Spoke to a close relative and friend yesterday. We were both excited, it had been a while. We spoke about projects at home, the weather, and of course, the political situation.
He ventured a metaphor about the current government.
"Its like a locomotive," he said, matter of factly, "How so?", I asked. He paused, and answered, "Well, from a distance, you can never tell whether its coming or going, can you?" made sense, come to think of it, "You can't tell whether its moving or not..."
I began to talk to him about the hopes that have been raised with all the travels abroad and the meetings with Obama and the talks with the British, in fact, the shaking hands with the British and promises of good times to come... "Eish, these people overseas have really got kind and caring hearts, they must be bringing in the money, we have been promised the money!" I say to him, excited at the prospects of more resources for the nation.
He says there is no money, he is as blunt as that...
The mirage is waning, and an all too dreary picture is forming in the distance... Soon we will see the locomotive for what it is... Stalled and stagnant... only had enough fuel to get up the mountain, roll down, and now it has stalled right there on the vlei... victory within sight...
There is still that sense of hope which is all too common among our people. Somehow things will in fact move on, its just a matter of time!
So sad.
