SA Rocks

I have immense respect for John Robbie. When I worked at 702 I would get in to work at about 6:30 am and Mr Robbie would have been in the studio preparing for his show from about 3:30am. He is a smart guy who speaks his mind and has a firm opinion on things, sometimes to his detriment.

But nevertheless I listen to him and have done so for years on 702.

I am particularly intrigued by a podcast found on 702 of Robbie talking about crime in SA. Have a listen:

CLICK TO LISTEN TO PODCAST – right click save link as to download.

I think this is a very interesting topic. Should South Africans as a nation start to dispel some of the myths surrounding the crime in SA. Is it as bad as it appears to be in the international media? If it is, should we still be making a noise about it to alert foreigners? Is there a faction of South Africans who want this country to fail?

Much like the Jeremy Clarkson article that I blogged about last week, I don’t believe it as bad as everyone says it is, for everyone. I know that there is crime, I’ve seen it, experienced it and live with it everyday, much like everyone else. But I just think that South Africans have a way of over-exhagerating things to the extent that it becomes somewhat comical. Like the number of emails I get on a daily basis proving to me how bad crime is because someone’s second cousin’s sister’s aunt’s domestic worker heard from someone that the next door neighbour’s mother’s best friend was hijacked. I have to laugh.

But moreover, I have to promote SA, I have to give people my opinion and experience of this beautiful country and that experience is one of pride, triumph, strength of will to overcome crime, negative South Africans who bad mouth this nation without a valid point or reason and don’t try to help.

I choose to help SA succeed and think that we all should start.

Popularity: 10% [?]

I absolutely love Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear fame. He’s a laugh, he’s witty, he says what’s on his mind and he gets at everybody.

I subscribe to his column in the Times Online and read it every week. The man is brilliant.

This week his target is good old Johannesburg. And boy does Clarkson have it in for us.

The article is titled: “I dare you to visit Johannesburg, the city for softies“. I was a bit concerned about the article and Joburg receiving even more bad press. I was almost right. But it’s not Joburg receiving the bad press, it’s us, the people living here. Clarkson believes that we’re all sissies who need to get over ourselves and start positively promoting our incredible city.

His closing lines:

Johannesburgians are telling the world they live in a shit-hole to save their lions. That’s the sort of people they are. And so, if you are thinking about going to the World Cup next year, don’t hesitate.

The exchange rate’s good, the food is superb, the weather’s lovely and, thanks to some serious economic self-sacrifice, Kruger is still full of animals. The word, then, I’d choose to describe Jo’burg is “tranquil”.

I await the backlash for his article and my posting of it. I am sure it is to follow.

Popularity: 9% [?]