Category: this is south africa

Fewer updates

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Fewer because the NICD is stopping its daily Covid reporting, and moving to a weekly report instead:

And with that, Ridhwan Suliman’s daily reporting of the NICD’s daily reporting also comes to an end. Well done on a sterling effort throughout the last two (plus) years.

Why these things? Well, because Covid isn’t a big thing in SA at the moment. It has been a big thing in 5 very separate waves:

But it’s not anymore/at the moment.

There are some thick people out there asking where the next wave is now that the mask mandate has been removed in SA, but the fact is that the mandate was removed because there was virtually no Covid around. And while I don’t think there’s any question that we are in a low Covid moment right now, it’s worth noting that there’s likely still a great deal of under-reporting, given that the public don’t have access to Covid tests, and have to pay a few hundred Rands to get one.

No-one has any money and there’s very limited value in doing a test when you aren’t going to act on the results. If you are sick, you’re going to stay in bed anyway. If you aren’t sick, why are you getting tested (aside from the tiny, tiny number who require it for travel)? To spend hundreds on a test, when the result doesn’t matter… well, it’s no wonder that the case numbers are so low.

What next? Who knows… If this virus is going to become seasonal like we’re all being told, then I’d like to know when, exactly. At the moment, it’s still circulating, mutating, and working according to viral timeframes, rather than seasonal ones. And “we” are seemingly happy for that to happen, while it knocks off a 9/11 number each and every week in the USA with virtually no news coverage. Have “we” decided that that’s an ok situation? Are “we” content with that?

I’m not, because there is clearly more to this virus than just that week/fortnight long acute nastiness. We’re learning about more and more complications and long-term effects of Covid every day, and we don’t have anything in place to handle them or mitigate for them.

That’s not good.
And very possibly not sustainable, either.

Draft Night

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One of the best footy nights of the year, when we put our football nerdiness to the test and choose our fantasy football teams for the upcoming season. Ten players this time around, but the ever-sapping effect of emigration means that only six of us were in Cape Town last night, with the other four being spread across the rest of the world in four different countries, on three different continents, and in several different hemispheres. That meant that there were 19 hours between the first and last time zones: one living miles into the future, the other still almost in the 20th century.

I got drawn tenth in the draft, which meant that I got the last pick of the first round and the first pick of the next. Was this a disadvantage? No, obviously not: the draft system is ALWAYS FAIR AND EQUAL.
(Yes, I would have liked to have been in the top 3.)

The pressure of choosing each player within 60 seconds doesn’t sound too bad, but when the guy in front of you takes the striker you wanted right before your go, you have to start thinking fast. And then if you are at the end of the draft order (I was) you have to choose another one immediately afterwards.

Those are some of my excuses, anyway.

So, here’s who I ended up with:

Aaron Ramsdale – Arsenal

Wesley Fofana – Leicester City (but on his way to Chelsea, allegedly)
Tariq Lamptey – Brighton & Hove Albion
Virgil van Dijk – Liverpool
Ben White – Arsenal
William Saliba – Arsenal

Bruno Guimarães – Newcastle United
Morgan Gibbs-White – Wolverhampton Wanderers
Thiago – Liverpool
Joelinton – Newcastle United
Neeskens Kebano – Fulham
Yves Bissouma – Tottenham Hotspur

Luis Diaz – Liverpool
Luis Sinisterra – Leeds United
Raheem Sterling – Chelsea
Che Adams – Southampton

Some established names, some new names, a couple of leftfield choices that might have great seasons or might disappear from the team roster very quickly. We’ll see. In fact, looking again this morning and given some of the names that surprisingly didn’t get picked up last night, I’ve already booked in a few changes which should go through before the season starts.

As a side, I think that it looks OK. The only thing between me and inevitable fantasy football glory in May next year is the other 9 teams which looks equally good or better.
Well, apart from one of them – you know who you are.

I’ll keep you all updated. Assuming things go well, that is. Otherwise, you’ll hear nothing.

Out and about

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Morning all.

You join me at one of the local Traffic Departments, because my driving licence needs renewing. This process is slow, laborious, irritating and archaic, but it does make the government plenty of money, given that everyone has to do it every five years. Nice.

So it’s not going away any time soon.

It’s a filthy Cape Town morning: grey, wet, blustery and dark, and no-one wants to be here. The clients, the staff, the security – no-one. And thus, it is a picture of misery which surrounds me.

I wanted to postpone my visit and come next week, but the inclement weather and the fact that it’s Friday and I’m in a predominantly Muslim area tempted me into heading out today to avoid the queues.

I have no idea if it worked, because I don’t have a control day for comparison, but I’m in 11th place, having arrived a half hour before the place opened, and I’m waiting outside, but UNDER COVER, as the rain batters down on those beyond 15th.
Sorry for you. Maybe arrive earlier next time: don’t you know that the system is hopelessly dysfunctional and overloaded?

Tomorrow’s post may be on a completely different subject, or I may still be here, depending on how things go, given that the place was supposed to open 10 minutes ago now, but… hasn’t.

Pray for me.

A random selection

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Three things to blog about today. All three are completely unconnected.

Firstly, the red-winged starlings have discovered the loquats on the loquat tree. The upshot of this is that the garden is now constantly filled with the noise of red-winged starlings, actual red-winged starlings, and half eaten fruit all over the floor. A rough estimate suggests that possibly slightly less than 5% of the crop is ripe, and that’s what’s attracted them so far. Thus, things are likely to get at least 20x as noisy and messy before the loquat season is done.

Oh joy.

I still want to go to the Faroe Islands (yes, this is the second thing, no direct link from the loquat situation above). I think I actually want to go there more than I want to go to Iceland now. And not just for the natural beauty, but for the engineering prowess of that country.
Yes, including the world’s first undersea roundabout (that looks like a jellyfish):

The amount of money they are spending on tunnels is huge, and it gets even huger when you consider how few people will benefit from those tunnels because of how few people actually live there. The pro-capita spend is utterly ridiculous and almost – almost – obscene.

Thirdly: I’m off to the physio again tomorrow morning and hoping for discharge. Not in a gungy fluid way, more the administrative kind, please. Last week’s exercise was wiped out by sickness, but I’ve been working hard since then and I’m hoping that I’ve done enough catching up to warrant freedom from all the restrictions that have been in place since I tore my calf.

Hold thumbs. Cross fingers.
Thank you.

Good news from Magagula

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I know everyone has been concerned, but thankfully, it’s back to normal service at the Clinic:

Although it’s not specifically mentioned here, I am sure that there will be some sort of investigation into the snake incident. You can’t just pretend that the snake incident never happened. Questions must be asked and appropriate safeguards must be put in place.
However, that having been said, it should also be pointed out that there is absolutely no evidence that the snake incident was in any way connected to the spider problem last month or the gecko issue in December. All different things. Each wholly unforeseeable.

All in all, I think it’s best that we all try to move on from the snake incident now, as it is clear that the interventions have been made, including the fumigation.

So, no more snake incident talk from now on, please.
As you were.