Lightminded » The Thinker

Don’t ever take sides with anyone against the family

Coert — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 14:08:39 +0000

Disloyalty is a character flaw

I think loyalty is one of the oldest ethical principles in existence. History is full of tales of treason, but there are not that many about loyalty. That shows that loyalty is the more common of the two and isn’t actually news. In other words, more people are loyal towards each other than are disloyal. Perhaps I should say, rather, that this is how it was in the old days, because I get the feeling that disloyalty is more prevalent in modern times. And it seems to me that it’s not a disgrace anymore either, as it was in the old days.

Rhoda Kadalie wrote this about Van Zyl Slabbert in Die Burger of 15 May 2010: “He gave up his seat in parliament to serve the new order, but was spat out by the Mbeki regime.” To progress from young Afrikaner leader as Head Boy of an Afrikaans school in Pietersburg to a renegade spat out by the ANC is quite a detour to take. I always wonder whether Slabbert could not have played a greater role for our country by rather leading his own Afrikaner compatriots towards a new dispensation, but instead he became leader of his people’s opposition.

During any war loyalty is highly regarded, and those who are disloyal are considered disgraceful, but in times of peace they, like Slabbert, receive acknowledgement in certain circles as being “enlightened and far ahead of their time”. In times of war the traitors and joiners are executed by firing squad, and in times of peace they become honoured leaders of the opposition. What a strange world!

The irony is that even criminals, amongst whom one expects a total decay of ethical values, place a very high premium on loyalty. The famous words of the Mafia’s Godfather are: “Don’t ever take sides with anyone against the family.” And we know what they did with people who turned against the family, because these words spoken by the Godfather were usually also the last words that the disloyal person heard.

I use words such as compatriots and family, but these are not the only places where loyalty is applicable. It’s definitely also valid in the marriage, business and groups that you belong to. I myself a few years ago had the experience in my business of having to get rid of a disloyal CEO and several directors. Over the years I have often experienced disloyalty, and true to my nature, I always act quickly to eradicate it. During the good years the potential traitors are your best and most loyal friends, but as soon as the recession comes knocking at the door, they only want to look after themselves. As soon as the good times arrive again, as they always do, they are eager to return – and some people will actually take them back. Never do this! They will betray .........................

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Women, Marriages and Trusts

Coert — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 11:35:59 +0000

THE MOTHER OF ALL PARTIES!

Today I am going to talk to our female readers, but before I start I just want to inform you all about a party. According to ABSA’s latest review, houses between 80m/2 and 140m/2 grew in value on a year on year basis with 33.6% as at end of June 2010. This is the start of the biggest party since the World Cup. Are you part of it or are you still sitting on the sideline?

In case you think this cannot be true, click here.

Okay Guys, if you are not already on the property party bus, go and kick yourselves somewhere else because I want to talk to the girls alone!

WOMEN AND THEIR FINANCES

I’ve been invited by the women’s group Eve at Work to speak at a series of corporate women’s days about women and finance. I am very excited about speaking to these women, because as some of you probably already know, women’s finance is a topic that is close to my heart. One of the reasons for this is that I can’t stand bullies – and women are so often bullied. They are bullied by men, children and the money powers.

Let’s first take a look at the situation of married women. There are three forms of marriage:

A. Married in community of property – In this form of marriage all the assets of the spouses belong to both of them jointly. If one becomes liable for anything, the other one automatically also becomes liable. In the event of a divorce everything gets divided equally.

B. Married out of community of property with accrual – In this form of marriage each spouse’s assets belong to him or her alone, but everything that they acquire together gets divided equally in the event of a divorce. Take note: it’s only in the event of a divorce that the accrued assets are combined. Creditors of one spouse cannot seize the accrued assets of the other spouse.

C. Married out of community of property without accrual – In this form of marriage each spouse’s existing as well as future assets belong to him or her alone. The creditors of one spouse cannot seize the assets of the other spouse and nothing will be divided in case of a divorce.

As far as I’m concerned the middle example, B, Married out of community of property with accrual, is the fairest way for ordinary people – particularly for women.

You’ll have noticed that I refer frequently to “divorce” here; I know that will immediately get some people’s backs up. “We love each other and we aren’t going to get divorced!” they will say. I know, I know… everyone says that when they get married, and yet at least every third couple gets divorced. If your marriage is not properly structured at that stage, I can assure you that as the wife you will very likely come off second-best in the settlement.

Some women who are married in the wrong way might be worried now – and I believe you should be! Changing the form of a marriage is possible and reasonably easy, but it’s a sensitive issue and it costs a lot of money. At least it’s no longer necessary to get divorced and marry again, like in the old days. It is now possible to change the form of a marriage and have it registered in the high court while you stay married. But there is a better way.

The easiest, cheapest and most acceptable way to get protection against one another .........................

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Two cases, two lessons

Coert — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 03:05:32 +0000

We can learn from the mistakes of others

I am privileged to receive many letters from readers and I learn a lot from them. I cannot answer each and everyone personally, but some of them attract my attention. I want to share the following two cases with you and I am sure you will also learn something from them.

From: (Name removed)
Sent: Saturday, June 26, 2010 6:29 PM
To: coert@lightminded.com
Subject: Private

Dear Coert

I am not a property owner. I am 57 years old and unemployed.

My partner and I bought an old house for R110,000 in in Cape Town and renovated it (today it’s worth R3.3m). We bought it in her name because it was felt that it was wiser to not get married and have everything in her name to protect it from any claims through the garage business I was running at the time. Needless to say, when the relationship ended she got everything and I ended up with nothing.

Since then my life has been a rollercoaster ride. I got out of the garage business and started a diamond core drilling business. That was successful for a period of 4 years. Then I had a back injury and developed a spinal infection which was only resolved 2 years and 5 spine ops later. I was unable to run the business properly and it all but died. During the good times I had all the credit cards and when things went wrong, I started using the available credit to keep going. It reached a point where I was spending beyond my means in the belief that I could catch up when the good times returned. They never did.

Today I owe the banks approximately R350,000 and battle to meet the monthly repayments. I have already been handed over and now have to deal with law firms regarding my debts. There are months when I can’t meet the full repayments and receive smses, threats and phone calls. I have tried negotiating with the banks and spoke to the banking ombudsman in an effort to halt the interest I’m paying but was reassured that the banks will not under any circumstances change their approach. The only knowledge I gained from dealing with the ombudsman is that you can negotiate a 70% settlement with the banks. My ex accountant offered the advice that, under my circumstances, I would not be able to pay back the debt and the banks will get their money one way or the other, including any inheritances. My friends and my family (my sister, mom and dad) don’t know the seriousness of my situation and this letter is the first time I’m opening up to anyone. I am otherwise a very private person.

Over the years I had paid in to retirement annuities and now receive aproximately R7000 per month. From this I pay my rent and the rest goes to the banks. I still have the core drilling equipment and get some work in but I now do the work myself which is physically demanding for very little return.

I battle to believe in life, the system or myself any more. I am a catholic and we were taught ‘mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa’. We are guilty for everything and will not go to heaven if we get rich (the camel and eye-of-the-needle story). That is until I received your latest newsletter “Create enormous wealth and still go to heaven”. It’s refreshing receiving your newsletters and they have been the only ray of light in my otherwise bleak world at the moment but I feel powerless to use the advice because of my financial situation.

I feel I have the brains to do anything (have studied towards a BSc, a BCom and an MBA but not completed any one of them) but just cannot get myself going in any direction having become overwhelmed by my circumstances. I need advice/inspiration/guidance/motivation on where to go from here. Any advice at all.

Coert, I have written this letter because I needed talk to someone about my situation and it is easier opening up to a stranger than to my family and friends. I hope you understand. And through this all I wish to remain anonymous (if you are going to quote my story in lessons for others to learn).

I hope to hear from you

Yours sincerely
(Name removed)

My Comment:

I think it is clear to see that he made a few mistakes in life, but the most important one was to buy the house in the name of his girlfriend. A joint trust would have prevented all the problems, but it is too late now and this is what I answered:

—– Original Message —–
From: Coert Coetzee
To: (Name removed)
Sent: Monday, June 28, 2010 4:35 AM
Subject: RE: Private

Dear …

Thank you very much for the mail.

It made me very sad to read your story. It would have been easy to avoid your situation if only you planned your life differently, but that is now water under the bridge.

Since I am not an advisor and if you give me permission, I would like to forward your letter to one of my associates, Dr Anthony van Tonder. I think he might be able to help you a lot with your self confidence and to believe in yourself once again.

In terms of your financial position, I think the best thing you can do is to make contact with the National Credit Regulator at http://www.ncrdebthelp.co.za/

They will make sure you don’t get bullied by creditors.

Regards
Coert

This is what he answered:

From: (Name removed)
Sent: Monday, June 28, 2010 12:30 PM
To: Coert Coetzee
Subject: Re: Private

Dear Coert

Thank you so much for the reply. I realise how busy you must be and to get a personal reply is much appreciated.

Please do forward .........................

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Chase away the prophets!

Coert — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 09:00:47 +0000

Doom!

(Click here to read this article in Afrikaans)

There are once again a lot of people who are dusting off old ghosts and conjuring up new ones at the moment. The Prophets of Doom are always out in full force!

I can imagine the prophets of doom preaching their predictions of disaster all through the centuries, after every catastrophe that has struck the world. They predict all sorts of bad things for the earth and the economy, and they support their claims by pointing to recent events like the Dubai Collapse, the Credit Crunch, the Icelandic Volcano or the Greek Bankruptcy. Today let me give you the best and only truthful prediction you’ve ever heard in your life – which is that no-one can predict the future! History is full of people who’ve tried. Even Nostradamus and Siener van Rensburg’s predictions only get “deciphered” after something has happened that was supposedly predicted in just that way. It makes me think of palm readers and people who see the “other side”. All absolute nonsense.

But the problem is that many people believe this nonsense and live their lives according to it. This brings them enormous personal misery. And has been doing so for centuries already! Why would it be any different this time? Why would the predictions be on the mark this time, for the first time in mankind’s history?

We are living now. Do now what you have to do now, and then you won’t have to worry about what’s coming tomorrow. As they say, “We will cross that bridge when we get there.” All that we can be certain of is “death and taxes”, and so it’s around those two things that I plan my life. Not around the predictions of thousands of “prophets”.

I am making sure that I will be taken care of in my old age. If the prophets are once again wrong, then I’ll be taken care of. And if they’re right for the first time in the history of humankind, it won’t matter and I will be at peace with my fate.

I definitely can’t arrange my life to account for every possible occurrence on earth. If you wanted to do that, you’d have to do the following:

Never again leave your house, because a car could hit you.
Never save, because .........................

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Jaag weg die profete!

Coert — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 08:56:01 +0000

Verdoemenis

(Click here to read this article in English)

Deesdae is daar weer so baie mense wat ou spoke afstof en nuwe spoke skep. Die “Profete van Verdoemenis” is uit met mag en mening!

Ek kan net dink hoe die doemprofete oor al die eeue heen na elke katestrofe wat die wêreld getref het, hulle doemprofesies verkondig het. Hulle voorspel allerhande slegte dinge vir die aarde en vir die ekonomie en hulle staaf dit met onlangse gebeure soos die Dubai Ineenstorting, Credit Crunch, die Ysland Vulkaan of die Griekeland Bankrotskap. Kom ek gee vir julle vandag die enigste en beste voorspelling wat jy al in jou lewe gehoor het: Dit is dat niemand die toekoms kan voorspel nie. Die geskiedenis is vol van mense wat dit probeer doen het. Selfs Nostradamus en Siener van Rensburg se voorspellings word eers “ontsyfer” nadat iets gebeur het wat kamstig so voorspel was. Dit laat dink my nogal aan die palmlesers en selfs die mense wat die “anderkant” kan sien. Alles algemene snert.

Die probleem is egter dat baie mense die snert glo en hulle lewens daarvolgens rig. Dit bring vir hulle groot persoonlike ellende mee. Vir eeue al! Hoekom sal dit hierdie keer anders wees? Hoekom sal die voorspellings hierdie keer vir die eerste keer in die mens se geskiedenis in die kol wees?

Ons lewe nou. Doen nou wat jy nou moet doen en dan sal jy nie nodig hê om oor die dag van more te bekommer nie. Soos hulle in Engels sê: “We wil cross the bridge when we get there.” Al waaroor ons seker kan wees is “death & taxes” en dit is rondom dit wat ek my lewe beplan. Nie rondom die voorspellings van die duisende voorspellers nie.

Ek maak seker dat ek op my oudag versorg sal wees. As die voorspellers weereens verkeerd is, is ek versorg. As hulle vir die eerste keer in die geskiedenis van die mensdom reg is, maak dit nie saak nie en berus ek my in my lot.

Ek kan beslis nie my lewe inrig vir elke moontlike gebeurtenis op die aarde nie. As jy dit wil doen moet jy die volgende doen:

Nooit weer jou huis verlaat nie, want ‘n kar kan jou trap.
Nooit spaar nie, want die bank kan jou geld steel.
Nooit kos eet nie, want .........................

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The Ark

Coert — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 04:39:16 +0000

The biggest ship on earth?

(Click here to read this article in Afrikaans)

“And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breath of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.” Genesis 6:15

Back when I was a young boy I asked my father one day what a cubit was, and he told me that it was the distance between a big man’s hand and elbow. I worked out that it was about as long as a child’s step. Later years I read it is actually 68cm.

The next day I measured out the dimensions of the ark as given in Genesis, in the gravel road in front of our house; and when my father came home from work that afternoon I showed him, and asked him how all the animals of the world, two of a kind, plus their food supplies for more than 180 days could fit into a ship of that size. My father didn’t have an explanation and just replied that it’s not our place to ask questions. We just have to believe!

I was terribly disappointed, because like any little boy I thought my father knew everything. On top of that he was also the Head Elder and Sunday School Superintendent. I didn’t like it one bit that I just had to believe and wasn’t allowed to ask questions.

This answer of my father’s had exactly the opposite effect on me to what he might have expected, because after that I started to question everything. As I got older, this trait sometimes helped me to be successful and sometimes landed me in trouble – like when I started to question my officers’ commands in the army. In later years I started to question old business principles, and if they didn’t make sense to me, I changed them.

This habit of mine is something that I can really recommend. Ask Sanlam why their endowment policies are so pathetic. Ask your accountant why you pay so much tax. Ask your party representative why they don’t also give the ANC a hard time like Afriforum. Ask your minister why he doesn’t tell you what the creation story really means spiritually. Ask your financial advisor why he has never told you that a trust is the best tax vehicle. Also ask him why he’s never told you that life insurance is around 50% cheaper today than it was 15 years ago. And so we could go on, but I think you get the gist of what I’m trying to say.

Don’t follow blindly like sheep. It makes me think of my favourite advertisement on TV – the dog with the nice set of teeth who pokes fun at the sheep in the Hilux advert. Be careful: if you behave like a sheep you will be treated like a chop. You’ll get eaten!

You’re .........................

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Die Ark

Coert — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 04:34:12 +0000

Die grootste skip op aarde?

(Click here to read this article in English)

“So moet jy dit maak: Driehonderd el die lengte van die ark, vyftig el sy breedte en dertig el sy hoogte.” Genesis 6:15

Destyds as ‘n jong seun het ek my Pa gevra wat ‘n el is en hy het gesê dit is die afstand tussen ‘n groot man se hand en elmbog. Ek het uitgewerk dit is omtrent so lank soos ‘n kind se tree. Later het ek gelees dit is eintlik 68 cm.

Die volgende dag het ek die afmetings van die ark soos in Genesis aangegee in die stofstraat voor ons huis afgetree en toe my Pa van die werk af kom daardie middag het ek hom gewys en gevra hoe al die diere van die wêreld, twee van ‘n soort, met hulle kosvoorraad vir langer as 180 dae in ‘n skip van daardie grootte kan pas. My Pa het nie ‘n verklaring gehad nie en net gesê dat dit nie vir ons is om vrae te vra nie. Ons moet net glo!

Ek was verskriklik teleurgesteld, want soos enige seuntjie het ek ook gedink my Pa weet alles. Dan was hy darem ook Hoofouderling en Sondagskoolhoof. Ek het ook niks daarvan gehou om net te moet glo en nie vrae te mag vra nie.

Hierdie antwoord van my Pa het die absolute teenoorgestelde uitwerking op my gehad as wat hy dalk gedink het dit sal hê, want daarna het ek alles begin bevraagteken. Soos ek ouer geword het, het hierdie eienskap my soms gehelp om suksesvol te wees en soms het dit my in die moeilikheid laat beland soos toe ek my offisiere se opdragte begin bevraagteken het in die weermag. Later jare het ek ou besigheidsbeginsels begin bevraagteken en as dit nie vir my sin gemaak het nie, het ek dit verander.

Hierdie eienskap van my is regtig iets wat ek kan aanbeveel. Vra vir Sanlam hoekom hulle uitkeerpolisse so pateties is. Vra vir jou rekenmeester hoekom jy so baie belasting betaal. Vra vir jou partyverteenwoordiger hoekom hulle nie die ANC ook hel gee soos Afriforum nie. Vra vir jou dominee hoekom hy jou nie vertel wat die skeppingsverhaal werklik geestelik beteken nie. Vra jou finansiele adviseur hoekom hy jou nooit vertel het ‘n trust is die beste belastingvoertuig nie. Vra hom ook sommer hoekom hy jou nooit vertel het lewensversekering is vandag omtrent 50% goedkoper as 15 jaar gelede nie. So kan ons aangaan, maar ek dink julle verstaan wat ek probeer sê.

Moenie soos skape agter mekaar aanloop nie. Dit laat dink my aan my gunsteling advertensie op TV. Die hond met die mooi stel tande wat so die spot dryf met die skape in die Hilux advertensie. Pasop, as jy soos ‘n skaap optree sal jy soos ‘n tjop behandel word. Jy word geeet!

Julle wonder nou seker wat die antwoord op die Ark vraagstuk .........................

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Prayers, Father Christmas and the Easter Bunny

Coert — Wed, 26 May 2010 04:24:38 +0000

We cannot stand together!

The article about class action suits that I sent out on 28 April ended up being like the mountain that gave birth to a mouse. You can view the article here: Unity is strenght

The response to it was divided. Firstly there was a group of hundreds who wished me well with the initiative, but didn’t want to get actively involved now; and then there was a group who wanted to collaborate with me and who provided me with information that I could use in potential class action suits. Unfortunately the latter group was the smaller of the two, but nevertheless I’d like to thank them for their courage and nerve and willingness to stand up against the money powers that are destroying our people. I have a list of just fifteen brave souls! Unfortunately that’s far too few to take on the big money powers. With hundreds of spectators and just fifteen who’d have to fight the fight and share the costs, we can forget about it. So I’m putting it on the backburner for now, until our people have been well and truly swindled, have finished praying, have woken up and have come to their senses. Then we can talk about class action suits again.

The article about whether we can pray the country right drew more response than the one about class action. View the prayer article here: The power of prayers

This response was also divided. There was a big group who wanted to crucify me. They sent me erudite and grim Christian warnings about the error of my ways. They made me think instinctively of the intolerant High Priests and Scribes who planned Jesus’ death. Some of them also made me think of Ghandi’s famous words: “I like your Christ, but not your Christians, because your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

Then there was the group that once again gave me hope for the future. The group that made me proud to be a Christian. The group that doesn’t just pray, but also acts. Unfortunately this group is by far the minority. I would like to single out Dr Anthony van Tonder of Family LifeChange Centre SA and Dr Ben Kleynhans of Touch the Nations Ministries as part of this second group. You are doing good work, my friends!

However, the hopes of the majority rest on prayers alone; let’s support them too. Perhaps the millions of prayers sent up by our apathetic, oppressed and swindled people will work, and then it won’t ever be necessary to take action against the evil powers. Luckily we have a nation that is praying like never before. Perhaps God will work on the money powers’ .........................

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The Power of Prayers

Coert — Wed, 12 May 2010 07:14:24 +0000

Can we pray the country right? Certainly not.

Can we pray ourselves right? Certainly!

Since the beginning of the Christian faith people have been trying to change their external circumstances through prayer. One of the first cases is where Jesus prayed and asked his Father to make the crucifixion pass him by.

Matthew 26:39 – “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but thou wilt.”

We know what God’s will was in this case, and in the same way there have been innumerable cases in history where God did not interfere with the natural course of things. They haven’t all been as well-documented as Jesus’ struggle with his destiny, but we can assume that millions of people have had this struggle. We can also assume that in millions of cases God did in fact step in to save people from catastrophic circumstances. I myself have had a few such incidents in my life, which I tell of in my book Rich Mind … Rich Man.

We also know of thousands of people who are, with great fanfare, healed through prayer each Sunday in thousands of churches right across the world. When media investigators later investigate, they find that it was all just pretence. The people are still just as sick as before. What they do find, however, is that these people are mostly in a very good state of mind after their illnesses have been prayed for. I think that’s what happened with Jesus too. After his prayer it was easier for him to accept his circumstances.

Back in the day, millions of Christians were murdered by the Romans – and thousands more by the Roman Catholic Church. Do you think those Christians prayed and pleaded with God to save them from this terrible martyrdom and painful death? I think so. Did he save their lives? I don’t think so.

Closer to us here in South Africa we can look at the Boerevolk. Just before the turn of the last century, during the Anglo-Boer War, probably one of the most god-fearing nations in the world prayed until their knees were raw that God would deliver their enemies up to them. Did he? No, he didn’t.

So what do we pray for then? We pray for our souls! God is only interested in your soul. The scriptures say that flesh and blood will not enter the Kingdom.

Let’s return to the Boer War. As far as I’m concerned the Boers shouldn’t have prayed for victory. They should rather have prayed for insight, clarity of mind, self-control and tolerance. That might have prevented the war and saved thousands of lives, because at the end of the day it is not God who starts the war, win or lose. It is people.

So God can’t save our country, but if the Spirit of God can save our thoughts and understanding, we can save the country ourselves. Please note that I said “ .........................

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Unity is Strength

Coert — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 07:34:43 +0000

Now we’re going to take on the bullies!

I know some people don’t like confrontation, and I know some people believe in the principle of just turning the other cheek. If you’re one of those people, please don’t read any further, because this letter will upset you.

There are a few injustices happening that are bothering me a lot. What bothers me the most is the fact that the offenders are getting off scot-free. The reason for this is that the victims don’t have the knowledge and/or financial means to do something about it, and the bullies know this. Well, that’s going to change now, because I’ve discovered a new law!

It’s not really a new law, actually, but it’s a principle that was unknown in our legal system before 1994. Thanks to our new constitution, it’s no longer unknown. It just isn’t used very often because not many people know about it. It’s called a class action.

The following excerpt of a judgement by Judge Cameron (at the time still a judge of the Constitutional Court) in Permanent Secretary, Department of Welfare, Eastern Cape, and Another v Ngxusa and Others 2001(4) SA 1184 (SCA) got me thinking, and it illustrates the value of class actions:

“In the type of class action at issue in this case, one or more claimants litigate against a defendant not only on their own behalf but on behalf of all other similar claimants.

The most important feature of the class action is that other members of the class, although not formally and individually joined, benefit from, and are bound by, the outcome of the litigation unless they invoke prescribed procedures to opt out of it. The class action was until 1994 unknown to our law, where the individual litigant’s personal and direct interest in litigation defined the boundaries of the court’s powers in it. If a claimant wished to participate in existing court proceedings, he or she had to become formally associated with them by compliance with the formalities of joinder.

The difficulties the traditional A approach to participation in legal process create are well described in an analysis that appeared after the class action was nationally regularised in the United States through a Federal Rule of Court more than 60 years ago:

The class action cuts through these complexities. The issue between the members of the class and the defendant is tried once. The judgment binds all and the benefits of its ruling accrue to all. The procedure has particular utility where a large group of plaintiffs each has a small claim that may be difficult or impossible to pursue individually. The mechanism is employed not only in its country of origin, the United States of America, where detailed rules governing its use have developed, but in other countries as well.

The reason the procedure is invoked so frequently lies in the complexity of modern social structures and the attendant cost of legal proceedings:
‘Modern society seems increasingly to expose men to such group injuries for it is precisely because so many in our country are in a ‘poor position to seek legal redress’ and because the technicalities of legal procedure, including joinder, may unduly complicate the attainment of justice that both the interim Constitution and the Constitution created the express entitlement that ‘anyone’ asserting a right in the Bill of Rights could litigate ‘as a member of, or in the interest of, a group or class of persons’.”

Groups like Afriforum regularly fight against social injustices, but no-one ever fights against commercial injustices. The question I now have is why can’t we use this class action principle, or even a variation of it, to fight commercial injustices? It looks to me like the reason that it’s not done is because no-one is prepared to go out on a limb. Well, I’m prepared to, and I’m going to do it.

The big obstacle stopping people from taking action themselves is the legal costs, and the biggest reason that people don’t take action jointly is because they don’t have each other’s information. Both these obstacles have now been removed, because I will act as co-ordinator and the legal costs will be equally divided among all the claimants. We’ll even be able to afford to hire the best private investigators to collect evidence. All of this will cost each claimant a fraction. I myself am not looking for any remuneration for my services. The pleasure’s enough for me!

It reminds me of the true-story movie “Erin Brockovich”, where she took the lead in taking on and beating the big mining powers. Do go and rent that DVD.

Injustices that I want to address through separate class actions:

Injustice One – The banks’ repossession policy

Fortunately, not many of our members have been victims, but statistics show that thousands of other people have been victims of the banks. People who lost their income due to the .........................

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Wake-up call

Coert — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 09:19:11 +0000

Too many people think if they do things like they did it before, the result will be different.

They think if they act the same as their parents, they will not have the same retirement problems one day as what the parents have now due to lack of action.

Some of us think that if we do things the same way as our neighbours do it, the result will be different. The legal and Christian way our neighbours acted towards Mugabe did not stop him. Will it stop Malema?

Change starts with you. You should make it happen. That is one thing we can say about Malema, he is busy, very busy! Don’t think if you sit at home, go to work, go to church and occasionally go to Uncle Angus, the result will be different than in Zimbabwe. Do you really think people in Zimbabwe are not praying? They do, oh yes they do, but the way I see it is:

Prayers without action are useless
Dreams without action are useless
Words without action are useless

Are you useless? I hope not!

I received the following article from one of our readers. I think everyone should read it, enjoy it and get off their damn backsides! Or read the story of the “Griekwa Kanon” at the bottom and keep on fooling yourself.

“In life, the only constant, is change”
by Albertus Ziervogel

Every day we hear; “It is not the same”, or “when I was younger” or probably the most used, “it’s really going down”

Are we just reacting, without realising that change is the force that brings opportunity, for those that want to see?

Why are we experiencing this anxiety? Are we too comfortable to acknowledge change, or have a fear of anything else, maybe just too plain lazy to move on?

To be able to benefit from change, there are 2 basics:
– A good value system
– A pro-active outlook

A good value system is not necessarily to copy all the habits and customs of our forefathers, but the ability to evaluate and test the relevance in the times we are living. A good value system is easily identifiable when observing the easiness to be influenced, be it by fashion magazines, pressure groups or perhaps religious or political beliefs. A good value system continuously tests the relevance of our values, and then has the ability to evolve.

A pro-active outlook is to be able to identify the change, evaluate the fit into your own value system, in a way to grow and enhance as a person. Grow and enhance do not directly imply financial gain.

Our decisions, that determine what we do, where we go, how we experience life is a direct result of our value system and outlook.

Imagine a river winding its way through the countryside. Next to the green-grassed embankment is a jetty. The poled jetty, with the slatted deck stands proud above the water level. A solid construction. A blue and white rowing boat, casting a lazy reflection in the tranquil water, is tied to the jetty with the rope, pulled tight by the flow of the water. We are sitting in the boat, the oars out of the water.

Where are we now? The flowing water is life, every day, and what is happening around us. We are secured to the jetty, comfortably, not exposed to maybe some rapids downstream. We are also comfortable with the grass-covered embankment and the weeping willows that set such a postcard picture. We can sit here for the rest of our life, reaffirming that it is quite ok.

I already hear some objections; you are not an individual when you just go with the stream. That is correct, but you will also not experience the beauty of the changing scenery sitting tied up to the jetty. What if there are some rapids downstream? I could drown, is the boat strong enough to withstand the pounding? No way, someone else can go downstream; I will stay here where it is safe and secure. You stay, and say the same things day after day.

Cast off, get going, now put the oars in the water, and determine where the boat is going. Venture into the new area of the river. You can even try .........................

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Happiness is not work

Coert — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 08:11:15 +0000

HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE AND THE CHOICE IS YOURS

Member Function Change

Before I kick off with the topic of today, I have to inform you that due to the large number of bookings we receive for the Member & Subscriber Network Function on 25 March, we had to change to a bigger venue. It will now be at the Ocean View Hotel in Beach Road, Strand. See full detail at the bottom of this article.

OK, back to the Choice of Happiness!

Those of you who’ve attended one of my seminars will recall that I speak, among other things, about the principle of OPT, which stands for Other People’s Time. I always use other people to do work for me. There’s nothing strange about this, and I don’t exploit anyone in the process, because I pay fair salaries, fees and commissions. Just keep this point in mind for the moment, because I’m first going to write about something else now before returning to the principle of OPT.

A while back Vanessa and I, on our way somewhere, were listening to a radio broadcast where the presenter was making a big fuss about the value of marriage. She mentioned things like: it’s something very precious, it’s a gift from God, and so on, and so on, ad nauseam. Then she began to give advice about how hard you have to work at your marriage every day to make it a success.

Every time Vanessa and I hear things like this we can’t help smiling, because we have a saying that if it were work, we would have paid other people to do it for us. If we have to work at our marriage, the marriage is already doomed. I realise that plenty of people do need to work at their marriages to keep them going. We have friends who work on theirs constantly and full-time. They will never ever divorce, but I know for a fact they will never experience true happiness either. Their marriage has been hard work from the start and will stay that way until one of them dies.

Vanessa and I have been married for almost 20 years now, and I would describe it as the longest honeymoon on earth. It’s no work at all! It is sheer pleasure every day. Our children describe us as two lovebirds. What a compliment!

One of the reasons for our successful marriage is our inner happiness. In our case it certainly isn’t something we have to work at. We are blessed with a positive attitude and we firmly believe in the Law of Attraction. It works – if you radiate happiness and peace everything returns to you many times over. Try it for yourself. I have to add that it does need to come from both sides. If it only comes from one side, it won’t work.

To get back to my first paragraph: if marriage and inner happiness were work, I would have applied OPT, but I take care of these things myself, because they aren’t work. Definitely not! If you feel differently about this, I think there’s work lying ahead for you; but instead of working on happiness, rather work on your attitude. You can even make use of other people’s knowledge and time for this. If you can manage it, then one day you’ll agree with me that marriage is not work.

Another key ingredient of a happy marriage is, of course, being 100% faithful to each other. I don’t actually even need to write about this, because it’s obvious. If fidelity is lacking, the marriage will certainly always be hard work. I hear Joost and Amor are currently working hard at their marriage. If they work very, very hard at their marriage continuously and forever, they might stay married for the rest of their lives. Take note, though: there’s a very big difference between being .........................

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Hidden skeletons

Coert — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 14:14:43 +0000

Ethics

Last week while having dinner with my friend, Dr John C. Maxwell, the great man said something that made me think. After I thought about it a lot I decided to share it with you.

Dr Maxwell told me that he was once asked by a business group in America to write a book about business ethics. When he said to them that it is not possible, they wanted to know why not? He said to them that “there is no such thing as ‘business ethics’. People either have ethics or they don’t. If they do not have personal ethics, they will definitely not have ethics in business and if they have personal ethics, they will definitely have it in business too”.

What Dr Maxwell said is clear and easy to understand, but how will it be applied in practice?

Every time when I expose an injustice in my newsletters some readers accuse me of been unprofessional and unethical.

Should all of us shut up about the things that are wrong? Or maybe not all of us see these things I write about as wrong doing. If so, they think;

1. It is not wrong to take contributions for a pension fund and then not provide the promised pension at retirement.

2. It is not wrong for attorneys to break the rules of the Law Society and pay referral fees on trust and conveyancing work.

3. It is not wrong for a youth leader to speak hate speech.

4. It is not wrong and stupid to burn property and strike at the very government you selected and then to select them again at the next election.

5. It is not wrong for ex employees to steal your clients by spreading lies about your company.

6. It is not wrong for ex associates to break agreements, steal your staff and abuse your clients.

7. It is not wrong for an accredited financial advisor to provide his clients with fraud tips that can end them up in jail.

8. It is not wrong for the authorities to allow abovementioned advisor to continue with his malpractice.

9. It is not wrong for an attorney doubling as accountant and acting also as independent trustee to allow his client’s trust to overexpose itself.

10. It is not wrong for an attorney to refer to his clients as seals and doing business with them as “clubbing seals”.

11. It is not wrong for the banks to take your house, sell it on an auction at half price and hold you liable for the difference.

12. It is not wrong for employees to expect pay for no work.

These are some of the things I sometimes write about and every time some readers accuse me of all kinds of ugly things. Goodness gracious, what is wrong with you? Do you think that these things will disappear if we keep quiet about it? Do you think people will not do to you what they do to others? Do you think you help others by not warning them?

It is not so much the topic I write about that disturbs people it is the naming of the guilty parties. The moment I attached a name of a person, company or political party to a wrong doing I am seen as unprofessional and unethical. Some times even as a racist!

To be extreme – Do you think a child molester whose name is kept secret will not molest other children? Or do you agree that it .........................

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On a lighter note

Coert — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 07:37:42 +0000

The Perfect Body

This week’s story is a little bit foul and not for sensitive readers.

I’m sure you all know the children’s story where all the organs of the body are fighting about who is the most important; but for those who don’t I’ll gladly repeat it, since there’s so much to learn from it, and my conclusions at the end of the article won’t make sense if you don’t know the story.

One day the body’s organs held their annual meeting and decided to elect a President for the first time ever. Each one got a turn to give an election speech and to tell the voters why he thought he was the most important and why they should elect him.

The Brain was the first one to speak and he explained in no uncertain terms why there should not be any further discussion about the subject. It was quite logical to the Brain that he should be the President. The Heart didn’t agree, of course, and put forward his case in a long scientific speech that quoted Dr Chris Barnard’s research. In the same way the Stomach, Lungs, Pancreas and all the other important and less important organs each got their turn and put forward strong arguments.

When it came to the voting, a thin, wheezy little voice right at the back, in the middle, pointed out that he had not yet made his speech. Everyone turned around and then burst out laughing when they saw that it was Anus who was talking. They ignored his request to put forward his case and went on with the voting. Who would want an Anus as President? Heart won the election and everyone apart from Anus got a post in the cabinet. Who would want an Anus as Minister?

Anus was very unhappy about being snubbed like this and decided to strike. It was chaos! Within a week the Stomach was bloated, the Brain was foggy and the Heart had even begun to flutter. All the organs were in deep trouble and pleaded with Anus to open his door and start service delivery again. He stated his demands and the organs called an emergency meeting. They decided, with a large majority, to end Heart’s presidency and to inaugurate Anus as President. The problems came to an end immediately – or so it seemed, because who can know for sure when an Anus is your President?

About 20 years ago this children’s story took on new meaning for me during a conversation with a priest. I’d confronted the priest about one of his congregation members who was continually bringing the church into disrepute through his bad behaviour; I will never forget the words that the priest used that day. He said, “Brother Coert, we consider the congregation to be the spiritual body of Christ and we consider the Body of Christ to be perfect. Brother Coert, just as the natural body is not perfect without an asshole, so the spiritual body is also not perfect without an asshole.” I was shocked! That was one of the few times that I’ve heard a minister use a dirty word, but I think it was exceptionally appropriate. It struck me like a sledgehammer and I had no further questions. I understood!

Every time I read or experience something that would have seriously upset me prior to that day, the priest’s words come back to me. Like these days, when I read about a certain Youth League leader’s arrogance, .........................

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Practical programming with a cell phone

Coert — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:56:27 +0000

Read here about how to create an idea factory.

For many years I’ve been using a simple mind programming function on my cell phone. I never thought it was anything special until one of our members recently approached me in Durban about a business opportunity that he wanted my opinion on.

He showed me a prototype of an apparatus that you connect to your finger, and it then sends you impulses at certain times, like gentle vibrations, to remind you of something you have to do. I then showed him how I use my cell phone for this and that it’s unnecessary to build special devices for it.

I didn’t think this function on the cell phone was anything special, because everyone surely knows how to use a cell phone’s reminder function. Or so I thought!

Every night at 20h00 my phone vibrates. It’s a reminder that I don’t even read, because I know exactly what it says. It reminds me of my main personal goal. I’m not going to blurt out my personal goals here, but I will give you an example.

Firstly, you know my philosophy about how important it is to have goals. And not vague, general ones; but exact, properly defined, written goals. You might have a goal of making one million rand profit in 2009. Then you have subgoals, actions and plans for reaching your target. The one million profit is what I would consider to be your main personal goal in this example, though. It could be something completely different, of course, like “before Christmas 2009 I will meet my life partner” or “in April 2010 I’ll be able to afford to quit my job and travel around the world”. You’ll .........................

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