South Africa is in a precarious position. Will we save it? [Picture: AdobeStock]
An American journalist recently visited our country to cover the Womens’ U19 Cricket World Cup. His experience was less than worthwhile, he concluded.
Setting thumb to keyboard, Peter Della Penna vented his utter distaste about the experience to the 11 000 followers on his Facebook page. The message he delivered should leave Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu less than thrilled, but should awaken a deeper conversation amongst South Africans.
The cricket journalist opened the essay by declaring the trip left him able to “fully appreciate why there are dozens of cricketers desperate to leave South Africa … not just for cricket reasons but for personal/family/quality of life reasons”.
After setting the tone by sympathising with those who had left the country, he went on to detail everything that’s going wrong in Johannesburg. He trashed our hospitality industry, slamming it as the “least hospitable in any country I’ve been to around the world”.
He conjured unwanted visuals in my imagination when he said there were “potholes deep enough to bury a body” that “suddenly appear in strange and unusual places”.
My immediate instinct upon reading this was one of bitter distaste. He should stay in America. Or at least see Durban! The last thing I want is for an American to come here and then spew bile all over the image of the city I call home. But, as my editor later pointed out, he merely stated what our patriotism has hidden from us. We’ve been punched, kicked, bruised and cast aside by greedy politicians and we choose to ignore it.
It takes me great pain to admit that none of Penna’s grievances were unfounded (wait for a politician to overreact and send him packing!) But that is the truth. Our country, whether we’d like to admit it or not, is very close to the precipice.
SMread: Law enforcement will take class action against protestors who break the law
There might have been a time when things were working. When the aspirations of a bright future shined bright, but now the only light shining around here comes from candles in tin shanties. In recurring patterns of selfish enrichment, our ‘leaders’ have dragged our country to the verge of nothingness and failure.
“I felt a little intimidated by the ‘security guards’ for sure,” he writes about his card being stolen at an ATM. Who’s going to tell him we feel unsafe within our own homes? That we have to constantly look behind our shoulders when walking in public?
“Don’t be negative!” you shout? But this is the reality! And you know it! The question is: What are we going to do about it? Are we going to continue to allow ourselves to be blindfolded and delusional, still hoping for some abstract dream of a Rainbow Nation or a New Dawn to redeem us?
SMread: Jo’burg bridges on the verge of collapse
When we look at the facts, we are in serious trouble. It’s no more a case of when will there be no lights; it’s when will there be lights? At the time of writing, word came out that 94% of bridges in Johannesburg are possibly on the verge of collapse. Some 600 kilometres away, down by the east coast, Durban’s sewage system is on the verge of collapse (only 10 of the city’s 27 wastewater treatment plants are operational – the rest have already ceased to function).
Are we waiting for one of those bridges to crush cars, taking innocent lives with it? Are we waiting for the day when sewage flows through our streets? (Some say it already does!)
“If you are thinking of going to Johannesburg/South Africa for any reason, think long and hard before making your decision. My recommendation would be… DO NOT GO UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!” he concluded.
That a privileged American cricket commentator has to open our eyes to the everyday woes of our people is nothing short of disappointing. It’s high time we wake up and smell the coffee, or we’ll soon be smelling the smoke rising from the charred remains of our country.
We need to wake up and commit ourselves, not just rhetorically but sincerely, to the betterment of our home. If we don’t take responsibility soon enough, who will?
Vukani Mzansi!
