How many such wonderful promises haven’t we seen from Cyril, that proved to be just “Hot Air” that amounted to nothing and just proved to be another opportunity for ANC cadres to pocket more ill gotten gains.
I am referring to an article by Heather Robertson in Daily Maverick; who commented on Ramaphosa’s latest plan to save South Africa from the ravages of global warming, such as droughts, floods, rising sea levels, increasing temperatures etc.
Apparently, his Just Energy Transition Plan received widespread acclaim in many quarters as the solution whereby South Africa and other countries could take steps to protect themselves against climate change. Furthermore, his plan has attracted large amounts of financing to enable the SA government to put Cyril’s plan into action.
Personally, judging from past experience, it seems to me that this is nothing more than a diversion tactic to draw people’s attention away from the Phala Phala disaster, wherein he stashed 4 million $US in his sofa cushions. This is a huge problem for Ramaphosa as it casts further doubt on his already dubious integrity.
Ms. Robertson says quite rightly that, in the eyes of people who have no jobs or pathetic amounts of income and continuing extreme poverty to show for the government’s efforts to enable “A BETTER LIFE FOR ALL, this might as well be “MONOPOLY MONEY”, because the likelihood is that the bulk of the money invested will “GO DOWN THE GULLETS OF ANC GLUTTONS.”
Time will tell if Ramaphosa’s lofty expectations will bear any fruit in the coming months. Maybe; for the first time, we may see a glimmer of progress coming from these promises. Maybe, we will see some sort of conscience driven action from the country’s leaders, instead of more disappointment and a continuing downward slide into Zimbabwean type oblivion.
On a completely different topic; my partner Brenda and I attended a meeting yesterday, calling Struisbaai and Agulhas residents and stakeholders to discuss the matter of the proposed exploratory drilling of up to five oil wells on the seabed by TotalEnergies, to determine whether oil and gas can be pumped from below the sea floor, in order to assist with the conversion of our country away from carbon based energy resources.
What seems astounding to me about that meeting was the absence of the Mayor Mr Paul Swart, who represents this substantial area. No representative of the Cape Agulhas Municipality and very few of the wealthy residents who own houses in the Agulhas and Struisbaai areas were there; nor were any estate agents there; who clearly have a huge stake in the progress of the area and obtain substantial income from it.
This area of the Overberg is very important for the Western Cape and South Africa, as it offers extensive tourism opportunities, which brings substantial income into the country. The area is growing very fast. It is a historically important area featuring the Southernmost Point in Africa, and many compelling tourist attractions such as its excellent fishing and prolific wildlife and fauna opportunities for tourists.
Some prominent members of the local fishing community were there, and they vociferously aired their feelings about the projected drilling operations and their dissatisfaction with the project; particularly regarding the serious threat it posed towards their heritage and their very existence; as recently the catches had become very much smaller; which threatened their ability to put food on the table for their families.
My conclusion about all this is that like most things, when you come down to it; it it is all about money and greedy developers who show minimal concern about the heritage of the area and the livelihood of the original inhabitants of the area.
SURELY, THE HERITAGE OF THE FISHING ACTIVITIES, THE FISHERMAN’S COTTAGES, AND PRESERVING THEIR TRADITIONAL LIFESTYLE SHOULD BE PRESERVED NOT ONLY TO PROTECT THE FISHERMEN’S LIVELIHOOD BUT ALSO TO DERIVE INCOME FOR INVESTORS, DUE TO THE OBVIOUS PULL SUCH AN AREA WILL HAVE FOR TOURISTS.
I am well aware of the arguments that You can’t stop progress ; but surely the progress could be tempered with some consideration of historical value of the local area; the traditional architecture and the vitally important aspect of preserving the original fauna and of the area.
Even if creating wealth is your main consideration you must realise that tourists who are the lifeblood of the area want to experience the local culture and traditions. You can find highrises, shopping malls and a fast moving lifestyle anywhere, but once tradition is gone, you can’t get it back!
Do we residents and business people who live in this area really want Agulhas and Struisbaai to become another Strand or Seapoint, with highrises lining the coast; thus blocking the views of longstanding owners of the houses behind them; and showing scant regard for architectural style or taste – because all these owners and developers seem to see is DOLLAR SIGNS!
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