Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Check this link out

http://www.sackmanto.co.za/

The link's name says it all. It is a website created by Anton de Waal, in a hope to encourage South Africans to start loudly campaigning if they want our dear Health Minister "released" from her position.

You can email the link onwards to friends, print out petitions and fax these to relevant departments, or telephonically harass certain departments and organisations. By 9th Oct, their online petition will be up and ready to roll.

One problem though - have you ever tried to phone the Department of Health?! Even when you know the exact name of the person you are calling, it is no easy or enjoyable feat. Do not phone before 8.30am or after 4pm. It will just ring. Or during lunch hours (flexible in nature). And any other time, people will probably be in meetings. Should you manage to get ahold of the relevant person's cellphone number and then phone him/her, you will be screamed at immediately on explaining who you are and rudely told to phone them at the office during office hours. This will occur no matter how many times over several months you phone the person to explain communication via her office is impossible. ( Sorry. I think I just had a post-traumatic rant there!)

Anyway, visit the site, browse around, chuckle at the Zapiro cartoons, and then choose your next steps.

13 comments:

Revolving Credit said...

I don't believe we posted at about the same time. Check what I posted on my blog..HAHA

Champagne Heathen said...

Ha Ha Ha! Freaky. I'm entering even your thoughts and actions now!! Or you are into mine. Hmmm. Uh oh.

So you got the cartoon from the same website?

Revolving Credit said...

I'm stalking your mind...stop thinking about chocolate and focus on that google search you have been meaning to do.

Nope, cartoon was sent to me??

Champagne Heathen said...

Good guess with the chocolate. That never leaves my mind. But Google Search?? Now you've got me wondering. Well tried, but I can't think of anything I am meant to have googled recently. My porn's updated and all.

Ah, someone who's sending you mail is looking at links I am being mailed. Had just looked at that cartoon on the site I posted about here minutes before I posted this post. (Post Post Post).

Now I am off for a GnT or two... I'll send one to my stalker in the corner of the bar if you feel like one too?

Revolving Credit said...

Definitely google-work not google-porn!

Anonymous said...

Brilliant. On my way there now. And yes, have tried to get hold of the DOH when trying to organise stuff for a tv channel I did some work for. They never got back to me, depsite repeated attempts to get hold of them. And then had the gall to be angry when their comments were not included in the final programme. Go figure.

Anonymous said...

Having had the please of working with the Welfare Department, I can certainly empathise.

They however take it to a whole new level. If they want to get hold of you they will call you on your cell, but don't even dare try get hold of them - they just won't answer.

Then, they will schedule meetings by leaving messages on your voicemail:

Eeeh, we have a meeting 9am tomorrow morning. See you there.

What's worse by far is the procurement department. Trying to get money out of a government department is like trying to stay awake through 5 back-to-back viewings of Casablanca.

Anonymous said...

Actually, just read all those Zapiro cartoons and although very funny, they also made me want to cry.

Champagne Heathen said...

Not sure whether it's good or bad that I know others have suffered through this with me!

Jam - I hope you laughed at them when they tried to be angry. Or told them to phone you during your office hours, and then not explain what those are, but let them figure it out.

As for the cartoons - and it's quite scary about how applicable many are, even from 4 years back!

Kevin - I feel your pain!! The interesting thing is that the government guys at the grassroots level are some of the hardest workers. It's as soon as they hit provincial or national they lose all ability to exist normally!

Anonymous said...

Those bloody memes....

Champagne Heathen said...

memes????

Anonymous said...

G.O.O.G.L.E.

Champagne Heathen said...

Oooohhh! Wow, that helped in my head hurting more - reading the Wikipedia description of memes.