Ed’s note: this post was contributed by someone who emailed me out of the blue to show support for SA and SA Rocks! Fantastic, things like this make my week, nevermind just my day.
Thanks go out to Zee for her contribution and willingness to have a positive opinion about SA.
There is no doubt that our fourteen year old country has far to go.
But deep within my heart I have no doubt that South Africa will be the centre of all success to come.
To all those who continue to be negative about this beautiful country of ours I have just this to say.
You are not an average South African. Driving your car to work (you have a job, albeit you think you deserve more money for the work you do) after having something to eat (you have food in your cabinets), after having a warm shower ( you have utilities ) in your very own home ( a brick layered foundation that protects you and provides you with solace).
The average South African earns less than R2000 a month, lives in a tin shanty, has three kids to educate, and has to travel in unsafe, unroadworthy taxis. And if lucky had a slice of bread as breakfast this morning. This average South African had a cold bucket bath by candlelight, who probably had to walk to get to a communal water hole, awoke at 4 in the morning, so that they could take 3 taxis; to get work on time by 8.This average South African will get home by 7 tonight, will prepare maize meal and two pieces of meat for supper as this is all they can afford to get them through to their next pay check.
So I am so very sorry, that the pothole in your road that caused your car’s suspension to bend, has not been mended, or you had to go to work after having showered in cold water, because of Eskom’s load shedding issue, and the petrol price has risen due to the US Recession. And you only had 150 hours of electricity this week compared to your usual 168.We are so very sorry that those who can afford to buy things on interest have abused that power because they didn’t know how to budget, hence the rise in interest. We are so very sorry that our Politician’s are human and corruptible; I guess there is no corruption in any other country hey? Look up Enron please, and the government involvement in the biggest financial fraud committed in the world.
Get with the programme people, you live in this country, we all seem to dislike the arrogance of the Americans. But what stands out is their solidarity and pride they have for their country. This country has fed you, educated you and gave you the freedom to be who ever you wanted to be.You have a job, a home, all the basic utilities. The average South African has 1 out of the 3 mentioned.
For those who have left this country, hold all your comments, you no longer have a right to tarnish the reputation of this country. You chose to leave and not make a difference in this country.
Realize that with every 8 tourists that enter SA, one job is created for a South African.
We beat out all first world countries to host the 2010 cup. So by chance that we fail in this quest, you cannot run away from your heritage, you are South African ,the world will laugh at you, yes you, not just the 2010 committee, because you are South African.
Stop complaining do something about it.
So make this country work, be positive, be friendly, let go of your hate and your complaints and be grateful of this country you live in. You’ll be surprised at the doors that open in your favor.
Here are facts I’m guessing you never knew about this country.
WHAT YOU NEVER KNEW ABOUT SOUTH AFRICAN HERITAGE!
1. FROM CHINESE TO FRENCH – EVERYONE IN THE WORLD IS SOUTH AFRICAN: All the worlds people are “twice South African” because it was here that mans descendants and modern man both evolved
2. THE FIRST EVIDENCE OF LIFE ON EARTH — YES — FROM SA: In eastern South Africa, scientists have found traces of blue-green algae dating back 3 500 million years. This is some of the earliest evidence of life on Earth.
3. METEORS HIT PRETORIA 220 000 YEARS AGO!: 220 000 years ago a meteorite struck South Africa, forming the Tswaing Crater northwest of Pretoria. This is one of the most accessible and best-preserved meteorite impact craters in the world.
4. IF ALIENS LANDED THEY WOULD BE THE PROPERTY OF THE STATE! According to the National Heritage Resources Act, all meteorites are considered protected property of the nation and there are rules regarding what can be done with them. Interestingly, because a meteorite is defined as “any naturally-occurring object of extraterrestrial origin”, this means that if an alien landed in SA he/she/it would become the property of the State. Should an alien arrive and find that SA did not suit its disposition, it would not need a passport to leave but it would have to acquire an export permit from the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA).
5. SA HAS THE WORLD’S OLDEST REMAINS: The oldest remains of modern humans were found in Klasies River Cave in the Eastern Cape. They are well over 100 000 years old.
6. SOUTH AFRICA HAS OVER 2000 SHIPWRECKS: There are more than 2 000 shipwrecks, dating back at least 500 years, off the SA coast and more than one, including the Waratah, simply vanished without a trace.
7. TRANCE WAS HERE OVER 25 000 YEARS AGO: Trance is nothing new to South Africa. In fact, bushman cave paintings in the Drakensburg are thought to be the work of Shamans operating in a ‘trance’ state. Some of these are up to 25 000 years old.
8. THE SAYING “WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST” COMES FROM SA: The practice of “women and children first” originated off the coast of Hermanus when the British ship, the Birkenhead, sank in 1852. Of the approximately 600 people on board, all 200 women and children survived. Unfortunately, almost 400 men went down with the ship.
9. SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE: Detailed documentation from travelers and researchers in the Cape in the 1600s shows that more than 350 years later the traditional “maatjieshut” residence of Namaqualand is still being built in precisely the same manner and proportions as those of the KhoeKhoe people of the past.
10. SOUTH AFRICA THINKS AHEAD OF THE WORLD: South Africa is one of the first countries in the world to formally protect places associated with “Living Heritage” that is based on stories passed down from generation to generation by for e.g. Grandmothers telling children stories about the places in which they live. One of the first projects in South Africa that looked at how we can protect such sites took place in Dukuza (formerly Stanger) in KwaZulu-Natal. The town was the site of King Shaka’s royal residence and interviews with old people in the community revealed an amazing store of information passed down over nearly 180 years concerning things like from which spring the royal water was drawn, where the King swam, under which trees particular events and councils occurred.
11. THREE MILLION!: South Africa’s history and pre-history goes back more than three million years.
12. KAROO BOASTS THE BEST DINOSAUR FOSSILS: The Karoo region is home to some of the best fossils of early dinosaurs.
Zee Harduth
Popularity: 4% [?]
