We wanted summer and now look at us, melting in the corner with sweaty brows and water bottles, dribbling like a dog eating raisins. That was my grandad’s favourite line, and it works, doesn’t it? The #Heatwave is ludicrous; I’m so glad I live by the sea. I’m home, I’m Tonya Khoury and I’m ready to scratch the surface of a busy media week on this #BlackFriday.

While I might be looking at a fair ocean in Sodwana, in Durbs, seventy thousand containers have not moved and are unlikely to become water bound for over a year as congestion, poor equipment and “bad weather” are blamed for the total lack of service delivery at #Transnet. Someone described it as “Rome is burning”, but it’s more like Rome is crumbling all the while forming an orderly queue. We saw Ramatress and #Pravin (yes he’s still around) parade up and down the port as if it meant something. It didn’t. It’s just electioneering.

Talking about #Elections2024, would you believe that over six hundred parties have registered to run the election race? If you think the port is in trouble, check out that ballot paper that looks like a #Tolstoy novel and reads with even more difficulty. That’s not the final number and some will drop out once the cash needs to be put on the table. But six hundred, what is this a cricket game? (Which we lost by the way). #ProteaNotSoFire.

Let’s walk this through, through the electorate that are so confused. The ANC is still parading Cyril the squirrel around, why? He’s done, and is that the best you’ve got? Then we have the DA who we all give a side-eye because, well: #GodZille, #Racism and jumping John. The #EFF aren’t even worth a mention as South Africa tires of #Malema’s flip flops. Who’s left, #Gayton and the PA? He’s only there to jump on the DA coalition band wagon. Action SA and high horse Mashaba, same Whatsapp group. And now we are faced with five hundred and ninety-five more Muppets that are just there to make up the #CoalitionChaos that’s too follow. There’s an obvious question, one we don’t want to address, the elephant in the room, so to speak – “Does democracy work in South Africa?”. There’s a disenchanted youth of 14 million that aren’t even registered, and those that are will be playing pin the tail on the donkey with their marker pens. #CoalitionCountry.

Acumen will release a case study soon on how this bunch of so-called politicians are faring across the South African seas, but I can tell you the answer now. It’s a bit like #Transnet, slow moving without direction. Over this past month over seventy thousand items mentioned our elections and there was an engagement of over two hundred thousand.

I spent a great deal of time in #RichardsBay this past month and not a day goes by where kilometers of trucks aren’t queued to leave our country with our finest coal. Why do we let them? It’s just like when almost twenty banks colluded to cripple our country’s currency and we just sat back and watched the greatest heist in SA history. Trillions of rands, trillions, do you have any idea how much a trillion is? I asked Google:

One trillion equals a thousand billions, or a million millions. One trillion consists of 1 followed by 12 zeros, that is, 1, 000, 000,000, 000 and can be written as \(10^{12} \) (ten to the twelfth power). It takes about 32,000 years to finish 1 trillion seconds. – Google

Approximately R1 trillion changed hands DAILY between 2007 and 2013 in currency trading. How rich were we guys? A trillion rand daily for six years. I can’t even bring myself to do the math. Why aren’t we tearing the buildings down? Why aren’t we on the streets. Just one trillion would save all our infrastructure. Now that is probably the greatest theft in South Africa’s history. And guess how much the colluders paid in fines? Forty-three million rand. Not a bad little investment: if you’re a tsotsi in a suit. I’d call that treason. #TurnTheHeatUp.

Then the new DCJ #JudgeMaya became a poster girl for the ANC elections. How blatant? Well, the DA and the EFF were not having that, so they had the poster removed. Did they remove the sentiment behind the action, though? Is that treason? Judges are meant to be impartial and not aligned with any party. But hey ho, off to sea we go.

And then this, some guy took to social media about the state of the road he drives home; he asked a simple question: “I wonder if the mayor drives the same potholed road to work as I do?” The answer came right to his door as the mayor himself turned up on this guy’s doorstep threatening him in front of his kids. #TheHeatIsOn.

There is lots of other news. Kelly had a homophobic rant at the #SAMAs and blamed the alcohol. The #EFF stormed the President at #SONA – remember that? Well, they were sent home for a month, that was their punishment. Isn’t that treason? #Koko’s case crumbled in court as #ShamilaBatohi came under scrutiny as another big tsotsi got away. But there are more escapees: marred #JudgeHlope has still not been removed. #SkunkHeadGumede tried to pin her nasties on some poor patsy in the court room. And she’s run out of money – how? She stole the whole of #Ethekwini and she spent it all? No ways man. She’s having us on and surely that’s treason? #FiredUP.

#DeRuyter – remember that traitor? #TraitorDeRuyter said he knew how to fix #Eskom. He didn’t do it alone, this time he sat down with #Harvard university, see, and then it was easy. What kind? I mean seriously, aren’t his actions treasonous? #Bafana blew it; a plane crashed into the Northern Cape army base; the #Phalaphala gang all dined with #Cupcakes security before the couch controversy, and #Hammanskraal have not had drinking water in a decade. Are these stories not treachery and treason? Inmates have threatened hunger strikes across the country, citing poor conditions. Israel recalled it’s SA ambassador, not sure what good that will do. #Elections2024

Over the waters: in Gaza, apparently there is an imminent “pause” in the war, not a ceasefire mind, we can’t call it that. The pause will allow humanitarian aid into the rubble and hostages will be returned on both sides. And if you care at all, “Banksy’s” name is actually Robbie. Kanye and Bianca are on a break. The world has lit up with festive lights during a time on earth where all we want is peace. And I wish you that dear reader. As November comes to a close, I wish you peace and not too much money spent on things you don’t need. #BlackFriday. Me, I just want my mom home and some good visibility under the surface. Too much? Never, this country, even though I batter it every Friday, is the most beautiful and incredible place on earth. Be kind and choose peace every time, even when the heat is on.

I’m Tonya Khoury and thank you for scratching the surface with me and Acumen Media.