I’ve always had a problem with deadlines. I leave things until the last minute in the hope that inspiration and effort will compel action. Like completing my tax return, which will incur a fine if I don’t get my act together. Or paying my telephone account on the due date, or writing this column three weeks in advance because if I don’t, the editor will be on my case big-time.
Trouble is, by the time you read this, topical events will already be history. Take the drought we’re currently experiencing. I can’t rely on the weather forecasters because they’re always wrong. It could rain tomorrow and cause a flood and I’d be labelled a prize idiot if I carried on ranting about the drought. But at the time of writing this, the Southern African Development Commission (SADC) was meeting to try to resolve the Zimbabwe crisis, yet again. You don’t have to be clairvoyant to know they’ve got a snowball’s chance in hell of persuading the recalcitrant Mugabe to release his power over the police and army.
And Zuma is appealing to the Constitutional Court to set aside the National Prosecuting Authority’s case of corruption against him. If they rule in his favour when they convene next month, our judicial system will be viewed here and everywhere in the same light as little Johnny being caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
With 500 days to World Cup kick-off, I’ve got lots of time to ponder if we’ll be ready to stage it, whether our team will win a single match, or if the expected hoards of soccer supporters will even come to our shores given the global economic recession.
“Who are you going to vote for in the election?” I asked neighbour Jan over morning coffee on my stoep. “Not the ANC for sure – they’ve got no respect for us farmers trying to feed the nation in the face of ever- increasing production costs,” he said.
“The DA then?” I asked. “Well, Helen Zille can’t make up her mind if she wants to remain Cape Town’s mayor, enter parliament or become a provincial premier …” “Okay, then what about Cope?” “Maybe, if only to swell their voter numbers to reduce the ANC’s two-thirds majority in parliament,” Jan replied. With the deadline to the election not too far away, I don’t need to be a soothsayer to wonder how many voters are in the same frame of mind. However, one thing will go down in history – we’ve clobbered the Aussies in their own backyard to take the One-Day series with a match in hand! Add the Test series to that and it’s a whitewash not even my crystal ball could have forecast! I’d better e-mail this off quickly – I’m past my deadline! – Derek Christopher |fw
