Well, I watched the news last night, the protestors got about 7 seconds, there were no pics of folk waving paper flags and the address at the Union buildings in Pretoria was set up with two podiums, one with our idiot and one with yours. I thinks BO was taken aback by this format to have to share space with our idiot. The dialogue actually ran like a debate which I found strange. Decorum usually allows a dignitary sole podium time but then decorum here is non existent with our idiotic government.
I remember in the days of Bush when a dignitary came to the podium outside the WH, they stood together and each one spoke individually.
Obama's comments had many pauses, he also talked of the inclusion of Africa into the G8 summit and he said, it was OK to be part of the planning processes but when it came to action or responsibility for hard decisions and sharing in the blame "some folk" choose to remain neutral. (Read:Banana republics not welcome)
Once upon a time SA had a significant seat in the League of Nations.
He also mentioned that Africa should insist that if foreigners invest in Africa, local labour should be used and question how much money goes out. Well Doh, all African nations have that pretty much down pat except that today's officials unlike the white ones of yore are easier and cheaper to bribe or give a backhander to for ignoring these rules.
For example, all the freeways in and around Johannesburg, Midrand and Pretoria were upgraded (in part) by some Belgian group. There are now e-tolls, something you drive under and registers your vehicle, reads a microchip in your number plate, takes a pic etc. and then bills you. These were existing ones that merely got an extra lane or two. Because they misappropriate taxes, there was no money to finance this from simple stuff like licences, fuel levies, and a myriad of other road tax goodies so they accepted a foreign investment of Billions to do this upgrade. Now folk will be paying US$500M per month to the investors for life. Of course the gubmint take a skim of these new "taxes" to feather their own little nests whatever they are. These monies are not even going into new housing projects for the needy, we still have huge squatter camps tin shanties 20 years on. Meanwhile every gubmint official and his tea maker, drives around in SUVs, Beamers and Audis.
There is a huge boycott that will probably take place as if folk ignore this, they will need to issue 70,000 summons a day and there is no way in hell the courts can handle that many cases. Gonna be interesting when it goes live.
This was not an investment to help Africa, it was an entrapment to make money off the folk forever.
When the whites were in charge, highways were built and funded by loans or covered by taxes.
Probably coming to a city near you soon
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