Hooligans

Westrand trains are suspended because apparently workers torched a metro rail train for being late. I don’t buy into a belief that commuters spontaneously burn trains whenever they are angry. Do we believe that people go to work expecting to be upset and therefore carry with them Petrol, Matches and all these dangerous stuff that you can think of? I don’t think so, there are people behind this, why would commuters burn their only cheap means of transport.  

I was driving via Bree taxi rank last week and I couldn’t believe how long were the queues to west rand.     A colleague of mine who use trains called around 18h00 telling me that she was still in Johannesburg. She left the office at 16h00, I only left the office at 17h00 and by the time she called I had already negotiated the N1 traffic to Pretoria and was only 5 minutes away from my house. She told me some people arrived in Krugersdorp at around 23h00 in the evening and their bosses expected them early morning the following day. Taxi industry cannot cope with the train people ever.

Much ado about nothing

The city of Cape Town entered into agreement with the people of Makhaza to build them toilets. Stupidly the city fell for an agreement to build the infrastructure for the and later they could erect walls for them selves. For desperate people this is a very tempting proposal. If I were going to the donga to soil a toilet of any nature would be acceptable.
When the infrastructure was done people were left with stand-alone toilet sits.

Enter ANC youth league, which according to the ANC documents it, is in disarray. They were prepared to prove once and for all to Hellen Zille that they could still bite. I have no they managed to squeeze DA led city council to erect structures. But they were hoping that local government election would reach those toilets and capitalise on that. They were not aware that the City council has other ideas. The city decided to give in to ANVYL pressure and built structures around the toilets to preserve dignity of the people which they should have done long time ago.

Now frustrated and out of ideas the youth league decided to dismantle them or should I say they destroyed them. Condemning those who still go to the dongas to help themselves to another misery. One resident said she wanted that toiled because she was tired of going to the dongas or neighbouring township for a toilet as it is not safe. One Buffoon from the ANC said she was minority. Ironically this guy has a flushing toilet in his house. Now the DA led municipality has an upper hand as they will save money and not build those toilets again.

The irony of all this is that, when the ANC was running the city they never thought beyond tenders and build toilets for the poor. They squabbled to oblivion; now that someone is doing something for the poor they start talk.  The city can do better those toilets are not good enough but they are far better than what I have seen country wide in ANC run municipalities. Just go to Dieploot, Alex, Nelson Mandela the list is endless. What they could have done was to constructively intervene, but let people use those toilets they need them.

I hope the ANC could win local government and see what they would do. I am beginning to ask myself do I keep on voting these guys. This is Hooliganism of the highest order of wasting taxpayer’s money by destroying what we already have. No wonder when workers strike or there is a protest March people burn existing structures.  Looting and all of that is because when the youth league run riot the ANC is as quiet as a mouse

Now the DA upped the ante they removed the infrastructure all together. Makaza residents are now a football in the field of ANCYL and the DA. Both exploit their plight. As the saying goes when elephants fight it is the grass that suffers.  It will take some tie for the local government to put back those toilets. The ANC Youth League must be proud of themselves that they successfully denied Makaza residence some kind of privacy. Makaza residents also not innocent they didn’t voice their dissatisfaction with the league but later they show interest in those toilets by burning tyres and protesting.
They should have done that in the first place when they ANC YL denied them access to their toilets.
Plato feels in top of the world now that he managed to egg on ANCYL faces not that they care they live in houses with in house toilets any way. Plato was supposed to bring the police when installing those toilets nothing would have happened to them.

Still on track

At least bafana bafana are showing a steady progress, it is amazing how a change of coach can do to players. Sometimes it is said players don’t want to play for a coach. I think it was the case with Santana. These players lost 9 out of 10 games under Santana, but under Pereira they have not lost a single game in as many matches. Maybe playing Thailand first was not bad after all. Despite the draw bafana could have won by a bigger margin if they took all their chances against Bulgeria, but Ivanov stuck to Mphela like a glued wood.

Kagiso was oozing with confidence, which is what we want from our player. For a change Teko Modise played well I hope he will build up his confidence from here. As a commentator Cebo Manyaapelo put it, South African are quick to write players off if they don’t see them. Siyabonga Nomvete still has some good touches and speed they the youngsters can envy. Again my player was the unfashionable Thanduyise Kuboni, I must admit that I never thought he would crack it when he was called up. Now seems to be confidant cool and composed under pressure. South Africa needs a player like him not fancy and stylish but very effective.

I am sure Pereira by now is confused as to leave out and who to take. Lance David I consider him a very lucky player, but I think his luck is running out when it matters the most. He has the international experience he is versatile but also the master of non.

He will be very lucky to survive this time, Fransman, Mdledle, Yeye, Ngcagca (I like him though), I am not sure about Benny it does not look like he will make it even though Pereira likes him.

Overall bafana a gelling as a unit that will make them a force to be reckoned with come World cup. We might spring some surprises.

Is it a good thing

So the president took a public HIV test, this was a good PR exercise and so far it worked as everyone even the critics applauded him. This support comes in the backdrop of his predecessor refusing flat to take any HIV test let alone in public. In my opinion the president should not have taken the HIV test in public or announce his results. If he were HIV positive I don’t think he would make the public announcement because of stigma. For him to announce the results won’t help anyone, but what he should have done is to encourage every one to test and keep his or her status secret.

Now that he tested negative wil that not encourage recklessness amongst the rigid traditionalists who don’t believe in this condom thing. We all know he had sex with an HIV infected woman and came out unscathed. This in a twisted way might lead to unintended consequences.  Take someone in a rural village in Matatiele or Makhado who does not subscribe to condom use. What the result of the president is saying to him is that, it does not matter whether you sleep with someone infected with HIV you are not going to get it. You might as well go on and sleep around without a condom after that.

What message did he pass to the layman in the street, who regards him as a hero? Was it a good thing that the president took pupblic test and made results public.