Apologies to all - been extremely busy the past week and only updated the jokes page. Gotto update something!

Again the powers that is cannot disappoint us - this time it's not the telecoms tender (which was a 'then on, then off' affair for the best past of a year), but our national lottery. Uthingo has been running the lottery for the past seven years (since it's inception) without a hitch. Of course, as with all other businesses our honorable MPs could not have a stake in it. One MP of course scored until the press got hold of his shares which he quickly got rid of then - thank goodness for a free press!

The contract's over and four bidders went for it, of which one emerged as the victor. These guys went and spent over half a million on getting everything organised for the big day but alas, as with elections in Africa someone had to put a stop to all of it. Quite rightly so to be honest as the process was not above board. The problem seems that there's no clarity on all the relevant stakeholders. Don't these guys do their homework?

End result - no lotto for the next couple of weeks (if not months).

Things in Zimbabwe just couldn't get worse, or could it? It could and it did. Mugabe is still in power and probably will be for the next five years. Estimates are that there are some 111 000 illegal Zimbabweans in South Africa (that government think they know of). The relevant state department deals with some 7 000 and more than 900 get deported on a monthly basis.

Mugabe has the power to scare his opposition sh*tless with even his own party members refusing to go against him. What chaos awaits us with their next election in 2010? With inflation over 1 700% and 80% of the people without a job, we can only wonder.

Which brings me to our Transport Minister who once again came up with major proposals on revamping our transport system. The Gautrain project is steaming ahead in spite of grumblings from locals impacted by the construction, claiming that nobody consults with them before road closures and the like. Well, that was to be expected. You can't please all the people all of the time.

Under the new proposals for 2010 government would like to see 24 hour trains and a much more structured bus service. Wouldn't it be great if the township folk could cut their transport costs in half and get to work quicker? With the RDP houses (if and when these folk ever get one) being allocated to the disenfranchised in areas totally unsuitable to them, an effective transport system would make up for it. I sincerely hope that these plans make provision for independent contractors so that we don't sit with the chaos Johannesburg experienced with striking bus workers. And of course relevant security on trains and busses.

It is time to buckle down, get these plans from announcement to implementation in the shortest time and get the metro police to start doing their jobs instead of lazing behind speed cameras. Someone has to oversee and police this. With Trevor Manuel bragging on the record income tax collected this year, I hope most of it will go into making this a safer place to live and drive.

Let's have your ideas -

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