In June 2000 the MV Treasure sank off the coast of Cape Town, triggering the
world’s largest animal rescue.
Among the 12 500 local and international volunteers that answered
the call for help, including me, was a conservation officer from Queensland, Australia. ‘I had to come’, he said. ‘I was needed’. When I asked who was paying, he replied he
himself. He had taken a month’s unpaid
leave.
In times of natural disasters and human tragedies people
gather in common purpose to a higher calling, placing other people’s needs before
their own. They don’t ask for reward or recognition. At the least, they are gracious enough to understand
it’s crass to engage in such discussions at that time – you don’t hold those
seeking your help to ransom.
But apparently, the 300 South African “singing” fire
fighters in Canada don’t think so. The
Canadian government asked them to leave after they went on a strike over a
misunderstanding about pay.
According to a News24
report, Working on Fire’s Johan Heine and the premier of Alberta, Rachel Nortley,
said the fire fighters were not short-changed and were paid the rate fire
fighters receive in accordance with Canadian laws. Heine: ‘They get paid three
times’, earning more than Canadian fire fighters.
Canada wants them gone ‘as soon as possible’ (they refused
to leave until their demands were met).
Why did they volunteer?
They understood the pay and conditions before signing up. They had the
privilege to help a friendly nation in need, an opportunity to travel and to be
South Africa’s goodwill ambassadors.
Instead they grossly misused the occasion to engage in that sickening
South African practice – protest, go on strike, refuse to listen and throw tantrums. Fortunately for Canada, South Africans’
default position in arguments – setting things on fire – was not an option for
the fire fighters.
Their mercenary behaviour embarrassed the country. They may face disciplinary action when they return
home.
I recently wrote too many South Africans have a chip on
their shoulders, and resort to inappropriate and disproportionate action to
vent their frustrations. Ironically,
fire seems to be a recurring motif:
burning tyres in the road indicating another service delivery protest; burning
schools, universities and community facilities, the former incurring damages of
over R1 billion in a few months.
There are figurative fires too: the ANC and government
fiddling while South Africa figuratively and literally burns, Finance Minister
Pravin Gordhan trying to put out political fires on the eve of visits by rating
agencies, which carry the fate of our economy with them. And the Nkandla fire pool that is a metaphor
for all that’s wrong with South African society.
But should we be surprised by the fire fighters’ conduct
when the country’s leadership offers poor example at home and abroad?
Tony Leon writes about South
Africa’s three ambassadors that present an ugly face to the world, and the
‘cack-handed and charmless’ Minister of International Relations Maite
Nkoana-Mashabane’s stunt on Al-Jazeera.
That Canada, which is facing a fire perimeter 1000km long
that destroyed half a city and is threatening the region’s oil industry, can
say they can do without the 300, tells you something about how the world sees
us and values our place in it. We are
not important, and have an inflated sense of importance – a misguided
‘exceptionalism’, fostered in large part by the ANC’s
delusional belief in its divine perfection.
But like Canada last week, the world is losing patience with
South Africa and its childishness, and is moving on. Perhaps we all have holes in the
head not to see the writing is on the wall.
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