What is wrong with this picture

[adrianh]

In Blackheath Cape Town. A taxi weaves its way between the booms & a level crossing. The train doesn't slam on brakes and swerve out the way. The taxi is hit by the train. 9 Kids on ther way to school are killed and some more injured. The politicians say it is because the level crossing allows the taxis through because there is space to weave through. Anyway, the kids were going to school where there is no learning, just striking teachers. The ambulances eventually arrive and the injured are transported to hospitals where they won't get treatment because the staff are on strike.

Oh, another thing, it couldn't have been a Premier Classe or Shozaloza Meyl train because they aren't running either!

I must be a bit slow, I can't see the problem as this seems to be common practice in the land of struggle, democracy and freedom.

[tec0]

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_i...2242625C273192

Can this be considered reasonable?

[Dave A]

Hurling verbal abuse, strikers were repeatedly driven back by police and soldiers outside the hospital when non-striking medical staff left work for home on Tuesday.

The hospital raised the strikers' anger for using soldiers to defend and man the facility.

Meanwhile, the South African National Defence Union (Sandu) expressed solidarity with strikers, and slammed Defence Minister Lindiwe Sisulu for deploying troops to hospitals and for saying she would deal with strikers the way striking soldiers had been dealt with.

It's not to defend working workers, but...

As dozens of visibly scared nurses and other medical staff gathered outside the hospital under the protection of soldiers and police waiting for taxis, protesters screamed at them. "You are useless. You are filthy and we will kill you."

...threatening to kill workers is not a problem?

[tec0]

Well you are as confused as I am about the situation. However, how can anyone consider these actions as legal?

[Dave A]

Any intimidation has always been illegal - just no-one did anything about it.
Same goes for destruction of property - the organisers are legally responsible for cost of repairs - also not enforced.

[tec0]

Intimidation:

Is turning off public services part of intimidation towards the general public?
Is blocking of streets and inability to go to work part of intimidation?
Is forcing the public to buy bottled water part of intimidation and can the public be refunded?

Is denial of life saving medication part of intimidation and can ALL the sufferers sue the unions because their lives were directly at risk?

If so where do one file for claims?

[murdock]

i didnt think anyone would notice the civil servants where on the strike...it not because the work has slowed down just because they are gathering in the streets.

only the poor will suffer again...and only the poor will be voting anc again...so the way i see suffer for your own stupity this strike doesnt affect me in anyway...i have hospital cover and my kids are in private schools so i dont really care much for them and their strike.

i dont get a R700 housing subsidy...i dont have debt cloolectors taking half my wages because i have been given so much credit that i dont know how to manage...so i need a higher percent wage increase. ..and at the end of the day are the union bosses suffering i think not they will still deduct their full cut from all the members wages.

what happened to the world cup fever...promise for a better south africa...goverment promise of billions being spent on infrastructure development etc...all i see at the moment is people sitting on the side of the road at all the electrical wholesalers begging for work...hordes of them...companies complaining no projects or future projects planned...just doom and gloo...yet we have all these people striking for more money...it should be job security and creation they are striking for...but hey this is africa...what more do you expect

people are asking for aid for flood torn countries...south africa is gona need aid and doctors soon.

[tec0]

Well our water is turned off, we have a monolithic mob mentality thinking everyone is an enemy even the innocent. They think the public is to blame so they turn of our water, hurt our children and deny us health and sanitation services and soon if things goes from bad to worse we will have no security to assist us in the form of police or prison guards.

They do not blame the officials that are responsible for their problems. No they blame us because they can attack us, hurt us and basically kill us without any consequence.

The real question is: Why does government allow the public to be intimidated, blackmailed and abused by unions and there members?

The fact is union leaders and their members know that if they do protest against officials that there will be consequence, there will be tribunals and inquiries and people will go to prison.

[adrianh]

I'm tired of this country. The country is going to the dogs and you know, the dogs are welcome to keep it.

...Like locusts, destoying everything in ther path and once it's all destroyed they feed on one another.

My sister has been living in Sydney for 23 years, my brother in Namibia for 18 years, my brother in law in London for 6 years...Many of our friends have moved to the UK, US, OZ & NZ

I can't think of a single reason to stay here...Like a wife that's beaten by her husband every night, eventually she thinks; "stuff it, it can't be any worse elsewhere, so I may as well see the colour of the grass on the other side of the fence"

Enough is enough!

[AndyD]

.....The country is going to the dogs and you know, the dogs are welcome to keep it.

No they're not welcome to keep it. Not in my book.

I would have no problem with the kind of wage increases they are demanding, just not across the board. All increases over the inflation figure should be performance based. I have no problem paying people according to their worth.

As for the taxi collision, it was saddening and unnecessary. I have only the deepest sympathies for the families of the deceased and the victims who survived.

[adrianh]

No they're not welcome to keep it. Not in my book.

And how exactly do you plan to stop them?

[Dave A]

@ Andy

Maybe I'm stupid, but I'm far from giving up. We've been through bad patches before and we did more than survive - at times we've been the toast of the world.

It takes times like these for us to be knocked to our senses.

[AndyD]

In general, it's saddening to read such deep negativity and apathy. It not only means that person has no motivation to improve the country, it also encourages it in others to become the same who might otherwise be positive and motivated and a part of a solution.

I've lived here about 20 years and I used to detest the media image both domestic and overseas which was constantly negative. It was unwarranted that you could sense the sheer delight in the tone of the reporteding when there was something negative written about South Africa. This is still true even to this day for the most part. I've always gone out of my way to give people positive and balanced information and views about this country and I used to think it was their loss that they were ignorant of it's many good points and that it was held in such negative esteem. I find it even sadder when it comes from within though because that is very much our loss not theirs. For every bad thing that happens and every challenge this country faces I can easily think of five reasons that I was right to make it my home. If I was making the same choice about locating here today which I made 20 years ago I would still make the same decision.

I've lived in many places including Europe, the US, Central America and North Africa for extended periods of time and for many people everywhere the grass is always greener elsewhere. I've learned that for the most part people who are unhappy in one place will be unhappy in another for the same reasons within themselves. It's the easiest thing in the world to justify your unhappiness as being the result of any number of external factors over which you have no control such as immigrants, high crime, corruption, poor economy, strikes, and incompetent government and so on but you can't solve your problems by relocating if the root cause of your unhappiness in within yourself.

This isn't aimed at anyone particular, please don't take this as being personal. it's just my humble opinion which has been formed by my own experiences.

[Dave S]

Well spoken Andy

I too was very negative at a stage and to this day I don't read newspapers or watch the news on TV, it seems that there is only bad stuff that gets reported.

South Africa has a lot to be happy about, yes we have a criminal, corrupt gov. It may seem that there are repeated strikes, and an unexceptably high crime rate, but speak to people that have visited RSA from abroad and you'll find that we are revered as one of the friendliest nations in the world. That says something about RSA's people! The criminals and strikers are still in the minority.

In my younger years I took a 3-month "thumb tour" of RSA and I learned so much about our country and I understand the turmoils we face, but I have a deep love for this country and I will not, repeat not, let it be taken from me by negativity and crime.

Just my 2c worth...

[adrianh]

In general, it's saddening to read such deep negativity and apathy. It not only means that person has no motivation to improve the country, it also encourages it in others to become the same who might otherwise be positive and motivated and a part of a solution.

I've been told many times to pick my battles and this is one of those times. I am not getting into this conversation because it will make me very angry.

Knock yourself out with your positive thinking and improving the country.