No problem, after all this is the best time of the year and all the GPs have gone (and thankfully left their tourism rands behind) and I have the beach – and more especially the dolphin viewing platform – almost to myself.
There’s something highly under-rated about not going away on your annual vacation: no need for a house or dog sitter and you can sleep in your own bed every night after the day trips.
This year has been particularly rewarding as I have had three things to keep me both busy and entertained.
The first is that I used this time to have cataracts removed from both my eyes. Easy surgery and done in no time and now I can see perfectly… at least as far as distance is concerned.
The second is that I have been able to watch the Proteas and Pakistanis give each other a tough go in the limited overs and T20 cricket matches.
It’s also been great to watch our women’s side against Sri Lanka; amazing how good our ladies are!
But the highlight, or lowlight, has been viewing (one-eyed, with eye patches) the state capture commission, as those who testify implicate themselves along with many big shot names that so often make headlines for all the wrong reasons.
One cannot believe (if it is to be believed) that nobody was gunned down and robbed during the informal cash-in-transit process.
Bags full of boodle have for years seemingly been picked up, dropped off and handed over without so much as a hit on any of the couriers.
For me, stars of the show (and it is pukka entertainment, which is partly why it’s being televised) thus far have been Justice Zondo and Cope’s Dennis Bloem who, it must be remembered, was a member of the ruling party when he chaired parliament’s portfolio committee on Correctional Services.
His vain attempts to have the rot stopped must be lauded.
However, the underlying cause of anger, shame and disappointment has been the millions, billions and even trillions of rands diverted from legitimate ventures that would address poverty and joblessness into the pockets and bank accounts of unscrupulous recipients.
May justice be served so that our great nation can resume its path towards Mandela’s vision of peace and prosperity for all.
