Be careful what you wish for if it is 90% local
Imagine if 90% of all cars on the road had to be locally produced?
Now that the SABC has announced that all radio stations will only be playing 90% local music, it begs the question as to what will happen should this policy be applied to other spheres of life down south.
Imagine if 90% of all cars on the road had to be locally produced?
Except for one or two rusty Ferraris made in Utrecht, there would be no fancy Mustangs or Porches. The taxis will be fine – they are made in Wasbank.
For instance, if all clothing worn is to be 90% local? That will not be too bad as we have plenty of Chinese clothing factories in Newcastle (but none in Dundee) so we should be fairly well covered.
It would be pretty much goodbye to the brand names, though – Wranglers, Nike etc. Damn, then I will have to buy from the Ghanaian hawker outside the bank – they seem to have all types at good prices too.
If food was 90% local? Well, we would be okay for pap and wors, walkie talkies, bunny chow, mealie meal and braais but the rest will have to go – hamburgers (American), fish and chips (English), pizza (Italian) etc. No imported Windhoek lager for the doppers too! And remember the biggest brewery in the world has bought out SAB so we are not sure if Castle is even considered local anymore.
What about computers? Are these locally produced somewhere in a back street of Glencoe? Mine says it is made in Malayasia and the camera in Thailand and the tablet in Serbia of all places.
Cellphones? Mine says made in Sweden. Not sure if any are made in Nquthu. We will no longer be able to chat to one another – which is not a bad thing according to employers who say most staff spend 90% of the day bent over the cellphones.
My crockery is made in China – they do not call it bone China for nothing. What if we say 90% of tourists visiting the battlefields must be local? Old Johann and Pat will be tearing their collective hair out. Seff Africans would rather go to Game than trudge around Isandlwana or Blood River.
That is the preserve of eccentric UK guys who know more about our history than we do.
What if all hawkers and barber shop owners have to be 90% local? Gee, who would cut my hair? And the hawkers? No more fake Liverpool, Man United or Sharks shirts, lads.
No more cloned DVDs bought from the taxi rank. It is a good thing Europe or the US never implemented the 90% local music policy as the US would have never heard of the Beatles and England and America would not have known of Johnny Clegg, Mariam Makheba or Hugh Masakala. Be careful what you wish for.
