Looking back at 2007 and towards 2008
Well 2008 is now here and I have been taking a look over the past year and been thinking about the year to come.
The definite highlight of the year for this blog was the Fred van der vyver trial. The trial highlighted many of the problems in our police and justice systems and with the ‘Not Guilty’ verdict, it also highlighted potential misjustices done to innocent people.
The main question however still remains: Who killed Inge Lotz and why? Will we have the answer to this question in 2008?
The Zuma trial was another highlight with the on again, off again approach by the NPA. It looks as though 2008 will be the year which will see Zuma either jailed or exonerated from the charges.
Linked to the trial is of course Zuma’s election as president of the ANC. This election has the potential of creating great instability, not only within the party, but also within government and possibly within our society as a whole.
There are many questions about our future should Zuma be found guilty, but equally there are questions about our future if he indeed succeeds in becoming the next president of South Africa.
2007 also saw the jailing of Schabir Shaik and Tony Yengeni, with people outraged at what is seen as preferantial treatment of Yengeni.
Of course 2007 would not be complete without mentioning my good friend Robert McBride! Will 2008 finally see his downfall or will he wiggle his way out of the current legal trouble like has done so many times before?
We also saw the passing of various South African personalities: Taliep Peterson, Piet Koornhof, Lucky Dube, Patrick Mynhardt, Gift Mpho Leremi, Adelaide “Mama” Tambo, Bill Flynn, to name just a few. The one death which continues to intrigue us was the passing of Bob Woolmer and whether he was murdered or died naturally.
Gert van Rooyen managed to rear his ugly head a few times this past year with various bones being discovered along with the hopes that the mystery of the missing girls would finally be answered. Alas all leads lead nowhere and we still sit with the mystery.
Perhaps our memories of the van Rooyen saga were stirred again because 2007 saw some terrible things happening against children. The two main ones which come to mind are the Sheldean Human and the Baby Jordan cases. Both cases shocked South Africans to the core and stirred up our anger over these mindless crimes against innocent children.
ATM bombings arrived in 2007 and there is no sign that it will cease. Despite police announcements every so often, they are getting more frequent and it is only a matter of time before people will start dying.
Problems with aircraft also features towards the end of 2007 with planes being grounded, faults occuring during flights etc. People are wonderin whether it is safe to fly these days and many people feel that it is only a matter of time before we have a major air disaster. Will this happen in 2008?
The government has also outdone itself in the stupidity department with its ridiculous ‘Kissing Law’. Will 2008 see a review of the law, or will government just ignore the people’s will?
Of course 2007 was not all doom and gloom. On the lighter side we had ‘Our Lady of Benoni’ appearing to the young girl in Benoni. This strange story got stranger once the Catholic Church got involved. I really need to follow up on this story to see what is happened!
The number one highlight for many South Africans was of course the Bokke winning the rugby World Cup! With the Olympics in Beijing this year, will South Africans be able to bring back any gold or silver medals?
2007 has been an interesting year with lots of drama, mysteries and ’skande’. Will 2008 be just as newsworthy?
I have a few predictions for 2008 and beyond. Let us know whether you agree or not, or take this oppotunity to give us your own predictions for 2008!
1) Zuma will be found guilty. In coming years, he will receive a presidential pardon by Mbeki’s successor and then take the reigns as president.
2) Crime will continue to rise with a number of celebrity deaths highlighting the trend.
3) The Rand will tumble again due to the weakening dollar. As with the last crash, the fall will be engineered by the politico’s in order to save
4) Government will pass a number of laws to further restrict people’s liberty. Stupid laws much like the ‘kissing law’ will be passed. Soon the government will be able to charge anyone with a crime.
5) We will see further rolling blackouts as Eskom fights a losing battle against the demand for more power. The government will still um and ah about building new power stations which will affect us for years to come.
6) Crimes perpetrated by youths will increase dramatically as the government has slowly eroded all forms of discipline. They will blame society but we all know that it is merely the lack of corporal punishment.
7) ATM bombings will continue with robbers getting more brazen. They will start targeting ATM that are not so remote and soon innocent people will start dying.
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