politics of the day

so it' post august 9,and the nostalgia, and memories it evoked faded into the work day,thabo mbeki spent his day saluting the unsung heroes of the struggle, and urged men to join the fight against gender oppression, emphasising that "the struggle to emancipate,empower and liberate our women cannot be complete without the meaningful participation of our men".

political platitudes, as i have lamented before, on this blog,...10 years into liberation,and i so often believe that the government have not been strong enough in, instituting the changes to transform the inequalities prevalent in south african society. yes, we have as women attained position in government, yes we are ceo's,md's etc,etc.more often than not, like black empowerment, the women's positions in government smacks of tokenism.our government has had to admit that black empowerment has failed, it has made multi billionaires of a handful of people in the right place at the right time, and the have not's still have not. the result: protests, for housing delivery,jobs,health provisions all those things that are a daily necessity. and mr. mbeki asks people to have patience, it will happen, he says,but not sooner than it took to make billionaires of a few.

the firing of the female deputy minister of health,(nozizwe madlala-routledge) made headlines today, her crime,a non government sanctioned trip to an aids conference in Spain.the opposition parties are having a field day with this one, it's curious though, the deputy president went to Dubai, accompanied by family and friends, all paid for by the state, she didn't get fired, her excuse, she was there to see cranes, (not the bird, the construction machine)we have a well developed construction industry, manufacture cranes in south africa, but she never got fired, political licence,...or just the fact that pumzile ngcuka, is jacob zuma's replacement, and the female version of the political yes man.

curiously enough, those that are getting fired, for abusing government privilege or having been found with their hands in government coffers are usually those that are not linked to the power structures loyal to the presidency, shades of early development of a dictatorship perhaps, ...(hopefully our well thought out constitution, will protect us from deteriorating into a banana republic.)

i am not really a pessimist, i have great hope for this country to develop into a true vision of democracy, our grandparents and parents and countless others have struggled to win this democracy, and there are enough of us still able to continue that vision and ensure, that those we put into power,remain cognizant of the history that has gone before, that we may never repeat the mistakes of the past.

the other topic of interest in the news, was the building of a reservoir,in johannesburg which will put the lives of a pair of black eagles and their chick in danger,...the price of progress i believe is to high., this reservoir is to provide water for a townhouse development and a new casino, ya that's right,another casino to add to the hundreds already in place since gambling was legalised, and yet another secure townhouse complex we really don't need. in the meanwhile, a conservation area with the only breeding eagles in the area is to be destroyed,...other wildlife indigenous to the area will disappear, and the only winners here will be the construction company, developers,and the government officials in the department of agriculture and conservation that are getting a fat paycheck once the development goes through.

in years to come, development in the wrong places to make the rich even richer, will deprive our children of the wonders of our natural resources, eagles,duikers,lions,rhebuk,rabbits,caracal...all manner of wildlife indigenous to the area will be drowned by ugly townhouses and golf courses. zoos,and television will be where they live,...this is a sad indictment of democracy, if this is what it means to progress.conservation groups have have protested this development, yet the local council has given the go ahead,this, is where where national government should step in, neither the casino,nor the townhouse complex are necessary for our survival, they are not providing for those who are in need.

rather the casino, will create more poverty, by taking bread from the hungry, and wealthy suburbanites will occupy the secure complex, in the meanwhile we will kill the natural breading grounds of the black eagle family,and the wildlife that inhabit the nature reserve,what will be the point of the nature trails then.who will be helped by this ridiculous development?

mr mbeki, instead of firing ministers for unauthorised trips, save our heritage, the natural conservation areas, that make Africa, a sort after travel destination, perhaps if money flows in from that, someone somewhere, will decide against the building of another hideous housing development, who's benefits are limited at best.