Keep Calm and LOVE South Africa

With the 2011 Census results being released yesterday, social media was abuzz with statistics, comparisons and shock statements. It was easy to get caught up in the commentary and even become despondent at the slow rate at which our beloved country is transforming. However slow though, change can be seen and it's encouraging.

Some of the positive, or even more so, the random-but-fun stats it produced were:

• While the Eastern Cape has the 3rd largest population by province, it's also the fastest shrinking one (#refugees)
• There are more females than males in the country (#singleladies)
• We are living longer (#wiser)
• More of our children are attending private schools (#educated)
• We are more techno-savy, or at least more techno-literate, with TVs, cellphone and computer usaged increasing in the past 10 year (#apple)

With our, for lack of a better non-HR related term, "development areas" being:

• The average white household still earns 6 times more than the average black household and will only catch up in 2061 (#mlungu)
• The number of orphans in the country has close to double (#heartbreak)
• The majority of our work force earn between R800 - R1600pm (#grateful)
• Almost 30% of our labour force is unemployed (#hire)

What is without doubt is that there is still much work to be done in our post-apartheid home. What is also certain, is that the with passion and the perserverance that only South African's have, we will be able to overcome these obstacles.

So...stay put (#refugees), don't become despondent (#singleladies), plan your finances better (#wiser), school appropriately (#educate), adopt (#heartbreak), stop complaining (#grateful) and create opportunities (#hire.)

And above all - Keep Calm and LOVE South Africa.