Nco Dube|Published
There is a particular kind of silence that settles over a country when a long story reaches its final chapter. It is not the silence of peace, nor the silence of defeat. It is the silence of reckoning. South Africa is entering that silence now as the African National Congress, once the architect of the democratic dawn, continues its slow descent from the centre of national life.
For years, South Africans have asked the same question in taxis, taverns, churches, WhatsApp groups and boardrooms: what happens when the ANC finally falls?
Analyst Siyabonga Hadebe recently sharpened that question, arguing that the ANC’s decline is not merely the…
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Voluntary
Interview with a pirate:
There was a pirate who had agreed to do an interview with a local tv station. The reporter was very courteous and professional, giving a bit of background as to the pirate\’s business. She then began interviewing him.
\”So Mr. Longbeard, are there any risks to your business? I see you have a peg leg- how did that come about?\”
\”Well, y\’see I were sailing along the coast of South Africa, looking to plunder some locals when as I boarded the small boat from the ship, a great white shark came up and got my leg clean off. \’twas scary yes, but thus is the life of a pirate.\”
\”Wow, that is pretty scary- well, how about your hook? What happened to your hand with that?\”
\”Oh now that\’s quite the tale, y\’see I were fighting a rival pirate, and we had locked swords. We had been fighting for a few hours, and were both terribly fatigued. I had a bit of exhaustion and confusion, and when I went to block one of his sword blows, I met him with me hand instead of me sword. Took it right off, but it shocked him so much I managed to get him back pretty good and have him submit. So the hook hand was given as a replacement.\”
\”Wow. Simply fascinating. Now, what about your eye patch? How did that happen?\”
\”Well, one day, a seagull was flying overhead, and I looked up. It pooped right in me eye.\”
\”… Well wow. I must admit, I wouldn\’t think just seagull poop could damage the eye that badly.\”
\”Oh, I forgot to mention… it were me first day with the hook.\”
Tweety
The early bird catches the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese