If you not with us , then you not a member!! So yesterday(Tuesday) I was hanging out with my mate Andrew the Bean, and he said: “Yaw, come on lets go on the Gautrain to OR Tambo!” with such excitement he said it. I was like nah, man I’ll take it when I have to go to the airport, cos I am so durrr like that. In the end I did actually go and all I can say is, South Africa is the future!!

As I mentioned last week, not much really excites me, maybe rugby or fighting a good fight, but yesterday, when I jumped onto the train, shot off to the airport in 14.53 minutes, jumped off in the middle of the new look OR Tambo international, man it felt like I was at Heathrow, but I wasn’t, had lunch and headed back...i smiled a very content smile!

Later that evening, I went to Sandton to go and catch a movie, the place was abuzz man. Think it might be time for me to head out and make the opposite of war (peace people peave) with some Mexican, French, Serbian or German lasses before we meet on the pitch…waakaaa!! The place was a blooming jamboree I tell ya, people errhwere. I left close to 11pm and it was still hectic…as I said in the beginning, if you not with us then u not a member!!

I take away all this mad hysteria and I step back and ask myself which other Sub-Sahara African country can get this right?? And at the moment I can think of none and it really saddens me. It’s not like we don’t have the people nor the natural resources we can harness to create the necessary wealth, it boggles the mind I tell you. But then again as I tend to say quite a bit nowadays, it is what it is!!

So lets see roll the clock forward to the 11th July 2010. Will we all start working our way back to the norm of bi thcing and moaning about how bad we have it and how crime is this how blacks are that how whites are blah and how government is **@##... I guess it is only human to, but can we just all try and think about it before we go back into that depressing and angry and aggressive mode?? Just a thought…

Another thought which I hadn’t paid much mind till the recent happenings with the Turkish flotilla (Spanish for a fleet of ships) incident a few days ago, and that’s the Israeli blockade on Gaza. Now I am on the side of reasonableness, if you take it any other way well I guess that’s why we all have our own opinions isn’t it?

So, I did some research into the Gaza blockade to find out what its all about and why. And I guess everyone has their version and opinion but I found an article on BBC which I hope is independent enough which gave me some insight into what the blockade is about. The blockade intensified in June 2007 after Hamas took over. The main reason behind it is to weaken Hamas, and prevent those senseless rocket attacks. Now I understand that, but forgive my ignorance. Can a country just sommer decide I am going to block your people from getting any aid just because I can? The range of the blockade is quite intense. Israel blocks just about everything from coming and out of Gaza, food, fuel, fertilizer, light bulbs, clothes, matches, pasta, tee coffee, chocolate, nuts, shampoo, concrete and wood etc. Some items have been allowed in since early 2010.06.10
Now lets look at this. You stop all these things from coming into this area and what are the consequences and repercussions? Civilians suffer, Palestinians and the rest of the Arab world have more of a case against Israel and its alleged unreasonableness and illegitimacy, tree huggers and the rest of the world who were neutral start to see Israel as the big bad wolf!

Let me explain the extent of the civilian suffering. The situation is so dire that the UN provides food aid to about half of the population of Gaza. But its functions are somewhat limited because there is a restriction on fuel supply to the area and sometimes even they suffers shortages which restricts their ability to fulfill their obligations adequately. So whats the next logical option? Grow the stuff locally for local consumption. Perfect in theory, but remember there is a shortage of fertilizer, so crops will struggle to grow on a large scale. The whole agricultural sector which used to be a good source of income is in shambles, because even if you do manage to grow the crops you cant sell them elsewhere. Chickens had to be slaughtered because the incubators ran out of fuel.

So that’s food. A few months…years ago, exact timing escapes me, but Hamas shot a few rockets into Israel, Israel said stop or we’ll mo er you, the guys in Gaza didn’t stop so Israel came and mo ered them. But when they came they left a mess. Hospitals, homes, schools, buildings, destroyed…so lets fix them then, oops we cant, cos there is no cement allowed. Whats that machine spare parts, sorry you cant come in. This blockade has some hectic spin offs because industries die, no fuel, no parts, no industry, no jobs, no life...you get angry. I mean lets think about it. You stop parts from coming in. Water and sewerage facilities, which require constant maintenance aren’t maintained, boom you have an issue, people get sick. Oh wait they cant go to hospital because firstly not all the medicines are allowed in, secondly part of the hospital is blown away and not rebuilt, thirdly not enough power is being generated or allowed in, oh wait there are generators…ehhh wrong, COS THERE IS NO FR IGGGIN FUEL, and the spiral continues.

Now I understand the thinking behind why Israel did what it is doing! But what I don’t get is why the rest of the world allows it to happen! Iraq invaded Kuwait, bye bye Sadam, Dessert Storm and the recent Operation Iraqi Freedom made sure of this. Imagine you stay in a complex right and your body corporate doesn’t like the neighboring complex and keeps throwing rubbish over the wall into their complex. So as a result the other complex says no none of you guys can leave and you cant sell anything outside or get any food in, we’ll tell you what you can or cant do. Now I know its an overly simplistic way of looking at things, but I have a simple mind. But say it was me ne, and I had the power and the ability Id go tell the other complex dudes to go stick it where the sun doesn’t shine. If you have an issue address it with those who you have issue with!!

Yes, I know it is written that the people of Israel are Gods chosen people etc. and there was the Holocaust and that was tragic and should never be forgotten, but wait there was also slavery. I haven’t done the research, but I would not be surprised if more Africans were killed there than during the Holocaust. To make matters worse slavery still continues today, how you ask, well how much do you pay your helper? How much does it cost her to travel to you and how hard does she have to work etc…, but I digress. What I am saying is this, the world doesn’t run to protect Africa and its people, yet Israel seems untouchable in my mind. I am not hating, just someone explain to me why it is?

Just a thought….

Birthdays
6th Helen, Jill
7th Jody K
9th Ivan Missankov
10th Sturae
11th Ameer Kahn
12th Mark E, DC, Sam

And before I go…ayeye bafana bafana!!

Maximum respect to you all

Y