Games are a slap in face for the poor

NOW that Durban has been chosen as the Commonwealth Games host for 2022, one would imagine the effort, passion, dedication and zest that must have been behind making sure that the city won the bidding.

We did so with 2010, pooling all our monetary resources and human capital because visitors were coming.

Often when such events are announced it is predicted that it will inject millions, if not billions, into pockets of ordinary South Africans as if those billions will fall from the sky – truth is the poor hoi polloi do not benefit at all fromthese events.

The classic case was 2010 – a case of daylight robbery. The 2010 event benefited Fifa through its greedy, restricting commercial policies, but guess what we were told. That we would all benefit, and the evidence is there for all to see that our people are still poor day by day. Actually we were robbed.

It’s laughable that the city wants to host the Commonwealth Games when ordinary community lobby organisations like Abahlali baseMjondolo (Shack Dwellers) for more than 20 years have been fighting endless battles to have proper housing – corrupt officials are benefiting in corrupt tender systems day by day. Why can’t we have the same passion, dedication and zest to give them housing?

With elections coming we would be told that all shall be fine and we should vote for a better life for all – hence it is a better life for some. I wish for a day when the poor would rebel against the rich and middle class, especially the political mandarins, to demand accountability for their promises made.

The Commonwealth Games are a slap in the face of the poor. MUNTONEZWI KHANYILE

Johannesburg

Aggressive road law enforcement needed

THEarticle “Driver, 17, ploughs into site workers,” The Mercury, Monday, August 31, refers.

The carnage on our roads continues unabated.

The spate of accidents referred to in the article, with both critical injuries and fatalities, are indeed a sad reality of daily life for all commuters in our country.

In cases where accidents are a result of unlicensed or reckless drivers the full extent of the law must be applied.

President Jacob Zuma’s call for caution and strict adherence to the rules by road users after the tragic death of 30 people in the Eastern Cape must be heeded. The relevant law enforcement and road traffic authorities need not only to start an aggressive and visible campaign of road traffic law enforcement in our country, but to maintain this as an ongoing culture in our society.

MEDIA DESK Darul Ihsan Centre

Do reed dance maidens have a say?

WHY does it take a tragic crash of three trucks and up to 65 young women for us to start questioning the Swazi reed dance festival?

Oh sure, the Swazi police may claim only 13 maidens died and the rest are in hospital recovering, but what kind of king could assume that 13 deaths is not enough to cancel his annual bride selecting festival?

What say do the young maidens have in going to the festival and maybe not wanting to marry the Swazi king if they do not fall madly in love with him?

Is this form of tradition and culture not incompatible with any modern, equality-based society?

Why is our local polygamy only reserved for male traditional leaders and royalty? If Oscar cannot be paroled for our Women’s/Reed Dances Month (I agree with this, but for other reasons) why even consider allowing this festival of forced marriage on the last day of August? ROBERT NICOLAI

Howick

Spurring on change in horse racing

THE article by your racing scribe Richard McMillan in The Mercury (September 2) makes interesting reading.

No matter how good ‘Striker’ is, the fact that he didn’t ride out his mount is indefensible. Punters have lost out.

As your article reflects, punters are the lifeblood of the industry. Also, trainers at pre-race interviews saying that they are giving the horse a “run”; this is not fair at all – give the horse a run at the training centre, not on the racecourse.

If you have entered a horse in a race then it must be ready to compete.

Think of all the R6 punters who buy the newspaper and study this guide: what chance do they have if they don’t know that a trainer is giving his horse a “run” in that race?

The R6 punter contributes heavily to the pools. Time to shake up the game! PATRICK P

Westville

MK vets are holding the city to ransom

THE article “City caves in to MK demands” (The Mercury, September 1) refers.

Once again in this benighted country we are being held to ransom and blackmail pure and simple by the Umkhonto we Sizwe military veterans gang.

The fact that our ANC-led council is buckling under these demands and even considering their implementation should make us all very afraid.

What is happening to this country, when a militant group like this can threaten service provision?

But the unpalatable truth is that thuggery and the law of the jungle in this country has become the order of the day, whether it is in schools, varsities, strike action or service-provision demonstrations.

We are becoming a country of lawless barbarians, and if the city bows to this pressure from MK vets regarding jobs, tenders, housing, health and all their other insatiable demands, we are on a very slippery slope.

Just who the hell do they think they are? The struggle has been over for 21 years.

It is disgraceful and ridiculous, but the culture of entitlement from so many quarters is alive and well and drowning South Africa and must be rejected out of hand.

The DA provincial leader is right when he states that it is dangerous.

And as another MF councillor states, it amounts to nothing more than job reservation. If the veterans are about to disrupt major development projects and services and will continue until they get their way, the city is being held to ransom with a gun to its head.

Should the lily-livered ANC majority in the council headed by Mr S’bu Sithole bulldoze all opposition into adopting this disgraceful blackmail, we are indeed heading for anarchy and disaster. M MITCHELL

Westville

He remembered his basic training

I CANNOT agree with Peter Hill’s letter (The Mercury, September 2) regarding the MK veterans.

It should never be forgotten that these heroes of the struggle were prepared to give their all when they manned the front-line trenches in Zambia and Tanzania. They deserve reward for this.

Another veteran is being sought for killing his wife with a hand grenade. He is only showing that he has not forgotten his basic MK training – throw a grenade and while the enemy is momentarily stunned, run.

BRIAN P KENNEDY Durban