My oversea’s readers might wonder who ‘us capeys’ might be and it’ll be my pleasure to enlighten them. Capeys are the people that live around the Cape of Good Hope, amongst vineyards, wonderful beaches with delightful bikini clad ladies. We are somewhat distrustful of the gold-johnnies from Johannesburg and we would rather be left alone in what we think is the finest part of the world but, some money has to be made and so foreigners from outside are allowed in, provided they leave plenty of cash behind.

I hope that my south- african friends don’t mind that I give to my oversea’s readers a few bizarre titbits of news of our beloved country because in their countries South Africa is hardly ever in the news.

In the years after the first democratic election of 1994, ably conducted by Nelson Mandela, many people of whom no one had ever heard of before entered into the limelight of the media, some because, inexplicably, they had become very wealthy and others whose unusual political aspirations caused great interest. During the last few years a new actor has manifested himself in the political arena. He is a youngish fellow without much education but that does not stop him from using many millions of Rands for his exuberant lifestyle. Like many of his pals in government his notions of prosperity are based on communist fantasies such as nationalising goldmines and kicking successful farmers off the land to be replaced by people who can’t even grow a crop of radishes.

However, despite entertaining all these destructive notions I still consider this bloke to be a genius of a kind. Not a day passes in South Africa that his picture is not plastered over every damn newspaper in the country. Front page, inside, back page, you can’t escape the fellow. About the telly I don’t know, our programs are such a disaster that I cannot find the courage to watch them but I’m pretty sure his bald head can be found there as well. He might spout the greatest nonsense, it makes no difference, his picture is everywhere. Not even Mr. Mandela in his heydays produced so much photographic evidence of himself.

Of some people it is said that he or she is self-made. This fellow is media-made, he has managed to hypnotize all the media hacks to spout his name  without a break  under and above his bald pate. How it has happened that trustworthy newspapers that existed during the apartheid years have now become totally moronic is a mystery to me. Our new national apartheid party, vaguely led by a president who has three wives and a few fiancées is impotent to control this phenomenal young chap. Not surprising, five ladies clamouring your attention, who the hell has time to govern a country and control dissidents!

The best pictures available of this media-made agitator can be found in the cartoons of our unique and unsurpassed south-african Zapiro, who also has produced outstanding portraits of our president.

Now, some of you might ask why I bother writing about such people. I tell you.

One hundred and sixty years ago lived a great Xhosa Chief in this country who, during two long years, fought to a standstill the armies of the most powerful country on earth, England. He even managed to sink a Royal Navy troopship. His courage and intelligence prevented the colonial power from utterly destroying the Xhosa nation. In order to show that this country has given birth to greater people than the nullities above mentioned I wrote ‘Sink The Birkenhead!’ in which Chief Maqoma’s Last War has been recorded.

 


One Response to Us Capeys and the Rest of the World

  1. dekker says:

    and you managed of course not to mention his name !
    well done
    bisous
    I.

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