Who was it that said SA is a country with PTSD, living with generational & present trauma? That person was correct. Trauma from having lived under Apartheid. Trauma from unemployment so much so that many give up looking for work. Trauma of fear of crime. Cry, the Beloved Country
I can imagine the levels of trauma have increased in lockdown. My therapist (I have Chronic Anxiety) was telling me the other day that there has been a marked increase in admissions due to stress, depression, anxiety, PTSD etc over the last few months
This trauma is exacerbated by the daily stories of corruption. Scandals so big that in other countries governments would resign. Here, daily, there is a fresh scandal. We have become desensitized, a defense mechanism from the trauma of knowing we’re governed by crooks.
I really don’t know what the answer is for this collective trauma is. All I know that compassion, kindness & reaching out to understand the lived experience of each other’s lives would help greatly. Take care of your mental health, it is very tough & can cause irreparable damage.
There is cognitive bias across races in SA. I’ve seen it here on Twitter. This may seem fluffy & silly but it isn’t. Why don’t you ask one person today, whose life, race is different from yours what their lived experience is? And share yours? Compassion, trust will result.
We all have our individual and common lived experiences. I am a woman in SA, that is my lived experience with its associated trauma. Trauma I share with many other women. I wish it wasn’t. But it is. I live in fear of violence, rape, kidnapping etc. Daily. I carry it with me.
Also important is to stop negating lived experiences. Many do so through their ideological lens, paternalism, dismissive of legitimate experiences of racism, fear, rape etc. I don’t know if it there is a point in discussing an issue this complex on Twitter, but I gotta try y’know
Have a great week, South Africa.

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More from @zilevandamme

11 Oct
“We are witnessing a revolution& there may be no point of return. ....leaders at dozens of companies, and they all have one thing in common: they are all planning to convert up to two-thirds of their jobs to remote only positions.”

forbes.com/sites/soulaima…
“One benefit employing people from their homes is that companies can attract talent from all over the world. Employers can focus on getting the best people regardless of geographical borders.”
“Another benefit of remote work is the inclusiveness it can promote. While employing people to work from home, companies are able to create environments that are inclusive to people like introverts who may prefer less social interaction or parents who appreciate the flexibility”
Read 4 tweets
11 Oct
Word.
Many of us MPs under 40 or slightly above didn’t experienced pre-1994 violence. Some we not born yet, others, infants. That some find this an exciting situation to return to while many sacrificed their lives for the very reason that they didn’t want us to have to live like that.
Many fashion themselves struggle heroes like Thomas Sankara, Steve Biko, Chris Hani to whom they hardly measure up nor deserve to even polish their shoes. You are no Sankara. You are no Biko. You are no Hani. Sit down.
Read 4 tweets
10 Oct
People forget that this is Jack Dorsey’s website. He & his company have rules regarding how and what you post. Break those rules, ku-bye. Also, we’re not his clients, we use this website for free, we are the product he sells to advertisers.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.
So next time you complain about being “de-platformed,” well, you knew the rules of the websites innit? Social media is not a democratic space but websites privately owned with their own rules. And again, you’re not a client, you’re a product. You have to follow the rules. Simple.
That being said, there are ethical & in some countries legal standards that social media co’s must follow. These largely have to do with privacy, removing disinfo & hate speech. Otherwise follow the rules & you won’t be de-platformed innit? These companies don’t owe you a thing.
Read 7 tweets
9 Oct
“Digitalization is no longer an option. It is a necessity. Setting bold national targets — including digitalizing public services —creates a dynamic process by which the private sector can scale up through servicing bold procurement programmes.”

imd.org/news/updates/f…
“COVID-19 has showed the importance of digitalization as one way to increase resilience. An economy’s ability to adapt new technologies quickly in response to the changing landscape that the pandemic has brought about will affect its recovery speed.”
“The post-COVID world will be characterized ... 2 types of economy: those that will recover quickly  & those that will recover more slowly. Recovery is driven by many factors, such as the health of public finances. But also, fundamentally digital competitiveness.”
Read 4 tweets
25 Sep
“Some of America's most experienced foreign policy leaders are sounding the alarm about disinformation. From disinformation, from a few fabricated facts to full-scale propaganda campaigns, it has gotten serious.”
“The power of disinformation has spread so fast and so far, that in only a few short years it now infects almost every aspect of our lives... We can't keep treating it as a distant danger. Disinformation now needs to be treated like other top global risks.”
“So, what does it mean for a company to take a strong stand against disinformation? First, it's about recognizing that the problem has become bigger than your brand.”
Read 8 tweets
25 Sep
I have just shared a number of articles about how online disinformation and hate speech is handled in some of the best democracies around the world. I have read extensively about the subject & given it serious thought over the last year or so.
For those of you who were alarmed that the DA would somehow support the curtailing of freedom of speech is not something grounded in fact nor in the DA's record of protection of free speech. Like I said, we are "considering options" and made it clear WHILE PROTECTING FREE SPEECH
An opportunity has now presented itself in the requirement that Parliament tighten the definition of hate speech. Hate Speech is wrong, there cannot be debate there. HOW it is defined is important. It must be clearly categorised and what is free speech similarly made clear.
Read 6 tweets

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