A Swiss South African and his maid-Roger

The previous message was also By Roger.

Our Swiss host retired and built his beautiful house in Kleinmond. He invited us to visit with him for awhile after we got settled into our room. To our surprise he included his black maid, who was a woman from Zimbabwe. She shared some snacks and wine at the table with us and joined the conversation (first time this has happened!).
She expressed her opinions about the black South Africans (lazy, destroying all that is given to them, etc.) and also told us that the government of South Africa actually gives their poor blacks a house, but they often rent the home to blacks who come to S.A. from other countries. Having rented out their house, they then move to one of the "townships" where they construct a hut using corrugated metal and plywood. We have seen many of these townships...densely packed, no facilities except for a few port a potties, no shade. They appear to be a miserable place to live.

Our host then told us why he had a "for sale" sign in front of his house. He is concerned that the government might expropriate his house. If that should happen he will get nothing and will have to leave. Someone else will get his house. He hopes to sell his house to an investor, then rent it back and continue to live there. He thinks the government is terrible(corruption, bribery, cronyism, etc.). They are mismanaging everything very badly causing deterioration of infrastructure and more. The country is getting worse every day.
The government also allows farmers to be tortured and even killed with no consequence for the killers. The land is then taken by the government and given to black South Africans, but no legal title to land is transferred. Withe no collateral thee is no way to get $ to operate the farm so most of it sits idle and no crop is produced. The farm fails. He thinks the goal is for the government to gain control of the land and nice homes that are now mostly owned by whites. Then they will realize their real objective... a Communist country.

He also told us that the Chinese have been offering to help many countries in Africa in order to gain financial benefits. They offer to build roads, airports, hotels, and ports; and they bring their own workers to do the construction. When it is time to pay for the work, there is no money to pay them so they take payment in the form of trade deals and agreements that guarantee access to valuable minerals rights. The U.S. is missing the boat in Africa as China gets access to minerals and resources that will be needed for the future.

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Visitors to South africa

We came to see this country . We have enjoyed the scenery, the oceans, the mountains, the farms, and more. The friendliness of the people has been a real treat. Service station attendants, waitresses, and clerks have been pleasant and helpful.
Often our hosts at BnB's have invited us to share a drink, a snack, or a braii (cookout). They have happily shown around their yards, gardens, and farms. Many have given us helpful suggestions for places to visit or favorite spots to eat. All have been welcoming and generous, often asking if there is anything at all they might do for us. Several have asked us to tell our American friends to visit and enjoy all South Africa has to offer. Like most people we meet, they are just trying to do their best.
Nearly all of them are greatly troubled by the changes in South African government. Many have shared their concerns for the future... some have told us horrendous stories of torture and murder. The current situation is the result of decisions made long ago (mainly apartheid) and the carryover of attitudes and behaviors related to those decisions.
The whites here appear to be "protected" from robbery or worse by numerous strands of electric fence surrounding their property, barbed wire fence, automatic gates for vehicle entry, bars protecting every window and door, security lights, and alarm systems. These measures are required for wealthy white people to have a "normal" life here. Stories of attacks and murders prove that the safety net doesn't always work.
The black people here do much of the manual work...
field labor, clerks, waitresses, gas station attendants, etc.
With too little income to purchase a car, we see many of them walking along the roads or hitching a ride (we have been warned not to pick up anyone or even stop if a car has been in an accident as it could be a set up to attack us).
Restaurants and nice shopping malls as well as very clean and well stocked grocery stores are frequented almost exclusively by whites, while blacks sweep the floor, clerk, weigh fruit, and watch the parking lot.