homes which may be
way superior to some of the
residences the state provides
for them.
Many are from Gauteng,
so how many actually spend a
lot of time in those state
houses?
The way this has blown up
has led to a lot of people
relying on headlines and
soundbites without reading
what the ministerial
handbook actually says.
I am sure if I could ask you
what the issue is, many would
falsely claim that ministers do
not pay for electricity and
water, period, without
qualifying this by saying – in
the official residences owned
by the state and maintained
by the public works
department.
I bet many of you missed
that part. Being a minister is
not a job but a political
appointment that can be
terminated at the whim of a
sitting president. There is no
employment contract and no
job security whatsoever.
The minister is in the
service of the public 24 hours
a day with no discernible
working hours and
determined holidays, like
many other public servants.
While being a minister
looks glamorous, it hardly is
and involves a lot of time
away from home and work
around the clock.
Do you want to be in a
situation when you have a
crisis, where your minister
tells you he has no electricity
because of load-shedding so
he cannot help you?
The minister has his own
home which he or she pays
for and maintains, so why
should they be made to pay
for a residence we provide for
them in order to carry out
their duties?
Do we apply the same
logic to teachers who stay in
school boarding houses who
pay no rent, no electricity and
get free food?
What about prison
warders, soldiers and the
police who stay in quarters for
next to nothing?
All these civil servants
have permanent jobs or
contracts and job security,
something ministers do not
e n j oy.
Do you remember Des
van Rooyen? While I
understand it is fashionable to
slate government and all that,
in this instance I think we are
being dramatic and unfair. Let
the ministers worry about
doing their very demanding
jobs without having to worry
about running residences that
do not even belong to them.
Ilithalethu Care Centre celebrates the country’s cultural heritage at the iLinge centre recently,
with organiser and founder Nolitha Matanzima praising the event’s success Picture: SUPPLIED
VIBRANT HERITAGE
Department of social development employees dressed in their traditional attire during a special
event recently Picture:ABONGILE SOLUNDWANA