However, the system is facing opposition from the taxi industry (mini buses). Traditionally, taxis have largely met the demands for transport in South Africa. The industry developed during Apartheid, and exists outside of the formal economy.

The taxi industry feels that the BRT threatens their business, and protests against the new system started many months ago. In march of this year, several highways were closed down by drivers blocking the entire highway refusing to move. More pics.

Reactions to the taxi rivalry

In this post we will cover some view points and reports by bloggers.

Road Safety Blog reports:

The taxi industry had tried an eleventh hour court application to the High Court in Pretoria on Friday to prevent the launch of the BRT, but the judge did not give them the go-ahead for an urgent interdict to stop the buses.

Further:

But taxi operators say government has developed BRT on routes taxis took decades to develop, threatening their livelihoods.

Ndebele said the national joint working group on the project would continue to talk with the taxi industry in efforts to draw up a memorandum of agreement.

“Everything we do in public transport must ultimately benefit the commuter,” he said.

Zapiro a South African political cartoonist who always manages to capture the essence of a situation, drew this:

Malocoda feels the BRT implementation is just another example of broken promises by government he writes:

We are seeing a few, not surprising, broken promises from the King Chameleon.

How about the Taxi drivers, they firmly believed they would be accommodated within BRT System. Doesn’t seem too much chance of that now, does it?

Ruth at Believer writes about her experience using the BRT on the first day:

Trying to get to work this morning was a mission. Think more than one hundred people trying to fit in a single decker bus, mission impossible. So one had to settle with standing and sometimes hanging in between butts, while one passenger was trying to get through the door.

Gunfire and recklessness

The first few days of the launch of the bus system was marred by a drive-by shooting in which occupants of a taxi, shot and wounded two people who were riding a bus in Soweto.

Lefty writes about the incident:

Now I read in the news today (Link) that certain taxi drivers are not exactly satisfied with the new BRT system. So dissatisfied indeed, that they have shot 2 people. One of whom, if I understand correctly, was a cop.

Further, he writes:

But how can you justify shooting at folks in order to make an objection? I am 100% in favour of BRT, it's gonna benefit all of the people (except the taxi drivers, of course).

And to Mr John Q Taxi Driver, you murdered a girl on her way to school earlier this year. You mutilated a student. You endanger my life every single day with your reckless driving and your blatant disregard for the law. You sir, please take your Fritos and get the fuck off of my roads. If you're looking for sympathy, you may find it in the dictionary between shit and syphilis.

Charles takes a look at some of the problems in the industry, he writes

Is it about taxi drivers losing their jobs or taxi bosses losing some revenue? From my outside view of the industry, it does not look very healthy at all. If we look at the physical conditions of many of these vehicles it seems safe to say that the maximum amount of profit is extracted from the industry without any serious concern for the safety of the cash cows. If we look at the over-utilisation of capacity we can infer that the actual comfort of the passengers never really features in any decision process. From my point of view this looks like gaps or otherwise known as opportunities, in the market
….
Is it really acceptable for a certain group to claim ownership of an industry or a part of an industry to the exclusion of everybody else? Where does this sense of entitlement come from?

Jeanius writes

They threaten to hold communities, industry and government at ransom.

Commuters have been waiting for the BRT system for many years and no role-player or stakeholder can claim ignorance of the plans to implement this system. It has been 10 years or so now that commuters are waiting for the BRT and if the taxi industry is still unready, they will never be ready as long as their unreadiness would prevent the system’s implementation.

The main players of the taxi industry are street-wise and well informed with regard to legal processes. If they truly believe that their rights are impinged upon they have both the money and other resources to access court to enforce their rights…but a can of worms of such magnitude will be opened up that most do not want to go this route.

They prefer intimidation.

The situation is entirely intolerable.

Semenya won the 800m at the World Athletics Championship in Berlin, Germany, on Wednesday. She immediately found herself embroiled in controversy, when media outlets around the world scrutinised her masculine facial features and questioned her gender.

The International Association of Athletics Federations was investigating the gender allegations.

reports the Mail and Guardian.

The ANC and various other political organizations in South Africa have condemned the move and come out in support for Caster Semenye.

Adam Wakefield feels that the whole controversy exposes the IAAF hypocrisy and bungling of the situation, he writes:

Being only 18, Semenya has a bright future ahead of her if the IAAF’s bungling of the situation doesn’t take a turn for the worst.

It is appalling that the IAAF let it be known before the final that Semenya was to undergo a gender test. Would they leak a possible positive Usain Bolt test before he was set to run the 200m final?

No, because rules stipulate that the results of doping tests can only be made public once the IAAF and Wada are 100% sure either the A or B sample has tested positive. In Semenya’s case, she wasn’t afforded the luxury and the right of privacy.

Abigail Abrahams writes about the discussions at work amongst her colleagues

The consensus was that, yes, she looks very masculine, yet no one would have blinked an eye if the controversy had not surfaced as some men looked feminine and some women masculine.

One colleague actually compared Semenya to the tennis playing Williams sisters! Although I wouldn’t go that far.

In another post she writes:

This whole episode reminds me of a poem we did at primary school called The Twins by Henry S Leigh where the hapless twin laments, “…I put the question fruitlessly to everyone I knew.
What would you do if you were me to prove that you were you?”

Jackie feels that the whole issue could have been avoided:

Her coach Seme, and Athletics South Africa, should and could have avoided this controversy. They should have prepared for this eventuality, and done the tests quietly months, perhaps years ago. That would have been the sensitive thing to do.
This girl, who is still a teenager, is probably grappling with her sexuality. This avoidable international mess could cause her, and her family, great emotional stress at a time when she is vulnerable and still developing sexually and psychologically.

Roadsafety.co.za managed to find pictures of Caster Semenye running at the South African High school champs, you can view the pictures at the supermedia site.

Some bloggers have focused on her name, while spelling it See-Man-Yeah instead of Semenye. he writes:

I was watching the Yarpie chap . . . sorry, I mean woman . . . Caster See-man-yeah in the womens 800m semifinals last night and I was wondering, how can you Yarpies be so sure that he . . . sorry, that “she” is in fact a woman?

“She” already resorted to cheating by tripping the favourite in an ealier heat, how can we be sure (s)he's not cheating again by posing as a woman when she is in fact a man? She certainly looks like a man.

Onelargeprawn writes:

After crossing the finish line last night, her gesture seemed to indicate what she thought of the matter – she crossed her arms and wiped the dirt of her shoulders. Jay Z would have been proud.

Due to the complexity of a gender verification test, the results would not be confirmed for several weeks, consequently the IAAF could not prevent Semenya from competing in last night’s final. It is, however, understood that South Africa came under some informal pressure to consider withdrawing Semenya from the race. Thankfully they stuck to their Glocks and let her run.

Simonial has also managed to find an older picture of Caster and concludes:

Caster Semenya definitely looks like a girl on this picture.

Soulfood wonders why every time South Africa makes the news for an achievement there is always a but:

Why is it that whenever South Africa or a South African is in the news for something good – it has to be qualified with a “but….” or “however” or “nevertheless”. Caster Semenya is my case in point.

According to official records, Caster ran the 5th fastest 800m time in history! In history! BUT, tests are going to be conducted on whether she is actually a he.

6000 Miles takes a tongue in cheek look at the issue:

In all seriousness, it’s unfortunate that the story here is around Semenya’s gender and not around her fantastic performance in the race last night. She has done South Africa proud and that should be the big news here.
I’m sure the whole country will get behind her as she attempts to make it a unique double in the men’s 800m tomorrow evening.

The video of the race:

With some view points from Michael Johnson:

At the heart of the matter is a grievance by public sector doctors that they are paid as much as 50% less then other public sector employee's at a similar levels. Additional issues include long shifts, conditions at hospitals and doctor to patient ratios. The doctors have set up a facebook group for supporters where you can find a full history of the events up to now as well as grievances.

According to the facebook group, they also feel they are not being sufficiently represented by unions such as the South African Medical Association (SAMA) and SAMA have come to an agreement with government without the support of their members.

SAMA states

We would like to reassure our members of SAMA’s commitment to advancing the interests of members, by negotiating for an OSD that reflects the aspirations and needs of our members. It is on this basis that we have attempted to keep members continuously and accurately updated on the employer’s proposal. Communicating the employer’s proposals is however, not an indication that SAMA accepts such proposals. Pronouncements by the doctor-grouping that SAMA has reached an agreement with the Department of Health are disingenuous, blatant untruths, and disrespectful to all parties involved in the OSD-negotiations.

While traditional media has reported on the hardline stance taken by the ANC on the striking doctors.

The African National Congress and Cosatu in KwaZulu-Natal have released a press release condemning doctors for their “unprofessional” strike action in the province.

In a strongly worded statement, the alliance partners suggested doctors were being unreasonable and had thwarted attempts by National Minister of Health Dr Aaron Motsoaledi and the provincial MEC, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, to reach an agreement.

They accused doctors of refusing to stick with the process and channels available to them.

The provincial department of health in Kwa-Zulu Natal have also fired over 200 doctors for not appearing at work after an interdict was granted against them by the courts:

More than 200 doctors have been fired for failing to report to work in different hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal, SABC radio news reported on Monday evening.

The provincial health department said it had issued 226 letters of dismissal to health care professionals so far.

Some of the perspectives from the blogosphere

Fhuluphelo writes

One thing that I learnt while sitting in that ward was the impact the doctor’s strike is doing to these poor patients. According to this lady, it took her more than 10 hours to receive attention on arriving at the hospital as there were not doctors available and the nurses are not authorized to administer any medication before the patient is admitted and seen by a doctor. Not even pain killers and this woman was lying there all that time in pain.

An anonymous doctor at moralfibe writes

I had mixed feelings about striking and abandoning our patients in what is seen by the general public as just a dispute over salaries. The protest action is in fact a culmination of years of abuse that medical professionals have endured at the hands of the government.

Let’s start with working conditions. The hospitals are over-capacity, and the doctors are overworked. In my ward, we officially have place for 65 patients. We had more than 85 for the best part of last week. Doctors work 30 hour shifts when they do overtime, working a minimum of 60 hours a week in my hospital, but it’s not like this everywhere. Usually it’s worse. Although, this certainly is an improvement since 2002 when as an intern, I worked 100 hours a week and 30 hour shifts every third day. We are expected to do procedures with needles potentially putting ourselves and others at risk of contracting HIV by needlestick injuries, this even after having been awake and on our feet for 24 hours and more.

Further he/she writes

To do the job I do in the hospital I have three degrees in the medical field, but earn less than a gym personal trainer. If you compare my job requirements and qualification to any other professional in the government sector, I am being underpaid by at least 50%. In private practice I would be earning at least 300% of my current salary.

and he/she also believes the government is using sneaky tactics to remove support for the strike action

When the Minister held that press conference on Wednesday, it was a sneaky political move. When has any employer presented a wage offer to the public without first taking it the bargaining chamber? It was a move that they knew would be highly publicized and designed to remove public support for the strike action.

Karren Little writes about the ethics

It's a very sticky ethical situation. The public is suffering, and there is a good chance that people will die as a consequence of the strike. On the other hand, the public suffers massively and thousands of lives are lost every day as the government continues to under-fund and mismanage the health care system.

Karren is not striking, but fully supports the strike action.

In The Crater, we're not striking - we're the only source of emergency care in a hundred-kilometre radius, and it really would be unethical to strike. But I would like to say that I support the strike and am grateful to my colleagues who have been brave enough to take action - and put their jobs on the line - for the sake of us all.

Sandile questions the morality of it all

It is all about the alleged poor salaries that medical doctors and only medical doctors get.

Well, what about their colleagues who are administrators, clerks, cleaners, drivers, nurses and others in the emergency services? There is something that is fundamentally wrong when medical doctors abandon wards with sick and dying people simply because they want more money.

Tourism radio South Africa writes

In my opinion, both parties are wrong. Both are in a position that they feel they cannot budge from but this goes beyond money. Here, I tell you what, throw some money at terminal patients and lets talk again. I don't believe in the health care system in SA, public or private, never have. I don't believe in medical aids either, its like playing a reality TV version of Fear Factor with a cash prize naturally. Can you be a capitalist and a doctor or politician? Seems so. Are those the only options? Apparently. So here's my argument…Above all, do no harm. I think all parties involved could take a lesson from the oath or at the very least, don't promise what you can't deliver.

On the morning of June 16, 1976, thousands of black students walked from their schools to Orlando Stadium for a rally to protest against having to learn through Afrikaans in school. Many students who later participated in the protest arrived at school that morning without prior knowledge of the protest, yet agreed to become involved.

It is estimated that between 300 and 600 people lost their lives during the uprising, which became a defining moment in the resistance against apartheid.

On the blog Redemption Time the author reflects on the day:

I could say a lot about this day, but will restrict my words to making these few points.in all of history, the apartheid system and what it did to the people and youth who were oppressed under it will forever remain one of the worst tragedies to befall humankind. i therefore give full respect to those youth, who on this very day, challenged the apartheid forces and neglected bantu and afrikaans medium instruction in 1976. hector peterson and those whe were at his side, standing up for their rights, will forever be remembered and honoured in this country.

At the Platform 2 blog, the author writes about celebrating rebellion on June 16 and music as a form of protest:

The Hip-Hop nation will know that on June 16 a son was given to us, in a form of a rap legend, a rap genius was born from the political activist Afeni Shakur and Mzansi nation will also know dat on the same day of 1976 history was made. It is a blessing to commemorate this day not only as a young South African but as Hip-Hop fanatic. The music we listen to bring as much revolution as the young freedom fighters that took their rage to the street. They fought a different cause relevant to their political struggles but with the same intentions of liberation as of the youth of today. Well, we might not be as mobilized as the young people of ’76 but the truth is, we need the same things, we need our freedom, this was evident during our April voting period as young people voted in majority. We came together to defend our liberty, we voted because we wanted our pains and struggles to be heard. After we nearly had our intentions twisted with xenophobia, crime and drug abuse, we fought back positively like the Hector Petersons rebelled against the Bantu education system we brought our own rebellion to the voting station.

Fabulosity writes that the issue was about more then just education in Afrikaans:

The issue however, was not so much the Afrikaans as the whole system of Bantu education which was characterised by separate schools and universities, poor facilities, overcrowded classrooms and inadequately trained teachers.

Thando Tshangela discusses the effects of the protest:

This started an era of student and youth activism that culminated in the 1980?s unrest in black townships and the crisis in the culture of learning and teaching as the student took the battle against apartheid to the streets. The aim was ?to make the country ungovernable? and ensure that freedom was achieved at all costs even if it meant their education had to suffer. Their motto was ?liberation first and education later.?

Interestingly, the political parties have begun to make use of Social Media and social networks to get their message across. The most prominent party making use of these techniques has been the DA (Democratic Alliance) whose campaign seems to have been inspired by President Obama's election campaign last year.

The DA have been managing a presence on social networks and several twitter accounts such as that of the mayor of Cape town and head of the DA, Helen Zille.

However, today the ANC announced on a newly created twitter account “ANC_DEBATE” that they would be hosting a live debate with questions fielded by Jessie Duarte, an anti apartheid activist and current spokesperson for the ANC.

After the announcement there was some debate on the usefulness of this. A South African twitter user @woganmay even created a special page on twittersa, to aggregate all the comments. Some reactions to the debate however were negative and the ANC took criticism.

For example, Jason felt that all of this was too late.

while Naeem felt that the amount of South African voters that are on twitter constitute a very small minority.

The ANC_Debate account saw a flood of questions directed towards it, and some of the responses are summarized below.

@Saulkza: Let's talk economy: What are you going to do to stop a local recession? What about unemployment?

@ANC_debate: A massive public investment in infrastructure will stimulate economic activity, increased public works, support to key sectors.

@nikzaz: what will you do about crime in south africa?

@ANC_debate: Overhaul criminal justice system - better coordination, modernise systems, more resources. Organise communities and deal with causes.

@shaynekrige: What in your opinion was the ANC's biggest mistake over the last 15 years?

@ANC_debate: Not so much a mistake, but not enough effort put into involving people in govt and in decisions about their lives.

This comment interesting, as it begs the question: Are we going to see an overhaul of the current ANC, a new way of including people in government decisions? Maybe government 2.0?

They also responded to comments and fears of censorship of the press

@jasdonwar: What do you have to say against allegations that South Africa's media will be curtailed by the government after the election?

@ANC_debate: That's a scare tactic. ANC fought for media freedom and there's nothing to suggest we would undermine it.

On the issue of censorship of satirical cartoonists

@JeremyTNel: Do you believe that cartoonists are too irreverent? Would the ANC like to regulate satire?

@ANC_debate: Cartoonists are supposed to be irreverent. Satire is important. But they should adhere to same code of ethics as any other journalist.

On questions of power and sustainability

@flintza: Again. How do you plan to meet SA power needs while limiting our carbon footprint. Focus seems to be coal (short sighted)

@ANC_debate: SA needs to move away from coal but likely to remain major source of energy for foreseeable future. Increasing investment in nuclear, solar and wind power.

On questions of Jacob Zuma the presidential candidate being in the dock for corruption charges

@ANC_debate: All are equal before the law and have a right to be presumed innocent. ANC maintains law must take its course & this applies to Zuma as much as anyone else.

On AIDS prevention strategy

@ANC_Debate: Focus on prevention, encourage condom use and responsible behaviour. Expand ART to cover all who need it. Strengthen p/ships across society

@irenebarnard: How will you keep the public informed about the status of your full HIV “aggressive prevention campaign”?

@ANC_debate: People need to be involved in implementation through local health facilities, NGOs, govt izimbizo in addition to traditional media.

For further coverage of the debate, visit Capetownalive which also has a summary of some of the questions.

Some users reported that they had been blocked or ignored however Jessie responded that no users had been blocked, they did however acknowledge that not all questions were answered. There seems to be plans to make this Q&A session a regular thing as it was announced that next week Friday another session will be held.

I responded on my blog, that even though this debate is coming at a very late stage and only engages with users on twitter, it is however a major step in the right direction for the ANC as it gives people direct access to the party. If something similar could be rolled out nationwide allowing people with just a mobile phone to post questions and receive responses from party candidates this could prove very useful in engaging all South Africans.

The government's stance on this has been:

The Dalai Lama’s presence at the conference would have distracted the world’s attention from South Africa’s hosting of the World Cup and drawn it instead into the fraught relations between the Dalai Lama and China, one of the country’s most important trading partners. Thabo Masebe, a government spokesman, said the Tibetan leader’s presence “would not be in South Africa’s best interests.”

Ironically, by refusing the visa application the spotlight is now focused on exactly what they are trying to avoid. A Google search for the statement above results has over 2000 results, 100's of twitter posts and several facebook groups have been created to protest it.

Here are some views in the blogosphere:

Maggie writes:

This supine and venal move is so shameful. For some more cheap goods the last vestiges of our credit as a moral country are squandered. Apparently this move was to keep the eyes firmly on the 2010 FIFA prize and not on Tibet. Instead we will have our status as Most Slippery Nation on Human Rights Issues branded into the consciousness of the world. I can only hope that the fickle powers that be decide reconsider.

Nigeria Best forum Blog writes:

South Africa is China’s largest trading partner in Africa, with 2008 trade standing at 100bn rand ($10bn; £7bn).

Dai Bing, an official at the Chinese embassy in Pretoria confirmed to Sapa that Beijing had warned the South African government that allowing the Dalai Lama into the country would harm bilateral relations.

Tony Mcgregor thinks that the South African government “should have simply ignored the Chinese, who are not, let's face it, helping development in Africa out of the kindness of their hearts…”:

What has the denial of the visa to the Dalai Lama done if not exactly that? The rank stupidity of the decision not to allow the Dalai Lama into the country, which he has by the way visited on quite a few occasions before, is breathtaking, and when linked to the human rights issues involved actually quite criminal.

The ANC has really pulled defeat out of the jaws of victory on this issue. If they had simply ignored the Chinese, who are not, let's face it, helping development in Africa out of the kindness of their hearts but out of a cold and rational understanding of economics, the Dalai Lama would have come and gone without making too many ripples and the Chinese government would soon have gotten over their fit of pique and back to the business of exploiting Africa again.

Marung show the link between the ANC, “Zuma Project” and the Communist Party of China:

The ANC`s election fund is estimated at a conservative R500m amount and enables it to hire everything and everybody in its desperate drive to remain in power and keep its president from his day in court.
…
The common denominator is that all who are funding the Zuma project have all sorts of unsavoury backrounds. One such funder is the Communist Party of China with its terrible human rights record.

The denial of entry to His Holiness the Dalai Lama to attend a peace conference in South Africa was said to be at the behest of the government of China.

It is all too clear that many issues about the country will be decided by these funders.

Simon Halliday writes:

maybe it suppresses speech, shows South Africa kowtowing to Chinese interests and promotes illiberal politics inconsistent with the South African constitution.

Llewmina compares the government's stance to making a deal with the devil:

Whether told in legend or movie or comic book, the theme remains the same - make a deal with the devil, trade something you think is trivial for some quick-fix material goal. Satan, in whatever guise (and remember his name is “Legion, for we are many”; Mark 5:9) invariably breaks his promise - a demonstration of his irrevocably evil nature to which his is eternally a slave - and the damned soul realises that he or she has given away the most valuable treasure they'll ever own.

That is precisely what the ANC has done with denying the Dalai Lama a visa to visit South Africa.

Tracy Stokes highlights the irony in the decision on South African human rights day while Ismail highlight the irony of it all as well.

It has not been possible to find even a single post in support of this decision. Other Nobel peace prize winners have also threatened a boycott since the announcement.

DPfinnie writes:

It's very easy when one lives in comfort to feel moved and send a fiver to whichever charity happens to spring to mind, but to actually get up and do something practical about addressing poverty, its underlying causes and its symptoms takes real comitment and dedication.

South African blogger and journalist,Damaria Senne offers advice on ways you can make a difference:

You can serve as a role model in your community, inspiring young people so they can see that success for people in their community is possible. As a budding writer, I so wanted to meet a Motswana writer, or a Black South African writer, just so my dream could look more real. If they could earn living as a writer, it would mean it was possible for me to do the same.

With the current world wide economic crisis looming over us, Naeem wonders if poverty and the financial crisis can be solved by the Islamic financial system:

Islam views the economic problem in a radically different way than Capitalism and Socialism. Islam focuses on the distribution of wealth not just the production. The problem of poverty will not be solved by producing more and more for the rich to consume rather it will be solved by ensuring that basic needs of every individual are satisfied completely. There are enough resources in the world to satisfy the basic needs of everyone

Sci-Cultra takes a very interesting look at poverty from an economic perspective and the reasons behind it:

It is a fact learned through hands-on experience that hand-outs (aka aid) don’t work. The irony of the G8 nations is that they are part of the problem, by endorsing the unfair trade rules that then lead them to debating how much aid to give; plus give loans that are inextricably tied to extortionate interest rates, which are in some cases passed on to profit-making vulture funds, e.g. in Zambia. This is like smiling at someone in a friendly manner and beckoning to hug them whilst simultaneously locating a tender place in-between their ribs on their back to drive in your knife.

Pumelela Nqelenga asks the Youth to stand up and take action against poverty:

We must stand for others and show the world what our ancestors meant when they spoke about “ubuntu”. I also call upon my own generation, the youth, to see that we too have the power to bring change, just the same why our parents did in the Soweto uprisings. We too have a page to fill in the history books, a chapter that writes about a generation that fought for equality and poverty. I call for a change!!

Open Technologist writes about using open source software to combat poverty:

The Mifos Initiative program is using open source software to create a service model that increases access to technology for microfinance institutions, allowing them to reach the worlds poor. Microfinance is a program whereby poor people are granted small loans (less than $200) to start and sustain small business like the Villiage Phone Program.

Nigerian blogger, Loy Okezie suggests ways to use technology and social media to raise awareness of poverty:

Using recent web technologies, we can at least together reduce poverty in Africa and around the world. The new web space offers a great opportunity in the fight against poverty. Let me now share some of the newest web technologies that could be used to take action against poverty.

Ignatius Nothnagel from Cape Town, South Africa, tells us about how and old lady who barely has any money for milk or bread is almost thrown out of a store:

My jaw drops. “She's what? Banned?” I look puzzled for a second, “From the most lower-class shopping market we have?” At this point the lady bursts into tears and I have to fight the urge to dodge what is now turning into a Scene.

Kerry-Anne writes about poverty in South Africa:

The percentage of households living below the poverty line decreased from 53% in 1995 to 48% in 2005. The poverty line is set at R322 per person per month. That's the cost of a restaurant meal for two here in South Africa. Read that again. Almost HALF of the people in our country have to cover ALL their living expenses out of LESS than the amount we spend on a single dinner. Sobering, isn't it?