DELIVERANCE

The joys of the original internet are eroding steadily. Advertisements are becoming ubiquitous and deeply annoying. One website after another insists that we consent to receiving “cookies” and despite acquiescing, not one biscuit has so far been delivered to my inbox. The government has introduced FICA, RICA and now POPI “for my safety and protection” and still the crooks seem to be able to steal anything including my identity. Indeed, the high profile business man Tokyo Sexwale, who must have a raft of IT people ensuring his on-line security, has reportedly fallen victim to a version of the notorious Nigerian 419 scam. In his case the numbers were so large that not a single journalist seemed capable of writing them down in words correctly. In their excitement at using the unit of quadrillion they ignored the rather trivial trillion number! President Biden meantime has decided literally to give away trillions of dollars to the US population because they need it after the terrors and rigours of the virus. Truly little has been said about where this kind of money will come from, although in the short term it will undoubtedly have to be borrowed. Which should theoretically push up the price of money (interest rates) over the next few years. If politicians ever do answer this question, it usually begins by making heroic claims about rapid economic growth which they say will result in oodles of tax being collected and everything will be wonderful again. Who are we to remain sceptical? The Post Office’s history and business legacy coupled to its current management and ownership structure (it is one of those dreaded State Owned Enterprises) renders it totally uncompetitive versus the numerous courier businesses that have sprung up in the past few decades. More pertinently the lockdowns have triggered huge growth in demand for short term and distance deliveries, particularly perishables. During the summer when everyone was in the pool, phoning for a scooter to deliver a bag or two of ice for the drinks was not uncommon. However, this sort of thing may be in breach of the regulation which grants SAPO a monopoly for deliveries of parcels weighing less than a kilogram. Imagine waiting a few weeks for the postman to pitch up with your pizza. Very slowly and with circumspection those who care about our health are constructing and following a program to vaccinate South Africans against the Covid Virus. Frankly the confusion, disinformation and misleading maths surrounding this subject has succeeded (perhaps deliberately?) in rendering any personally held opinion quite obsolete after just a few clicks through the deluge of documents on the interwebs. The only unanswered question that still bothers me though, comes down to why is it not possible to allow successfully vaccinated people to return to their old lives? They can now neither infect nor be infected. Oh, and, are there really only 720 000 people over the age of 60 in the Western Cape? President Cyril appeared in front of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture this week. Like the hundreds (thousands?) of others who have warmed the witness chair in the past three and a half years, nothing the President vouchsafes, however shocking, will result in any disciplinary action. The Commission has revealed that “The Allegations” were and are true. It is long past time for the Public Prosecutor to call people in to be measured up for orange overalls. But so far … nothing. This commission has become a classic boondoggle. [an unnecessary, wasteful, or fraudulent project] Reportedly the USA is asking the IOC for a slot for Flag Football in the summer Olympics. While the game looks similar to tackle football, with passing and receiving, there is little protective equipment needed. Play stops when a defender pulls a cloth flag from the waist of an opponent. Presumably because his shorts have fallen off? But not to mock too loudly. The status of our own three main ball sports is dire This is only partially due to Covid related travel and social restrictions but also the presence of and interference by far too many men whose game time in life has been a tiny fraction of their meetings time. James Greener Friday 30th April 2021