Hectic Days

Living in South Africa is really interesting at the moment - there's so much going on, you can't possibly be bored, even if your life might be hitting a rutt or a bit slow, there's always something going on and not just in the country, but locally. The other day all the taxi drivers were striking in protest of the government's plan to improve transport for the world cup soccer. One of the labourers was telling me the taxi drivers were angry because the government was supplying them with these new vehicles which were supposed to be safer than some of the crocs they drive (Some of them are literally held together with wire and masking tape), but they're expensive to run and keep breaking down. So, anyway, the taxi drivers decide that it's not good enough to just strike, and they start shooting at and stoning buses. The local radio station gets a call from a guy in the police and they ask him what the public should do, so he says: "No, they must just be a little bit careful they don't get shot."
I kid you not...
Then a convoy of 6-7 taxi's hits Walmer and - how shall I put it? Harrasses motorists? They drove around wildly for a couple of hours shooting red traffic lights and stop streets and generally driving recklessly endangering lives.
The ANC is losing stacks of people to a new opposition party (As yet unnamed but in the making). And when I say people, I mean prominent members of the ANC. A spokesman for the ANC said this was not unusual, that it had happened before, but I honestly can't remember such prominent members of the party absconding in droves like this. While some people are cheerful and optimistic about the move (There's always been an underlying concern that there is no opposition party to challenge the ANC like Zimbabwe) others are seeing this as a potential disaster. There have been threats made - directed at those leaving the party and this makes a lot of South Africans nervous because it has the feel of a potential civil war. Let's face it - civil war in Africa is pretty damn rough. Anybody seen the movie Blood Diamonds? That's a pretty accurate portrayal of what happens when things go awry in Africa.
So, even if your own life isn't providing you with much to talk about or think about, the surroundings certainly are.