Government is testing the waters with lives

My wife is a fan of reality TV and as part of her substantive playlist, she is currently watching Young, Famous & African.

This popular Netflix show follows the lives of famous and affluent African celebrities from countries such as Tanzania, Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa.

What caught my attention as I was sucked into one of the episodes’ dramatic feuding scenes was when Quinton Masina (better known to his fans as The Naked DJ) used a term I have never heard of.

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He was in Cape Town with his girlfriend, Kayleigh Schwark, and he proceeded to ask her to marry him, without a ring. He later clarified to her that it was a “trailer proposal”, where the “proposer” tests if the “proposee” will say yes.

Call me old-fashioned, but this has to be a millennial thing, of testing the waters. Surely, you are meant to fully commit from the get-go, complete with ring-in hand and hoping for the best? Clearly not these days, as there is a different way of doing things.

And by the way, should the answer be a “yes” for the trailer proposal, what is your status? Does Facebook even have a “trailer engaged” status?

It seems as if the department of water and sanitation is taking the same trailer proposal approach in Tshwane, as it figuratively and literally tests the waters. Unfortunately, more than 15 people have died, as the department continues to be indecisive amidst a crisis.

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The department has been involved in a toxic relationship with the residents of Hammanskraal for years, while the neighbourhood members have been pleading for counselling for just as long, as the quality of the water from the Temba water purification plant has not been up to standard.

People’s lives are never a wedding rehearsal nor is it a trailer proposal, as death is the real deal. None of the surviving family members will be ever be able to be with their loved ones, all because the department failed to ensure that the water in Hammanskraal is fit for human consumption.

Imagine if your partner pulls a trailer proposal, for anything? Surely this is a terrible idea as you will probably be left thinking that they are not committed to you.

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As humans, we are hard-wired to be loyal to those who are blindly loyal to us– and not to those who are still figuring things out.