How come ... - Thought Leader

How come I did not know that Benoni means “son of my sorrow”?
I was born in Benoni. Yet, I did not know the meaning of Benoni. It celebrated its centenary recently, and I learnt the meaning of Benoni. One hundred years later, and the hostels — built about 30 years ago — when entering Actonville look no different than something that could have been built 100 years ago. “Son of my sorrow” seems appropriate.

How come the East Rand does not have a successful professional soccer team?
Benoni is part of the East Rand, the so-called workshop of South Africa. Being the workshop of South Africa, it has a significant number of people. Among these people are successful soccer players. But, there is no successful soccer team in the East Rand. Tembisa Classic showed some promise, but disappointed.

How come in the East Rand do they still refer to traffic cops as “kitskonstabel”?
Read the term “kitskonstabel” literally. People were trained in a few weeks and then get a job. In English, it translates into “instant constable”. A key feature of job reservation and creation under the Nats.

How come when in Johannesburg, when the metro cops stop taxis, every so often Hoi Chaklas is playing?
For those not in the know, Hoi Chaklas is a hit bubblegum song sang by Mr Chaklas. “Chaklas” is a nickname for traffic cops. I travelled using taxis for a long time, and every so often the taxi would be stopped, and Mr Chaklas would be singing. Smiles all around.

How come we call “kitskonstabels”, or the chaklas, Chicken Lickens today?
I guess it must be that our metro police are widely seen as being a little more than overweight, because they eat unhealthy food. (And, no comments about my middle-age spread). Or maybe it is that a R20 bribe is enough to buy a meal at Chicken Licken. And, if South Africans continue doing that, how are we ever to reduce crime?

How come more stokvels do not own Chicken Lickens?
If you listen to the hype, stokvels represent savings in townships. Mostly, it represents a savings scheme for one-off bulk purchases. Why have more stokvels not diversified, and saved to create assets? Black economic empowerment might have a real impact here. Just imagine, more stokvels having not just savings, but income streams from investments. No charters, but real wealth creation. How come I did not know stokvels were starting to own assets? I must be spending too much time behind a computer screen. (Changes in bold with a nod to Bahleza – see comments below).

How come some of us think the sky will fall down?