Beware of omens of Arab Spring on local shores
THERE is a lot going on in South Africa’s theatre of politics currently.
With an impending election in about two years’ time, ghosts will appear to haunt those in pursuit of power but what concerns me greatly is the effect this will have on the citizens of this country.
I reflect on the Arab Spring which, to this day, still affects the countries concerned.
There are many undercurrents swirling with much dissatisfaction
The Zulu language deserves respect
READING Muhammad Omar’s letter, “Ramaphosa has a new anthem for us”, The Mercury, April 26, I liked that the gentleman is trying to write in an African language, while acknowledging that Zulu is not his mother tongue. I felt two minor grammatical mistakes need correction. One: the spelling should be isikhathi, not isikathi as he wrote, and second, when one looks at his English sentence for that line, he should’ve written sekuyisikhathi.
Zulu has been bastardised a lot, especially using fanakalo, and it’s very offensive when one reads it or hears it in that form. The bastardisation makes us Zulu speakers feel like the speaker or the writer doesn’t give a damn.
By the way, I also root for Mr Ramaphosa. PHAKADE MCHUNU
Durban
KZN’s health MEC has lost the plot
AN ARTICLE “KZN Health MEC begs patients not to sue over negligence”, published April 20, 2017 demands a response.
MEC Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo has lost the plot.
Making a plea to medical negligence victims not to sue is the most wretched thing any medical professional can possibly say.
I write this letter as a victim of medical negligence. I had a straightforward tonsillectomy done at a KZN hospital in 2014.
After fully recovering post-op, I realised that I could not taste anything anymore. Even today I am still unable to taste.
The surgeon keeps telling me, “do not worry, your taste will return, give it time” or, depending on his mood, he says to me that I am lying that I cannot taste.
Having approached several leading medical negligence attorneys and advising them that it is not compensation that I wanted, rather a procedure to correct the wrong done during surgery.
The attorneys would not want to take on the case, claiming it has no merit or that the claim compensation would be too little for them considering their legal costs. This is bitterly disappointing. Don’t lawyers have a conscience and compassion besides being money-hungry?
As for approaching leading ear, nose and throat specialist surgeons and academics, they would first request hefty consultation fees which I could not afford.
They would also advise they are not able to assist as my complication is unheard of.
This is a cause for concern as I always believed doctors took an oath to help people, where remuneration was secondary.
I also thought that in medical science anything was possible as every day you read stories about medical breakthroughs such as three-dimensional skin printing.
The MEC has insulted me and all other victims, our families and any patients who receives treatment from KZN Health institutions. KZN HEALTH VICTIM
Chatsworth on many issues – each with the potential to erupt into anarchical and destructive situations.
If we are to be frank, then the racial divide in South Africa is deepening rather than mending, where political parties jostle for position, using race in many instances to influence mindsets.
My fear, and I suspect that of many others, is that, like with any discontent the world over, it will spill on to the streets sooner rather
Buthelezi hit the nail right on the head
THE present political environment has once again proved that this country needs leaders of integrity like iNkosi Mangosuthu Buthelezi more than before.
He has warned this country so many times not to make empty promises and the ANC through President Jacob Zuma ignored his warnings. He talked about the importance of serving the country.
Each time President Zuma addressed the nation through his parliamentary speeches , he said, “We have a good story to tell”. Is the high rate of unemployment a good story to tell? Is the unimaginable level of crime a good story to tell? Are the levels of corruption in government circles a good story to tell?
This country needs leaders who are honest and principled and who will never forget that they are there to serve instead of searching for opportunities that will benefit them and their families.
We do not need people who lie and say they serve the masses while they put themselves first at the expense of the poorest of the poor. History will prove Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi right because he stands on principles when others become political weathercocks instead of facing the political challenges. NONTSIKELELO XHASA
Durban than later. We are hurtling down a road strewn with possibilities of destruction.
Call it pessimistic but my concerns are aggravated by the fact that we are being throttled by politicians whose sense of altruism is deserting them.
Readers, I am certain, are people who intelligibly decipher situations and then act on them, making what is generally termed as informed decisions.
Taxi drivers, chicken farms are real crises
SO clearly numerous taxi drivers out there, and most likely more to follow, do not understand the physics of driving a heavy load of passengers, combined with speed and possibly poor vehicle condition. How many more children, parents and teachers must be traumatised and killed for this to be a crisis?
Yes, the problem is huge and complex to sort out, but surely steps need to be initialised to regulate taxis and drivers who transport children. Ministers, please help prevent these horrors.
And now referring to the article “City to buy Rainbow chicken farms”! Rainbow chickens had to shut down due to cheap chicken imports and now our “clever” city wants to buy the farms and start chicken farming? Isn’t this just a recipe for failure? MICHELLE VAN BREEMEN
La Lucia
Chicken venture a hare-brained plan
ONCE I started reading your front page story on the eThekwini Council buying two chicken farms I immediately checked the date on the masthead only to discover it was NOT April 1.
As a ratepayer/electricity con-
It is therefore incumbent on each one of us to use our sense of reason and good sensibilities to influence those whose ideologies may not be in the interests of the country.
There will come a time, as many portents indicate, that we will be confronted with civil disobedience on a scale unimaginable – where life and limb will be of no concern and where forces of destruction will rule.
We have it in our power to prevent sumer I strongly object to my money being used to bail out troubled businesses. The council has proved many many times that it cannot run a drunken party in a brewery, so what makes it think it can run a business?
Five months after I was informed that my business light account would close on December 2, 2016, I am still awaiting final resolution and unable to get any response from the relevant departments.Try getting the mast lights in and around Durban fixed.
We all know how political business decisions overrule practicality, ethics, profitability and common sense, so why would this harebrained scheme be any different?
If RCL foods could not make it work with all its experience, what makes the City Council think it can do it?
This is another example of having the wrong people run our city. TONY BALL
Pinetown
New approach to road safety needed
ROAD safety campaigns just don’t work. The public has become immune to them.
A new approach is needed to combat the arrogant bullying tactics by a huge number of drivers.
Provincial law enforcement offi- a mirror image of the Arab Spring, but only if we are willing to stand up and be counted where and when it matters.
I cannot stress enough that any lip service to simmering discontent must be managed in the most delicate yet firm manner so that we are all protected from disaster.
We all have that patriotic obligation and must discharge it dutifully. NARENDH GANESH
Durban North cers should be on the road looking for moving violations – not hard to find. Why is it one gets the impression that the minimum speed on the N3 is 120? Driving between Hillcrest and Pietermaritzburg at night, it is common to see at least four vehicles with faulty lights.
It’s too easy to put up roadblocks on bank holiday weekends, checking licences and tyres, which results in huge overtime payouts. We need constant patrolling day and night.
The courts must back up the road authorities with heavy sentencing. J EVANS Hillcrest
Teachers’ choir in need of more men
THE CHOIR of the Retired Teachers’ Association and Friends needs more male singers, aged 50 to 90. As a result of appeals in the media, our women’s section is now almost full and has a great sound.
We meet every Tuesday from 2 to 4pm at a central Durban Berea venue, and perform quarterly at various senior citizens’ homes, usually on a Wednesday from 9-11am. We sing “golden oldies” and inspirational songs. For more information, please contact me on 031 5723077 or voicepi@mweb.co.za. PATRICK COYNE
Glenashley