How many times have you been told that your credit card company responded with “Declined” or that your gym access card responded with “Access denied”? How many times did this happen when you are NOT guilty of any misconduct? With misconduct I mean that your gym bills are paid, your credit card has available funds in it, or the likes, yet this irritating – and often humiliating – message is blundered out at cashiers or points of access control hundreds of times a day.

I believe anyone can make a mistake; anyone can press the “check account” instead of “savings account” button on the electronic payment machine. Anybody could (although it is scarce with modern technology that makes a lot of typing unnecessary due to scanning technologies) enter the wrong customer number when activating or deactivating your gym access card. My problem is not with the fact that these errors or mistakes can happen, but with the way this is addressed.

For most people, including me, when this happens, it is an embarrassing situation. So, a little bit of discretion would not harm, until we can find out what the problem is. If my card was really declined, due to no mistake on the electronic payment machine’s operator, and the problem is dealt with discretion, nobody would feel the need to start a major argument with someone else at the pay point.

I did this the other day – had a major argument with the staff at my gym for blundering out loud that my access to the gym has been denied. I have only joined this particular gym 4 days prior to the event, and paid my fees on the day of joining. I have been visiting this gym three times in total, out of four days, and my card worked fine. When I wanted to enter the fourth time (which is the fifth day) the attendant almost shouted out “Denied!”

Some people sitting nearby immediately got this How-dare-he-come-to-the-gym-without-paying-his-membership look. Some even had a slightly amused expression on their faces. Some even looked as if they were happy for my sudden misfortune.

So, here I stand, at the access point, hearing this harsh word: Deeclaaaaint! Okay – so I am already humiliated, and decided to use this opportunity to tell them about discretion, closely mimicking their antics and tone of voice as they say the word, and telling them that their lack of training to do what they do, and their lack of common sense not to offend and humiliate people publicly, is one day going to cause a much bigger storm than the one they find themselves in at this current moment in time.

Now – the story is over, and I have finally been granted access to the gym, and my card’s problem was fixed, yet, you’re wondering what this post has to do with South African politics, as this article was tagged? Simple. The problem is with appointing the wrong people for the job, without proper training or skill, or without the ability to consider “the human factor” in matters such as these, simply because of South Africa’s history with racial problems in the past; simply because these people must now have a job, due to BBBEE, or some other political bullshit where they imply that they are”rectifying the past.” The problem is not with them rectifying the past. The problem is with them putting just anybody in any position they want, without considering the consequences of putting an unqualified person in that position. That is not rectifying the past. That is crippling the country.