I got up around 2AM this morning in pitch darkness. There’s usually ambient light forcing its way in through the curtains, but this morning there was nothing. The missing glowing red numbers on my alarm clock told me that there was a power outage again. Superstitious people would take this as a sign of bad things to come. But I’m not superstitious.

Late this afternoon, I heard on the news that Bobby Godsell, Chairman of Eskom, the state-owned power utility had resigned. I told myself that Eskom was just setting the scene earlier this morning for the main event – the announcement of the resignation. This latest development was the culmination of several days of high drama emanating from Eskom, and another in a series of calamities which have dogged the utility in the last year or two.

The comedic series of events which started last week went something like this: Bobby Godsell, the Chairman announces on Thursday, the resignation of the CEO, Jacob Maroga. However, the  ANC Youth League [yes, those nutters again!] dispute that Maroga had resigned. Strangely, a media briefing scheduled by Godsell was then also cancelled, and no further comment came from Eskom. Then on Monday morning, it was announced that Maroga had not resigned; and this after media reports that Jacob Zuma, the President had met with Godsell on Sunday. Then later in the day, Godsell announces his resignation.

Call me a conspiracy theorist, but I smell a monumental amount of government interference in this whole mess, with the intention of saving the hide of one Jacob Maroga, for whatever reasons. We’ve had far too many incidences of government and ANCYL meddling in business, to think anything else. The simple truth of the matter is that this government can’t be trusted, and thinking the worst is the default option.

Meanwhile, true to form, the ANCYL and the Black Management Forum have responded to calls for Maroga’s dismissal by using the very popular race card tact. Perhaps there is a certain element of racism involved, but the facts about his (non)performance are pretty hard to ignore: financial losses running into the billions during his tenure,  revelations of mismanagement by Eskom management staff, and failure of the utility to supply the power demands of the nation. It’s quite simple; when someone is being paid an obscene amount of money, as Maroga is, then his performance comes under scrutiny. The public have a right to demand performance because it affects us directly, just as it did this morning when I had no electricity.

Heartening though is the capacity of South Africans to find comedic relief, in the most serious of situations. While this whole sorry saga was playing out, I received the following picture in the mail, which is now more appropriate than ever.

And just so that the government understands that we will be watching them closely, exposing, ridiculing and lambasting every attempt to defraud us, I have tinkered with the picture slightly to reflect the current situation at Eskom.

South Africans were confronted by the news yesterday that ANC Youth League (ANCYL) leader, Julius Malema will be provided with VIP protection guards because his life was apparently in danger. However, instead of the concern and sympathy that such news usually generates, South Africans responded largely (and rightly so) with derision and cynicism.

Let’s consider why:

• Could it have something to do with Malema’s recent run-in with the law for speeding, where he illegally made use of flashing blue lights reserved for police officers or VIP protection officers? Is it possible that Malema (or his spin-doctors) concocted a story about death threats, that would mitigate his illegal use of the flashing blue lights on the day he was stopped for speeding recently? Is it a mere co-incidence? A large number of people familiar with the character (or lack of it) of Malema seem to think it’s no co-incidence at all.
• Why should a member of an organization affiliated to the ruling ANC government (as opposed to governing party), who do not form part of the elected members of government, be afforded VIP protection at the taxpayers expense? Shouldn’t the ANC cover these expenses themselves from party funds? Why should the ANCYL, an organization closely resembling a bunch of delinquent boy scouts, be considered as more worthy of protection than the general public? Is it because of a recommendation by a group of public servants within the Police Ministry known as crime intelligence officers? Or are there more sinister forces at work here, taking these decisions? What are crime intelligence officers, anyway? Does the current state of rampant lawlessness in the country point to any intelligence emanating from the Police Ministry?
• Isn’t it rather convenient for a degenerate lout who has no respect for anyone, let alone the law, to have at his disposal the services of a VIP protection unit, to flagrantly speed through the streets of South Africa, looking like an important prick politician, so reminiscent of dictatorships the world over?
• Assuming that the death threats are real, is it not true that he brought this state of affairs upon himself, by threatening on an almost daily basis, big business, opposition political parties, institutions of learning, the media and even ordinary people alike, with anarchy and mayhem should they not adhere to his warped sense of morality? Why should we now protect this loud-mouth fool?

The thing is, Malema is probably more in danger of  blowing himself  up, through the gaseous build-up of methane from all that ignorant bullshit he is so full of, than being in danger from any opponent. And, an even greater probability is that the ANC government are just trying to screw the South African public over once more. This is just another opportunity to defraud us, the taxpayers, to keep their cronies happy, and in their back pockets.

We should resist this latest attempt to swindle us, with everything at our disposal. And I’m not ruling out using the same anarchy and mayhem that Julius and his unruly youth league cohorts have threatened to unleash on us, on many an occasion.

Despicable pigs! Low-life scumbags! Fat-arsed, speed-camera-hugging, slobs! Intellectually challenged assholes! Bully boy, power-abusing lackeys who hide behind their badges. I’m talking about South Africa’s finest; or should I say swinest. Our very own traffic police!

In most countries around the world, they’re highly respected. They are upholders of the law. Bred to protect and serve. They’re proudly declared as the finest. Not here though. In a country where the elected politicians strive to reach new levels of immorality, ineptitude and  crass stupidity, the custodians of road safety are only too keen to emulate them.

In the past, I’ve alluded to their criminal behaviour; even dedicated posts to their laziness and ineptitude. I’ve painted them as mere collectors of revenue for their Metro Council employers. And rightly so, too. These blobs in blue have no intention of policing or ensuring road safety; they’re just there to impose fines. Fines, that Metro Councils need desperately to keep the machines of bureaucratic ineptitude and wanton wastefulness, forever turning; but more importantly, to feed the greed and lust for power of the masters of these public institutions.

But today, my exasperation with these contemptible dumb-shits has reached an all-time high. While on my way home from work today, I witnessed them doing something really despicable; even more despicable than hiding behind trees, snapping pictures of cars moving safely, but moderately faster than normal. More despicable than causing huge back-ups in peak-hour traffic, by setting up road blocks to catch out motorists defaulting on payment of their traffic fines. These fucking ass-hats were harassing an informal trader on the side of a road near Ruimsig; confiscating and loading his wooden artwork onto the back of a police truck.

I mean, what the hell is going on here? Are the Metro Councils now supplementing their traffic-fine income through the confiscation of the goods of hapless informal traders. I pass this guy every morning, on my way to work and I have not witnessed his trading activities causing any hindrance to the motoring public. Those who do stop to make a purchase or enquiry, do so in the ample space at the side of the road, and without interfering with normal traffic. I can see no reason to stop the informal traders activities, apart from those already listed above.

The law enforcement agencies in South Africa have been known to complain that they are not respected. And they never will be, for good reason too. How can the public respect these agencies when they have no respect for the public? Or even the badges they wear?

Am I being unduly harsh on the traffic police. Perhaps it’s unfair to the few good cops we still have…

At this point, I know what you’re thinking. He’s going to rant about religion again. Actually not; I’m going to rant all right, but not about religion.

Our President, Jacob Zuma stunned the country this weekend by apparently announcing that ANC Youth League (ANCYL) leader, Julius Malema was a leader in the making, worthy of inheriting the reigns of leadership of the ANC which is the ruling [I do not use the word lightly] party in South Africa. Not surprisingly, this vote of confidence in Malema, by the President generated a great deal of turmoil which is still raging.

While this fire was being stoked, the ANCYL declared today that it (the ANCYL) was the best youth organization in the world, not just in South Africa, or even the African continent. There’s no doubt that the petulant little rabble-rousers who make up the ANCYL, and the assortment of cronies both in the ANC and without, who make up their fan club, believe their own rhetoric unquestioningly. When an organization has been allowed to disrespect both women and the elderly, threaten and intimidate anyone who does not conform to their particular myopic views, and spout the most ignorant nonsense in public on important matters, for as long as the ANCYL have, then I suppose they could become good at it; even the best, in the world too.

One can only imagine that this latest bombshell was dreamt up by some  enterprizing pseudo-intellectual in the ANCYL, trying to take maximum advantage of the rather unfortunate utterings of the President to create the impression that the future leader of the ruling party would necessarily also have to be the current leader of a truly great organization (the ANCYL), as well. It’s strange how these associations stick.

Problem is, this fantasy about Julius Malema’s leadership qualities and the organizational effectiveness of the ANCYL, are accepted as fact, and believed by a fairly large proportion of the South African population. This is borne out by the overwhelming support, both the ANCYL and Malema enjoys wherever they appear in public. It defies logic, but logic and reason always suffer when the lowest common denominator is emotion. And that’s the source of the influence Malema and the ANCYL have over the population.

Appealing to the primitive instincts of the masses. How can you go wrong there? It’s been done successfully for thousands of years. The poor sods who sing the praises of Malema now, will wake up in a few years time, realize they’ve been had, and then find a new demigod to worship.

They’ve commandeered many traffic intersections in South Africa, so they’re not hard to miss on one’s daily commute to almost anywhere. It’s also not hard to miss the derision they are greeted with by a fairly large number of motorists. They appear singly, or in pairs – usually a reasonably fit person accompanying someone less so, but in some cases seemingly less so.

I am however not concerned with those who feign a handicap to garner sympathy from the public; after all, dishonesty is either innate or a means to an end. And since I consider moral absolutes to be undesirable, I will refrain from passing judgement on the motives for begging. What I am concerned about though, is the seemingly uncaring, disdainful attitude of the public towards these unfortunate people.

The harsh realities of the global economic downturn has resulted in a vast number of people losing their means of income, and has driven many of them into the streets to beg. Desperation can force people into doing things they would not normally do, and resorting to crime is regrettably one of more unpleasant kinds. Those you see standing at these traffic  intersections have made a choice - choosing to beg  instead of resorting to some form of crime. It’s not an easy choice to make, and I’m not going to pretend that I know how it feels; but I do know that it cannot be pleasant standing for hours in the harsh South African sun, hoping that someone will take pity on you.

I know you may argue that those of us still fortunate enough to be able to drive past these beggars on a daily basis, should not have to feel grateful that they beg for money, instead of simply taking it from us. I’ve heard comments such as “go get a job like the rest of us,” from those still fortunate enough to have one. But is it as simple as that? I’ve also heard that beggars make a good living plying their trade. But how do you know this really? It’s just hearsay.

The thing is, you don’t have to feel grateful that beggars choose to rely on your generosity instead of relieving you of your cash by some other means; but it would be nice. Parting with a few coins won’t make you poor, and it won’t make the begging problem disappear. It’s actually not going to do much good. But you were not meant to solve all the social problems in the world,  just not add to them. And being kind to your fellow-man is not that painful after all…

If you expect science to give all the answers to the wonderful questions about what we are, where we’re going, what the meaning of the universe is and so on, then I think you could easily become disillusioned and then look for some mystic answer to these problems. How a scientist can take a mystic answer I don’t know because the whole spirit is to understand-well, never mind that.

You see, one thing is, I can live with doubt and uncertainty and not knowing. I think it’s much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers  which might be wrong. I have approximate answers and possible beliefs and different degrees of uncertainty about different things, but I’m not absolutely sure of anything and there are many things I don’t know anything about, such as whether it means anything to ask why we’re here, and what the question might mean. I might think about it a little bit and if I can’t figure it out, then I go onto something else, but I don’t have to know an answer, I don’t feel frightened by not knowing things, by being lost in a mysterious universe without having any purpose, which is the way it really is so far as I can tell. It doesn’t frighten me.

Only in South Africa, and a few other places which I wont mention right now, because I don’t live there, there exists a new democracy.

It is known as government of the unwashed masses, (paid for) by the sodding taxpayer, for the self-enrichment of the government. Most South Africans will recognise this form of government all too well. Its menacing stranglehold on the South African citizenry is now well established. Were he alive today, Abraham Lincoln would have been aghast at how wrong it can all become.

The new democracy was born out of noble intentions by the post-apartheid ANC-led government to create parity among all South Africans. It was hoped that at least some of the inequalities created by the previous regime would be addressed, if not eliminated entirely. It started well, but only a select few really benefitted from the parity-creation endeavours. Actually, a select few became super-rich, almost overnight.

Most people don’t know how or why it happened, but at about this time the government persuaded itself to join the super-rich clan. The mantra “what behoove a person who joined the liberation struggle, to remain poor,” came into eye-opening effect. And to this end, they have slowly worked themselves over the years into positions that would ensure that they would become part of the elite.

South Africans know this all too well. Not a week passes without a new scandal involving government impropriety with public funds becoming revealed. If it’s not extravagant spending on luxury vehicles, it’s purchase of expensive property and renovations,  overseas junkets, lavish parties, designer clothes, consultancy fees for stupid consultants who make stupid recommendations, and the latest fad; staying at super-luxury hotels, running up huge bills.

The latest addition to the treasury-looting hall of fame is none other than our Minister of Police, Nathi Mthethwa whose profligacy concerning hotel accommodation must be the envy of his government colleagues. It’s been reported that he racked up bills of  R235 000 at a hotel in Cape Town and a further R570 000 at a Durban hotel. And considering the two BMW X5’s he purchased at our expense (why two?) at a cost of around R1.3-million, lets hope he hasn’t got an eye on any triple-story mansions in Cape Town. Ostensibly, good taste is obligatory, if you’re splurging someone else’s money.

This spend-thrift is the same Minister who wants the law changed so that his under-paid, demoralised police officers can invade your home at their under-informed discretion, while he sips Martini’s at the Hilton Hotel. Let’s say he manages by some miracle to actually halve the crime rate in South Africa, I would be quite happy to let him continue to raid the treasury.

But, are you up to it, Minister?

Local news from this weekend is that between 50 and 100 people continue to visit the Zachey home in Benoni, South Africa, two years after then 18-year-old, Francesca Zachey claimed to have had a vision of the Virgin Mary.

And despite advice that allegedly caused one of her mesmerized followers to be blinded after she obediently gazed into the sun, in an attempt to glimpse the Virgin Mary, Francesca maintains that she is god’s vessel who is changing people’s lives for the better. Not surprisingly, these days, the Zachey home spots a gift shop selling rosaries, prayer books and 120-Rand T-shirts. Perhaps she would have us believe that a rosary and a T-shirt make-over can work wonders for your life.

Maybe Francesca really thinks she had a supernatural vision, but the cynic in me concludes that ultimately, that vision became the realization that bullshit sells, and very well too.

In a non-related incident, Hindus celebrated (or not) Diwali, on Saturday, October 17th  this weekend. Better known as the Festival of Lights, this religious observance happened to fall on the same day as the religious month of Purtassi was ending. Purtassi is apparently observed in obeisance to the planet Saturn (which supposedly represents a trinity of Hindu gods and goddesses), and is marked by abstinence and strict fasting, while Diwali is more joyous and associated with feasting. Cynical Hindus would be inclined to believe that either the gods were playing a cruel joke on them to curb their merry-making, by causing the two religious festivals to clash, or that the Hindu priests who interpret the solar and lunar movements in the heavens, and set dates thereby, had got it a tad wrong. I’m inclined to go with the latter interpretation.

And on this particular Saturday morning which was overcast with intermittent rain, I happened to overhear my friend’s wife who is incidentally a staunch Hindu [rather forced to overhear, as she is inclined to speak rather loudly], mention that it was an unlucky day and Hindus were not permitted to do anything until midday, but all feasting must be postponed until the next day entirely. She backed up her assertion by saying that even the sun was not shining as usual. Evidently, the overcast and rainy nature of the day was merely coincidental. She then went on to proclaim that since  rain was symptomatic of the Diwali festival [not in those exact words], she was thus assured in her conviction that the timing of Diwali was right. Yet again, the seasonal rain at this time of year was merely coincidental. Apparently, she had also forgotten the many years, I can clearly remember when there was not a spot of rain about, during Diwali.

Francesca is representative of many others who apparently have supernatural visions, and the people who flock to them are symptomatic of the intense desire to believe, in spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. My friend’s wife is also representative of many people from various different religious persuasions who still believe that the stars and the planets somehow influence their lives and destinies.

It’s rather sad that in spite of all the information available so widely and freely, superstition and irrational thinking still plays such a dominant role in the lives of ordinary people. Perhaps that’s the problem; people are quite satisfied to remain ordinary.

About two weeks ago I posted a blog, deploring the South African President’s support for amendments to the law which would give police officers the right to shoot to kill. In that time, an innocent young women has become the unfortunate victim of this insane policy proposal, while two other innocent citizens were injured in the same incident.

Earlier this week, police officers shot at a vehicle suspected of being hijacked, killing the young women and injuring two others who were all passengers in the car. And just to highlight the incompetence of the seven police officers involved, the driver of the car, an Air Force pilot who was the only one to exit when it stopped, was also the only one who was not shot. He later claimed that the police opened fire indiscriminately and without provocation.

Considering the unbelievably stupid shoot-to-kill remarks made by senior police chiefs, politicians and even the President, to (poorly trained) police officers, only two weeks earlier, this incident was bound to happen. Earlier this year, the Deputy Safety and Security Minister, Susan Shabangu was reported as saying: “You must kill the bastards if they threaten you or the community. You must not worry about the regulations. That is my responsibility. Your responsibility is to serve and protect.” If the Deputy Minister does not understand the concept of serving and protecting, what hope is there for ordinary police officers, weaned on serving the former apartheid state against the majority of citizens.

The police officers who were involved in the shooting can claim that it was as a result of the mixed messages that they received from their bosses, but unfortunately (and rightly so) will have to face the full brunt of the law for their actions. As usual, the politicians will literally get away with murder.

But wait; it gets worse. Yesterday the Minister of Police, Nathi Mthethwa not only claimed that the shoot-t0-kill stance was a fabrication by the press, he proclaimed that laws concerning the  police’s right to enter  private premises would be changed, to apparently, wait for it…. save lives. The Minister was quoted as saying:

There is a lot of woman and children abuse and we can’t seek permission from abusers to enter their houses.

If the police cannot competently identify a model of car (as in the shooting incident described earlier), how can we trust them to identify an abuser, and not barge into the wrong house shooting wildly at innocent people?

Are politicians that thick that they do not learn from the mistakes of their idiot peers? The draconian measures instituted by George Bush against the citizens of the USA to curb their constitutional freedoms, in response to the 9/11 disaster is still very much in the periphery of political and social discourse. Can our public representatives not see the danger of a repeat here, or are their objectives more sinister? Are South Africans, with a history of abuse of rights and freedoms, prepared to allow our politicians to drag us back into the past?

Personally, I need the assurance that my home will remain inviolate; free from the clutches of grubby politicians and the threat of invasion by incompetent police officers. Any attempts to diminish our freedoms must be resisted.

The internet was abuzz last week over a video captured of the sky above Moscow, evidently showing a UFO.

Clearly, Unbelievably Freakish Occurrences (UFO’s) do exist, and Unbelievably Fantastic Opportunities (UFO’s) to capture them on film abound. Unfortunately, Amazingly Stupid Sense (ASS) is later made of it by uncritical, perhaps superstitiously inclined people.

Remember the hands of god email that is probably still circulating, which I wrote about in Another Religious Lie That Came Through My EMail? Well, before a screen-shot of this video does the email rounds (cleverly touched up) as either the eye of god, the rectum of Zeus, a Venusian mothership disguised as a cloud, or something equally ridiculous, I’d like to suggest that it’s nothing more than a meteorological phenomena; albeit a visually fantastic one.

Like so many things in life, which elicits awe and demands answers, the tendency to proffer a supernatural solution, creates even more complicated questions. It’s always best to treat everything we don’t understand that well, with skepticism and doubt.