DAAR was onlangs ‘n hartverskeurende brief in die plaaslike koerant.
‘n Ou tannie was in Kirstenbosch, toe sien sy ’n werker besig om toksiese onkruiddoder te spuit. Foeitog, sy is nou erg geskok – hoe durf hulle chemikalië in ‘n nasionale park gebruik?
Struwwelpeter help haar graag reg. Tannie, alles op hierdie aarde bestaan uit chemikalië – insluitend jou liggaam. Moet nie vir die woord skrik nie.
Verder, toksisiteit gaan om die dosis. Omtrent alles is toksies as jy ’n oordosis gebruik.
Selfs water: as jy bv vyf liter water in 15 minute sou drink, sal jy ernstig siek wees van water-intoksikasie. Jou bloed sal so verdun wees dat dit nie meer sy ding kan doen nie.
Maar kom ons praat nou van die onkruiddoder wat haar so geskok het: dis waarskynlik Roundup. Sy regte naam is N-fosfo-monometiel isopropielamien. En ja, hy’s giftig – vir onkruid vir ‘n kort tydjie.
Volgens regulasie is dit geformuleer om binne dae na skadelose stowwe af te breek.
Hoe giftig is Roundup vir mense? Volgens die Merck Index is die LD50 3,925 mg per kg gewig vir soogdiere. Dit beteken dat as jy vir helfte van ‘n 100 mense, wat elk 60kg weeg, wil doodmaak met Roundup, dan moet jy vir elke ou 23,5 gram ingee.
Die LD50 van gewone tafelsout, terloops, is 3,750 mg (per kg liggaamsgewig in rotte). Wat beteken dat Roundup en tafelsout omtrent ewe “toksies” is.
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Ons het nou ‘n totaal onervare nuwe SABC hoof wat lieg oor sy kwalifikasies. Dan het ons ook vir Thandi Modisi, wat tydens haar premierskap ‘n hele spul vrot munisipaliteite in haar spoor gelaat het.
Nou het sy bewys dat sy geen benul het van plaasbestuur nie (onthou die storie van die varke wat so uitgehonger was dat hulle mekaar se dooie karkasse begin vreet het). En nou het die ANC haar aangestel as voorsitter van die Nasionale Provinsiale Rade.
Hoe onbekwaam moet ‘n mens wees voordat die ANC jou ‘n top posisie gee?
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En nou ‘n oulike ietsie van Engeland: Die politieke bewustes sê dat mens nie meer moet kla oor “English weather” nie. Aangesien daar omtrent nou eweveel immigrante in Engeland is as wat daar Engelse is, moet jy praat van “Arab weather”.
En onthou Arab Weather is “partly Sunni, but mostly Shi‘ite”.
(Dankie LL)
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‘n Interesante brief van Sir Richard Banson oor die EFF se plan om sy plaas in Franschoek te steel:
Dear Honorable (Commissar) Andile Mngxitama,
Thank you for your letter warning me about expropriation without compensation of my Mont Rochelle Hotel and Mountain Vineyards owned by Virgin Limited Edition (VLI) in Franschoek. That is if the EFF come to power.
I do want to firstly assure you that we are used to expropriation without compensation. It is commonplace in the hotel business and I can’t tell you how many sheets and towels and pictures, cutlery and plants go missing from our establishments.
May I also hasten to add that all these movables are ours and will be disposed of before the expropriation date, using explosives if needs be.
As for the very precious and beautiful land, the Registrar of Deeds, a state employee, has acknowledged our ownership by signing the title deed and survey diagram. This ‘piece of paper’ as you call it, is vital.
We cannot have people trespassing on our property, or sending their cows into the vineyards. So we paid for its exclusive use. The tacit agreement is the state will prevent others from using it and our taxes pay for this protection.
In testament to this we can only guess how thoroughly rotten things are out there, sans titles, when people freely choose to move to the dangerous and degrading rusty corrugated suburbs around the towns and cities. There they have to buy food and are humiliated by depending on state grants which would not feed an alsasian.
To describe this as stealing from the Khoi and the San is about as ridiculous as Queen Elizabeth 11 accusing Azanians for pinching the English language, taking on Westminster’s democratic norms, and and playing cricket, football and rugby. The point is that the land is still there. So how can it have been stolen.
And land is priceless; for in this unfathomable universe all the money in the world cannot add an inch or an ounce to our earth. That is a bargain in any language.
You call it theft but we have not deprived anyone else. Frost and Sullivan estimates there are 27 million hectares of unused arable land in South Africa and countless millions of urban plots which could be subdivided, so there is enough to go around.
But income taxes and vat are proper, armed robbery. And when the EFF comes to power you will be fleecing everyone for working, innovating, saving, investing and spending in South Africa. Just like the ANC today.
So let us do a deal and get all this land access and theft business out of the way in the event that you win the next election:
1. Without admitting any guilt I am willing to recommend to my board that VLI pay back the current value of our land to the National Treasury over a fifteen-year period with an option to continue paying for its use thereafter.
2. The conditions precedent are that all other landowners, whether black or white, are put to the same terms. Secondly, National Treasury waives all income taxes and vat, starting from the February following the date that the EFF comes to power.
You will find the land payments will likely exceed the present taxes because unused land pays next to nothing now. This will mean that the price of unused land will drop sharply and will therefore cost next to nothing to expropriate. Or it will have to be put to use quickly to make the payments.
Kindly reply within the month because we have started renovations to the hotel. That may have to be stopped if your threat is not withdrawn.
Yours Sincerely
Sir Richard Branson
