Tourism Good News

The minister of the Environment today announced an increase of 4.5% in visitors to South Africa for the 9 months to September 2006 and projected that this would result in a record year for 2007. That is good news!


Of interest in the information was a 9.7% growth in American and 42.4% growth in Russian visitors. Maybe the Americans have got over their fear of flying, while the growth in Russian visitors is noted as being off a small base.

The biggest growth is in visitors from Africa (18.3%) - I hope this is not just all the politicians and civil servants we host and often pay for eg the Pan African Parliament.

Machadodorp Musings I

Sitting in the car on the corner of General Smit and Potgieter streets in Machadadorp four things catch my eye:

• the hawkers across the road selling fruit and other food under the tree - there were others on other intersections
• the empty buildings all around
• the two new buildings each with 4 rooms with road facing counters
• the two guys down the street changing Potgieter street to Batana Jele street
  

and one my ear

• Trevor Manual on radio presenting a "internationally benchmarked budget" illustrating governments growing expenditure and real successes

Together they lead to questions that are important to success in South Africa

• why do we move so slowly
• why does development not reach the "Machada dorps" of South Africa
• why don't we learn from others

that maybe link back to one answer

• we don't have capacity and expertise in the organisations spending the money

with one solution

• truly involve those who used to do the job as mentors and teachers for those who now have to do it.

A Quick View of News

The 06:00 news on SABC 2 today had 6 stories

• one on civil unrest
• five on crime
  

Is this an overzealous crime reporter or does it reflect the state of crime is South Africa - SABC is after all close to the Government, who feel its a waste for people to talk about the problem.

Just to build on my previous comment on the state of English in the civil service. The mayor of a considerable town said

"... we have rebuilded houses ... we have managed to provide our people stormwater...given them services as far as sewer is concerned ....."

In another part of the story a shack dweller complained that his home was always flooded - thanks Mr Mayor. Sarcastic I know and maybe not critical here but the man runs a town, which gives rise to possible errors!

Identifying Africa's Constraints Now?

The following is an extract from NEPAD's newsletter which I receive by email. It is not archived on their site - that stopped in February 2006.

Is this not our problem in Africa - after 5 years of NEPAD and 7 of the African Union, do we really still have to create "a common understanding of capacity gaps and constraints" and outline a "process" "towards developing a strategy".


Another high level group is going to meet for 3 days, probably from the Addis Sheraton, to continue identifying, analysing, formulating and conceptualising; not even reaching concretising and planning let alone the implementation stage.

I believe we have the international Development and NGO community to thank for this they have overdeveloped the planning skills and underdeveloped the doing skills through their systems.