After a bit of a health scare a few years ago, my wife asked me to write a book for my children about my life and the lessons I have learned.  Now that was quite a challenge – I had no idea how much work that would take.  Walks through a forest while dictating and telling stories how, for example, I had to do Grade 11 twice, what happened in my family, to a man who ended with three degrees including a Masters in Tax.  But let me not talk about that, because behind that is a family tragedy which my book tells my children chapter and verse.  I was not even born de Broglio – and therein lies another story for my children – not just of adoption – but changing part of my surname to distance myself from relatives who I believe let us down when we needed help.

Actually, what I wanted to write about with reference to the book is how quickly life changes and the challenges that are always thrown your way.  I cannot believe how much of my life changed after I wrote that book!  I could write another 80 000 words!  Life can often challenge you in more than one area of your life, one after another, and you have to just keep standing.  In my case to hold my head high and know that I run a very good business, with some amazing staff.  We get almost as many clients now as when we last advertised – and that was more than a year ago.  That’s word of mouth.  We all have weaknesses and strengths, but honesty is what has grown the business for me and rewarded me in life – which rewards include four amazing children that I wrote my book for.

I really enjoy the very well written marketing e-mails from the Daily Maverick.  The latest one, written by the editor in chief, Branko Brkic, reminded readers of the role, particularly of the Daily Maverick and the media, with the Gupta leaks.  It was after all not the Hawks or any of the captured arms of the government that exposed what was going on – it was the media.  That corruption was further highlighted recently by the massive report in the state capture commission of Chief Justice Raymond Zondo.  As they say, some 5 years later, Zuma and the various Gupta people are still fighting to avoid facing justice, and much harder than they would have expected, but at least now we know what they were doing. 

Fuel prices are shocking many in South Africa.  It makes it much harder to live and it is not something that the average person budgets for.  What is important to understand though is that this is a global phenomenon.  It is not just in South Africa. In fact, fuel prices in the United States as well as in Europe have roughly doubled in the last one and a half years, largely as a result of oil prices going up.  Fuel prices are certainly not helped either by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which further pushed up global prices.  It does not give too much extra comfort to know that everyone is having the same problem, but it is important to know that this problem is not isolated to South Africa at all!