Had a chuckle by myself the other day when our Health Minister tried to light the "flame" in governments' fight against Aids! No matter how much she tried, the lighter didn't want to work. Next she tried matches whilst the SABC announcer kept on waffling about the "flame" that represents the contribution from government in the fight against HIV and Aids. Single matches were replaced by six or seven at a time, but this "symbol" just did not want to know.

Eventually they switch to an advert break. Once back on location there was nothing left of this so-called flame of hope and inspiration!

Now this was truly a symbolic gesture and totally true, reflecting the hick-up start our government had to the whole HIV/Aids issue. Mbeki fought it (through "educated" searches on the internet), then Msimang fought it through her "educated" diet policy. In the meantime Aids infections gathered momentum. When they finally (sort of) woke up, Southern Africa is rated as the region with the most people living with this disease!

Fuel has gone up and diesel even more. It is customary of government to do this over the festive season, but recent oil prices are the main culprit. Recent interest rate hikes (1.5% in four months) contribute toward a dismal festive season for most people. And of course the Rand weakened against major currencies.

It's debatable why, but I'm having a guess that the ANC leadership conference in Mpumalanga has something to do with it. Zuma (of shower fame) is the preferred new leader of the ANC with Mbeki a distant second.

I've offered my opinion on Jacob Zuma before. He is charismatic, smiles a lot, dances a lot, sings a lot of machine guns and knowingly sleeps with HIV infected women (okay, only one that we know of). He also has some Indian friends who organised him a subsistence allowance through corrupt arms deals.

Why such a big deal then if it's only the president of the ANC? The ANC rules our country and with such a person being punted as the new ANC president, how would anyone in the world ever take South Africa serious?

The challenges ahead are much bigger than those from the past and I seriously doubt that Jacob Zuma is up to it. Maybe it is the dawn of a new era, the eradication of whites (once and for all) and the start of the final spiral into obscurity which will make South Africa just another poor African nation.

Only time will tell.

Let's have your ideas -

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