Salamu
I have had the advantage of living in a foreign country for
a number of years. I am a firm believer in travelling as it broadens the mind
and opens you up to different experiences.
Before we continue, it must be said that there are more expatriates
living in Dubai than there are locals. This is the backdrop to me interacting
with the charming people from the United Kingdom in an Arab country. Anyway, we
digress; the British may be many things, but unpatriotic they are not. One of
the most frequently asked questions that the Brits threw at me was: Oi...mate...why do you live in Souf Africa?
After insulting the queen, I actually take a step back and
ask myself the same question.
South Africa is currently being run by Jacob Zuma. And while
he never had a terrible first term in office, he has completely lost his fucken
mind. It’s almost as if someone snuck into Nkandla and hit the reset button on
his big head.
Since I last posted on this site, he has been through a
significant investigation regarding his homestead and the misappropriation of
state funds to bankroll the upgrades to said homestead. He was in court a lot and
his responses to some of the questions were bloddy priceless. One of the
questions was regarding very expensive windowpanes installed in the rooms. His response
was: how can I be held accountable for it…I
never asked for them.
That’s great. Its faulted logic, but an excuse he gave the
courts none the less. Thank the pope he was actually found guilty at the end of
the day. If he didn’t, he would have had a stream of people appearing in court
on charges of not paying etoll bills because: my lord (what we can judges in SA), we never asked for them.
Then there was the taxi scandal. For those not ofay with
South Africa…a taxi is not the international understanding of a taxi, it is a minibus
vehicle that can carry 14 passengers. The most popular vehicle used for a taxi
is a Toyota Quantum. The price of these has increased significantly, taxi
owners took exception to this so they went on a nationwide strike preventing
people from going to work or school. Here is there logic…appreciate it people…how
dare Toyota increase the price of their vehicles, we will stop EVERYONE from
going to work or school. We will make OUR problem THEIRS. If this happened in
Dubai, no doubt the people would have been arrested, charged and deported
within 2 days. Yet, we let our lot continue with the strike and only
intervening if there is violence.
Finally, we have the Ministers of Education. The Minister of
Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, tells students at a school in Alexandria
township that they need to put books away during school holidays because
studying too much causes Brain Cancer.
Now, this is a matter where you can actually appreciate the
logic. She is speaking to people who think that witch doctors can summon
thunder and lightning to kill people. So they will believe any shit you tell them.
The ANC is against the ropes politically and is losing influence with every
election that is held. As people become more educated, the more they can see
through the bullshit that is being told to them. Therefore, it is in the best
interests of the ANC to keep people uneducated.
The problem is, the rest of the world is watching us and
seriously thinks of South Africa as a circus when they see the minister of an
education portfolio make utterances such as this. While I do think the Brits
are arrogant bastards, they cannot be blamed for thinking this when our
minister says what she says.
