Just a short view

This is just a short view of how we experienced South Africa after being away for about 4 years!

Firstly, I was quite surprised by the condition of the roads. All roads we travelled on were in an excellent condition, except one road in Mpumalanga - Ohrigstad -where there were a few potholes for about 1km. There was even a sign put up by someone in his own writing saying...."MOERSE SLAGGATE", which means.....HUGE potholes.....

Secondly, the house market is booming...and shopping centres are getting erected in places outside cities in the suburbs. One huge, upper-class shopping centre, which we found really nice to shop at, between Middelburg and Witbank, was a surprise. I think people there are really enjoying that shopping centre, I will post a pic or two here later which I took there when we stopped to relieve ourselves before continuing our trip to Groblersdal. That was really a nice surprise to know that people there have access to a centre like that and don't have to travel to Menlyn in Pretoria, which is apparently not any more the place to be nowadays....according to the grapevine....

It was really SAD to know that I couldn't go to Barclay Square in SunnySide anymore, because...SunnySide is nowadays the "Little Hillbrow"....How sad! that drugs ....and all things that go with it...have taken over THE place to be during my student years! And even Hatfield isn't anymore THE place to be....how sad...

I was delighted....or lucky.....that we didn't have any "bad" experience ...apart from the newspapers and what friends/family tell you and what you know is happening. The Government is busy messing up the Educational system....completely! They don't have a cooking clue what they are doing....I visited my previous school...will post the pic of my colleagues later too......it was SO good seeing them again! They had tea and scones ready when I came there!

I have 2 "in-laws" also teaching in a school for black children ....lucky for those children and parents for they know what they do....but not the Government...they still teach what they KNOW is right and don't teach what the government want..... because the Government don't know what they want....or...shall I say, what they want is messing up children's education!...and their future!

At the airport...please take note...it isn't anymore Johannesburg International...but...O.R.Tambo International....(don't ask me what good he did for the country....I only know one thing of him which I won't mention here)....an official asked me to take part in a survey for the South African Tourism Board....(I agreed to do it).... and when he came to the question about "a bad experience"...I said "no"...which is the truth...but I could easily say "yes" and gave him an endless list of everything I know....what a pity - for South Africa is such a beautiful country.
TWO WORLDS in ONE country. First World and Third World. We had a fantastic time, a royal time, but that is just not enough to get me back in the country....there is a lot to change before I go back! The most important one is Education...for sure! Secondly, to be fair to ALL people sharing the country. And also, to have people having common sense to run the country.....colour doesn't matter, as long as there is common sense! There are also a lot of fat cats in the government, minding their own pockets and not the people on the ground.

What struck me most is that people try to stay positive - despite of what's going on - and in even in the countryside, they do support one another, colour is no problem...was no problem for years...but the "world" MADE it a problem! Newspapers blew everything up and the outside world believed what they WANTED to believe! All over the places we travelled, friends/family admitted...the people who murder are NOT "locals"....but those who come in the country from neighbouring countries.....they come and cross the borders illegally....a small percentage of the "locals" might be involved too, but the big problem is ........those from Zimbabwe....and I just "wonder" who gave the power to Mugabe in 1980!! If you don't know that answer....ask me....or do a search on the internet and go back in history.
That's enough for one day!