The North West merry-go-round
Hesitancy is this week’s theme: from white men who don’t want a jab, to Bushy Maape, who doesn’t seem all that keen on his new job
Thursday. Like many of my fellow South Africans, I’m not surprised to discover that white men are the most vaccine hesitant of our Republic’s vaccine hesitators — or whatever such humans are called — and, as such, a large contributor to the nation’s current woes.
After all, white men have been the cause of the majority of South Africa’s problems since 1652.
Why would that change now, just because we’re in the middle of what has the potential to be the most deadly pandemic in human history ? It’s stupid though.
Something of a waste of privilege. And data.
The same cats who were playing Grensvegter this time a month ago — all 9mms, golf clubs and camouflage cargo pants, while bemoaning the inability of the incompetent state to protect them, and their local Tops — are refusing to take a vaccine which will increase their chances of staying alive on the grounds that the same incompetent government is part of a complex international conspiracy to track their movements to Outdoor Warehouse or Virgin Active.
It’s silly.
Puerile.
Why would Bill Gates — or Cyril Ramaphosa — even need to inject white South African males with some
666 tracking microchip what-what, when they’re constantly complaining online — or spreading some anti-vaxx nonsense — using devices loaded with software manufactured by guess who?
Dumb.
I’m still not vaccinated.
Not because I don’t want to take the needle.
I registered the week the EVDS was announced.
Turned up on time for my first appointment.
Got bounced because I was too young.
The centre was closed on my second attempt, on a Saturday.
The following Monday the Showerheads had their smallernyana insurrection and they stayed closed.
By the time the centres opened again, I had the flu.
Murphy is an evil bastard. Hopefully, I’ll get it done this weekend — now my lungs have cleared and the centres are running seven days a week.
Hopefully.
Like many of my fellow South Africans, I’m wondering how long the new premier of North West, Bushy Maape, will last in the post.
That is, if the current premier, Job Mokgoro, does actually toe the party line for once and resigns from the job, like he was instructed to do this week by the interim provincial committee — the IPC — which, we are told, runs the African National Congress — the ANC — in the North West.
The IPC was appointed to replace the provincial task team — or PTT — which itself was appointed to replace the provincial executive committee — the PEC — which was dissolved by the national executive committee — the NEC — because it was elected unlawfully.
Unity, comrades.
Mokgoro, like most of the supporters of former premier Supra Mahumapelo in North West, doesn’t recognise the IPC, which consists of members of Mahumapelo’s faction, as well the faction supporting president Cyril Ramaphosa.
As a result, Makgoro has bucked most of the IPC’S decisions since he was appointed, including voting with the Democratic Alliance against the ANC’S choice for chair of chairs in the North West legislature chair of chairs. So, my money is on it taking some time for Maape to get the keys to the premier’s office.
To be honest, Maape didn’t look all that keen to take over Job’s job at the IPC briefing called to announce Mokgoro’s recall on Tuesday. Perhaps he’s just a shy guy. Perhaps it had something to do with all the burning tyres in the street outside, but Maape didn’t appear to be all that amped over his latest deployment from Luthuli House.
I don’t blame the man.
It’s not just the fact that the North West is a failed province, a financial and political basket case, gutted by decades of looting, ANC infighting and municipal rot.
The premiership of North West appears to be something of a suicide posting, a poisoned chalice — at least when it comes to completing one’s term of office. Not quite as bad as the national director of public prosecutions — or national police commissioner for that matter — but poisoned nonetheless.
The last North West premier to complete their term was Edna Molewa.
That was back in 2009.
Since then, the North West premiership has been a political merrygo-round, with don’t come Mondays flying every couple of years, depending on who held power at Luthuli House — and in the province — at any given point in time over the past 12 years.
Maureen Modiselle, Thandi Modise, Mahumapelo, Wendy Nelson and Mokgoro have all been elected, or appointed, to the post — and recalled.
Appointment, or kiss of death?