Friends who visit the Victoria Falls, often bring back pictures of themselves cavorting in a small pool right at the lip of the 100 m drop. I am unable to get any enjoyment at all from viewing these pictures, or even worse, contemplating splashing around in that supremely foolish venue myself. My vivid imagination worries about things like the outer edge giving way; a surge of water flushing through the pool or perhaps even a testy crocodile or hippo arriving to join them in this unnatural jacuzzi. Buying shares on the JSE at the moment fills me with the same dread. Nevertheless, some folk are doing so and coming out alive and invigorated. I watch in terror.
The Top 40 Index set a new all-time record high this week, although its stouter elder cousin, the All Share Index, has yet to do so. This gives a hint that the market performance is not evenly spread and indeed just a few of the super-sized resources shares are responsible for the fun. Most of these counters are listed on overseas exchanges as well, and so in addition to riding the huge crest of the commodities price wave they are also benefiting enormously from the collapsing rand. This it is doing with style and aplomb and having vaulted over the narrow lip, it is now plummeting into the gorge. We are, however, all certain that it will this time find a ledge to cling to and not continue to the bottom where the Zimbabwe dollar has now worth just one 25 millionth of a US dollar (and that after shedding three zeros on the way as well).
A friend and close neighbour was murdered in his home last weekend and his wife and teenage son sustained possibly fatal wounds. The incompetent bigots who claim to have the nation’s support to run my beloved country refuse to acknowledge the rapid disappearance of the necessary characteristics of a civilised and mature society. I doubt the killer will be found. The police have yet to arrest any of the assailants and intruders who in the past year were responsible for terrifying other friends in the same suburb. They do not even try to prevent so-called taxi-drivers from blockading routes and disrupting traffic that is already grid-locked on the inadequately planned and maintained roads system. The drivers are probably better armed than the police. What possible logic enables authorities to dismiss and discount the dangerous reality of life for ordinary people and visitors in this potentially wonderful land? Just how big are gifts, bribes, perks and incentives that are being offered and taken that they are able to obscure the facts? I am very very disillusioned today. Sorry.
By way of light relief I offer you the wonderful and revealing slogan that was being chanted by a crowd of women who were staging a protest at a taxi rank. Taxi-drivers are never far from the news these days. They are a conservative crowd it seems and have been harassing female passengers and passers-by that were, in their opinion, underdressed. The mini-skirted misses pointed out that “We are not road signs – you need to treat us with respect.”
I believe that we all ought to be treating the news out of the US with respect. It is not trivial when the largest economic and military nation on the planet slides into a morass of deficit, debt and doubt. It can’t even find a credible presidential candidate who might restore its dignity. Its wealth is probably a lost cause.
Tidemarks will not appear next week as I am going to hide from all this craziness in the Umfolozi bush. But not before watching the Lions pile insult on top of the injured Bulls tonight. At least one SA side will not lose this weekend.
James Greener
7th March 2007
