Spare us ills of NHI, an inept PP and city manager

POLITICS

Another court defeat by the Public Protector calls for an alliterative tongue-twister: “Demagogue’s dear, doubtful Dali’s delirious diatribe didn’t deter democrats.”

Public Protector committed a further protocol blunder by obtaining information illegally and sharing same. If she was a qualified and competent legal practitioner she would have known that personal information must be obtained through authentic procedures or its use would be flawed. This also shows her playing a political game by destroying the image of President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Brian Molefe, ex-Eskom chief executive, in the news again. Some time back he was linked to a huge payout which he allegedly used to buy a house from a business friend. The house was allegedly sold to Mr Molefe for R10 million despite someone else offering much more. The seller at the time rightfully made it clear that it was his prerogative to whom he sold the property. Now there’s a claim of R10m against Mr Molefe. | Aquarius Ogle, Newlands East.

Mugabe goes to Singapore and South Africans go to Russia for medical treatment. It’s more like where the money is. | Joe Soap.

NHI

Good to hear the National Health Insurance would be implemented in stages. The first stage should include all politicians, officials, hospital and medical board members to use public medical facilitates. | TJ

The UK has an NHI that all citizens can access. But, and it’s a big “but”, 90% of people are working and paying taxes there. Here, it’s the other way around. The tax base is a fraction of the UK’s. It’s a pipe dream to think we can afford it. We should focus on getting what we already have to work properly. Plus there’d a levelling down and vital skills would leave. Fix what we have. Don’t plunge everyone into tax poverty. And I have not raised the subject of corruption. Think before we leap. | Mike.

ETHEKWINI MUNICIPALITY

The city manager should be ashamed to earn over R3million a year and still get an increase. The eThekwini municipality is in a crisis, the city in a mess, poor service delivery, etc. The beach front is filthy. Crime is ridiculous. So what does she do to earn that salary?

On service delivery-based performance, the city manager falls far short of being rewarded an increase. Look around our city: every sector of service was compromised over the past year, protest action spilled over to looting and loss of business and extra use of police. Tourism was affected by crime. Tourists being murdered added to the pathetic performance of the City. Generally, Durban was a dump with trash all over the place. The beaches showed their true colours after the floods washed up tons of garbage.

For almost four months, we in Northern Drive, Phoenix, have had both sides street lights working day and night; now, during the dark dangerous times, they’re off. Can staff fix these and other street lights on Phoenix Highway, without blaming apartheid or old infrastructures? | Zahir Danbar, Phoenix.

I hope the eThekwini municipality can solve the grievances of the part-time lifeguards, or we will have lots of bathers stranded out at sea. | Norman Pillay.

ODDS AND ENDS

Malls closing down, banks shutting branches, post offices disappearing… The virtual reality of uncontrolled computerisation exposing the real stark reality of deathly unemployment. | ese

R28billion for N2 and N3 upgrades expected to take five to eight years to complete. Mr Ravi Ronny, dream on. Double the money and double the time, as MK Vets and other vigilante terrorists will halt services because they will want a slice of the pie. Not just one slice, the whole cake, if it can be arranged. If no strong-arm tactics are used, say goodbye to our roads and our country.