Means

Many people, including lots of Brits, flock to South Africa to ‘enjoy the lifestyle’. It’s true that if one has the means, a great quality of life is attainable here, with great food, a favourable climate and beautiful landscapes. All of this is totally irrelevant to the millions who struggle daily in a country with extreme inequality and myriad social issues which for many seem to be going backwards. South Africa’s past and more recent failure to structurally adjust to sufficiently address historical injustices always weighs heavy on my mind when here. I feel like an indulgent git when I am using my means to do things in South Africa that I can’t do easily in neighbouring countries where I work, such as go to the mall and buy a new headtorch.

Late into the night, various people had the means to be at a nearby club or concert at which Big Girls Don’t Cry by Fergie was blasting into the highveld air. It was emanating extremely loudly out of somewhere within the nighttime version of this green city view.