A riff from a room with a view in the old waenhuis on Hanglip Farm.
WELL, THANK the Good Lord or whatever other powers that be that tomorrow is going to be Friday. In case you’ve been asleep, it’s the day on which new MPs will be sworn in, the Speaker and Deputy Speaker will be elected, and – ta-daa – the President of the Republic of South African will be elected.
Previously, this was a rather boring day – 400 people swore an oath (do they do this one by one or together?), and whoever was ANC president got shoo’d in as president. But not this time.
The smallanyana problem is that the ANC did not manage to get a majority in the elections. This means it can’t elect whomever it wants as president – it actually has ask for help from some other party or parties. Rather like having your card declined at the till, and your face getting hotter and hotter while more and more people stare at you in that silent ‘aha your card has been declined’ sort of way, and looking at your clothing.
* * *
So why is this a good thing? Well, it will partly end weeks of National Uncertainty and Political Turmoil; while a GNU might not have been entirely formed, from horn to tail, as it were, at least we will have a Hand on the Rudder – a Captain steering the National Ship. While others may differ, we think it’s probably going to be Cyril Ramaphosa.
Whatever else one can say about it, he is a reassuring presence. I mean, where will we be without his dreamy descriptions of new national vistas? At least it provides us with an alternative reality. And we assume the parties stepping in with their cards at the till (just to get the queue moving) will want their money back with interest, like the Speaker, and some serious cabinet positions.
So it’s going to be a portentious day. The whole thing is lent a bit of an edge by the threats and drama surrounding the MK and EFF. Will they disrupt the proceedings or some way, or won’t they? Or will the MKP actually succeed in wrecking the whole thing, maybe with its urgent court application? (Update: the Concourt has rejected this application, so at least this is off the menu.)
Well, there’s still a spanner in the works. When the MKP people said they weren’t going to be sworn in, the parliamentary staff promptly cancelled their air tickets and accommodation. Even if they change their minds, we just don’t see them arriving in time – I mean, YOU try to get an overnight block booking for 58 people from Shaka Airport. They will just put your call on hold.
* * *
In astrology, Friday is associated with the birth of Venus. Herewith the depiction of that momentous event
by the French painter François Boucher (1703-1770). Image: Wikipedia
Incidentally, why have Fridays got such a bad rep? According to good old Wikipedia, Friday is indeed considered unlucky in some cultures, particularly so in maritime circles; sailors commonly believe it’s unlucky to begin a voyage on a Friday. Since the Middle Ages, Friday the 13th and Friday the 17th are considered to be especially unlucky, and could be called “Black Fridays”.
But it’s not all gloom and doom. In the Hebrides, we are told, Fridays are considered a lucky day for sowing seed, and Good Friday in particular is a favourite day for potato planting—’even strict Roman Catholics make a point of planting a bucketful on that day’.
Of course, Fridays are special days for Jewish people, and Muslims believe Friday are “Syed-ul-Ayyam”, meaning King of Days.
Last but not least: Greta Thunberg’s ‘School Strikes for Climate’ usually occur on Fridays, and the movement is also called Fridays for Future. Well, that s the clincher. With Greta on our side, how can we go wrong?
* * *
So let’s hope our political reps are going to plant a potato this Friday, and not sink our ship. While we’re waiting, herewith a Friday song to sing and dance by …