Msanzi

I have just returned from a week in South Africa. I visited (some for hours) the following cities:- Johannesburg, Durban, Pretoria and Pietermaritzburg. A few observations:-

Electricity:
The country is in darkness and everybody blames it on poor Mbeki. The utility provider, ESKOM, had warned the government some 8 years ago about the need for expanding power plants to accommodate rising demand. It is quite embarrassing for a country waiting to host the World Cup in less than 2 years. Sitting in a dark candle-lit house in Johannesburg reminded me of Kenya so much. Deja vu, you could say, but for South Africans it’s all curses and discomfort. They don’t know how to handle it all. On the road, they depend on traffic lights for order and without them; they are so hopelessly lost you have to pity them! Is this mighty economic powerhouse slowly going the "African" way?

Crime:
At every point, you are reminded how insecure the city streets are. You are advised not to walk the streets alone or with your accessories like handbags, cameras, gold chains, wallets, etc in full view of the world. The newspapers are full of scary rape, murder, burglary cases. During my stay, there was a story of an attack on the Greek Ambassador's residence in Pretoria and the trauma that his family went through. If such happened in Nairobi, there would be hue and cry with travel advisories flying all over the place. Personally, I did not see any crime and I have nothing but kind words to all the good South African people I interacted with.

National Cohesion/Racism/Tribalism:
There are serious issues touching on national cohesion. Reading the newspapers and talking to the local black population, you get a sense of unresolved issues. A drive through any of the main cities residential areas is a lesson in economic disparities. Whites live in secluded estates, while Indians (at least in the case of Durban) and the few upwardly mobile blacks are moving in the numerous flats that whites are deserting for the suburbs. The notorious Hillbrow and Soweto hoods in Johannesburg are not exactly the slums that we know in Kenya-they would pass for your average middle-class estates like South B or Buru Buru. Much as South Africa has a feel of a developed country, it’s hard to hide the fact there are two different nations in one. The Zulus of Kwazulu Natal Province are very nationalistic-they assume that every black person is Zulu and that is the language they use to talk to everybody.

Coming from Kenya where we have all agreed to deny the existence of tribalism or class division, I was heartened that South Africans are talking loudly about racism, emerging class divisions and other forms of discrimination. A healthy debate is a starting point to heal especially if done away from the political class’ reach.

Politics:
The Zuma-Mbeki struggle for ANC is interesting when explained by locals. What we outsiders don’t know is that Zuma was voted into the ANC presidency, not because he is loved, but as a protest against the “posh” brand of Mbeki politics. Many locals have nothing but disrespect for Zuma-he is a corrupt uneducated polygamist who leads a not-so-private reckless sex life. That is not your everyday Head of State material, but South Africans can’t stand the current ANC leadership, especially in view of the lopsided representation of Xhosa in big business and cabinet.

A recent newspaper report on rich Africans placed a black South African lawyer as the number one or two in Africa. On close scrutiny however, you learn that this one follows the usual “African” script that liberally mixes politics, business and being in the right place at the right time. The story on the street is that he is a relative of Cyril Ramaphosa through marriage as well as Mbeki. The locals claim that he is a front for the ruling Xhosa clan. They wonder how a lawyer with no experience in mining can suddenly become an expert scouting for mining deals all over the world.

Cars:
Due to the superb infrastructure, you rarely see a dirty or "tired "vehicle on these roads. Of course they manufacture most of the cars on their roads. The bakkies (pick-ups) are popular and a favourite of car jackers. The whites love adventure vehicles, while the newly rich blacks want the loudest flashiest ride on the market. The speed limit is 120 km/h on open highways, but during my stay, a brother was reportedly arrested for over speeding and hitting 207km/h. The newspapers said this was high, but not as high as some other guy who was arrested for hitting 287 km/h last year!

While in Durban, I saw these numerous Mitumba showrooms packed with second-hand Japanese imports. The interesting thing is that all these vehicles are destined to the neighbouring countries, but from Durban to the borders, they cannot drive or get in any contact with South African roads. They have to be atop vehicle carriers all the way to the exit points. This is the Freeport scenario that Kenya is supposed to exploit in view of our hinterland of South Sudan, Uganda, Southern Ethiopia, Rwanda, Burundi, Eastern Congo, etc. I now hear that Rwanda wants to turn the whole country into a Freeport.

Foreigners in El Dorado:
Local people believe that at least 10 million foreigners have settled in South Africa. Top on the list are 3 million Zimbos (Zimbambweans) running away from the runaway inflation up north. There are legal and illegal immigrants from as far away as Kenya, Tanzania and Congo amidst those from the hood- Lesotho, Swaziland, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, Malawi, etc. In one shopping mall, all the 600 parking attendants are from Congo. When you talk to South Africans, they don’t seem so happy about the foreigners, but also seem to accept the fact that they owe historical debts to many African states that stood by them in the Apartheid days. Talking to the immigrants, you hear occasional derision of the local male, who is allergic to hard work and leaves their women to wear the breadwinner label.

I would love to be back here sometime and see the country by road. Soon.