Why does a damn flood get all the attention? For well over a year now Port Elizabeth residents have been patiently saving water and waiting for the national government that we swept into power to save us from dying of thirst.
And then?
Along come a couple of floods in the Northern part of our country and the money begins to flow to people affected. Just where is the logic? A drought places a stranglehold grip on everyone in the affected area and strangles the economy whilst killing off agricultural land, stock and jobs.
But no, after a couple of people drown in a spectacular fashion and have their homes washed away and all of a sudden we have people throwing money at the problem.
In these last few weeks:
- Global mining, oil and gas company, BHP Billiton on Tuesday donated R18 million towards South Africa’s Government Disaster Fund.
- During his State of the Nation Address, President Jacob Zuma announced an allocation of R800 million towards disaster relief efforts.
- Government received a R1 million contribution from Absa Bank.
- Vodacom made a R500 million contribution towards the same disaster relief efforts kitty.
- Vodacom launched a SMS campaign to further raise more funds by encouraging people to SMS the word “Aid” to 38416.
Over R1.3 billion already and that in a shorter space of time than it took Government to grant Port Elizabeth a paltry sum in drought relief.
Where is the logic – people are dying of thirst and we get handed 40% of R1.6 billion needed to survive with no-one else offering to toss us a bone.
For goodness sake we were FIRST in line looking for drought relief aid last year already. I seriously think that national government were sitting on our application and then when the floods occurred, rushed PE’s application through saying; “We will use this flood as an excuse when we tell PE we cannot give them more!”
Feeling seriously miffed here, not to mention stinky, whilst I survey my dead grass, dead flowers and green primordial soup science experiment of a pool. Of course thinking about the higher concentration of sewage floating down the Zwartkops river, empty municipal pools and various other drought disasters doesn’t help either. FARG!
Alan Straton
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O well – do like the mindless masses do – they fill their pools and landscape their gardens. But that is because they are too stupid to think beyond their own selfish needs. Why should they care about the bigger picture? Probably because they cannot see it as they are too involved in their own shallow lives. Why should we get handouts when people cannot contribute to saving the planet??? Why should the government bail us out when people don’t help create a solution?
Mmmmmm now lets see – Help…. we have watched thousands of plants die in our gardens, because we have HELPED the local backward government try to save water. We have even watched our pools crack due to decreasing water levels. We pay increased water costs for water consumption and all our brainless local government need to do is continue the pipeline over the polluted Zwartkops river and give us all a break. We pay rates to these incompetents every month and what do they do with OUR money, they splurge it on pathetic advertising campaigns, huge parties and fat salaries – FOR WHAT? I am all for finding a solution and have tried my utmost to use water wisely, however the solution lies with local government now – they need to get their act together and I truly doubt their capability. 🙁
My balls…