Tired of reading last weeks news still? Sorry, haven't been around much to keep this up to date as promised! Been away to the Cape again as December is going to be an extremely busy month for me. Lots going on at work with the minority (me included) trying to keep a sinking ship afloat. Not good news for any white (pale) male in South Africa. But being the "eternal" optimist, we'll try until the final whistle blows.

I've changed the galleries a bit and added some more photos. This re-design is taking a bit of time, but we'll get there. Some interesting comparisons with photos I took two years ago at Paternoster and what it looks like now.

The new medicine price regulations are still causing problems for many patients and pharmacists. And now medical aids are set to increase their fees next year. Patients are now paying a dispensing and administrative fee to the pharmacist which are looking for ways to survive under the new regulations. The law specify a maximum mark-up on prescription medicine no matter the value and pharmacies cannot survive on this. Whatever they make on additional fees fall way short of running a profitable business. Many have closed down already.

The new regulations were supposed to bring about a 40% to 70% decrease in prescription and over-the-counter drugs, but the consumer have only seen a mere 5% saving before the dispensing fees. Discovery Health has paid R70 million more than budgeted in 5 months because of the removal of discounts, incentives and rebates.

Another Manto Tshabalala-Msimang balls-up if you ask me.

The Springboks performance against Wales were dissapointing to say the least. Jake White must stop messing around and get some discipline into an over-eager Schalk Burger. It is fine to give inexperienced players a chance at playing, but not at the possible cost of loosing the game. Leave the front row alone! Players of color should be selected on ability and not because the "law" requires they do so.

And Cape Town is not so popular with the overseas film producers any more. This is after a ban on shooting movies using government buildings. Seems our locals are very "important" when it comes to dealing with the "nuisance" of generating money for the mothercity. The R2 billion a year movie industry will not stand for the "abrasive and aggressive" treatment they receive from the Capes' provincial government officials.

The independant Economic Transformation Audit and Scorecard received by government on poverty in South Africa was very critical of governments' progress. Unemployment has grown in spite of more jobs being created. "Though change has taken place, poverty and inequality remain at morally unacceptable levels" says the Institute director Charles Villa-Vicencio. In five years 2% more people are living under the mean poverty line of R91 a day. White income declined by 1.3%. The average African has less than 7% of the income of the average white person.

According to the report in the Sunday Argus, a third of South Africans still don't enjoy basic services such as clean water and electricity. And despite efforts by government to catch up with the housing backlog, fewer people live in permanent structures compared to 1995. Unemployement has more than doubled to 42% with 55.6% of youths looking for work.

Does that explain the crime rate which the government says is decreasing? With 69% of Africans living under the poverty line it is hard to try and imagine that the crime figures released by government is true - but all for the sake of "nation building" I suppose. Tell that to the victims.

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