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So it seems November, the month of fireworks, began not with a big bang but with a damp squib ̶ the local elections. By all accounts, just over 12-million South Africans – less than half of the 26-million who had registered ̶ cast their votes.
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However, at least one ward in KZN bucked the trend. Of the approximately 3000 registered voters in that ward, more than 80% turned out to vote. What makes this truly noteworthy though, was that the procedure at the polling station seemed designed to put people off. Voting took place in a church hall at the top of a fairly steep hill. A large proportion of the voters were pensioners. Early in the day, trouble began. There were reports of, for example, faulty electronic devices; of not enough ballot papers; of proceedings being slower than treacle in winter. Voters arrived, saw the queue stretching a kilometre or more down the hill, and left. They returned hours later, only to find the queue longer than before. Some joined anyway; others went home for supper, then came back to stand once more in the sloth-like line. Darkness set in. From a wetland in the valley below, a chorus of frogs and toads serenaded the gathered throng, as if to cheer them up. The queue barely moved. More returnees arrived, this time bringing chairs. The community rallied and brought wheelchairs for those whose strength was failing and could thus no longer walk another step. The lucky ones who’d made it to the front and cast their votes – some having waited for over three hours ̶ emerged like triumphant gladiators. Many expressed opinions: “Political sabotage!”; “Ballot papers ran out!”; “The pace is speeding up!”; “Don’t leave ̶ every vote is needed!”; “There’s coffee!”
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And there was indeed coffee! A superhero in the form of a mobile barista had come to the rescue of the weary electorate. He rolled up his sleeves and produced an excellent brew that was free to all, courtesy of one of the political parties contesting the ward. It certainly made a change from T-shirts. And who wouldn’t sell their souls for a caffeine boost while waiting patiently outside a barely functioning polling booth in the dead of night?
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Despite the tediousness of standing in line for hours, no one even contemplated sacrificing their vote. If there had been a plot to deter voters, it had failed dismally. Moreover, a festive atmosphere prevailed, which probably speaks more to our need for social engagement in this era of Covid than it does to the entertainment value of elections. Merriment, chatter, and laughter brightened the dark streets and kept folk in high spirits until the curtain came down at around 22.30, when everyone who’d joined the sluggish queue before the official closing time of 21h00 had made their mark. What’s more, if anyone had been enraged by the entire shabby show, not a word was spoken in anger.
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Talking of which, anger management is our main feature article in this week’s edition. Says author Delilah Nosworthy, anger is best served cold.
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This message is the author's opinion and does not reflect the views or policies of SAFREA, nor of any of its members.
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Anger is best served cold
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Author: Delilah Nosworthy
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Thomas Jefferson once said, “when angry, count to 10 before you speak. If very angry, a hundred.” This is sound age-old advice; by doing so, you are emphasising two key elements of anger management – time and distraction. It allows you to delay a response and it offers a helpful distraction from the anger-arousing incident.
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Gravity finally has a face
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A Durban engineer has come up with a model that has the potential to upset the gravity apple-cart - and he wants to talk to other physicists about it.
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Thinking of buying a bank repossessed property? Read this first.
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Buying a bank repossessed property may seem like a bargain, but what happens when occupants refuse to vacate?
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Nula is stuck in an arranged marriage. She discovers her husband is abusive and must endure the agony. Until she comes up with a plan.
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To emoji or not to emoji?
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You should know, to start with, that I’m a hard-ass about most things when it comes to business writing:
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• The phrase “I trust this email finds you well” (I hate it)
• The incorrect use of the verb “revert” (this makes me itch)
• Two spaces after a full stop (which should’ve vanished when women got the vote).
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But, in a development that surprises many people, I’m no hard-ass when it comes to emojis.
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Safrea Cover Showcase 3 | Marinda Louw Coetzee
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Author: Helene vd Westhuizen
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In the Safrea Cover Showcase this week, Marinda Louw, a photographer based in Cape Town, talks about the unlikely angles in her work and the outlook on life that produces them.
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A Tailor's Story - 40 years in Bez Valley and counting
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For Mr. Moti and Bez Valley Tailors, when Covid-19 struck, it was more than a glitch, it was a brick wall. But one way or another, life goes on...
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Fun in the apartheid army. Arseholes and insanity - Part 4
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Lectures, punishment, fetching leaves, pushups, Bisley marksmanship, arseholes, and insanity. It was all there.
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