I know its just sentimentality, but I'm sad to see Nosimo Balindlela go. I thought it was pretty poor form of the government to order her resignation while she was out of the country. May she do well in whatever comes next for her.I love the Eastern Cape. I love driving our pot holed verge-less roads, dodging the goats, through the hills, past the rod hot pokers, past the little communities dotted on the hills or next to the road. I love driving through King William's Town with it's miriad of banners advertising political events, musical events, community events. I love watching construction go on as I drive through Peddie. I love navigating the back roads around King, dropping people off at their houses.
I love Grahamstown. I love that you can sit at the Monument and see the whole city. I love that you could walk from one end to the other. The donkeys warm my heart. And East London, I love East London too. I love out local papers. When I go home I sit down and read back issues of the Daily Dispatch. And the new paper, EC Today I think it's called. I love it.
Okay okay I don't really love the pot holes. But I love the Eastern Cape :)
10 comments:
No pot hole is the same. Some are deep like The Guardian. Some are shallow like Kortbroek. Some are big like Zuma's ego. Some are small like Mbeki's speeched on Zimbabwe. Some will make you sit up and notice like Tutu. Some are odd shaped like Pieter-Dirk Uys. Some are just a-holes (I mean a hole) like the Blue Bulls. Some sit in the road in a way you won't notice, but still direct the way you go like Madiba. Some are more pot than hole like Durban. Some have beautiful water puddles and sandy edges in them like the beaches at Cape Town. Each and every hole is a special hole. Love them - they are ours. Stupid, silly and sometimes meaningless. But our pot holes nonetheless. Viva Pot Holes, Viva!
I agree that it's sad to see Balindlela go. Especially as I was on the committee at Rhodes that decided to give her an honorary degree :P
I also agree that the Eastern Cape has a lot of things that are beautiful - but I think you also choose where you see beauty. I've often despaired of the same things that I love - and I'm sure it would be the same anywhere in the country, and the world.
My biggest concern about the Mbeki regime (as well as Mandela's) has always been that leaders who are unable to deliver are allowed to stay way too long in their positions. In Mandela's case, it was because of his personality, those who know him say that he would never fire anyone from their job, always hoping that they might improve at some point, and always considering the fact that they sacrificed a lot in their lives during the struggle! That is one character/leadership flaw that Nelson Mandela had, too good and too nice!Even Desmond Tutu mentions this in one of his writings!
Under Mbeki, people stayed on their jobs because of patronage. He could be resolute enough to fire people if he wanted, but he is/was never fair, always protecting his friends for future support!
Under the current ANC, people get fired blatantly for political reasons. Rasool leads a province that is much better functioning than say Limpopo. However he still gets fired, simply because he is an Mbeki man, and the Zuma camp does not want to see him leading the ANC in the Western Cape in the next elections.
Balindlela in my opinion should have been fired a long time ago by Mbeki (sorry Laura:-). She absolutely could not get that province together, it was the worst performing province, she needed to give somebody else a chance, she is a nice lady but sorry, her province is a mess! However she was fired not for he inability to deliver, she was fired for being an Mbeki person. That worries me! Delivery is not the focus in the new ANC, it is about supporting Zuma!!!
@AngryAfrican - Wow, that is a beautifully crafted description of the humble pothole!! I will have to take some photos of potholes to send to you :)
@Wookeh - what have you despaired of?
@Pitso - Ja, I do know there have been a lot of complaints about her and its probably the best that she goes. But one can't help being sentimental!
Question - how do we know she was fired for being a Mbeki person?
Laura said: "Question - how do we know she was fired for being a Mbeki person?"
Well just like Rasool, Balindlela led a very divided province in the run up to Polokwane. She has been known to have publicly pledged support to the ridiculous request to have Mbeki serve a third term. The ANC in the EC is still split between the two camps. The appointment of a a pro-Mbeki man to replace her has been seen by many as fight-back campaign to reclaim their turf against the Zunami.
Wait, she, as a pro-Mbeki person, was replaced by a pro-Mbeki person? So how then could do we know she was fired for being pro-Mbeki?
Thanks for answering my questions, by the way.
I find the news and newspapers very frustrating in this regard. They tend to make sweeping statements like the fact that Rasool and Balindlela were asked to step down for being pro-Mbeki... but then there is no discussion of why we come to this conclusion, no discussion about Balindlela for example, of her performance as premier, no discussion about the difficulties in the province, the Pillay report, possible legitimate reasons she should go...
So I really battle to know what in the media I can believe, what is simplified almost to the point of dishonesty, what is simply untrue, or ignorant, or half of the truth, or hopelessly one-sided or biased...
Sorry Laura, I know this is unrelated to the blog post.
I saw over at Aquilogy that you were planning to take a train to Cape Town.
Just wanted to say that I've heard stories that taking long trips via train is not safe at all. But I ocassionaly use the metrorail train from JHB to Centurion sometimes, and i've never been mugged or anything, perhaps it's because its during the day with lots of people in the compartments.
All I'll say if you feel a little brave, do take the train and tell us how it went. Sometimes we tend to blow things out of proportions, it might not be that bad!
Hey obakeng!
I've taken metrorail trips in some suburbs in Cape Town, and that was completely fine! It was great actually, you can get all over on the trains.
And it took a bit of courage to try the first time, but I tried it and it was a good thing!
But there are a few different train lines in different areas of CT and I'm told it is a very bad idea for me to take the one to UWC!
One day when I'm feeling brave I would love to leave all my valuables at home and try it, just because (as you say!) sometimes we blow things out of proportion. Also because its terrible that we are afraid to go certain places and do certain things... and the only way to get over that is to just do it, go those places and try those things!
So one day I would like to try :)
Just not next week! (I would not like to bereave my mother!!)
The reason I put it in the comment in aquilogy's blog is that he had once blogged about the train scene in Tsotsi and said it was ridiculous:
here.
As a regular train user for more than a decade, I can tell you that the trains in Cape Town are absolutely fine if you:
a) catch them only during peak hours - this is during morning rush, say 7am to 9am, and during the afternoon rush, which is say 4:30pm to 6pm. Weekends are fine, too - Saturdays, at least, as the trains are usually quite full in the mornings and at lunch time.
b) avoid trains after dark
c) remain wary - guard your pockets, don't flash your cellphone or MP3 player around, and so on. Although, tell this to most of the people I see on trains - almost everyone is using their phones or listening to music.
There are usually guards on the trains, and because South Africa remains a deeply divided and flawed society, the southern suburbs line - which is used by largely "middle class" folks of all races - is the safest.
Do NOT take a train to UWC. That line, which runs to Belville, is not nice at all.
Alos, a new warning: taxis are dangerous. Well, yes, you knew that - but I've just written a story about a spate of attacks on young women using taxis along the main road in the southern suburbs, particularly near UCT. Similar incidents have been reported in town centre. All in all, I'd say stick to trains or call us for a lift if all else fails!
And a note on long-distance trains: I took a train with four friends from Alicedale to Joburg several years ago, and it was fine. There were a few of us, though, and we basically stayed in our compartment. I know of at least one person who has lost a family member - his cousin was murdered on a long-distance train between Joburg and Durbs.
But you're right: why live in fear? Something bad could happen to you no matter where you go, anywhere in the country or the world. Sad that we are so fearful. :(
*LOL* At least you admit that you don't REALLY love the potholes! I especially love the signs that tell us "Potholes for 10 km!" instead of fixing them. ;)
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