It has long been an
observation of ours that identifying beneficiaries for gifts, particularly of money,
is very difficult. No sooner has a suitable candidate been identified than a
host of probably more deserving cases press forward with their story. The temptation
to simply drop the stuff from a window as was done on the UCT campus this week,
is high. Now, courtesy of our government, we are discovering that identifying
stuff to steal is equally difficult. Just when you think that a piece of
property looks to be worth seizing, another more tempting plot appears on the
list. Of course, when operating in the taking instead of the giving direction,
there is the added difficulty that the thief is not independent of the decision,
as it turns out he might just also be the benefactor identified for the
proceeds of the crime.
So far, the list of
properties identified for the first round of expropriation without compensation
have not really fitted the bill of being a place where a currently landless
citizen might turn into a self-sustaining even profitable agricultural venture.
There seem to be a great deal of un-settled mining rights and other
complications attached to the tracts of land that our government wants to steal
from the current owners. The other difficulty is that no matter how we all
might cling to the image of the weathered son of the soil toiling 18 hours a
day to wrest a living from the sun-baked earth the truth is that our food is
the result of agribusiness where financial parameters are as important as
rainfall, rising early and fetching a pail of milk for breakfast from the
dairy.
The utterly insolvent SABC
has announced that they will be showing live many of the matches of the English
Premier soccer league. Since that is probably the world’s most popular and in-demand
sporting package, it is good news for fans. What’s unexplained, however, is
just how the SABC will afford this when apparently it still owes Bafana Bafana
(the national soccer team) for matches broadcast long ago. Ah, the magical
mysteries of SA parastatal finance.
This week it was announced
that our overpaid cabinet ministers can’t be expected to buy their own Weber
braai and so half a million rand has been budgeted for building them a braai
area. One is tempted to venture into that silliest of swamps, the outrage about
the cultural appropriation nonsense and wonder if anyone but an Afrikaner ought
to be permitted to braai, but perhaps not.
It was a few weeks ago when
one of our particularly ignorant and foolish diplomats started issuing threats against
the USA. President Trump obviously noted this and has now instructed one of his
staff to find out just what is happening down here. It’s unlikely that even if
the egregiously racist and discriminatory actions of President Cyril’s government
are explained to him that there is much he will do. After all Trump has already
noted that South Africa is a country with a long record of opposing USA in
international fora. However, the fun bit is what the reaction has been among
our numerous so-called leaders. They are simply furious that the most powerful
man on the planet should take an interest in this sad country being run so
badly by mostly incompetent thieves and looters. The commissions of inquiry
into matters like why the tax collection system was deliberately broken do cast
tiny beams of hope but we are almost out of people who can fix these disasters.
When the front-page picture in the paper shows a posse of councillors and
luminaries proudly cutting the ribbon to open a new toilet then you grasp just
how low we have fallen.
It is now just over 4 weeks
since I had an open-heart operation to replace the aortic valve. My recovery
has been far slower than I hoped and at least half that period is lost from my
memory. I don’t handle all those drugs very well. But now as you see Tidemarks
is back and hopefully little changed in tone and style. It seems as if almost everyone
on this mailing list sent me good wishes and many other words of support. You
will understand why I haven’t responded individually but will take these words
of appreciation and thanks as heartfelt and sincere. Already there are the odd
messages wondering if and when I’ll get back to the keyboard and today is the longest
session I have managed since July 24th. Once again thank you for your
concerns.
James
Greener
Friday 24th
August 2018
