2020 started with a bang

LET’S get the formalities over. Compliments of the season to you all. I hope you enjoyed the break and time spent with family and loved ones. Those that are still lucky enough to be on holiday, enjoy, but please come back safely.

With that out of the way, let’s get straight into the new year.

A lot has been happening around us. The news continued – some good, but mostly bad.

Take for example Sunday (yesterday). Wam bam, Happy New Year from Eskom. At least they let us enjoy Christmas and see in the new decade.

Then we had the tragedies of the people killed on our Province’s roads. I feel for the families who lost loved ones just two days after Christmas and for those subsequent to that. I can also imagine what those motorists were feeling when they saw the driver of the white Mercedes-benz swerving across the road and they could do absolutely nothing. They must of known his fate.

Even with these incidents, they told us just before the end of the year that the road death toll on our Province’s roads had declined from 29 to 16. We will have wait for the final figures and hope and pray they remain low.

The two big end of the year hoo haas must be the fireworks and the (not) extended liquor trading hours.

A whole lot of people were up in arms because of the trading hours – especially the ANC in the Northern Cape. But it is what it is. There can be no misinterpretation from the words in the Government Gazette. “It is in the public interest, hereby declare, for the duration of the National Celebrations in Kimberley, during the period 9 January 2020 to 11 January 2020 and only within the jurisdiction of the Sol Plaatje Local Municipality, that the holder of a Liquor license contemplated in section17(1) of the Act may sell liquor on the licensed premises between 00.00 and 24:00.” (sic)

In essence, nothing wrong with that. Liquor will be freely available for 48 hours non stop. But, as humans are, there was a lot read into it. I’m not going to reopen that can of worms.

But the ANC Women’s League stepped in and put an end to the whole kibosh.

There has also been mixed reaction on the whole ANC celebrations being held in Kimberley. Some residents are questioning why Cyril and his merry men are going to a stadium in an area with better service delivery than the townships. “He needs to come and see the REAL side of the city where we are either hostages in our own homes or we can’t even get to our homes as a result of sewerage.”

Others are saying the money spent on the celebrations could be used to improve service delivery. While others are welcoming the economic boost for the city but are also wondering whether any of this will filter down to the poorest of the poor.

We will just have to wait and see what happens.

What is it with Kimberley residents and fireworks? When it was put out there that anybody selling or discharging fireworks would face hefty fines, it was as if the world had come to an end. “Now they have spoilt the New Year for us.” “Why don’t they rather go after the real criminals?” These were just some of the comments that were posted on social media after the announcement.

Are you serious? Obviously these people must be thinking they are the only living, breathing souls on this earth. If that was the case, then I say sure, go ahead. But you are not. How many animals lost their lives as a result of the fireworks? How many animals are roaming the streets disorientated? Is this not a real crime?

I have to say the cops did a very poor job policing this as fireworks continued well into the early hours of the new year.

Let’s hope that despite the new year not starting so great, it will only get better.