Trawling
through a selection of possibly significant price charts of securities such as
the price of money, major shares and share indices and some commodities, it
looks as if the bear which scared us 6
months ago has been forgotten. Hats off to those analysts, especially in the US
who called that right. Even in SA with its looming election, bulls appear to
believe that company earnings and the government deficit are under control or
at least already priced into the markets. Eish!
It turns out
the phrase “Son of the Soil” that appears on the EFF election banners next to
the portrait of Julius Malema beneath his trademark red beret is packed with
meaning, only some of which might be humble beginnings. It also refers to using
the native language of the region and shows that the Economic Freedom Front is
spending money not just on classy posters but on advisors who ironically have a
fine grasp of English. Meanwhile serious sedimentologists are flocking to a
traffic island on the M4 here in Durban North to view the wonderful example of
bedding taking place on a row of flagpoles. As each new posse of party workers
adds their own flimsy cardboard mounted poster to the top of the pole it soon
slides down compressing those beneath it and after some rain there is a perfect
layering of portraits and promises at the base of each pole. Wind weathering is
adding to the geologic processes. It is interesting to record that the face of
Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelezi, now 90 years old has appeared on posters for every
election since 1994. The lower levels could be nearly fossilised by now.
In Tanzania
it is illegal to deprive the government of revenue and currently there are five
Vodacom employees who have been arrested for this vile crime. Here in RSA, government
is also anxious that we are depriving them of revenue hence we are obliged to
report just about everything we do from putting up solar panels and rain water
tanks to drilling boreholes. They already know about our sugar consumption and carbon
dioxide emissions. Just as soon as they hear that we all must use oxygen they’ll
be on it like a pack of dogs.
For a book
which is described by its protagonist as utterly inaccurate it seems rather odd
that his acolytes took the trouble to go down to the book store and tear up a
few copies. That suggests it’s not fiction after all and even the secretary
general of the ANC Ace Magashule is anxious about the skeletons in the
cupboard. But not even a man of his power can prevent the electronic copies of
this controversial book by Pieter-Louis Myburgh from whizzing about.
Its very
pleasing to watch the commissions probe and hear the whistles blow and have
these books get published, as it means a far healthier democracy than the
crooks would like to see. However, the missing piece in the puzzle remains
lost. When can we expect a successful prosecution of these thieves?
If Brexit
were to mean British people exiting their country, then it is in full swing.
The lazy London accent was everywhere in the Hluhluwe Game Reserve this week,
with the locals working flat out at taking Pounds in exchange for hospitality
and views of wildlife. Very pleasing when the media would have you believe that
everyone on that soggy island is digging bunkers and laying in stocks of gin
and pork pies.
So Ebat is
the newest device to be used to identify drunken drivers and reduce the road
accident rate. That’s fine, but without seeing a single traffic cop in 500km on
the N2, except for those plonked on a chair behind a radar speed trap gun one
hopes something else will change. The prizewinning driving display witnessed on
my recent trip was the fellow who came down the off-ramp, crossed in front of two
south-bound lanes of traffic and the central reserve to merge with the fast
outer north-bound lane.
The story
used to be that not even members of Augusta National Golf Club were allowed on
the hallowed course in the weeks leading up to the Masters. And yet a week ago
there were women amateurs having a tournament! Surely that signals the end of
something? Discrimination perhaps? And
no one is to talk about Lions rugby please.
James
Greener
Friday 12th
April 2019
