The halfway mark
We can all pat ourselves on the back because we managed to wade through the muck-infested waters that make up pre-election campaigning without too much of a stench, emerging only slightly pongy at the other end with the ANC – once again – dominating our political space.
Well, believe it or not, we’re already halfway through 2019 and – sure enough – the garish lights and non-stop sound of Bony M’s most grating hits will be swooping us into the festive season before we know it.
It’s important to take some time to stop, look around, and take stock of the year before it becomes ‘last year’ or ‘last decade’ or ‘back in my day’.
Let’s take a little stroll along memory lane, reflecting on the past six months and then we’ll march on forwards into the yonder and try to unravel what the rest of the year promises us.
What we’ve achieved
We can all pat ourselves on the back because we managed to wade through the muck-infested waters that make up pre-election campaigning without too much of a stench, emerging only slightly pongy at the other end with the ANC – once again – dominating our political space.
While we down our vodkas at the realisation that the likes of David Mabuza, Ace Magashule and Angie Motshegka are still stinking up the halls of the cabinet, we bid a fond farewell to some of the more malodorous characters in the form of Bathabile Dlamini, Malusi Gigaba and Baleke Mbetha.
So not all bad then.
Our economy is still in tatters, education is swirling the drain and unemployment rates some of the highest in the world, but at least we don’t have to deal with Zuma’s giggling face…except on Twitter.
Across the seas, Donald Trump is still – unbelievably – president of the USA… detaining children, harassing women and generally just soiling the planet with his Tangerine tint.
Brexit is still Brexiting with no end in sight, although we did say farewell to Theresa May.
Who knows how anyone should feel about that?
Some other highlights include:
· Exiting the Cricket World Cup without the title of ‘chokers’, now we can just pride ourselves as ‘losers’.
· Zindzi Mandela putting the ‘ass’ in ambassador on Twitter.
· Doris Day died. Although, admittedly, I thought she died years ago. She’s joined in the abyss by three-time Formula One champion, Niki Lauda.
· Game of Thrones finally ending, leaving fans underwhelmed and workplaces with nothing to discuss around the water cooler.
· Caster Semenya showing up the haters in the IAAF and continuing her winning ways.
What we have to look forward to:
· Boris Johnson taking on Donald Trump in the competition for ‘National leaders with the most insane hairstyles’.
· Inevitable war between the USA and Iran. Not to mention trade wars and, of course, Star Wars in December.
· Politicians lauding themselves on a higher matric pass rate while overlooking the high dropout rate and dwindling standard of education.
· New Zealand taking its fourth Rugby World Cup title with the South African fans left shocked, bemoaning the quota system.
· Caster Semenya showing up the haters in the IAAF and continuing her winning ways.
