The Charlatans # 20 - A series of 40 satirical short stories exposing the shenanigans of South Africa's business and political elite.

The Charlatans is Not The Bored Room's new book containing 40 satirical short stories exposing the immoral, unethical and other character failings of the business and political elite in South Africa. Over the coming months, I'll be posting brief whet-your-appetite summaries of the stories, now moving to the nineteenth story, titled A Corkscrew, a Shifting Spanner, a Screwdriver and a Hammer.

In A Corkscrew, a Shifting Spanner, a Screwdriver and a Hammer, we have Consortia Charlatan, Group Managing Director of Charlatans, Inc., conspiring with her brother Opus, Group Production and Operations Director, in adding a security business to the conglomerate's burgeoning fold.

"We're not buying an existing business, no way. We'll spin it out of the short-term insurance company, cross-sell between the two, and call it organic growth, " Consortia outlines at the weekly meeting of Charlatans, Inc.'s executive committee, comprised solely of Consortia, Opus, and other members of the Charlatan family.

Thereafter follows a series of events - including a spate of burglaries, insurance claims and the selling of stolen goods, which only a Charlatans, Inc. insider would know are closely related. Householders and consumers sacrifice the value of their household contents and insurance premiums in favour of the large conglomerate.

In invoking their criminality in this case, the Charlatans discover, however, that there is no honour among thieves, in this case going by the nicknames of the contents of a toolbox - Corkscrew, Shifting Spanner, Screwdriver and Hammer. Indeed, in criminal networks, the Charlatan family members are as prone to steal from one another as they are to steal from customers, the revenue service, and individual tax-payers.

To find out how the story of A Corkscrew, a Shifting Spanner, a Screwdriver and a Hammer unfolds and concludes, and the many other ways that Charlatans, Inc. goes about its bad business, buy a signed copy by the author and illustrator of The Charlatans. The book is available for purchase @ R250 per copy including postage. Just pop us an email - [email protected] - and we'll do the necessary.

Not The Bored Room has developed a short in-company corporate communications product, The Charlatans Shockshop, aimed at reminding people throughout an organisation not to get up to unethical, immoral and criminal mischief-making, or suffer the consequences thereof. This is in the vein of Robert Fulgham's marvellous New York Times bestseller, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. The Charlatans Shockshop is two hours in duration, uses entertaining and informative storytelling, with intense audience involvement. Participants, up to sixty in number, get an informative and entertaining attitude change experience, a personal, signed copy of The Charlatans, and a 'Don't be a Charlatan!' memento.

If you're a leader with good character and keen to keep or get your employees on a clean moral, ethical and character track, please email us at [email protected], and we'll send you more details about The Charlatans Shockshop.

Here below is the illustration of the story of A Corkscrew, a Shifting Spanner, a Screwdriver and a Hammer.