Imagine a Saudi doing a Zulu dance

impromptu striptease for his edification – in public).

We could tell the foreigners, as soon as they land, to prance about bare breasted like Swazi or Zulu maidens at a reed dance ceremony.

But the Saudis can afford to be arrogant: they are filthy rich. In this nation of 30 million people, 10 million of them are foreigners, most of whom are here to work.

The average Saudi won’t be seen dead performing some duties that are below his status – duties such as being a nurse or a teacher. As a result, South Africa exports thousands of teachers and nurses to this country.

Filipinos, Bangladeshis, Indonesians and other nationalities work as clerks and cleaners at hotels. They drive cabs, they cook at restaurants and do many other things that Saudis will not do.

On a more serious note, however, what has impressed me about the Saudis is that, despite their money-inspired arrogance, they have not completely lost touch with reality. Because they know that oil will not last forever, they are encouraging their young ones to study as much as they can.

Every year they send 200 000 young Saudis to study overseas the US, Canada, Europe, even South Africa – to be trained in areas ranging from medicine to engineering.

To provide further incentive for the rich, spoilt brats to go to university locally, the government gives each university student a monthly allowance of $300 (R3 600). Varsity education is free.

How I wish the likes of Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria and Angola – who also boast a lot of oil – could find it in their hearts to channel the riches towards educating their citizens rather than enriching the ruling families and their close friends.

How I wish those in Nkandla were reading this. Maybe it would fire their imagination and help them lead the campaign towards the rearrangement of our priorities. How I wish…

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