the amandzing way

Be the change…

Usually, it’s the older generation who, with a wealth of experience, show youngsters how things need to be done.

Recently however, a group of local skateboarders saw a park going to waste and instead of whining about how bored they were, took the initiative. After three months of hard slog and spending their own money, they have created a safe haven for themselves.

From personal experience, skateboarders have presented themselves as Generation Huh?, ever since it started way back in the Fifty’s. They say strange things like ‘fakie’ and ‘ollie’, and wear their pants around their ankles.

They have shaggy hair and slouch a lot, all of which tend to make most adults sniff disdainfully. One wonders how the boys make it past fathers when meeting a girlfriend.

Put that same gangly child on a piece of wood with four wheels?

Poetry in motion.

Yet how often has a parent complained about a child glued to a TV screen, stuffing his or her face with takeaways on a beautiful day.
“There’s nothing for them to do,” goes the refrain.
It’s simple, give the child a skateboard and send him or her outside.

There is something very wrong with a bundle of energy sitting mesmerised in front of a cartoon all weekend!
That’s adult work.

Back to Paterson Park. It can’t be expected of youngsters to know the ins and outs of the myriad and daunting by-laws.

For this reason applause must be given to the doers in our community who are, as you read this, going out of their way to try and accommodate the next generation of doers.

Mahatma Ghandi said, be the change you want to see in the world. We could do with more people like this in the world.

Deja vu in black and white

“Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another,” said Nelson Mandela at his inaugural address on May 10, 1994. The International Criminal Court, as part of its definition of apartheid, lists such crimes as murder, enslavement, deprivation of physical liberty, forced relocation, sexual violence, and collective persecution.

Déjà vu, anyone?

So easily people have forgotten that apartheid was brought to life a mere 60 years ago, and while leaders pontificate, people are being displaced and killed. Children in our schools, who live in Alexandra, are suffering. A whole new generation will grow up with blood in the streets. People who were gainfully employed are now refugees from a country with the most advanced constitution in the world.

It’s sickening and embarrassing, and makes a mockery of those who died to free this country.

People who would normally be self-sufficient now rely on aid. Police, already unable to cope with general crime, are diverted to deal with the xenophobic violence. Apartheid, or Xenophobia? There’s a very fine line between the two, and it’s been crossed several times in the past two weeks…

Martin Niemöller (1892-1984) wrote a very powerful poem about not speaking out. The poem, entitled, First they came… ends with the words: When they came for me, there was no one left to speak out.

Time we started shouting out loud, stop this madness!

 
Being part of the solution…

A while ago I wrote about the doers in our community.

Last week, I was privileged to witness first hand just how hard people can work during a crisis. I was also humbled by how massively the community at large has opened its heart. Although there has been a minimum of fanfare in the giving, I would like to echo the words in our lead story; South Africa has shown its true colours.

Let’s hope it goes someway to mitigating the cretinous acts which preceded your outpouring of love for your neighbour.

Which will all come to nought if the person, for lack of a better word, who is currently threatening people in Orange Grove is not caught soon. I would urge anyone who is able to identify the distributor of this particular piece of bile, to contact the police. If you don’t have any luck with them, call us.

Changing tack, the Tribune needs your input.

What would you like to see more of, less of, or even something new? You can reach us by faxing, e-mailing or phoning. There is also an SMS line (on page six) where you can send your ideas to us. It is a community newspaper after all, and your ideas are always welcome. Once all the suggestions are in, a vote will be taken. Then, a very clear picture will emerge what you feel is missing. This is exciting and I’m looking forward to everyone’s input.

Promises ad infinitum, ad nauseum

Our lead story this week is a shocker. Or perhaps not.

With a budget of only R496-million for roads (which is only slightly more than what Metro Bus receives), one has to wonder just how dirty Metro’s new busses will get when the roads crumble into potholed, broken-down, donkey tracks. Silly me, they already are.

It cost the Durban municipality R13.7-million to build a 6.2-kilometre road in 2007. I use them as an example, because Joburg deems it not necessary to keep such piffling details on their website. So taking into consideration the rise in inflation, fuel and salaries, just how far do our esteemed city fathers imagine R496-mil is going to go? Edging around a park? New uniforms? A party?

Residents spend wads of cash making their suburbs beautiful, which in hindsight, is a good thing. Because at the rate roads are crumbling and fuel is rising, at least there will be beautiful scenery on the walk to work!

My colleague spent time and money leading the JRA around in her own car to physically point out the problems to them. What is it actually going to take to get the roads fixed? One can lead a horse to water, and all that, I suppose.
We need roads. We need electricity. We need the people who are supposed to do their jobs, to do them effectively.

Communications officers are another spanner in the wheel of a newspaper. We know when they’ve read our e-mails. We know because we get an email telling us they’ve read it. I’m surprised they haven’t realised yet, why their phone rings as soon as they open the e-mail. Or perhaps they have, because the phone is never answered, just like promises of service delivery are quisquilian.

Time for a wake-up

How nice would it have been to read on the front page that adequate signage and proper barricades had saved a life? How much nicer would it be to laud those who are responsible for ensuring the smooth running of the city? It’s not as if residents, or us for that matter, have only sticking the boot into the City on our minds. But really, council officials make it so easy. So who is to blame for the unknown mans death on page one? The driver, or the council utility?
That’s for the police to decide, but the chances are probably much less he would have hit the metre deep hole if it had been properly barricaded. Or if the driver was going slowly.

A life for the lack of attention.

The other tragedy was the father of two who was killed at a robbery.

A life for a cellphone and petty cash.
Last week was an expensive week.

Keeping it clean

Does anyone still use the Post Office? In this modern world of internet and SMS, one wonders just how long the need for ‘snail mail’, as it’s termed, will continue to exist.

But while it does, there can be no excuse for our front page story this week. Grime and crime have long been linked, and if local police can pay attention to their side of things, then perhaps the people responsible for cleaning up around the Post office won’t be disheartened by having to pick up used condoms everyday. It’s a simplistic solution though. There is far more serious crime and who wants cops busy with street walkers when there is an armed robbery in progress?

This unfortunately, leaves places like Orange Grove Post Office a fescennine mess. Police are also not social workers and the oldest profession is a social problem, going back to at least 300BC. Perhaps, 2000 years on, its time to realise sex workers are not going away and a different solution needs to be found.

Moving on.
In February the World Wide Fund for Nature warned that South Africa could run out of water by 2025. That’s only 17 years away. This is why its so frustrating seeing kilolitres of water disappear down the drain at leaking or burst pipes.

The council policy of 24 hours to attend to a burst water pipe needs to be revised. The policy of leaving an ordinary leak for four days is also contemptuous. Who’s to say how much water would be saved if problems were attended to immediately?
Water is something we just cannot afford to waste.

Get with the programme

Crazy finally went insane last week. Where ever do you hear of municipal and national police involved in a shoot-out with each other? Apparently, some Metro officers were upset about nepotism and their salaries. Surely nepotism, if there is evidence, should be dealt with through the courts? As for the salary, as an ex-police officer, I sympathise. Yet, when those we look to for law enforcement resolve their in-house disputes with firearms, how can they expect to be respected?

That said, the SAPS officer in charge deserves a medal for not ordering the use of live ammunition for defence. As it is, several Metro officers were reportedly wounded and one died. An eyewitness alleged, on the radio, that Metro cops were shooting each other. This doesn’t fill me with a lot of confidence.

How does this affect us? In every way possible. As it is, people already have no respect for the law. Take a look around the suburbs and tell me if I’m wrong. Taxis ignore traffic laws with impunity; Metro police seem only to be concerned with filling City coffers with endless speed trapping and ineffectual by-law enforcement seems to be the order of the day. Last week we carried the story of a businessman who had goods displayed on the street and was fined for it, even though he pays for the privilege of doing so! Drive down Louis Botha Avenue today, and tell me if Metro deserve the salaries they’re prepared to kill over.

Another department that should be trying to earn its salary is City Parks.
While those who use the parks make an effort in cleaning up after themselves, how is it possible the amenities are allowed to degrade to this extent? One wonders how well they would be maintained if officials were forced to use them…

Tell us the truth

Today South Africa stands out as one of the most dangerous and crime-ridden nations on Earth, which is not actively at war. Yet, those in charge would paint a rosy picture of crime decreasing. The problem is, the rosy hue is coming from the blood spilt on our streets.

According to local police stats, 217 people were murdered between 2002 and 2007. In a bid to further obfuscate matters, the minister of police has yet to release statistics relating to police stations. All the stats are is reported crime. Nowhere can one find how many cases were solved. Solved does not mean how many cases went to court, but how many convictions were obtained. It’s only then a clear picture of what is going on in our not so peaceful suburbs will emerge.

1 400 people were terrorised in the sanctity of their homes from 2002 to 2007 during house robberies. Those are just the people who reported the crime. How many people are really in a family? Between four and six? Now the picture starts getting clearer. Alarmist? No, just the culmination of crime reported at Bramley, Norwood and Sandringham. Let’s narrow the focus a little more; 728 cars were stolen in Norwood last year. Time for Community Police Forums to start asking tough questions, methinks.

How many cases have resulted in arrests being made? How many cases have convictions or were withdrawn? Why were these cases withdrawn and was there any follow up? What is the proportion of recidivism among those arrested?

We have to demand greater transparency. The picture might be shocking but really, a little honesty from those who purport to be upholders of truth and justice would be a good place to start.

We all know what crime is really like, time now for Government to admit it.

Help is out there

The dumping of new-born babies is a horrifying act. One wonders just how terrible the circumstances have to be for a mother to dump her child, as in our page two story.
Often uneducated, afraid, alone, possibly the product of a rape, very young, the women who give birth alone on the streets must be driven to extreme desperation to commit such an act. Is it here where society lets them down? Are we not able to offer support and solace for these terrified young women?

It’s not to say no-one is helping, because there are organisations that do help. But why then are backstreet abortions still a feature of our communities? Fear of the authorities perhaps, or no money, or intimidation from other sources? Perhaps Government could step up an information drive where mothers-to-be, who can’t afford televisions and newspapers, can access information about where they can be helped.
There is no catholicon for this particular ill, but spreading the word is surely a start.

On a lighter note. One of the perks of this job is the occasional free tickets. Not completely free, because it’s a working ticket in that we take photographs of people at the event. For a change however, on National Women’s Day, August 9, my colleague and I, together with our partners, will be paying for our tickets at the exclusive morning planned with the South African Ballet Theatre.

About 50 tickets have already been sold of 200 seats available, and a wonderful morning is planned for us. The money goes toward the dancers’ fund, which supplies them with essentials like pointé shoes. The tickets are really cheap and to see the dancers train is eye-opening. Who knew it took so much work to be able to fly? I’d also like to be a ballet dancer, but I think I’ll leave it to those whose bones don’t sound like popcorn exploding, when they stand up in the mornings…

1984 all over again

One would have thought the old police mentality of a black man running is a criminal, had long, long gone.
Heads up guys. It’s 2008.
There are no more white areas, and not all black men are criminals. Thumping the leader of a youth organisation is not the best way to endear yourself to the people. Reports say he couldn’t produce identity when asked to. Tell me, in the cause of sanity, who carries an ID with them on a morning run?
The mind boggles, it really does.

To be sure, it’s not to say the person concerned was entirely blameless, there are always three sides to a story, namely the complainant, the respondent and then what really happened.
But for now, the police would appear to have painted themselves into a corner having pressed charges and it’s going to be a while before the dust settles on this.

Which is a pity really. Because crime statistics show they have been occupying themselves with actual work. An 87 percent drop in hijackings in Yeoville. A 40 percent drop in house robberies in Norwood. A 53 percent drop in theft of motor vehicle in Sandringham. Murder in Bramley dropped by 33 percent.

Incredible, and well done.

It’s not all sunshine and roses however. Crime is still too high, but at least the police are trying.
Is this where the thin blue line becomes the thin edge of the blue wedge?
Time will tell, and our support will increase all crime fighters’ chances of success. Victoria Concordia Crescit, indeed.

But really guys, and this is for the people who are part of the blue line, being committed is great. Being a bigot will get you committed.
We have a Constitution, do try and keep to it. Thank you.

A cheer for the little guy

Worms. The general response is yuck, or great bait. But it was an eye opener last week to discover how these slimy little fellows can contribute towards helping the environment.
And from humble beginnings can come great things.

Our worm farmer makes some really great points. One point that did not make it into the article is how quickly rubbish can accumulate. Think about it. You buy your plastic wrapped groceries, and put them in a plastic bag to take home. The product is consumed and the wrapping, the bag, and the polystyrene tray are thrown away, which can take many years to degrade on a landfill site.

At what point are we going to say, enough? Land is needed to live on, to be buried in, and to enjoy parks and wildlife. Do we really want towering rubbish dumps filled with rotten food and plastic towering over us? One shudders at the thought, so let’s give it to the worms. Recycling points are something else big business could be more involved in. Who cares if they are making money, at least something is being done about it.

But if any real progress is to be made in saving what is left of the planet, efforts need to be stepped up on all levels from consumers to producers. The ideal of course is to use something until it’s no longer feasible. This saves energy consumption on so many levels. Repot flowers in plastic containers, re-use bags and only recycle when the object is completely unusable.

Our local rivers are already a stinking mess of watered down chemicals that nothing can live in.
Do we really want the same for what’s left of our land?

The faint blue line

A resident put it plainly when he stated in our front page article, ‘it’s time for Head Office to step up to the plate’. He was referring to the South African Police Service head office, which is supposed to have a pretty good idea of what each station’s needs are in each particular area.
Right.

In 2005 at a student passing-out ceremony held at the Pretoria West training college, Minister for Safety and Security, Charles Nqakula reportedly told the 2 047 strong parade, “There is a need for our country to get more people to join the Police Service so that South Africans can indeed say that South Africa is a country where the rule of law is supreme.” That was back in the heady days of the birth of the Rainbow Nation in 2005. The good minister seems to have forgotten his words because apparently he told Parliament recently SAPS has no shortage of police officers.
Right.

Mind you, he missed his Gucci handbag toting wingman, so no hope there…

Let’s play pretend. Imagine a police station, Reality SAPS. Reality SAPS has 100 police officers on their books. Experience tells me Reality has 10 officers on leave, 15 on sick leave, 16 on rest days, 4 at court giving evidence, 2 suspended (it’s a good station) and 12 members are office bound. Then, our imaginary police station has 7 members on training and 5 on special duties at other police stations around the country. Two other members are retiring and are only seen at office braais.

That leaves a total of 29 cops active on the street. I’ll admit Reality SAPS is a worst case scenario, but I’ll put money on it, that little thumb-suck will fit a police station somewhere.
High quality, dedicated police officers are an endangered species in this country. And until the government starts facing reality, residents are going to have to take up the slack.

One lives in hope for next year’s elections. All anyone really wants is a government that understands the idea of service to its countrymen.

Busy, busy, busy…

It’s been a hectic week in Tribland, to be sure.
Is the council broken, or is it just their pipes? Imagine a report where somebody noticed a pothole, informed the relevant utility, and the next day it was fixed? Or a pavement was dug up to access underground cables, and then replaced instead of lying there for weeks? That’s a story in itself. Perhaps I’m venturing into the realms of science fiction…

You can take this to the bank though. Until one can drive down a road and the radio doesn’t fall out because of the bumps, we’ll carry on carrying on.

One story which did not quite make it into this week’s pages was the impassioned plea from a resident to take care of our pets. She said she is constantly finding dogs and cats wandering her street, often terrified and hungry, and pleaded for pet owners to take better care of their animals.

Anna Sewell, who authored Black Beauty in 1877, said ‘We call them dumb animals, and so they are, for they cannot tell us how they feel, but they do not suffer less because they have no words.’
Unlike children who grow up and move away, our pets are always dependent on us for food, water and love. And surely it’s a reflection on society when we abuse animals who come so trustingly to us? In this time, when everything seems to happen at the speed of light, taking time out with an adored pet is still one of the simplest pleasures around.

Perhaps if we did it more often, there would be less to snarl about, and more to wag a tail for.

Waste not want not…

Ecology. Environment. Two words guaranteed to make a developer wince.

Because, with ever increasing demand on our resources, space to build new houses is becoming very scarce. In fact, land is so scarce it appears there is little compunction when it comes to building on what little open spaces are left. Now, before I get hauled over the coals, let me say there are sensitive developers out there.

Nonetheless, it’s a bit of an oxymoron. How does one develop sensitively on an ecologically sensitive area? And when the few wetlands we have left play such a critical role in ensuring we have drinkable water in the next 100 years, how is it we can allow the mere thought of a sod turning on these precious places?

Ever been thirsty? Trust me, once you’ve drunk water filtered through algae floating in a stagnant pool, it brings a whole new reality to bear. The next step is recycled water, and you know where that comes from…

Our streams are choked with filth and muck. According to a claim made by our Mr Wetlands, we’re eating it already! It’s enough to make me want to throw the next prat I see with a spade into the Jukskei River. Government departments have white papers and policies in place. Congratulations, those are sure to stop the next cretin from dumping tyres in a river. I know, sarcasm is the lowest form of twit (to mangle a phrase), but tell me I’m wrong.

It’s time for action; pretty pieces of paper mean nothing without actual jail time. Speaking of action, well done to all those involved in preventing the robbery at a petrol station last week. Most reasonable people will say it was tragic someone died, and I agree. One should consider the circumstances that drive people to crime and take it into account before judging the person involved.

But with the utter viciousness displayed by rabid thugs, it’s hard to feel sympathy.

Diacritics, spelling and hesits

Wikipedia defines spelling as the writing of a word or words with all necessary letters and diacritics present in an accepted standard order. Yes, heist was spelt wrongly in the sub-head of last week’s front page. We did try to pull the printing of the page, but by Saturday it was too late as we went to print on Friday night.

Samuel Langhorne Clemens had a famously protective attitude towards his writing. In 1899 he is quoted as saying: ‘Yesterday Mr. Hall wrote that the printer’s proof-reader was improving my punctuation for me, and I telegraphed orders to have him shot without giving him time to pray.” Otherwise known as Mark Twain, one wonders how he would have coped on a modern day deadline…

The irony is, nobody seems to have picked up our blooper yet.

So why did it slip through? The problem is not a new one according to Graham Rawlinson. He did a thesis at Cambridge University in England ‘which showed that randomising letters in the middle of words had little or no effect on the ability of skilled readers to understand the text’. In effect, he said, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be crorctetly palecd.

Rather a mangle that, and apparently the mind will only do it for a short while before it refuses to untangle the mess. This much is true, so no more hesits in Tribland any more.

Mistakes happen and all we can do is make sure we do not repeat repeat it.

Get with it!

Reflective tape. Flashing lights. Portable barriers with reflective tape and flashing lights.
Portable barriers with reflective tape and flashing lights and warning signs. I could add to that ever-growing list, but I’m sure you’re getting the gist of it by now.

Fact: a man was recently killed as a result of driving into roadworks.
Fact: Johannesburg Road Agency have yet to reveal the results of an investigation into the cause of that accident, despite having been asked for an update.
Fact: it’s happened again. This time, fortunately, nobody was killed.
Fact: that statement is, in itself, a sad reflection of how bad things are, when not being killed in an accident that was completely preventable, is a good thing…

So, without any evidence to the contrary, that’s JRA 3, drivers 0. With all the roadworks going on at present, what will the score be by the end of the year?

A smaller article in this week’s edition actually has me singing Mashini ‘wami under my breath.
If I had my druthers, people (for lack of a better word) who poison dogs would be publicly whipped to within an inch of their lives.

Two-step poisoning is an incredibly painful and vicious way to kill, and it’s more common than you suspect. If you suspect your animal was poisoned, tell the police. Yes, they do have a lot on their plate, but if a pattern is found, they will do something about it.
The animals are usually poisoned, because the pond scum thugs who did it are preparing to break into your home soon.

If the police don’t know about it, they can’t do anything about it.

In closing, by the time you read this, I’ll be on a beach in Cape Town. Life is hard, I know.

I will be back next week however, and Sipho and Noni will be steering the good ship Tribland. Their contact details are to the left of this column. See you soon.

Once upon a time…

…neighbours knew each other, children were safe with adults, and old women lived their lives in peace.

No more. It’s not only in South Africa, either. Worldwide there are shocking stories of how humans have lost their humanity in ever-increasing numbers.
Or are they shocking? Plainly it’s only to a minority of people. Murder seems to be the order of the day in the world.

It makes one wonder were did it all start going wrong? No doubt there are a multitude of hypotheses by learned people, but few solutions. Because each time an idea is offered, there will be someone who will shriek about human rights. Personally, when a person kills, rapes or steals, that person’s argument for human rights becomes thin. Am I advocating the death penalty?

No. I am saying life imprisonment should mean life imprisonment. Put them to work on our shoddy roads, or let them fix our ailing water and sewerage systems. Have them shovel coal at a power station, anything but sit in prison compounding their crime by being an oxygen thief!

Heritage Day is being celebrated next week. The picture below is one I took while in Cape Town recently. I thought I’d take a huge liberty in reminding readers how beautiful this country is.
Part of our heritage is this country we were born in.

Another part of our heritage is the terrible crime in this beautiful part of the world, and I don’t care where you’re from, crime hurts everyone.

South Africa could be the new definition for oxymoron. Crime will always be there, it’s the viciousness that will soak our heritage red until our leaders start leading and stop providing ammunition for cartoonists. (Pic to follow)

Any giraffe will do

Next month is Transport Month in the city. Sounds wonderful, but one wonders how it is the organisers, improbably, missed something. In order for there to be a free flowing, safe and effective traffic system, a vital component must surely be a decent road system.

Instead, potholes and craters, subsidence and roadwork’s are all hazardous features of our goat tracks. Today’s little groove dug across a road (show me a road which doesn’t have one!) to fix underground electricity cables is tomorrows bone jarring, teeth cracking thump. Not to mention the slamming of brakes and a desperate prayer not to buckle the front wheel rims or burst a tyre or break a shock absorber or slide into the car in front of you as you skate across the dirt to be attended to when some jackass safely ensconced behind their desk decides to pass on the way leave bill to the next department so that the dongas can be repaired.

Transport Month? I’d settle for an Efficiency Month, but I suppose that’s asking too much.

A press release from government states: ‘Our constitutional democracy has proved its resilience and stability in the period leading to the resignation of President Thabo Mbeki from the highest office in our land. The recent challenges faced by our country are not insurmountable; we must build on the gains and successes of the past 15 years with speed and prepare ourselves to address the backlogs we still face.’ I’m really glad central government knows there are backlogs, and I wish our new President, Kgalema Motlanthe, well in his task ahead.

But I’ll tell you this much; if it meant basic services are taken care of and serious intolerance of crime and corruption were the order of the day, I‘d salute a giraffe.

In conclusion, kudos’ to JMPD for their recent operation in Savoy. The parking lot has been a constant irritation and eyesore for years and it’s amazing what a little dedicated attention can accomplish. Well done.

Brickbats, applause and snarls

Johannesburg Roads Agency takes top spot this week.
On one hand, crass negligence to keep sidewalks shipshape resulted in indescribable agony, shock and trauma for an unsuspecting pedestrian.
On the other hand, once the claim by the affected party was discovered lying unattended on a vacant desk, the utility moved speedily to rectify the oversight of informing the claimant her paperwork had been received and was being processed. I’m not sure if it’s any compensation, or even if the claim will be settled, but at least someone is giving it attention. The wheels of government do creak along, but mayhap there will be some relief in the near future.

Another city agency deserving of a thank you is Pikitup.
They removed the tires and building rubble dumped in the river below Bridge Road in Kew and, at first glance, the riverbanks no longer resemble a tip.
Now it’s the stench of the grey water that almost hangs in the air almost like something solid that is a problem.

Somewhere upstream, someone is polluting the water.

I must admit I find it utterly incomprehensible that someone could be such a miserable pig of a human to do such thing.
My apologies to pigs…

Someone once said, “Throughout the history of literature, the guy who poisons the well has been the worst of all villains.” Personally, I believe a public flogging is too good for those who poison your water and mine. There isn’t too much of the stuff to go around, especially when you think how much water is used in construction, washing cars, dishes, laundry, watering gardens, sewerage… the list goes on.

I think the value of water should equal that of diamonds. One wonders if those who trash the scarce resource would then be quite so cavalier about it. We are outraged at crime levels.

Why are we so quiet about water pollution?

The sands of time…

…are running out. With only 71 days left until the end of the year, it seems incredible we’re already within smelling distance of 2009.
And as we all know, there’s a soccer world cup happening the year after that in 2010.

In between, there will be general elections and by-elections, and one could expect a general frenzy over and above the normal hustle and bustle. Mix into that all the development taking place amid the meltdown of the world economy, and it’s going to be a while before the dust settles in this city.

Especially at the rate buildings seem to be flopping on the ground like sand-castles. Is tighter control needed? One would assume so, because if a building is collapsing at the early stages, what’s going to happen when furniture and people are moved in.

Too many people have died already.

To accuse all developers of pleonexia is perhaps harsh, as there are some who do make a concerted effort. Yet it seems, generally, they are more accomplished at rubbing their neighbours – to – be up the wrong way.

The drum of community involvement seems to have a hollow beat when it comes to communicating intentions, no matter how well-intentioned they might be. Of course developers want to make a few rand. Its a business. People need somewhere to stay and who wants to live in a hovel? Good for developers, I say.

Only, play nice. It’s not too much to ask.

There are still rumblings about the last major development in the area, and there are still plenty developments to come. Lyndhurst is about to be turned into a dust bowl. Huddle another.

Yet the conflict which inevitably arises, is nearly always badly managed. This leads to escalations and accusations being flung far and wide and, at the end of the day, all the gnashing of teeth accomplishes is flat teeth.

Trust me, flat teeth are useless when it comes to seasonal delights. December is celebrated by many as a time for peace.

I hope residents and developers can reach an understanding by then.

Enough already

How much longer are citizens going to live with the hangover of Apartheid? I’m speaking specifically to this week’s front page story. How is it members of a police service, 14 years into democracy, still think it acceptable to subvert the law for their own personal gratification?

And why is the claim being made that black police officers are treating fellow black Africans so viciously? I say claim, because the allegation still has to be tested in a court of law, but the old adage applies, where there is smoke, there is fire…

It is difficult for me as a white African to ponder the questions raised, without stepping on toes. Is it because of tribalism? Or are some police officers only able to target those they think will not fight back?

One day we might be able to interact with each other without the goggles of race, gender and sexual orientation. At least, that’s my fantasy.

Our constitution, written with the blood of those who died for the New! Improved! South Africa is fading as it bleeds out , despite it guaranteeing everyone, I repeat, everyone, inside the borders of this country, equality. Yet when the government still insists on applying race classifications, and police officers drunk on their own self importance remain an organ of the State, the Constitution remains little more than a pipe dream.

The time is fast approaching for the SAPS to become divorced from the Government and become a civil organization accountable to the community. Let the Police Chief be elected into office. If performance quotas are not met, fire him.

South Africa’s continued emulation of the rest of the continent by keeping the SAPS as an armed wing of the Government makes a mockery of governance for the people, by the people. It’s been demonstrated time and again that absolute power corrupts absolutely.

It’s time to admit the current format has failed and a new solution is the only way forward to a free and just society.

It’s my own fault

Last week, Madame Not Paying Attention (i.e. me) popped into a supermarket outside of Tribland for a little retail therapy. By the time my turn came to pay I was itching to go home, and stood daydreaming while the teller swiped my bankcard through the machine. After I keyed in my pin, the transaction self-cancelled. The teller swiped again. Same story. You know what’s coming, don’t you?

Third time around, the transaction bounced. ‘Insufficient funds,’ the teller tells me. Excuse me?
Aside from being mortified with embaressment, irritated and confused, I was stunned.
I have a spectacular talent for losing large amounts of money, which is why carrying cash is not an option. Thus it was with no small amount of stress I wracked my numerically challenged mind as to what had happened to more than a fair dollop of my salary.

To prevent any more readers passing out from anticipation, I’ll cut a long story short.

That’s right. I had been charged until my bank account resembled an exceedingly frightening number of zero’s. Which now meant schlepping to the bank for statements and then to find the rumpled cash slips I always throw away. Something I found out is that cash slips show the time of the transaction and you can link it to your bank statement as proof. So, off I trotted to the supermarket and, with trembling lip and ashen face, showed the manager the vacuum in my account.

Hopefully their investigation will result in my not having to ride a bicycle for the rest of the month.

Was it an honest mistake? I hope so.

But you can bet your last billion Zim dollars I won’t be so inattentive for a while. It’ll also teach me not to shop outside Tribland…

Signs of the times

Which, according to Bob Dylan way back in ’64, were a-changing.
Uncle Bob was undeniably prophetic, and truth be told, they still are..

The first president of America not part of the old boys club, (in my humble opinion), was elected last week. South Africa’s ruling party is undergoing an evolution, long before the return of Jesus. We have a deputy president as a President. The world financial market is still bloody-nosed after running into a sub-prime wall.

All of this amidst a belt-tightening exercise common citizens have been led into by spectacularly well-off people.

Of course, the corollary is the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Our roads are in worse condition than they ever were. Burst pipes, leaking pipes, blocked sewerage systems, traffic lights out of order, street lights on all day in the midst of an electricity crisis and escalating water prices point to the growing scarcity of this finite resource.

People still live in shacks and unemployment is as bad as it ever was.

In 2009, South Africans will exercise their vote in only the fourth ever democratic elections.
I wonder if it, too, will be characterised by the mindless political violence which always seem to surround this time. Because, already, ‘warnings’ and threats are being flung around with irresponsibly gay abandon.

All of which makes one wish for a country so divided by race, our leaders will see the president-elect of America step into his office and notice that the hand-over of power was not settled by a bullet. They might also see that the power entrusted to politicians is not for self-enrichment, but for the betterment of citizens.

I know, it’s Africa, no space for namby pamby sissies here.

But with every election under our collective belt, our leaders are running out of excuses as to why Thabo the Gardener is still living in a shack.

Santa came early

This week’s lead is something few people thought would happen.
With much acrimony surrounding Huddle Park, even the Tribune was once taken to task for speaking to the ‘wrong’ people. It’s not a fait accompli the development has been completely shelved but should be viewed as another broadside against the development of the wetland.

This newspaper has repeatedly underlined that South Africa is a water stressed country. The population is increasing, as people flood into the country seeking wealth and prosperity. Nasty thing about money though, you cannot drink it. Bottled water might be an option, especially if expert predictions around 2020 are true. It’s going to be a dry year. Yet our local streams are little more than open air sewage pipes.

Some would say I’m being melodramtic. In the Vaal Dam, high levels of fecal pollution were found in the water. As well as the Giardia parasite, which causes diarrhea, and Cryptosporidium, which causes mild gastrointestinal disease. Guess where we get our water? The water in Hartebeespoort is unfit for drinking by man or beast.

Now tell me it’s not an issue. Government, conspicuous by its absence, should be leading the war for water, but I suppose that’s a pipe dream. Americans recently said yes, they can.

We should be saying, no you can’t. No, you can’t build on wetlands, no more substandard pumping stations and treatment plants, no storm water drainage in rivers.

No, no and no! You cannot pollute or waste water anymore.

Water. It’s the new gold.

For want of a nail…

Forgive me for stepping outside our boundaries this week, if only because the point is so pertinent to us, we cannot ignore it.

The name Dr. Anthony Turton has been in the national news recently.
He is a Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) researcher who was suspended for releasing a report on water quality which he had been prevented from presenting at a CSIR conference in Pretoria during November.

Just when one thought there was a new broom sweeping through the Union Buildings….

Now while the actions of the CSIR might be deemed as suppressive and illogical, to their credit they are not (yet) pulling the paper wherein he says, ‘In essence … South Africa simply has no more surplus water and all future economic development (and thus social wellbeing) will be constrained by this one fundamental fact that few have as yet grasped.’

Read that again. No more surplus water.

Turton, a highly respected researcher, also says the country has lost its dilution capacity, which means all effluent will need to be treated to ever-higher standards before being allowed back into our water systems.

The 28 page document is a horror story of ineptitude and miscalculation.

So it’s not surprising Turton was prevented from presenting it. Never before has Government been rapped so hard over the knuckles. He does not say it’s the end of the world as we know it, but that there are solutions and our leaders need to wake up.

The document is available on the net, or contact me if you would like a copy.

If ever a politician would want to be remembered in the same breath as Nelson Mandela, it would be because he or she saved South Africa from becoming Zimbabwe’s poorer, thirsty cousin…

Quotable:
All credibility, all good conscience, all evidence of truth come only from the senses. Friedrich Nietzsche.

We all know one

While waiting at yet another burst pipe, a few cars arrived at the destroyed road, wanting to carry on.
Most elected to find another route. One woman elected to bypass the water roiling out of the hole by cutting across the grass kerb to enter the traffic in Northfield Avenue. Not wise, as there is a blind corner, but she made it.

The other dolt, possibly suffering from temporary insanity, decided to drive up to the hole and skirt its very edge.

Most likely his Angels were working overtime because he made it. I couldn’t help feeling slightly cheated out of a great set of pictures.

My point is this; what is it that makes some people believe the laws of nature and physics don’t apply to them? Charles Darwin proved that all species of life have evolved over time from common ancestors through the process he called natural selection.

In modern times, an internet site called The Darwin Awards celebrates those who, through incredible acts of stupidity, have furthered evolution by removing themselves from the gene pool.

For instance, the 1994 Darwin Award went to a fellow who was killed by a Coke machine, which toppled over on top of him as he was attempting to tip a free soda out of it. Or the 2007 winner who embalmed himself with one too many alcoholic enema’s.

According to toxicology reports, his blood alcohol level was 0.47%.

Call me callous, but at the very least, the idiot who crossed over the ‘Daleview Spruit’ would have deserved an honourable mention if his car had fallen in… Idiots. Life would be truly boring without them.

Quotable: Machines take me by surprise with great frequency. Alan Turing(1912 – 1954).

Crash test dummies fly

Much ado has been made of the drop in the matric pass rate for 2008. Yet one has to realise that these exams were the culmination of a ten year programme about which very little was known. The crash test dummies, so to speak, however proved themselves no dummies, with a 62.5 percent pass rate.
Yes, this is down on the 2007 pass rate. No, 2007 cannot be compared to 2008 because an entirely different exam was written on an entirely different education system.
Yes, a lot depends on the Department of Education’s failure to have all schools meet a minimum basic requirement in terms of facilities needed to equip pupils for the final exams. No doubt, many of those pupils who failed had little or no access to funds, equipment or even something as basic as the internet. However, I would also venture some pupils did little to advance their cause at school. Allegations have been made of inflated marks, poor teacher training and weak mathematics papers. One supposes the old adage of where there is smoke, there is fire applies, but the fact is that only when the results for 2009 are released, will we have any sense of how effective outcomes based education is. And while we wait, parents will be battered yet again with school fee’s, uniforms, stationary, sports equipment and the rest… How much does it cost for a 1st grader to walk into school these days, let alone high school? Let me know.
Moving on. Six of Gauteng’s most wanted criminals are still on the loose. This dross lives among us and shops with us. It’s time for them, and every other thug who would ransom us our lives, to be removed from our midst and put behind bars.

Quotable:
Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth. Mary Schmich.

New Year blues

Unpack the boughs of holly, put away the Christmas tree and put on the new pants you had to buy because of festive season sloth. Then, jump into your car and enter the rat race at exactly the same time as everyone else. Now, add injury to insult by smashing your car in a pothole a month old. Then, wait forever for someone to answer the phone so you can try and make a claim for said damages.
Welcome to 2009!
Personally, it smells no different to 2008. I ask the question again, how difficult can it be?
A pipe bursts (these things happen, lets be reasonable). The water utility and the roads company come out. The hole is dug, the pipe repaired and the hole filled, then tarred. Wow. Then, instead of hair pulling and teeth gnashing, it’s just simply wow. I don’t care a green carnation about wayleaves and bills and budgets and the mountain of self inflicted red tape the council has to deal with. I just want the road fixed! Now, all that’s happening is the council is making its problem, yours and mine. Why? Why is ineptitude and a system failure our problem? One battles to understand a system designed to attract scorn instead of revelling in bouquets and praise, which is what would happen when council utilities get their act together. A notable exception is Pikitup, for whom at this stage I have nothing but praise. Keep it up guys.
Quotable: Beware the arrogance of power. Nelson Mandela.

Rage against apathy

‘Rage, rage against the dying of the light’ wrote Dylan Thomas in his epic villanelle, Do not go gentle into that good night. Without going into an in-depth analysis, the Welsh poet rails against death, that one should not die without fighting for one’s life.
I would that he wrote about apathy, about ‘it’s not my problem’, about silence. I would that he wrote how even one life lost to learn a lesson is a bitter lesson learned, and best learned before prophecy becomes history.
Is life not hard enough without letting fate step in and have its way with us? Tragedy is nothing more than the culmination of a series of omissions, which accumulate as we wander blinkered through our lives. Focusing on ourselves has become a pastime for the blasé, and blasé we have become. There are nearly thirty murders a day in South Africa and, as every life lost is implacably muted to a bleat, moneymakers and politicians equate life to nothing more than a fender bender. What would the body count become with all the suicides, culpable homicides and car accidents? Obdurate civil servants and council red tape warriors hide behind armies of call centres and booking offices and sinister uniforms and spokesmen who don’t speak, forgetting somehow they too live in our communities, turning into obfuscating robots seemingly bent on pleasing The Man.
There can be no measurable gain from pain earned thus, and relief will only come with the passing of time as more and more people refuse to settle for anything less than accountability. Perhaps then, Caitlin Veltman’s death, and others like hers, can be honourable, instead of simply tragic. It’s time for leaders to place more value on lives than rands.
Quotable: To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history. Barack Obama.

Beautiful people, beautiful colours

The election is over, as are the endless public holidays.
Perhaps life will return to normal for a while now, I am beyond exhausted.

Buoying my spirits are two incredible people. The first is the centenarian. I had to ask at the party who she was, because really, if I am half as sharp as her in ten years time, I’ll be twice as happy!

Most of us live in a clearly defined world, and others in a place untouched by logic. A shadow world, if you will. I prefer to think of each one of us having a colour and like a kaleidoscope, we all fit together to make the most intricate, beautiful patterns.

I met one of those colours this month, I’ll call him Blue.

With a solid grounding in science, he hovers in a place some would call eccentric. For how long, have scientists sought for a cure to the common cold, cancer, HIV/Aids? Well, Blue thinks he may have a solution.

His ideas are grounded in science, but he uses a pendulum to gain his information. It’s not a story yet, because I think he’s been hurt in the past by people supposedly in the know and he doesn’t want to be mocked or ignored again.

I know he’s reading this, and I hope one day the strength of his convictions will allow him to step into the light again. Too often, ordinary people are denied being heroes for being a little different.

As Nelson Mandela said, ‘Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another’. Everyone deserves a place in the sun, even Blue.

More than that, the brighter colours in our world need not be mocked for being different, but celebrated.
Quotable: Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it. Confucius