Jo'burg.....and the disappearing act....

Johannesburg is one of the busiest, economically rich and a well know destination for tourism in South Africa...and Africa. Like some major disappearing act, bits, large and small, of Jo'burg, are vanishing daily. A new magician in town?? Nope.....thieves are stealing it bit by bit....literally....

The City of Gold is fast becoming The City Without Metal. Thieves are literally carrying Johannesburg away, piece by piece....anything is game, man hole covers, storm water drain inlets, guard railings along highways, road signage boards, traffic lights, bridge hand rails, bridge expansion joints, railway lines, electric pylons....nothing is out of reach of there dangerous scavengers. The theft includes lucrative copper cables, which as we all know, leads to extended electric black-outs. This alone is estimated to cost Johannesburg some R30 Million a year. (The lost cable replacement value alone stands at R12,5 Million). The bill for road and pavement metal theft is around R57 Million a year.

This is pretty frightening. In one incident, 5km of railway line was stolen.....that is a lot of steel to move. Electric pylons....massive structures, yet seem to be fair game too, already two have been brought down to be scavenged by the metal vultures.

To add to this, the council is not the speediest to get things done , so it sometimes takes weeks, months and in some cases, years, for things to be replaced or fixed. This is a reality and not me being negative. The council is largely inefficient, with managers and higher,being overpaid and unqualified and pretty much either unable or unwilling to do their jobs the way they should be performed. Theft also gives them a viable excuse for extended outages and poor road maintenance, that they would have had to find an excuse for anyway as it would not be done. Enough said on this, as this is a paper all on it's own. History has made me cynical in this regard.

The effect of this is worrying....from a tourist point of view, imagine coming to a city, with massive amount of noticeable infrastructure missing.. From a safety point of view, it is the most worrying. This is so obvious, I am not even going to delve any more into that aspect. From a replacement and budget point of view, it is crippling. As it is, Millions are misused, electricity is stolen by tens of thousands of households and businesses, so the Council coffers are not as full as they ought to be. This obviously means that other budgets must be reduced to pay for this maintenance, when and if it is done. The cost to business also runs into the millions. Over and above this....just the mere fact that long fingered parasites can, without any regard, pick a city clean, reminds me of some post apocalyptic scene in a movie.

There is no doubt that strong and drastic action needs to be taken. This is further complicated by dishonest police members and officials benefiting from the syndicates. Our legal system also needs to become more efficient and longer jail terms are needed as a punishment and deterrent.
In essence they should be charged with sabotage (difficult to make it stick sadly) or attempted murder (just as difficult)...due to the long ranging consequences of their actions. The same goes for whoever buys or is caught in possession of these stolen items. Our laws need to be less criminal friendly, as do our courts.

Johannesburg metro police have promised to be the posse who stops and arrests these disgusting individuals....but, again, I am cynical until I see proof, as so many government and municipality structures are quick to write the cheques that they will not be able to cash in the long run.

There is no honour in Zuma

Those who have read my blog before, know that I venture into all different fields, one being politics, and especially the South African government.

Today I am have another look at our esteemed president, the honourable, Jacob Zuma.....seriously, I wrote that without laughing....as tongue in cheek as it was.

One of his most famous quotes is "As a citizen of this country, I've got to be honest to the people of South Africa."

The sad truth is, Mr Z never has, nor I doubt,  will be, honest to South Africa. His presidency began under a cloud....700 odd storm-cloud charges of corruption and racketeering hung around his neck like a noose. His one time financial adviser and old buddy, was jailed for corruption and that court established a corrupt relationship between Zuma and the famous, Shabir Shaik, who was released from prison on medical parole, on the edge of death it seemed, after serving a fraction of his 15 year prison term. (Most of it in a private hospital with family visits and luxuries). Mr Shaik since has made a unsurprising miraculous recovery and has been in the news a few times since...golf, living it up, verbal abuse, assault claims, racism claims etc...all of which kind of just went away as well like a card in a magic show. (see my previous posts for more on old dodgy)

Anyway, back to Captain Terrific, Zuma......he manipulated his way to the top of the African National Congress, was instrumental in having then President, Thabo Mbeki kicked out ..but the charges remained the one stumbling block to him becoming Captain of Ship SA. Now, if there is one thing Zuma can do, that is solve his own problems. Strategic appointments have littered his presidency, and the path there was no different. Mokotedi Mpshe was appointed head of the National Prosecuting Authority and with the help of some dubious spy tapes, dropped all charges against the president in waiting.

South Africa became Zuma's cash cow...his families wealth spurted like flowers in summer, members of his family landed top jobs in companies and mines, his wives (yes, he has several....and his children exceed twenty mini Zuma's). It is roughly estimated that he cost SA about R100 Million a year. (This includes the R15 Millions + for his wive's support)
Under him South Africa has suffered and his popularity is at an all time low. Of course he does not see this. Another quote " The Majority in this country have not seen anything wrong with Zuma. I go with the overwhelming feeling of this country. If the majority say 'Zuma, do this', I will do it" IF SA was a normal democracy, Zuma and the ANC would be gone. However, it is sadly more complicated than just voting for the party you like.

His presidency has also been pot marked marked with events like Guptagate, E-tolls, the Media Bill, his empty fight against corruption, his rape charge (another controversial let off) where he proudly showered after having sex with an HIV positive woman...to name a few highlights...
Then there is the jewel in the Zuma crown....Nkandla.
Before Zuma became president, he was getting monthly hand- outs from Shaik and others, as he was financially screwed. He had no clue about finances. Suddenly since becoming president, he is a multi- millionaire, who can build an African palace, with security upgrades alone, exceeding R200 million. He claims his family paid for the massive compound and he also took bonds....none of which could be located though. This is where clever political moves come in. Zuma cuts you off if you defy him (ask our ex deputy president) and rewards you if you support him....needless to say the government (made of of ANC members) have shielded him and fought for him against the truth. Part of the security upgrades included a massive swimming pool....called a fire pool....seriously...a pool to put out fires....also included are a tuck shop and place for his livestock. There are more 'security features', but enough or this paper- for now.

After the Public Protector found him to be responsible for part of the expenses (and that he should repay them), the esteemed Zuma and his zombie like ANC foot soldiers have been fighting against her. She has a little while left before her contract for the position runs out and due to her not towing the ANC line and showing she does not fear any investigtion, we can expect to see a loyal ANC member as the next Public Protector. The ANC and Zuma are good at talking anti corruption, yet their actions support it.

Zuma, the man also once said that he wanted his day in court to prove the 700 odd charges against him were bogus, has spend years in court, fighting to stay out of it. The charges were dropped in 2009. Eventually, in 2014, the Supreme Court of Appeal has been told by Zuma's Advocate, that there really are no grounds for the tapes to be withheld. (Despite previous court rulings, which the NPA and Zuma's camp, have blatantly ignored.)

This is a rough summery and if I were to write a full assessment of Zuma and his goings on, it would be pages. This should be enough to paint a picture though.

An interesting time looms. Zuma is newly into his second term (another promise broken when he said he would only serve one term), faces the real prospect of having the charges reintroduced. It does not help that he is currently in a battle with the current NPA head either.

However, Zuma is a shrewd player and he will never fall on his sword (and expects non of his minions to either). I would rather have Shrek running the country as he would do a better job. What does the rest of the so called president's term hold for us....again, with tears in my eyes, I have to say...wait and see.

As we started, we will end with another Zuma classic..."There is no cloud above my head- there is not even a mist."

Ebola....a brief thought....

It has come to light, according to  David Frost, who is an executive head of the  Southern African Tourism Services Association (or SATSA)),  that some 1 500 tourists from Thailand who were booked to visit the country in September, have cancelled their trip. With smaller groups from Malaysia, Hong Kong, China and Japan doing the same. This is due to the fear that they may contract Ebola while on the African continent, This may be just the tip of an ever increasing iceberg. Fear is a terrible thing and causes illogical behaviour. Fear also spreads faster than a comet. This will without doubt, damage African tourism. 

Ebola is a terrible virus that has earned it's reputation for creating fear. Having said that, the outbreak is far from Southern Africa (in terms of distance), at the moment. (I will not be going into the medical or virology side at all here, for now anyway)

With travel, air travel especially, the reach of the tiny terror is pretty much everywhere a plane can land....not just the dark continent. 
With the incubation period between 2-21 days, a person carrying the virus but not showing symptoms, could easily slip into any country without the virus being detected. Then, once the incubation period expires, he/she develops flu like symptoms , while coming into contact with dozens if not hundreds of people, thus exposing them to the Killer Virus. The ripple effect from there is frightening.....but very real. 

I am not one for sensationalism, as many publications are. I have read so many 'facts' about Ebola....from being able to catch it just by seeing in the room with an infected party, to the virus actually being a parasitic worm.  

Sometimes, even if the reality is frightening, authors will add their own spoonful of terror, for good measure. The longer the outbreak lasts and the more time it spends spreading in humans, the more time the virus has to 'learn'.. Mutations are what has kept the flu virus alive, despite our best fight against it....and as The Big E is also a virus,  it would follow that it  may follow the same route. This is what I admire about viruses, they are tiny, yet efficient and adaptable. 

In terms of travel, would avoiding visiting everything that is Africa save you from contracting the Killer E......perhaps. Could somebody from Africa visit your overcrowded country with a virus aboard.....most certainly. Governments on one hand play down the chances of it coming through their borders, but on the other, seem to panic that it will. 
We need to be realistic about this, not play it down. Yes, we also do not want to create a panic, but we do need to have the truth. The public needs to know the truth and what the government's responses will be. We also need to reassure overseas travelers that South Africa  is still a safe destination to visit...well, in terms of Ebola. We have other things that make it pretty unsafe though. Ebola may actually be the least of your worries when visiting. 

Granted, I would not recommend going on vacation in the heartland of Ebola, but there are many African countries where you do not have to worry about contracting the virus, any more than you would in your own land. Education and not fear, is the way to go. 

I am back.....

IT has been ages since I wrote on my blog. This is due largely to me going through a busy and then pretty dark stage. However, we cannot walk around in the dark forever and as such, I have lit the candle and am finding my way out and looking towards the light glowing in the, hopefully, not to distant future.

One of the things that I have learnt (and nobody can convince me otherwise) is that you are not as in control of your own life as many might make out. Yes, you take responsibility for your good and bad choices and you pretty much guide your little ship along the deep oceans that are our lives. But you often have no control over the weather you encounter.....however, you do control how you face it and deal with the storms at hand...and the tranquil weather as well. (and there is a good amount of sun and stars too)

With that in mind, we could see the terrible times as a test of character perhaps. As cliched as it is, it really is not how many times you fall, but how you stand up and fight on after each. The secret, I think, is to not give up. Perseverance is sometimes easier aid than done, but it's own reward to those who succeed. You may not be where you want to be, but you have blessings...and should be thankful for them. Life can and does set you back....but do not allow it to defeat you.

I enjoy writing and I always have lots to say, and I regret neglecting my blog for so long. Having said that, regret does not place words on the screen, but it can be a decent motivator to do so in present and future.

Anyway, the above is a long introduction to say....I'm back....and hope all the people who read my stuff return and a whole bunch of new people cast their eyes upon my writing........