Dingy Fever

Sorry….. but not on this site. Also it’s correctly called Dengue Fever. Type it in Google above and get the correct medical pages

Crime in South Africa – The True Figures

For reasons of its own our Government refuses to publish true statistics of the level of crime in SA. To speak or complain about crime earns you derogatory labels, ‘like-it-or-lump-it’ dismissals, instructions to leave the country or accusations of being unpatriotic.

A local website has set out to put the record straight and hope by doing so to force our President, Ministers and law enforcement agencies to take real action to stem this evil that is destroying our country’s future.

The founder of the site, Neil Watson, has received death threats, open hostility and the webpage has been hacked into but in the face of this he persists.

I believe he is brave and correct and if we are to stage major international events such as the 2010 Soccer World Cup the Government will realize that it cannot go on ignoring the truth and will have to act now!

Visit the site here and judge for yourselves. I believe most will join the campaign, offer support and spread the word.

Die Trane die rol oor jou Bokke

The news from distant rugby fields is invariably bad these days. The Springboks have recently lost to both the Wallabies and the All Blacks and the future looks bleak.

For three-quarters of a century the Springboks were expected to win and a loss was but a minor setback. That pattern of expectation now seems to have been reversed.

My first awareness of rugby was the Springboks’ tour of the British Isles in the very early 1950’s. It was a long and arduous tour under the captaincy of Basil Kenyon. He, unfortunately, was injured very early in the tour and hardly played. The only coverage of the games was on the wireless. Reception was poor but hearing the crowd singing ‘Land of my Fathers’ at Cardiff Arms Park has stuck in my memory. It stirred me then as a nine year old and is still does today 55 years later watching Six Nations Games on the box.

The Springboks lost only one game on that tour; to London Counties who still have the Springbok head in their pub.

Moving forward a few years I recall waking in the morning to the sounds of my father listening to the rugby commentary from New Zealand. ‘The Springboks are 10-5 down and playing with 14 men (an injury and no subs in those days) and another man is injured and a passenger on the field – but they will WIN!’ he said with a mixture of absolute faith and pride in onse Bokke.

And win they mostly did. Our record against our only real rival at that time – the All Blacks – was decidedly in our favour right up until the early 1990’s. Then came politics, isolation and losing contact with the international game. On our eventual return to the rugby world there was some serious catching up to do and professionalism to be embraced. I think shear determination and pride in the Springbok heritage gave us the 1995 World Cup at Ellis Park. It may have been our pinnacle of success but I also fear it may well be the last great triumph.

There have been good patches since then but belief in our Team has slowly waned. Political inference is still taking its toll as players who can’t make their Provincial team are required by decree to sport the Bok jersey and don’t have to play for their position every game. Rugby is stratified in National, Super 14, Provincial, Club and Schools with no interaction and skills transfer through the layers to ensure a good base and reserve of players. Some young players are head-hunted at Craven Week and SA Schools level and move almost straight into International rugby. The majority of the good players who don’t get the call have to decide whether to leave the game or seek contracts in Europe.

But I have jumped into a personal analysis of the state of play – something I was going to avoid. So let me go back again 50 years or more. At that time only a few people had actually seen the Springboks in action because TV was still in the future. The radio was the only live coverage of the game for most. ‘African Mirror’ newsreel would show a few highlights at the cinema a week or so later but that was in black and white!

Then one of the large stores in town announced that they would have (I think) Aaron ‘Okey’ Geffen’s Springbok jersey on display in their West Street shop window. They announced that it was still in the same condition as at the end of the game. Half of Durban seemed to make the pilgrimage into town on the tram to stand in awe before this holy symbol of sporting pride. There it was with its gold collar, its green body (we had never been sure of the exact shade), leaping Springbok on the breast, mud stains, grass stains and….and could those dark patches possibly be blood? To think that the man had been given the great honour of pulling that over his head and going forth for his country.

A little while ago I saw a guy rummaging through the local rubbish tip wearing someone’s Springbok rugby jersey. Not one of the few worn with pride and to be kept and cherished for the rest of their lives and that of their children…. yea unto the seventh generation…..but one bought at the local Sports Emporium. And yes….for a few rand more you can have your own name put on the back. No…this is wrong for to don the jersey is only for the chosen few. And drawing it on requires an unconditional commitment much like the Ghurkha soldier who must draw blood if he unsheathes his kukri.

Rugby is a game of passion and pride but you also have to pick your best 15 men and play them in position to win. These 15 must prove they are the best every game because if they fail they will be judged, found wanting, and go back to playing the Railway Cops on Kings Park 5 for their Club.

It’s late. I’ve been listening to ‘Anthems’ from the ’95 World Cup followed by Laurika Rauch singing ‘Stuur Groete aan Mannetjies Roux’ and improving my intellect and memory by having a few dops of Klippies and water…..all emotional stuff. But I do feel gutted by our loss of prowess in rugby and many other things.

Finding Inner Peace

Procrastination is a source of anxiety; you must finish what you start.

I’ve tried this method and would like to pass it on because it has worked for me and I have found inner peace.

You just need to finish the things you started!

I looked around this morning to find the things I’d started………so I finished off the Vodka, Allesverloren Port and the Valium……and you have no idea how peaceful I feel!!

Snippets

If life's getting you down take it with a pinch of salt………… a slice of lemon and a large shot of tequila!

As an added bonus remember there’s always pot at the end of the rainbow.

And a cautionary from a recent movie:

‘Remember that the Bank of Fidelity will close your account if they find out you’ve been making deposits elsewhere’

Ways to Combat Crime

Here in SA private security personnel outnumber the police force. They are better equipped and their vehicles always have enough petrol to get them to crime scenes. Now I’m not being flippant here – the official fuzz are often without petrol for numerous reasons.

A local very effective anti-crime company – Combat Security – run by one Norman Reeves was featured on the local TV news last night. His method of dealing with those he catches in the act is to handcuff them to a lamp post in a public street with a sign pinned on them announced things such as ‘I’m a House Breaker – Caught by Combat Security’

Most people interviewed agreed with this approach but Civil Rights groups are up-in-arms. Asked what he thought of their comments Reeves replied ‘….I don’t give a rat’s arse what they think.’

Shades of the stocks in the village square.

In dark hours my emotional crime weary and closet ‘lynch them’ side agrees with this method. My rational self says it’s not right – but very reluctantly.

The FIFA 2010 World Cup – A Red Card for South Africa?

Watching some of the World Cup in Germany on TV makes us realize what a huge event it is. It also brings home with a jolt the organization and infrastructure that lies behind the obvious and the planning that went into it.

No wonder we are hearing more and more comment that South Africa will not be up to the task for the 2010 event.

The latest news is a report that FIFA is putting a contingency plan in place to move the championship to Australia – a country that already has the facilities and transport systems.

Of course Danny Jordaan – the CEO of the local organising committee – has simply dismissed the matter by saying he’s ‘not interested in these stories’

The reasons cited for a possible move to Australia are firstly our disgusting crime rate - our murder and rape figures are the worst in the world. Most families in South Africa have one or two members who have been mugged, shot at, their home broken into, car windows broken at traffic lights for the odd bit of smash and grab or even hijacking. Our police force can’t cope and the more affluent suburbs employ private security firms to patrol their streets and respond to crime incidents. The less well-off resort to kangaroo courts and execution of alleged criminals by stoning or whatever else they can lay their hands on.

The next reason given is our non-existent public transport system. The trains are decrepit, dirty and dangerous from a crime aspect. Bus services run on African time and sticking to the exact route is often the driver’s prerogative as is stopping to pick up passengers. Even Jeremy Cronin, ANC Member and Chairman of the Parliamentary Transport Portfolio Committee, said that ‘we have a substantial crisis around transport mobility and accessibility’. At present you cannot get around a South African city on public transport.

Another area of concern is the lack of good hotel accommodation. The tourist industry is only provided for in Capetown. Durban was once the holiday capital of the country but patterns have shifted because – you’ve guessed it – the beachfront area is too dangerous because of crime. So the hotels have deteriorated and most visitors make use of private ‘Bed & Breakfast’ establishments in the suburbs and accessible only if you have a car because…….that’s right….there is no public transport!

Then lastly there is the provision of the stadiums for the 2010 Soccer World Cup. In the last fortnight Durban has eventually announced the Professional Team for the design and construction of our purpose-made stadium. Other venues are in a similar embryonic stage but with only three and a half years to completion it will be a very close call.

Keep that contingency plan close at hand FIFA!