Sunday odds and sods

The Sunday Tribune (August 10, 2008) today reports that there have been calls from the ANC Youth League for the suburb of Amanzimtoti to be renamed after Andrew Zondo who set a bomb in a shopping centre there. The bomb killed five people, including two women and three children, but the ANC went ahead with its plans to rename Kingsway in Amanzimtoti after him in spite of widespread objection from many quarters, including Zondo's own father.

Now the grinning idiots want to rename the whole suburb after him. The odd thing is that the present name, which means sweet water in Zulu, is not a colonial one. Legend has it that it was given the name by King Shaka himself, when he stopped off at the river with his impis.

Very bad things were done in the name of apartheid but, and this is a very big but, the majority of whites, including myself, voted to end the system as soon as we were given the opportunity to do so. Villains must be punished and heroes praised but the lack of sensitivity shown by our new rulers is way over the top. They are frightening off the very people who were inclined to support them, and the bad news for the ANC is that the people who are currently leaving the country in droves, are the ones who have the knowledge of how to make things work.

The Eskom debacle, where there are not enough trained people to maintain the power grid, is one example. News of another example in the SA Air Force broke recently when it was revealed that the force had lost 91 pilots and 822 technicians since 2005. The Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota put the situation down to the fact that "White members have a perception that there are limited career opportunities within the organisation." Another story reported that we have only 20 fighter pilots. That's not the major problem it sounds however, because we apparently haven't got any fighter aircraft, until the back-ordered Grippens arrive.

Come on guys! Your insensitive and confrontational approach is losing you support hand over fist. By all means rename public buildings and highways and new streets; you will get little argument there. When you rename a street or or suburb without any regard to the feelings of the people actually living there, you are cutting off your own noses to spite your faces. If a majority of Amazimtoti residents want to call it Zondoville, then by all means go ahead. Otherwise, leave well alone.

** The paper also reports that the Olympics has cost China an estimated R300-billion. Durban hasn't got that kind of money now and I'm guessing it still won't in 2020.

On a more cheerful note:

(c) 2008 Allan Jackson

Here's me being a bit arty. A view under the pier on the Ushaka Marine World beach taken with a long exposure and sepiarised (if there is such a thing) on computer.

The Olympics and other tit bits..

Yesterday's Mercury (August 7, 2008) had a front page story on Durban's Olympic bid having received a boost. This is all to do with the fact that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has chosen the city to hold their 2011 congress where, among other things, they will be announcing the host city for the 2018 Winter Olympics. Having the conference here is going to be good for the city but I'm not sure how is that going to boost our own Olympic hopes. In fact, it might even be bad for them because the delegates are going to get a first-hand look at the litter and mess, a fire department that's critically understaffed, traffic lights that don't work, and a public transport system still being run by a company that's proved that it can do no such thing. I can just imagine the delegates all making mental notes to vote for the city for 2020.

** Brigid Oppenheimer was robbed at knifepoint in her Umhlanga House last Wednesday night. but was fortunately unhurt. Somone should collect the stories about her. I remember one that circulated long ago where the manager of a Mayville supermarket received a suspiciously large phone order for delivery from an unknown woman. He was then unwise enough to ask who she thought she was; "You're Mrs Oppenheimer, I suppose"?

** An aggrieved veteran yachtsman was reported as saying that stinky sludge had been pouring into the bay, at Lavender Creek near the yacht clubs, for five days and that nothing had yet been done. I'm surprised that it was only for five days.

** Gino Leopardi, owner of the revolving restaurant on top of John Ross House, said that the restaurant may not be sold after all. It went on auction recently but no offers above the reserve price of R7-million had been received. Great restaurant but finding your seat after going to the toilet does get a bit difficult after a couple of beers.

City council mouthpiece Ezasegagasini Metro (EM), which accompanied the Friday issue of the Mercury, reported that residents of the Metro area have not cut their electricity consumption by the required 10%. A new load-shedding schedule was published in the paper which will be implemented in the event that Eskom requires the municipality to do so. The loadshedding will only effect residential areas and some industrial areas fed from residential areas.

EM also reported that the demolition of the Ocean Sports Centre is to go ahead after it was agreed at a council meeting. I say agreed but, according to opposition parties, the decision was procedurally flawed because a full 24 hours notice had not been given of the emergency executive committee at which it was taken. Why did they need an emergency meeting anyway?

Harbour mouth widening

Photo (C) 2008 Allan Jackson

We were down at the beach in front of Ushaka Marine World before dawn the other day and even then, work on widening the harbour mouth was going on apace.

Public transport lane

I have referred to our new public transport lane in this blog before. I recently had a week of going in to town just before morning rush hour and it was pretty deserted. The mini-bus taxis were mostly using the other lanes.

Artist’s impression of the Public Transport Lane.

Wearing my hat as editor of KZN Industrial & Business News, I received the picture above in a press release. It seems as if the red colour of the asphalt was achieved with an imported colourless synthetic binder and locally-produced iron oxide.

Snake Park

Went down to the beach on Saturday to take a look at where the Snake Park used to be. X marks the spot; click the picture to view a larger version. See the beachfront fence in good condition, as mentioned elsewhere on this blog. What do the tourists think when they see things like this?