Flood warnings for Johannesburg... Get out your bathers it is going to get wet

It seems that we are in for a wet weekend as the weather service predicts a 60-80% chance of rain for Friday. According to a report on News24, around 32 people died and nine were injured in the recent floods in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. 

 

While I understand that floods are disastrous and dangerous, I can’t help but giggle at some of the flood tips issued by the Tshwane municipality:

·         Do not to walk, swim or drive through flooded areas (What if I live in a flooded area and need to get away?)

·          

      Avoid low bridges (Driving over them or under them?)

·         If a car stalls in a flooded area, do not stay in it (Instead get out of your car and face the water head on.)

·         Fill all ditches with mud, grass or gravel (What about the ditches made by digging up my mud, grass or gravel?)

·         Make sure your house entrance is higher than the surrounding ground (Yes, I will just rebuild it quickly)

·         Store food and valuables on a higher level like shelves, tables and chairs (And watch them float away with the rest of your valuables)

·         Fill containers with clean water in case regular supplies are contaminated (And watch it float away with the rest of your valuables?)

·         Prepare an emergency kit with essential belongings in the event of an evacuation (Keep it on the table thats floating away.) 

·         Remain in contact with neighbours and take turns to monitor the water level (Because being on your land line is perfect during wet weather. Facebook on your PC will get you electrocuted.)

·         Keep the radio on and listen to warnings… (But you just told me to get out of my car?)

Seriously though... Please keep safe and use your common sense if the water starts rushing into your home.

Good luck and buy a life jacket...

Flood prone areas include: Klipspruit, Eldorado South, Dube, Mofolo, Meadowlands, Braamfischerville, Orange Farm, Lenasia South, Florida Lake, Rivonia and Witkoppen roads in Sunninghill, Stjwetla informal settlement along the Jukskei River, London Road in Alexandra.

Just putting it out there...

Wikileaks... Another political tool to discredit opposition parties?

The Wikileaks debacle, that hit the world last year and continues to make waves for many governments, has become a trusted source of information for those wishing to discredit certain players in government. 

I understand that all governments, not only the US and South Africa, perform questionable acts that could result in positive developments for a hand full of people while destroying the lives of common citizens.

However, how much of the information leaked by the controversial site is true? The recent attack against former president Thabo Mbeki, really sparked my interest. It seems that politicians and the media are relying on Wikileaks to unearth some questionable government activities. 

Thabo Mbeki’s involvement in the development of COPE was previously in the spotlight and since the Wikileaks cables “confirmed” this, Mbeki’s camp has been running around trying to clear the former president’s name. 

Unfortunately, the best PR stunt they were able to come with played out like this:

“So far, there has been no need to respond to these enquiries… except to point out that former president Mbeki’s membership of the ANC is well known and his credentials speak for themselves.” 

The question this brings to my mind is... Are the same governments that have been accused of questionable activity now using Wikileaks to discredit the opposition? Let’s face it. If Mbeki really drafted COPE’s policy documents, is COPE then really a political party that I want to trust? 

Why did they depend on Mbeki to do the job for them? Did they have inadequate skills to perform this duty themselves? 

Well, the conspiracy theories could go even deeper. What if Thabo Mbeki was actually asked by the ANC to help start this breakaway party and he drafted the policy documents to sabotage COPE? 

Unfortunately, COPE isn’t coping and party leaders are already losing the grip on the party’s stability.

The reality is the South African public will never know if Wikileaks is credible source of information or just another political tool used to pull the wool over the eyes of innocent citizens.

One thing I would encourage people to do is this. Use your brains when voting and don’t believe the political spew our politicians, from all the political parties in the country, vomit out on a daily basis. 

Just putting it out there...

Say it as it is: If you’re late for a funeral, get whinnies driver ...

Say it as it is: If you’re late for a funeral, get whinnies driver ...: "I am sure we’ve all heard about Winnie Mandela’s altercation with the police on 30 December 2010. The..."

If you’re late for a funeral, get Winnies driver to get you there... Fast, Fast!

I am sure we’ve all heard about Winnie Mandela’s altercation with the police on 30 December 2010. The incident occurred after Mandela’s driver was stopped for speeding because Nelson’s ex-wife was late for a funeral. 

Now there are two different stories here. One from the policeman saying he was pushed by the driver and the other from the driver, who said the policeman swore at him and hit him on the knee with a rifle.  

As far as I am concerned it doesn’t matter if the driver or Mrs. Mandela were sworn at. The bottom line is, the driver was speeding and should not have tried to get away with it because he was transporting a politician.

Also, Mrs. Mandela is demanding an apology! Why, because the cop was doing his job? Are politicians above the law?

In my opinion, if the cop involved let them go, it would be exactly the same as if he took a bribe.

The South African public is constantly put at risk for reckless driving and police officers are faced with a daunting challenge to reduce road deaths. The reality is that road safety is a global health risk and Road Safety authorities around the globe, including South Africa, pledged its support to the global Make Roads Safe Campaign. 

Let’s not forget that 1551 people died on our roads during the festive season between 1 December and 5 January. 

Transport Minister Sbu Ndebele said, “We do not talk about deaths. We talk about road carnage. Carnage refers to the violent killing of a large number of people. The question every South African must ask is which 1000 it is going to be this month or the next that will die?"

Do these people die because we stick to the speed limits? I think not.

According to news reports, Mrs. Mandela instructed her driver to drive off because the situation was getting ugly. Well, well, well, does that mean if I am breaking the law and the police tried to wrestle me to the ground, I can run away because the situation is getting ugly? 

Mrs. Mandela and her driver should have apologised to the cop for breaking the law and asked him to write out a fine for their indiscretion. 

I will be watching this story very closely to see exactly what the outcome is. Let’s not forget driving above the speed limit is a criminal offense and as far as I remember, a criminal can’t be trusted. 

Before you all go jumping up and down about me calling Mrs. Mandela’s driver a criminal… that’s not what I am saying. I am saying, that he was speeding, he broke the law and as a result he should be given a fine for his indiscretion. 

Also, coming late to a funeral is definitely not an excuse to exceed the speed limit. 

I am reminded of the bible verse:

Luke 9:59-62, But he said to him, 'Lord, let me first go and bury my father.'  ⁶⁰ But he said to him, 'Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.' ⁶¹

Simply put, it doesn’t matter who you are, what you are doing or where you are going, first obey the law and everything else will fall into place. 

Maybe Mrs. Mandela’s personal assistant should be fired for her bad planning and making this respected politician late for the funeral in the first place. 

Just putting it out there…