Ron’s Thoughts …

Going back to 1994, when Nelson Mandela was released from prison and the ANC became the dominant political party in South Africa, it was already then apparent that an unholy alliance was forming.

How was it possible for ex-freedom fighters, who now wanted to form a democratic government, to agree to link up with the SACP, (a communist party), and the trade unions who had no idea of politics or the needs of running of a country but simply wanted to screw more money for themselves ?

It was obviously simply to entrench themselves into positions of power and privilege.

For that matter, how could Xhosas and Zulus form an alliance when they totally disliked each other ?

I make this statement not as a white racist but as an employer of about 80 blacks in a dairy business in the 1970′s when I found it impossible to mix the two groups.

Fast-forward to September 2008 and we have a situation where the President has resigned, the Vice-President has resigned, the Minister of Finance has resigned, and many others.

Surely the time is ripe for the formation of a new political party. One that looks beyond Zulu, Xhosa, white, black, brown, male, female, previously advantaged, previously disadvantaged ; A party that has the interests of the country and her people at heart, not the selfish interests of a powerful and privileged few.

In the past week we have seen stockmarkets all over the world crash by 10% in one day and pull back by 10% the next.

In my younger days we worried if we had 10% per YEAR.

Certainly the brokers are making lots of money.

Also certainly there are many ordinary people losing lots of money, and their houses, and their cars.

I believe that it all has to do with computers and the speed of trading on the internet.

In earlier years we had to go to the bank manager and place an order to buy or sell some shares at “best.” It took days to finalise the deal and to post certificates.

These days, at the push of a button, the speculators can win or lose millions, (who has the fastest finger?)

The oil barons make billions. Bill Gates and his computer geeks make trillions.

As we have now witnessed with the American sub-prime fiasco, there comes a time when assets are too heavily leveraged and there are no more real buyers, only computer game-players. Then, when the weak players can’t pay or play anymore,  the whole world goes into panic mode and more houses and more cars are re-possessed and more banks go belly-up.

I believe that in the end only real value will prevail :- Land, private property, water, food, housing, security, freedom, family and friends.

There was some welcome news today that England and America are going to stamp out “bear sales” or what they call ”short selling”. Hopefully that will curb this stockmarket madness.

The para-olympics are not yet over but already there are many indelible impressions in my mind that I doubt will ever be bettered.

The precision and spectacle of the Chinese in the opening and closing ceremonies of the able-bodied olympics.

The picture-perfect hostesses in their silky white dresses.

The joy on the faces of the medal winners.

The number of medals that the South African Para-athletes have already won and the fact that they are presently placed 8th in the world.

The visible and vocal support of the predominantly Chinese crowd for Natalie du Toit and Oscar Pistorius, nicknamed The Flying Fish and The Blade Runner.

Wow man !!  This is good stuff.

Britain will have a big problem to match this in 4-years time.