As we head closer to the furnace of the elections, the country is burning with protest action, even Boksburg North.
The empty promises continue and the games intensify. President Ramaphosa promises one million houses in Alexandra, yet the government cannot even sort out the woes of Eskom. It is a laugh a minute.
By the way, if you understand the timeline of Eskom correctly, the government was its own worst enemy, creating this deepening crisis that could send SA’s economy spiralling completely out of control.
Internationally, while one billion people watched the first episode of Game of Thrones Season Eight, many also watched in shock and horror as the famous Notre-Dame de Paris (Our Lady of Paris) Catholic Cathedral was destroyed by a fire.
For interest sake, construction of the cathedral began in 1160 under Bishop Maurice de Sully and the work was largely complete by 1260, though it was modified frequently in the following centuries.
In the 1790s, Notre-Dame suffered desecration during the French Revolution when much of its religious imagery was damaged or destroyed. In 1804, the cathedral was the site of the coronation of Napoleon I as emperor of France.
Popular interest in the cathedral blossomed soon after the publication in 1831 of Victor Hugo’s novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. This led to a major restoration project between 1844 and 1864.
The cathedral is one of the most widely recognised symbols of the city of Paris and the French nation. It is no wonder that funds in the millions are already pouring in to rebuild the cathedral.
In the wake of the tragedy, one has to ponder what symbols do we really cherish in this country and what would leave us in shock and horror if it were destroyed?
America was left reeling when the Twin Towers were destroyed, but destruction in all forms and manners is our way of life. In South Africa, lives and property are destroyed daily without even a second thought.
Even the hunchback has gained positive notoriety for ringing the bell in the cathedral, yet South Africa is only notorious for the need to lock yourself in your car or your home and to lock your mind in a safe zone lest the madness grabs you.
Compared to France, which is steeped in rich history, our history tragically chops and changes as tradition and culture remain in the firing line as part of the political games.
Are we even proud to be South African anymore?
Just as the flames destroyed the cathedral, we are left to watch as the flames of hate, intolerance and bitterness continue to ravish our country.
Prospects in the south of Africa don’t look good. This is the sad truth.
At times you think the only hope is when Africa does eventually split in two or if some rotten apples who spoil this beautiful nation for us all are sucked into the recently photographed black hole.
For those who have not heard it yet, a large crack, stretching several kilometres, made a sudden appearance recently in south-western Kenya.
It is reckoned it is all part of the shifting of tectonic plates. All of this is happening in the East African Rift system, which stretches over 3 000km from the Gulf of Aden in the north towards Zimbabwe in the south, splitting the African plate into two unequal parts: the Somali and Nubian plates.
Splitting a continent in two is quite common. Africa and South America, after all, were once one land mass, eventually split apart by the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. So now there are talks that over millions of years, the eastern edge of Africa will begin to be separated from the rest of Africa by a small and shallow sea.
As rifting continues, the earth will exhibit a large island in the Indian Ocean. This island will likely consist of parts of Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya and Tanzania.
And I’m sure by then many South Africans will wish to go live on that island. Unfortunately, this will not happen soon and the black hole is too far away, so we are stuck with our shifting political tides that continue to cause massive negative rifts in our economy.
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