Last Train For The Coast

Dear Fellow South Africans 

Do you also suspect that commonsense, decency and truth 'caught the last train for the coast' in our country? And we were not even at the station to see them off.

Didn't get there, of course. The railway sleepers had been stolen. The train had been set alight and the province was in flames.

Our television programmes are sure proof. Some wise soul was dispensing advice today on how to cope with steeply rising costs. Apart from stating the obvious, as is customary, he advised: "Don't buy luxuries."

Dear man, it's not the luxuries that people are struggling with. It's the bloody necessities. Unless you consider paraffin, bread and maize meal as luxuries. I rather doubt that my fellow residents are agonizing over which brand of Swiss chocolate to buy, as they stare in horror at the shelves in the local supermarket. Call it a hunch. 

A 'political commentator' listed the shortcomings, blunders and failures of the (barely) ruling party. He then went on to say, in essence, that there are no alternatives to said ruling party. What a useless piece of commentary. "They're destroying the country. We need to let them continue. They just maybe might self-correct before the last bits are gone." (My prècis). Arrant nonsense and an insult to the intelligence of South Africans. "This inferior, dubbed version of 'The Three Stooges' is the best that South Africa and South Africans can do." My advice, Mr Political Commentator: "Go back to standup comedy."

Adding insult to insult were some SALGA people. We don't throw money at problems. We throw words. SALGA guys, if a full grown adult, in a position of trust, is happy to wallow in a mud bath of incompetence, corruption, buffoonery and slothfulness, all the training in the world will not change that. It's too late. All the king's horses and all the king's men can't fix that malodorous omelette. There are other opportunities for them in the big, bright world. 

I don't understand why you need to reinvent the wheel, horse and cart. We've all heard of budgets, goals, objectives. We all know how performance management works. Just do it. And allow those who can't, to depart for their happy places. We don't need more conferences. We don't need a deluge of clichès and platitudes to rival the retching of a reckless clubber the morning after.

We just need, even in this late hour, for officials to shut up and work.

Some commonsense, please.

Yours in the heroic struggle to retain a grip on sanity.

Richard

 

Tips for the blogger gratefully accepted 

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