Elections in South Africa... Voter registration.....

[trialbyerror]

There is no doubt in my mind that South Africa is teetering on civil war.

How did we get here?

20 years of governance by the African National Congress has brought near anarchy.

Rampant curruption, leaders that use tax money to build 20 million private homesteads, a police force, largely currupt and on the take, and very little in the way of true service delivery (sanitation, water, basic amenities)

Excessivly high unemployment, and an education system that is churning out unemployable people, excasibating unemployment is the foundation of extriemely high levels of excessivly high levels of crime.

All of this has now culminated in a population that is hopeless, disillusioned and comming to the realisation that they will never have anything. Not them nor their children.

So we come to voter registration.... Police have to disperse the very same voters with rubber bullets and stun grenades, because they are rioting... What's going to be the reality on voting day?

Anyhow, I went to the voting station, to ensure I am registered, and the ANC had a kiosk outside, festooned with, interestingly, Nelson Mandella, NOT Jacob Zuma (who by the way has been found guilty of curruption in court a number of years ago), and asked the following question:-

Based on the performance of your party, (ANC) over the last 20 years of governance, why should I give you my vote..

The Answer:- What can the opposition give you... Can you believe that?
1) They are so embarrassed about their party's performance, their only argument is to try and discredet the main opposition...
2) There is nothing they can bring to the table by way of improvement in 20 years...

Needless to say, I was very vociferace in my discreditation by way of highlighting their abysmal record...

Now to my point...
This is the very same government you, all over the world support....Your government's have no idea of what the reality is...

[partis]

I dont support my government T, they couldnt organise a piss up in a brewery…

[marshlander]

Governments form alliances based on convenience, mutual backscratching, history and often large amounts of money. There seemed to be a small window of opportunity in South Africa when anything looked possible - which quickly closed if you were one of those with no water or sanitation I expect. I suppose if you are not producing oil in vast amounts for export, no one is going to be too bothered, unless the other minerals you produce take on even greater significance. We had the "cod war" with Iceland, but I don't anticipate an "apple war" with SA. I don't think anyone here is under any illusion as to what Jacob Zuma has done to unravel the hope for a better future in South Africa. At the time of his appointment I remember hoping that the ANC could find someone who could command loyalty and moral leadership and the courage to make change, or that Zuma would find some hidden depths that had not been apparent till then.

South Africa has had a pretty awful history from the point of view of the majority of its citizens. I hope things get better for your country. Sadly it looks like things are going the other way. I am really sorry to hear your news. I find it hard to be optimistic about life in most places at the moment.

I think the response to many political parties anywhere, including the U.K., is to point out how much worse the opposition is/would be. :frown:

What do you consider your options to be?

[trialbyerror]

Options?

At 55, not much for me... I don't have enough money to emmigrate with my entire family, but with the inheretance that my son and his family will get they will have enough to get out.

I already have a stash in USA, comes from inheratence from my long time passed over partner, (at the time my Lawer advised putting it off shore) so given that, they will be able to buy out...

[marshlander]

That sounds so bleak. My aunt lived in Cape Town with her family, but didn't like what they saw happening. They got out in the sixties and ended up in Australia where the family now live, although she passed away a few months ago.

How safe are you? Is being gay dangerous where you are?

[southbiochem]

I would pressume you can move with more ease inbewteen countries that also belong to the Commonwealth no?

[trialbyerror]

Surprisingly, gay rights are protected in our constition, so we no longer have to fight the authorities for our rights.

However, just like everwhere else, social acceptance is a diffrent matter, and give or take, is the same as anywhere else.

It was that change back in 1994 that gave me the opportunity to foster my son. (I was the first to do so through welfare... search two plastic bags for that story)

However, the reason for including sexual orentation under the constitution had nothing to do with loving gays, but everything to do with the complexities of a society that is so diverse we have 11 official languages..:eek:, and having to draft a constition that would stand the test of the judicary.

Having said that, in short, from sexual orentation perspective, I am under no bigger threat than anywhere else in the Western world.

BUT and this is a big but, from a safety perspective, no.
Crime here has spiralled out of control, accompanied by a horrific level of violence and torture.

by example, rape and mutulation of children, some as young as 6 weeks, a 10yo boy, abducted, raped, socks stuffed in his mouth and set alight, a so called farm-murder, the parents tortured, killed, the daughter raped and disembowled, the teenage boy had his genitals cut off and tied up left to bleed to death.

3 Gararge attendents shot dead for R150.00, thats what 1 pound?

A docket can be bought from the police for as little as R200.00. Honest cops cannot get partners because to team up with an honest cop, means you will "go hungry"

I have personally been stopped by traffic police who ask for coldrink (a euphisim for money).

Well "connected" people such as Shabier Sheik (Ex? financial advisor to Jacob Zuma) sent to prison for15 years for curruption, out after 6 months, he was supposidly dying. Exactly the same plot played out for Jackie Selebe, ex chief of police, and so it goes on

The dept of home affairs has lost control of our citincy, they no longer can positivley identify a South African from an illegal immagrant, and so it goes on and on.

All of this feeds crime and lawlessness, and to finally answer your question, the threat of extrieme violent crime is far greater than the threat associated with being gay...:mad:

[trialbyerror]

I would pressume you can move with more ease inbewteen countries that also belong to the Commonwealth no?

In short, I don't know, years ago I made some enquiries, but you either had to have employment, or family to sponser or a horrific amount of liquid assets that had to be tranferred first...

Them days, I had the idea of buying a Winnibago, and perminently touring throughout America when I wen't on pension...

Ain't gonna happen, I got a fandamily instead, and I'm happy with that...... Go Read two plastic shopping bags....

[marshlander]

... All of this feeds crime and lawlessness, and to finally answer your question, the threat of extrieme violent crime is far greater than the threat associated with being gay...:mad:

Sadly, I have heard many stories like the ones you relate. The breakdown of basic humanity is a horrible phenomenon, but I have friends in other places around Africa, who report similar tales. If you were king wizard with a magic wand, have you any idea how you would begin to tackle the problems? Is it all driven by poverty? Avarice? Tribalism? I suspect many such problems are the result of the pendulum trying to find a balance after the disruption of the colonial and apartheid years ... but I daresay it is far more complicated than any of that.

Anyway, could you do with one of these?



Thinking of you and wishing you the best.