Durban — There is so much that is right in this glorious country of ours.
While we sink in outrage, fear and uncertainty in the Saffer sewer of corruption, politics, politicians and criminals, sometimes one and the same, it’s stories like the one on this page about MeerKAT that should have us Saffers glowing with pride. That show what we are, could be and should be.
It feels a bit grubby to borrow tired and empty phrases from official bodies, like the SA Tourism promo about South Africa being the land of possibilities.
We are, if only the bureaucrats, kleptocrats, oligarchs and other sundry tawdry pig trough-feeders would get out of the bloody way and let ordinary, pissed-off and gatvol Saffers get on with doing the job of getting on and growing.
Another much-abused slogan, #strongertogether, should be copyrighted to the Boks so it can’t be tossed about like a rugby ball by every Karen, Ken and Kompany. The Springboks, bless them, are high on the list of things Saffers across the world seize upon to soothe our sorry souls.
They are a microcosm of the South African people, a beacon lighting the way of what we should be doing: digging deep, never giving up and producing their best for the person next to them. That they make many people happy and proud is surely reason enough for us to demand that same unity and character from everyone who calls themselves South African.
We have a land and an ocean that are among the world’s best, and if used gently and ethically, can be cornerstones of a, errrr, better life for all. Yet we have to fight greed and apathy to preserve, conserve and protect them so they will be here for all of us forever.
We have a constitution that is the envy of much of the free world, so why do we need organisations fighting for the basic rights it guarantees us instead of them overseeing an occasional sortie by the mighty or mighty incompetent to ensure they are not violated? Basics like clean water, reliable power, food on the table, somewhere reasonable and reasonably safe to call home, adequate health care, education and a job to go to so we can all provide for our families.
People and organisations are Danieling up to the Goliaths in small pockets – imagine if we could conglomerate (please can we verb that?) those efforts and demand, with accompanying action, a better South Africa.
During Covid, we had scientists at the forefront of research and discovery. We have some of the best people leading the global charge to beat killer diseases like TB and HIV/Aids, but we also have the world’s highest incidence of TB and HIV/Aids. How can that be?
Every Saffer knows people who have fled or plan to flee the failure of the South African dream. These are people who should hold our future in their hands: business people, entrepreneurs, artists, academics, farmers and IT “guys”. Teachers, doctors, nurses and artisans – people we need – are adding to the ever-growing diaspora. This does not include the Twitter owner who is a national embarrassment: his right-of-Genghis Khan views have him Xd off the list. Obviously, there are a couple of others, but he leads the field.
Like MeerKAT, which, when completed in about 2028, will form the astonishing Square Kilometre Array, the world’s most powerful radio telescope, we have so much to be proud of.
It’s a pity we have to actively seek those stories, to shout about them and not allow them to be drowned by the loud ambitions of the greedy and vainglorious.
Independent on Saturday