I've never quite understood the logic of destroying what little you have as a protest against not having more of what you want. So I was rather perplexed to read that the ANC Youth League had gone on a wrecking spree in Makhaza near Cape Town and torn down the newly erected closures the DA had put up around the toilets they had previously installed for residents.
The DA elected council say that they installed 1316 unenclosed toilets for each family on the understanding that the householders would enclose the toilets themselves. Not surprisingly, not all were and last Monday the DA erected 51 corrugated sheet enclosures for the residents at no cost to them. A few hours later the local ANC Youth League obviously decided that this was a colonial insult and that the residents of Makhaza would much prefer to perform their ablutions in full view of all their neighbours.
Unfortunately the long suffering residents of Makhaza (many of whom were no doubt delighted to have an enclosed toilet at last) didn't have much say in the matter. When the thugs from the ANCYL (who probably don't even live in Makhaza and therefore don't have to use the open toilets) decide that you will crap in the open air then that is the law.
Meanwhile in Reiger Park near Boksburg the air was filled with the pungent smell of burning tyres and trash. The residents of this impoverished settlement are angry because they have leaking effluent, no reliable electricity or water services and a lack of RDP houses. "We still live like pigs" complained one resident although it could be argued that many pigs live more fulfilled and comfortable lives than the wretched residents of Reiger Park.
The same scenario is playing itself out across the country. The party faithful are starting to wonder what happened to all those election promises back in 1994. They may not read the pages of Business Day or have access to the internet but they know as well as everyone else in the country that enormous amounts of money have been stolen by their elected representatives and there is none left over for them.
They see politicians swanning around in fancy cars and they know that only the favoured cronies are splitting the spoils among themselves. Personally I am amazed that these people have remained so quiet for so many years. Maybe they really did believe all that tosh about a better life for all. But they don't any more and as the foreign visitors arrive for the World Cup the country is literally on its knees....crippled by strikes and burning with frustration and resentment. Obviously we're not supposed to talk about that in the media because we've got to put on our happy face for the next few weeks and pretend we're a normal society.