IS it just us at the Mid South Coast Mail … or does anyone else out there get that ‘unwanted’ feeling at the moment?
There are no Koi San citizens living around here (as far as we know), so the vast majority of us are ‘foreign’ to some extent. The question is: How far back does one’s ancestors in South Africa have to go before we can call ourselves ‘locals’?
The current wave of xenophobia sweeping the country has even spread to the Umdoni area, although thankfully not with the same intensity… yet.
But we do know that there were rumblings in Umzinto on Friday and several foreign nationals closed up shop just in case.
One can think of a myriad of reasons for this nation-wide churn, but what it really boils down to is ‘bad management’.
Our country has basically become a free-for-all, starting right at the top and filtering down to the poorest-of-the-poor. It’s turning into ‘every man for himself’.
However, there is a ‘positive’ lurking somewhere here amongst the turmoil. Local government elections are looming and there is an opportunity for someone to step up to the plate right here in Umdoni, put his/her hand up and say: “How’s this for a plan?”
Who cares what party they belong to? Who cares where their roots are? Who cares about the race, sex or religion?
All we want is a leader who can think out the box, convince people to have compassion for each other (and not only themselves) and ease our fears and apprehensions about our future.
No political party will achieve this now, but a charismatic individual could.
Are there any takers out there?
