Today marks the first morning home after after seeking clinical treatment for my depression & anxiety. When I started the process two weeks ago I was filled with fear, hopelessness and weakness. This morning I see my decision as the ultimate act of bravery, courage and self love
While I am far from recovered, I am on the right track and acknowledge that finding my personal utopia is a process & not an event. I have no affirmations to pronounce nor magical pills to promote. All I can say is that there is help no matter how hopeless and destitute you feel
I can also use the platform that I have to assist in destigmatizing mental health illness and promote the efforts of @TheSADAG who remain selfless in providing mental health resources to all who need it. Lets continue to raise awareness during this #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth
Let's remind each and everyone that's its ok to not be ok. And let's also check on and support those we know who are vulnerable but also those we think to be strong as this affliction does not discriminate among race, religion, wealth or creed. Love & Light to you all
And finally to my friend and colleague @RonakGopaldas for sharing this with me. It played such an important role in the decision to stand up and speak up. For all the men out there with mental health challenges, acceptance is an act of strength
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As per @darren_olivier thread, South Africa may have already deployed an elite squadron to assist in countering Islamists in northern Mozambique, without parliamentary disclosure. There are also reports that South Africa tacitly endorsed deployment of DAG PMC in Cabo Delgado
These developments come after ISIS warned via its al-Naba publication on 03 July that it would open up a fighting front in South Africa if the SANDF deployed against the groups Mozambican branch in Cabo Delgado province
As I cautioned on 21 May, any SANDF deployment in Mozambique risks punitive attacks by isis networks which are entrenched in South Africa as I detail in the thread below mobile.twitter.com/pol_sec_analys…
South Africa's relatively low number of #covid19 infection & mortality rates, is the only reason why there is debate regarding the merits of lockdown. Its initiation - as elsewhere - was an unprecedented measure to best preserve human life which its achieved to date
Its relative effectiveness has now become its primary point of contention. Those slating lockdown due to its economic impacts, hardly credit it for its role in possibly preventing a pervasive outbreak many anticipated would occur & which could've led to widespread social disorder
So now, the argument presented is that lockdown will still end up delivering the very societal breakdown which it was aimed to mitigate. These narratives continue to play out with the recurring theme that South Africa's black poor will seek out any opportunity to create anarchy
A paradox of us - the so called 'previously disadvantaged' of South Africa - and our collective responsibility in our country's status quo. Has our drive for upward socio-economic mobility drained our communities of skills & investment which we have taken to developed areas?
I come from the Cape Flats (Athlone specifically) where apartheid spatial segregation when that skills which we gained within our community were legislated to stay there. We had doctors, lawyers, teachers who serviced our communities. When legislation lifted, we moved out
We took our skills, resources & even our finance with us. Leaving our neglected communities to a governing structures which were underdeveloped and to predatory to look after those who lacked the opportunities we often secured, merely through chance. Are we part of the problem?