Nonsensical is perhaps the most appropriate word to use to describe our government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
For the first time in more than three months, restaurants are now allowed to open for sit-down meals. But (!!) wait for it… they cannot serve alcohol with these meals.
I am not sure whether to laugh hysterically or to weep.
They can sell alcohol as a takeaway, however.
Now isn’t that dodge?
I can eat my steak and chips with water and take my gin as a takeaway?
I suppose I could sip it from a disposable cup . . . on my drive home?
Could someone more intelligent then I explain this to me because I clearly missed something.
This might be a good time to start selling hip flasks.
Never mind sneaking chocolate into cinemas (which incidentally are still waiting for government to decide how best to make reopening as tiresome as possible) we are going to have to sneak Chardonnay and Merlot into restaurants.
It’s like being trapped in an episode of Looney Toons that never ends.
A great many restaurants have decided not to open because their business won’t be feasible, says the Restaurant Association of SA.
It is demanding the minister of trade and industry lift the alcohol ban by Sunday.
In Ballito we have at least 40, maybe more, restaurants, bars and takeaway joints.
If every one of those only hire 10 people, who each have 4 people depending on them, the knock on effect is 1600 people directly effected.
To add insult to injury the medicine is delivered with a spoonful of ‘it’s for the greater good’ so suck it up!
We’ve already heard that Grandstand Pub has closed.
A great many people will miss their regular karaoke nights.
I hope there will not be any more casualties but the numbers are not adding up for many people.
Comedy and politics have become so intertwined its often confusing as to who are the politicians and who are the comedians.
Still, I consider government’s current brand of comedy rather dark and the joke is going to be on all of us.
I wonder how long society will tolerate the government’s callous handling of our affairs?
Obviously the taxi bosses have had enough and are giving government the middle finger.
***
To revisit last week’s article on the use of Alexia’s drawing, in which we corrected the original caption that contained a reference to concerns by psychologists, the article should have contained an apology.
As the editor I sincerely apologise for our mistake.
The correct context of the drawing should have been provided. I take full responsibility for the error.
***
While the world has been going mad on every corner, filmmaker comedian Leon Schuster suddenly found himself in the hot seat with the #blacklivesmatter campaign for his use of blackface in films.
Showmax has removed Leon’s films while they review them for any racially insensitive material.
Not being black, I am not qualified to say whether Schuster’s blackface was offensive.
But despite the obvious concerns about blackface a great many black South Africans have stood up for Schuster.
I think it’s because he was not afraid to expose intolerance and racism at the time when South Africa’s democracy was so young.
In one of his earlier skits he built a shack on a golf course in Windgate Park and presented himself (fully disguised as a black man) as the new tenant of the 9th hole.
Black, white and every shade inbetween, we howled with laughter as Schuster got right up the nose of the wealthy white golfers shouting “It’s my ground, it’s my ground, my ancestors are buried under that tree!”Most of his victims got so mad they almost assaulted him (some did) but when he revealed his true identity, all animosity dissolved.
That was the magic of Schuster. He made fun of every race group, without apology and he got away with it.
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