Something Fundamentally Wrong

Dear Fellow South Africans 

You might have seen the video. An African-American preacher slams black leaders and rants about what a mess South Africa is.  

"There's something wrong with the black man" was his constant refrain.

It was a rather demented, racist rant  -  

the sort of thing that results from smoking some 'bad shit'. There was certainly something wrong with that black man. 

Those of you who claim that black people cannot be racist (via some cruelly tortured logic), come this side, as the Twitterati say. You might find yourselves agreeing with Barack that 'Yes, we can'. Truth is, you can be anything vile that you want to be. Why limit yourself?

Back to the preacher man. It's simple, Stupid. People are vile or virtuous by choice. A  book's cover tells you diddly squat about its quality. History, research and expert opinion aside, your own life's journey should have told you this fundamental truth: 

A mensch is a mensch is a mensch. A mampara is a mampara is a mampara.

Unlike the Model T Ford, they come in many shades. 

But the man was right about the uniquely South African mess. There's something wrong with our democracy.

There is something fundamentally wrong with a democracy that allows looters  to swagger around, wiping pie crumbs and jam and gravy smears from their mouths. This, in the face of honest people barely getting by. And those who simply starve.

There is something fundamentally wrong with a democracy that relegates its citizens to being a cinema audience at the real life movie about the destruction of their hopes, their dreams, their futures. And that of their children's children. 

There's something deeply wrong about the helplessness of citizens in their own country, in the face of abuse. Echoes of the dark days of apartheid. Is this the most subtle version of state capture? 

Something is fundamentally wrong when incompetents and delinquents strut the stage, thrusting their pendulous bellies in our faces.  We gag on the stench of their expensive fragrances but can't leave. 

Something's wrong when most of the country is at the ship rails, shouting 'Watch out for the iceberg!'. But captain and crew are engaged in esoteric discussions over KFC. Something deeply, dangerously wrong is in play.  This is not government for the people by the people.

Power without morality, ethics or decency is destroying us. I don't know how much attention the comrades give to such matters but they are the things that lift us a level above the marauding monkeys of Durban. Then there's competence, too. Our guys know all about skimming off the cream. The milk of human kindness  - now that's a different story.

And when you think you've heard enough to make you want to throw up, a story like this:

The ANC-led eThekwini Municipality wasted R500,000 in 40 minutes after ‘sabotaging’ a special council meeting it had called to elect a new deputy mayor on Thursday (Daily Maverick).

ANC and EFF voters, behold your champions!  The arrogance, the obscenity, the middle finger thrust in your face. There's something fundamentally wrong with a democracy that encourages this nonsense.

Yours in the struggle for sanity.

Richard 

Tips for the blogger gratefully accepted 

Capitec Bank, South Africa  

1378565477

O Tichmann 

+27 833970723

,