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YOUR STORY
Q&A with Len van Heerden
09/05/2008 18:00 - (SA)
Cape Town - News24 chats to another regular commenter. You know him as "Len", "LvH" and various other aliases. Just who is the real Len van Heerden?
1. Age, sex location?
39, male and Randburg
2. What do you do for a living?
I work in the financial services sector (Thankfully, not SABC or government).
3. Why do you comment so much on MyNews24 and under so many variations of names?
Do I? I am very opinionated and I find that people tend to argue with the personality rather than the views. I figured that if I focus less on who I am and more on what I have to say, there would be better debate. It does not always work, but I try.
4. Tell us more about you - what life experiences inform your political views?
I was fortunate to receive a scholarship to study in New Orleans. Having left South Africa in 1991, I felt privileged in getting an opportunity to view the grass from the other side. When I returned in 1998 and people were busy chasing the American dream, I knew it was not all it was supposed to be. I suppose dealing with lots of South Africans in the US made me see the worst side of my fellow countrymen.
The racism and lack of national pride was frustrating, especially the assumption that I had to go along with such views. Before I left the US, I received an e-mail from a South African I had gotten to know very well. He told me he had decided to become an American and part of the process was to divorce himself from anything South African. He wanted to be part of his community and hence was now making a clean break. I respect that man even today and I believe those that make the call to be part of their new home instead of slagging their old home adjust better.
5. Who do you think will be the next president of South Africa?
Definitely not me or Kolobe, but I think Kgalema Mothlante has the inside track. Jacob Zuma was a good emotional candidate to unseat President Mbeki and that goal has been achieved.
Are you optimistic about this country's future? Would you leave SA if things got bad? Is yes, where would you go?
I am very optimistic about this country and will remain here until I am buried. If I get a job opportunity for short term (2-3 years), I would go but will always maintain a home here.
6. Would you classify yourself as an ANC supporter or a DA supporter or an apolitical person etc? It's often hard to tell, based on your comments, just who you would vote for.
I voted for the ANC since 1994. Will most likely not vote in 2009 as I cannot vote for a Jacob Zuma-led ANC. The only way I would vote for the DA is if someone were to knock me senseless and then drag me to a voting booth and then force my comatose hand to tick DA. On a serious note, I would vote for Sheila Camerer anytime.
7. What do you find are the most irritating things about South Africa at the moment?
High interest rate; high rate of murder (and crime); hypocrisy by some sectors; unwillingness to reconcile by those who especially benefited from the previous system; collusion by food and medical manufactures (Tiger Brands at the centre of it); the idea that you can control inflation by forcing me out of my financed home; being bombarded by negative message which seem to be an attempt by some to justify their decision to leave.
I have expressed my views about how I feel about those who want to leave. I believe they should make the decision that affects themselves and their families and the best place to have this discussion is with their family. Once the decision has been made to leave, I wish them well and would advise that they try to be part of their new community instead of lingering like a bad smell looking for bad news where they came from. It is not good for them and their families, as they will never adjust. I am not against people leaving for greener pastures; I simply find it ironic that they seem to try to convince people, who did not have similar experiences, to leave.
I also find the constant complainers who do absolutely nothing to change the situation they believe is bad. Finally, I get irritated by those that believe that they possess the trademark to voting intelligence. They often imply that the masses voted incorrectly and that they vote rationally. No one votes rationally in my experience. We are all emotive and hence our emotions play a vital role in how we listen and perceive propaganda from politicians.
8. If you could invite three MyNews24 commenters over for dinner, who would they be, and why?
Frank for his post on Thursday which I found speaks to what I hope we can achieve as South Africans.
Kolobe for not being swayed from his cause to knock some sense into the likes of Juan.
All those that wish to find solutions in the country, because I think it is up to us to make this country a better one for us, our children and our future or present grandchildren.
9. What do you think of the comments on MyNews24? Do you think its good to have so many differing view points and debates?
There are times I believe News24 simply publishes letters to simply create polarised debate, especially after constructive comments that created a lot more common ground. However, I will fight tooth and nail to have even Juan's published and heard.
We all deserve to have a voice even if what comes out of our minds is nothing but racist diatribes. We are mature enough to deal with idiots and I think the more they paint themselves in the corner, the more some of us realise we need to work together as a society.
There is no debate if we all agree and what is the use if we all agree for the sake of agreeing when we still cannot respect each other and our background.
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Disclaimer: This article was submitted by a News24 user. News24 encourages freedom of speech and the expression of diverse views. The views of users published on News24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of News24.
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