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One of the things we started in SA was to take the The Times on line whatever you politics it just keeps us informed of home. the result is I have started writing in the comments back to the articles this is one such.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/comment/covid-complacency-threatens-south-africa-mj92xzlsr



It's difficult to know how to comment on this article. I think the writer was from SA but lives in the UK now, my home. There have been so many times I have wanted to write back to my people and say how bad things are here but I read the UK press and see the chaos at home.

I think it's too early to tell the long term effects of Covid anywhere even here in SA. What I see is that more people will die of starvation and other diseases in SA in the next 2 years than Covid. Covid did not bring the government hospitals into the state mentioned many have been like that for a long time. If you're not SA you are often turned away from the hospital.  In the township I'm connected to it's been impossible to get government family planning injections for a long time. There is a poverty long term challenge there. My wife and I each day before we put the radio on have a bet, what will the corruption scandal be today?  It seems that corruption lies in every sector of society and an election will not cure that. Just imagine what 40% unemployment would do to a European country? Outside of all this is the question about land, farmers protesting about farmers being murdered, the old white brigade now renting their houses out for a quick escape and the notion you tell your children not to stay here in SA  because of BEE. None of the above even touches on state capture SAA, ESCOM, SA Post Office all bankrupt or unbelievably in debt. Angela Merkal came early in the year to be persuaded for more investment just at the height of the time when the country was load shedding. We can't get the new nuclear energy plants running and the coal plants are often broken.

I am sorry this is so long you probably asleep or moved on by now. I think the place may be beyond fixing. But we try to find one family, one person at a time, share what we have, help and be generous.

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