Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
That evening we had dinner with a couple of old friends and their wives. It was good to
see them. They are committed South African professionals that are in it for the long haul.
In South Africa, there has been a gradual slide towards a governmental economy. When
faced with any problem, the solution of the African National Congress politicians appears
to be to socialize something, and governmental employment is now equal in numbers to
private employment. That system has been propped up by an increase in the price of gold, a
situation that will not be permanent. An economy where government employees, outnumber
private employees will not last forever. The governmental ministers responsible for
economic planning express themselves at somewhere around an elementary school level of
sophistication if they are quoted correctly in the local papers. On the other hand, Europe
and North America aren't doing so hot in terms of managing their economies, so it is hard
to be too critical. It is not only America where the Titans of greed battle the legions of
incompetence for political dominance. Our friends are South African to the core and
committed to the country. But it will not be easy as there is a tide of crime and violence
that is a great concern.
The next morning we flew out of Johannesburg on our flight to Bulawayo. I learned a
lesson going through security. I had removed the bolt from my rifle and was carrying it in
my carry-on luggage with the thought that at least anybody that stole my rifle wouldn't be
able to use it. That is acceptable in America but not acceptable in South Africa, and I had
to go back and place the bolt from the gun in a separate container and also check that. Live
and learn.
On the flight to Bulawayo I rode next to a young woman who is managing a business in
Bulawayo with her boyfriend. This is a young white woman who had worked in England for
one of the airlines and is now off on an adventure. Despite the obvious disorder in the
economy, she seemed pretty optimistic about things.
We arrived at Bulawayo and landed in front of what appeared to be a very modern
terminal. I was impressed until we were taken off the plane to a bus that left the “modern”
terminal area and arrived at a not so modern terminal that was a series of steel Quonset
huts. That was the real terminal. Evidently the new terminal has been in construction for 5
or 10 years without being finished. In the huts we stood in multiple lines, filled out multiple
forms, and finally got through customs. It was somewhat chaotic and time consuming but in
the end probably not more so than what would have been the case at Dulles. Subsequent
events were to prove it was easier to get through Bulawayo than it was to get back through
Washington Dulles.
Brent Hein met us on the other side of customs and we loaded what gear we had managed
to retrieve into the Land Rover and drove from the airport into town. The main road was
paved; many of the side streets were not. The smell of smoke and burnt garbage was in the
air. Open areas of grass, even within the city, had been burned and remnants of what must
have been trash fires were scattered throughout these small burned fields. It appears that in
Africa burning grass is very common, particularly in poor areas, and even in the cities. I
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