I am holding thumbs for Kimberley’s new mayor. A young man, just 26 years old. I read about Kagisho Dante Sonyoni’s appointment in November last year and have heard very little about him since, writes Lance Fredericks.
THE RULES of society were simple when I was growing up. Back then, adults were adults and children were not.
Even our nutrition was part of the equation. At parties the children’s table was well stocked with peanuts and raisins, some potato chips, but mostly sweets and cakes.
The adults had the savouries; currie balls, chicken pieces, viennas with cheese and onions on cocktail sticks, cold meats and mini pies.
I have always preferred savoury treats, even though I enjoy sweets and cakes at parties, given a choice it would be savouries for me.
So imagine my delight one evening at a family gathering when my brother and I were offered some of the adult treats. We were in our pre-teens, on the cusp of ‘almost-adulthood’ and being invited to partake of adult treats was quite an honour.
That night I tasted smoked mussels, which I rather enjoyed. I also tasted canned oysters, which I was less impressed with.
“Take more,” the adults urged. “Enjoy yourselves.”
Who were we to refuse? It was the invitation we were looking for. Because on the platter were some very interesting treats that both of us had been eyeing. Long white cylindrical shapes with pink streaks running down the side.
“Those are crab sticks,” said one generous aunt. “Try them,” she added.
We could not believe our luck. The crab sticks were 10 times the size of a mussel. Did we die and go to heaven?
I helped myself to a crab stick and took a bite, eyes glazed over in anticipation … and immediately wished I had died.
It was awful! The crab stick was rubbery, tasted like ‘rubbery’ and made me want to gag. The green tinge in my brother’s skin made me realise that he was enjoying the adult treat just as much as I wasn’t.
I swallowed the first bite and sighed as I looked at the long piece of crab meat that was left over. I wondered who would give my eulogy.
“Oh, put it down if you don’t like it,” the adults encouraged. “It’s an acquired taste,” one aunt said, to her husband. He nodded, “Ja, you can see they are eating lang-tand.”
However, in our family we had learned that you finish what you dish up, and if you take something off a buffet, you don’t waste it.
My brother, because he was older and a bit wiser, took big bites, chewed twice and swallowed. But it took a full two hours for me to choke the crab sticks down.
Give me peanuts and raisins, potato chips, sweets and cakes anytime I thought and resolved to stay a child till my 26th birthday.
Looking back, I suspect that the adults were playing a trick on us. I get the feeling that they knew how awful the crab sticks were and wanted to have a laugh at our expense.
Adults can often be cruel to young people, mainly to amuse themselves at the expense of the youth. It’s a rite of passage I suspect.
Personally I love young people; especially the young people of these days. I admire their confidence, I envy their energy and I am amazed at their ability to acquire information online. Many older folk are, however, wondering how wise the youth are without access to their devices. I will not get into that debate now.
What I will say is that I am holding thumbs for Kimberley’s new mayor. A young man, just 26 years old. I read about Kagisho Dante Sonyoni’s appointment in November last year and have heard very little about him since.
In his inauguration speech he said, “We have all committed to being of service to the people of the municipality, to put their interests first and to ensure that we abide by the laws of the country and to protect its Constitution.”
I sincerely hope that Mr Sonyoni has his sleeves rolled up and his ear to the ground. I would hate to think that he was appointed just to impress young voters or to add a gold star on his CV for some bigger career plans after he leaves Kimberley for greener pastures.
You see, a city with thousands of unhappy residents needs someone who is willing to get their hands dirty to get work done. The last thing a city – any city – needs is someone to use their appointment as an opportunity to pad their résumé.
I am not saying that this is what Kagisho is doing, but I have heard from a few people with a few questions about our silent mayor.
Who is Kagisho? Is he a pleasant chap? Is he humble with a sense of humour, or is he moody and arrogant? How much do we know about him, will he communicate through press releases or is he open to being interviewed? Is Mr Sonyoni capable and can he think on his feet or is he being dictated to by someone standing behind his chair?
Does Mr Mayor have a plan for this broken city and does he command the respect of his troops or is he just biding his time, staying out of trouble till something better comes along?
Horrible questions, I know. The allegations hinted at with the above questions are rude, unfair and disrespectful, in fact they can even be called inflammatory. And I apologise if it seems that way.
But the thing is, until we actually get to know the mayor and get an idea of what he’s all about, what’s stopping anyone making the most skewed, biassed and unfair assumptions about the young man?
Author Roy T Bennett would have a word of advice for our young mayor as the young man decides how he will be remembered by Kimberlites for decades to come. Bennett writes: “Make improvements, not excuses. Seek respect, not attention.”
