Another day in Africa

Africa at it's best.Sometimes I get the feeling that things are really going well. Economy is picking up... Brent crude is going down, up, down, ?????, gold is over US$450/ ounce.....

Then reality is forced on you. It is Africa... Nothing changes...I have a guy (black man) who works in the garden on the odd occasion (well, almost every Saturday). Been with me for over a year now. He's 69 and counting. About a year ago I was chatting to him and asked if he was getting the state old age pension. He said no, as he had been to the Home Affairs office over the past 3 years, and each time they sed to him, he's too young. Come back next year. Obviously I knew this to be crap, so I downloaded the criteria off the internet, and gave it to him.

I also wrote my details on the back of the forms as a contact if he got more crap from them.Turns out he got his pension. But for the past 3-4 years it's possible someone was drawing it against his name!!!
Anyway, last year March/April the lady who was sharing his room with him (he rents a room on a smallholding just outside town), she decides to go visit family about 60 / 70 km away, packs her bags and she's gone. Unfortunately, he had hidden his ID book and pension card in the lining of the bag, and she took it with her. (in error?)
So, for the past 7/8 months I have been supporting him. Firstly, lending him funds to travel to the area she went to, to look for her, and try to get his stuff. Needless to say she has disappeared off the face of the world!!
October 2005 - I convince him to go and re-apply for his documents. A painfull experience at best for literate people. A daunting task for an uneducated, alsmost illiterate person who has no access to any documents like birth certificates etc.
Anyway, since then it's been a run around, going back every 1-2 weeks to see if the stuff is there. And every time it's "Come back next week"!
Yesterday he arrived at my home. In desperation. He had been sent to a regional office to see if his docs had arrived. There it's total chaos. Docs are not there... come back in two weeks.
Here's the problem... for as long as he dont have the docs, he dont get his pension. And it's very likely that his id doc has been sold!!!!
Yea... we have a couple of million illegal immigrants here in Souf Efrika! They come mainly from Mozambique and Zimbabe, but also from as far as Nigeria, Malawi, and other African cesspools!!!They approach Home Affairs officials and employees, (who are there only to collect their monthly salary, NOT to be of service to the citizens), and for between ZAR500 and ZAR 600 BUY an Identity document. The H/A employees then take out the photo belonging to the legal owner, and replace it with a photo of the illegal Immigrant.
Thats Africa. It is as corrupt as yu want. Lying cheating bastards. And it goes right up the ladder to the top. So on Tuesday next week I'm taking him back... Maybe if a very angry white male goes in there and causes some havoc we might get a response. Of sorts. Else Im going up the ladder, and I WILL go to the newspapers! Yea... trash the trash in the trash! Hehe.So, more to follow, unless I manage to get myself arrested!!!Nuff Sed.........Later