Missive from parts of Africa

A light hearted and sometimes serious look at moving 6000km into a place in Africa: April 2007. Promoted back to South Africa, the missive will continue to track my foray's into deepest Africa as and when I get there.

Name:
Location: Joburg, Africa, South Africa

Friday, March 10, 2006

And now for the 9 o'clock news

From the press today:

When you have no TV you tend to shag a lot. (when TV is kak you tend to shag a lot). Shagging means eventually babies – generally demmet – work with me on this one.

Nine months after said shagging even, one takes one’s wife/ girlfriend/ significant other to the hospital to have said baby. Said baby is duly popped out, woman has duly screamed “This is all YOUR fault” to the man and happiness reigns.

That is unless you find yourself a bit short of funds and cannot pay the hospital. In Ghana when that occurs, your baby is held as collateral for the amount outstanding.

Now certain things cross my mind:

What happens if you never pay? - does the baby grow up in the hospital a-la Tom Hanks in Terminal? This has the makings of a good movie. Spielburg, I thought of it first!!

Does the hospital charge bed and board for the baby while it is in the hospital or does common law prevail and the attachor then is responsible for the upkeep and storage of the security.

Do you have visiting rights?

This can go on and on. But fortunately the head Honcho of the hospital decided to send all babies home. All 77 of them!! I assume the mums and dads are happy to have their baby at home. I assume….

The good old US of A has blocked a deal for a company controlled by a Dubai Based company to control 6 US ports. The interesting fact is that the ports were already controlled by a foreign based company. In this case a UK based company. The Dubai based company, purchased the UK based company and *boom* all hell broke loose about “security issues”. Rep Lewis – who is a Bush Supporter- was quoted as saying “we want port security in US hands”. He has obviously not been advised that port security has not been in US hands for a while now.

In true political form, He has tagged the refusal onto an Aid bill for Hurricane Relief. Which means if Bush2 veto’s the bill, the hurricane relief goes with it as well. You have gotta love politics!

Newmont – a large mining company – is building a new mine in the Brong Ahafo region of the country. A 1 billion USD investment in total over the next 5 years. Money that Ghana can use and a source of jobs.

Being an American company, they do things somewhat differently from other companies in Africa. One of their new “problems” relates to a calendar promoting all the good community work they have carried out in the region. Unfortunately it appears that a road that was built by the Government in the area appears on the calendar.

Cue major bruha about Newmont “not been truthful, deceiving everyone as to the deeds they have done etc etc”. Newmont reacted by advertising that they will buy back the calendar from anyone in the local populace for some $2.00 a copy.

Another good deed by Newmont creating a recycling market will be advertised next year no doubt.

I also think someone at Newmont is looking for a new job. Ruthless buggers I hear via the grapevine.

The Supreme Court has handed down a decision which has been heralded by the Chronicle as a “landmark case”

The decision? That a university has the right to withhold the issuing of a degree to a student should such student have been found not to have fulfilled all the conditions required to earn such degree.

A landmark case indeed. I am wondering if the student that took the case to court was a law student…..

And that dear reader is what perked me up today

I go work now!

1 Comments:

Blogger Esther said...

77 babies!? Maybe the crying was keeping the other patients awake and they had to do the night time baby duties ;)

hmmm, U mean there's a way to get a degree without going to classes and writing the xams? Where do I apply ? ;)

9:06 PM  

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