Utilise all that unused land
Iwent to Alice the other day from King William’s Town, via Dimbaza. There is as much unused land on the way to Alice as there is sky.
So, I ask the question. Who “owns” this land? Tribal chiefs? Desperate looking villages dot the landscape, along with the resultant poverty of people living a life not dissimilar to that under feudalism.
If government were to expropriate all this land without “compensation”, (to whom?) and each household be given a farmable portion of the land, along with title deeds, those households would have collateral.
Borrowing against that collateral, with a structured business plan, one could envisage mentoring, and a flow of foreign capital into our banks, creating upliftment for the rural “serfs”, and a vibrant rural co-operative economy.
Under the present parley between the ANC and EFF, these people are certain to be discounted.
Taking well-structured, working white farms is hardly going to benefit those under the boot of our “Democratic Feudalism”. No. That will be re served for the elite who have already decimated this country’s fiscus and international status.
President Cyril Ramaphosa tells us it will all be all sugar and spice, while the shenanigans within his party are out of his control.
“Leave the keys in your tractor”, was a recent comment from our Juju, which says it all!
– Rob Prestwich, via e-mail
Keep EC jazz going
As we send jazz maestro and saxophonist Tally Goduka to the land of the departed, this weekend, let it be known that another musical freedom fighter has gone off stage. What will be left behind for us to remember will be his sound and his horn.
Jazz cannot die as this pillar withers to sprout in the heavenly big band. Hugh Masekela, Aubrey Simani, Tembelani Batala, Alcott Gwentshe and many other departed musicians will be waiting to welcome him. But, as the old showbiz adage goes: raining or no rain, the show must go on in our province and the country.
In memory of Tally, now is the time to put a face to a task. Claude Gawe, Lulama Gaulana, Bushy Dubazana, Sisa Gqola and Andile Yenana, do not let the spirit of Tally Goduka die as if he never lived amongst us. Take the jazz legacy forward in our province.
– Mziwonke Qwesha, King William’s
Town
Post Office a failure
The Post Office is failing us dismally. One pays for the service but unfortunately you have to pay a little more so that you can ensure your mail gets to its destination.
My sister-in-law posted a large envelope from Durban on 25 November, 2017. She continued to ask me if I had received the envelope until we assumed it was missing in action.
On 8 July, 2018 I received a notification in my post box that I needed to collect an item that was too large for delivery.
I showed the lady at the counter the slip and after checking the shelves she said the item wasn’t there and besides that the number was one used in 2017 and inquired if this item had already been collected.
Lo and behold, the missing envelope appeared, having taken seven months to get from Durban to East London.
I sent a one-page note to Durban and it took six weeks to get there.
I am worried when and if I should send Christmas cards overseas.
I think it would be safer to send mail with friends to take over and post for me over there.
– GH Gerber, East London
More time needed
Despite repeatedly asking Michael Saragee, the client manager operations at East London Airport, as well as staff from Acsa to advise me if they personally had entered the airport and tried to find a place to stop and drop off or collect a car full of passengers, join the queue of cars exiting the airport and get out in under five minutes, I have yet to receive an answer.
The only response I received was to say anyone requiring more than five minutes can contact the airport to arrange this, either by phoning or coming to the office!
So perhaps everyone going to the airport should take up Mr Saragee’s kind invitation to contact him for additional time.
– Name supplied, via e-mail
So perhaps everyone going to the airport should take up Mr Saragee’s kind invitation to contact him for additional time