Off the top of my head, I’m aware of only one organisation that I am a voluntary and active member of. That is the Inkamana High School Alumni Association. This is because I have a very clear idea of what is expected of me. I pay some kind of monthly stipend towards the upkeep of the school and I show up at least once annually to socialise with other former schoolmates and use my liver as the last line of defence against the corrosive effects of ethanol.

I’m not au fait with the constitution of the IFP Youth Brigade and therefore cannot pronounce intelligently on whether I’m still a member in good standing of that organisation. All I know is that when I was a 10-year-old in standard 4, Ma’am Zondi threatened to visit untold misery on our buttocks if we didn’t bring the 20-cent joining fee at the next Ubunto/Botho class. But that was 39 years ago...