'South Africa Near Anarchy'

[Veronique]

I have just read the following article and would really appreciate comments from people in SA whether it is as bad as the media is making out. If so, I want to try and get our remainding money out of SA asap.

http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/...ress-jacob-zuma

[elleneo]

My dear we have been in the process of cashing up for almost a year now! the time to get all your money out was when you decided to immigrate..the rand is just getting worse and best convert them into aussie dollars asap so they can start "working for you" her in australia.

Good luck as its a mission but worth

[Mikej]

Spoke to my stepmother on Sunday and she said that "all" schools in SA are closed, is this possible?

[gavinpetoperth]

Spoke to my stepmother on Sunday and she said that "all" schools in SA are closed, is this possible?

No, most schools in Port Elizabeth have stayed open throughout the strike. My son's school was just closed last Monday, and my daughters school has remained open throughout. It is essentially the township schools where the intimidation has been most severe and where extended closures have occurred.

[tyde]

From my persepctive the schools in Durban have been open most of the times apart from one or two days where they had to close. My sons are at a private school that has been completely uneffected but I do beleive that the township schools are all closed and I am pretty sure of this as I have a load of the teachers in my spinning class every morning!

I drive past King Edward hospital everyday and there are a huge crowd of strikers picketing outside everday. The army and police are all over and there are no patients to be seen, that is the saddest part of all of this, the poverty stricken just feel the brunt of the strike action and the fat cats in the government and union leaders dig their heels in and won;t budge. When I fetched my son one day I did see the most disturburbing site at one of the high schools where the kids had been chased out and there were strikers hanging over the school fences and these children were left standing helpless. I wonder when this is going to come to an end???

[pkn]

Schools in Joburg appear to be worst hit...my daughters school (ex Model C in Bryanston) has had 50% attandance past 2 weeks, learners asked to wear civvies, extra secuity guards posted, some teachers on strike, other employed by the governing board not on strike. Back to normal today at her school, but the hospitals in GP are badly affected, 80 pre natal babies evacuated to Netcare hospitals in the first few hours of the strike, chronic patients with life threatening illness have no access to monthly meds etc...so its bad in GP.

[Rissiepit]

SADTU has rejected the government's latest offer of a 7.5% pay increase + R800 monthly housing allowance, calling it a "non-offer". They are now demanding that all schools, albeit private- or public schools, be closed until their demands are met, saying that not a single child should be attending school during this time.

I know of quite a few schools that are still functioning properly. Matric prelims are also being written at some of them, even though the official position is that prelims have been postponed. This morning matrics from a few schools sent sms's to 94.7 Highveld Stereo confirming that they started writing prelims today, but requested that the names of their schools be withheld due to fear of intimidation.

The question is now, are they going to "make sure" that ALL schools are closed by further intimidation and/or accompanying violence?

As if our kids' futures aren't screwed enough already!

[Settled]

In Durbanville, our schools carry on as normal and haven't seen any signs of the strikes.

However, East London, some model C schools were closed last week.

We live in sheltered areas I drive from home, to shops and schools and work.....and can almost imagine its not true.

I'm so relieved I have my flights booked and paid.......I just want to move on now.

J

[BronE]

hmmm I wanted to say that the article is all dramatized and designed to spread fear.. but on reading it I would have to say (reluctantly - because I'm still trying to justify staying ) that it's pretty much true..It just sounds so much worse when its listed like that ! Of course if you're in the right areas you are protected from those realities...except that I'm trying to finish off my masters project and I need to work in the government clinics!!! I know that in the scheme of things thats a pretty minor problem and (I hold onto this) one of the good things about living in a country where people have pretty huge challenges in surviving every day is that you can keep things in their proper perspective

I think I'm losing the battle to stay at home My husband is submitting his cv with all the Oz agencies this week

[cristel]

I don't understand why everyone want to wait to do anything 'at the last minute'

Exactly how short notice would you like before deciding to get out of there/get your money out/get people out that you care about ?

Why wait until the eve of anarchy/revolution/the fall of SA ?

Run for your lives, NOW, so what if its still going to be a 30% functioning country in 5 years ??

[Alida]

Wish we could, Christel - our properties just haven't sold yet, so we've got no money to get out. AND still waiting for PR AND need to find a job first. Our motto is: our lives are in God's hands, we've given this process to HIM. We're doing what we can when we can and anything more than that, we trust HIM.

My problem is mostly with those friends and family who don't WANT too see reality and WANT to think they can still survive here. That is beyond me.

[cristel]

Hi Alida !

I understand what you mean, I too have family & friends there that is qualified to get out, but its still going too good.

At least you have the sense to apply, to try ! Apply for as many jobs as you can find on careerone.com, jobsearch.gov.au and seek.com !

I believe God helps those who helps themselves, I will keep you in my prayers.

C.

[bundyman]

I heard on the news that the Government will borrow money to pay the increases……Does that make good business, I think not. Next year the same debacle, lets borrow more money……how the hell are they going to pay the loans

[rozellem]

Hi Alida !

I understand what you mean, I too have family & friends there that is qualified to get out, but its still going too good.

At least you have the sense to apply, to try ! Apply for as many jobs as you can find on careerone.com, jobsearch.gov.au and seek.com !

I believe God helps those who helps themselves, I will keep you in my prayers.

C.

A religious man is on top of a roof during a great flood. A man comes by in a boat and says "get in, get in!" The religous man replies, " no I have faith in God, he will grant me a miracle."

Later the water is up to his waist and another boat comes by and the guy tells him to get in again. He responds that he has faith in god and god will give him a miracle. With the water at about chest high, another boat comes to rescue him, but he turns down the offer again cause "God will grant him a miracle."

With the water at chin high, a helicopter throws down a ladder and they tell him to get in, mumbling with the water in his mouth, he again turns down the request for help for the faith of God. He arrives at the gates of heaven with broken faith and says to Peter, I thought God would grand me a miracle and I have been let down." St. Peter chuckles and responds, "I don't know what you're complaining about, we sent you three boats and a helicopter."

[cristel]

Yes Rozelle ! Exactly what I had in mind !!!

[NatalieV]

Slightly off topic now but reading this article and seeing the picture attached it always amuses me that these "workers" are crying for more money but yet they take unpaid leave to strike and the labour parties have more than enough money to print T-shirts and distribute them to the masses???? I cant understand the logic - three weeks without pay for just a marginal difference in increase .... "be thankful you getting an increase!!"

Just adding my 2c!

[Heymanse]

My mom sent me a text last night saying that she just heard from my sister who lives in Secunda. They were called to the school to collect their kids urgently because a great number of strikers showed up at the school with "knopkieries" & "sambokke" and all hell broke loose. Apparently, the kids are also not going to school at normal school times. They would sometimes go to school during the afternoon and sometimes at night just to try and catch up on work that they've lost because of the strike and to minimise the change of being intimitated.

Those poor children are being pulled in all directions just because some people are not happy with a 7.5% increase. Jeez, I'm happy just to get a 3% increase here in Aus and I know of many others that don't even get any increases but you never hear people complaining about it or far worse, go on strike and cause such a major "shut down" of the country like in SA!

[Mikej]

I cant understand the logic

+1

[Cindylou]

These people have waited for 15+ years for the ANC et al to keep their promises. What they see instead is reduced living standards, increased crime, deteriorating infrastructure and FAT CAT COMRADES DRIVING FANCY CARS AND EARNING (TAKING) BIG BUCKS working for the government. Until the pollies stop seeing politics as a gravy train and start taking their constituents into account the poor masses in SA will continue to cry foul.

[Mikej]

Until the pollies stop seeing politics as a gravy train and start taking their constituents into account the poor masses in SA will continue to cry foul.

The poor masses will continue to cry foul and the poor masses will continue to vote the fat cat ANC pollies back into power at future elections.

I cant understand the logic

[tyde]

Looks like NUMSA have joined in too, now there is a petrol strike and pick n pay workers said to take part in a protected strike too. So the question is who is not on strike at the moment?????

[ajvr]

Yes!! Rozellem.

Everybody I talk to here has only one regret ""I wish I did it sooner"""

AJVR

[Veronique]

Gosh is there no end to this:

Fuel station workers strike kicks off - http://www.fin24.com/Business/Petrol-worke...ks-off-20100901

Pick n Pay workers to strike - http://www.fin24.com/Companies/Pick-n-Pay-...strike-20100830

I would hate to be in Zuma's position right now.

And all my friends and family is SA said the World Cup was a turning point for SA.....turning where? DOWN DOWN DOWN!

And now in Mozambique too:

Riots, chaos grip Mozambique - http://www.news24.com/Africa/News/Riots-ch...mbique-20100901

Whats stopping SA from going down this road too?

[Pipit]

The problem with South Africa is that is is too labour dependant. Many of us wish we could fill our own cars up, pack our own groceries etc. Unions are continually holding Government to ransom, will it ever cease?

Pipit

[Kapoen]

And now in Mozambique too:

Riots, chaos grip Mozambique - http://www.news24.com/Africa/News/Riots-ch...mbique-20100901

Whats stopping SA from going down this road too?

The strike in Mozambique imho is because they see what their neighbours in SA are doing, difference is that the police force in Mozambique won't join the strike and will retaliate with force, as they have done already. When they ran out of rubber bullets they used real ammunition.

I saw the respect that Mozambicans have for their force one year when we drove through Maputo, one constable armed with just a nightstick broke up a crowd of about fifty. The strikes in M just seem out of control because of the media slant, but it is no worse than the sporadic "service delivery" strikes we have over here.

So personally I think SA is far worse off than Mozambique