Even burning schools requires skills that could benefit us all

It takes much organisation, cooperation and focus to successfully execute the burning of 24 schools in one community over the course of one week.

It also requires effective planners and executors. These are important skills that individuals should be dedicating towards building and uplifting their environments instead of destroying them.

The Vuwani district in Limpopo lost 24 schools during the first week of this month. The schools were burnt by members of the community who believed that school buildings belong to the government and thus should be burnt down as a means to get the attention of political leaders.

The community hopes that the burning of schools and other public facilities is the appropriate means of showing their discontent as a result of their area being re-demarcated into another municipality.

We need to start driving efforts that will build this nation, not destroy it

It is puzzling to have witnessed so much effort going towards disrupting 50,000 children's ability to access education in order to send a message to the government. Especially in a country where we are well aware that the quality of our education system is ranked among the worst in the world, based on reports from the World Economic Forum and the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development.

Provinces such as Limpopo are the ones in most need of improved access to good education. Destroying almost 50% of the schools in one district is a setback to the whole community.

The burning of schools cannot be viewed in isolation. After all, a widespread protest culture is becoming more and more prevalent across the country. Our citizens have become angry enough that they are prepared to destroy in order to be heard. Schools, universities and various public facilities are now familiar targets.

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Just this week there were reports of a traffic department being burnt down in Grabouw, near Cape Town, also as part of a protest action designed to gain the attention of the government.

As an optimist, I remain hopeful that we will start witnessing a shift in behaviour sooner rather than later. We cannot continue on a path where we are destroying and starving the very economy that needs us to build it and safeguard its survival through the current low-growth environment.

We are living in an era where clearly skilled and thoughtful individuals are using their much-needed planning, organisation, co-operation and execution abilities in an incorrect manner. When you have such skills at hand, and are not happy with the state's actions, you should put those skills to good use. Use them to create for yourself that which the state has failed to provide for you. Waiting for the government to take action can take a very long time.

I would like to propose an alternative reality in which the individuals from these communities use their planning, organisation, co-operation and execution abilities to build and improve their communities.

These individuals have demonstrated that they have the ability and willpower needed to make that happen. They could have spent the first week of May hosting after-school sessions at these 24 schools. Topics to be covered could include coaching pupils on skills related to planning, organisation, co-operation and execution - for causes that will uplift the community, not destroy it.

These topics are important life skills that are barely present in the typical school curriculum and can make a difference to the lives of those living in a rural community such as Vuwani.

Even local business people could benefit from attending such sessions. After all, big and small businesses struggle significantly with successfully executing one initiative across different locations in one go. There is much planning and execution effort required for that to work.

Identifying the skills you have and being open to sharing them with others is how our communities should be operating. That is how you build a nation.

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StatsSA recently released its quarterly labour force survey showing a disappointing 2.2-percentage-point increase in unemployment during the first quarter of 2016 when compared with the last quarter of 2015. The unemployment rate now sits at 26.7% - a level similar to what we last saw in 2008. This kind of news should be a wake-up call to all of us that we need to start driving efforts that will build this nation, not destroy it.

According to the StatsSA report, Limpopo is leading all provinces with 5% growth in jobs over the period, despite it being among the poorest of provinces.

Imagine how much better this number could be if communities such as Vuwani dedicated their efforts to improving their educational institutions and sharing skills with others who need those skills to get a job. Such efforts would give the region an edge over the rest of the country and provide much-needed economic prosperity to the region.

ziphosikhakhane@gmail.com

Sikhakhane is an international speaker, writer and retailer, with an honours degree in business science from the University of Cape Town and an MBA from Stanford University. She also advises and funds small businesses.