What does Free State premier Ace Magashule do when he is not hosting Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, slyly hoping for a seat in her cabinet post-2019? He is certainly not making sure the province’s capital city is spick and span. Mangaung is looking a bit shabby, except for the bits around the University of the Free State.
Yes, yes, I know that, strictly speaking, it’s not his job. It’s the mayor’s job. But really, he should have a word when he is not too busy being a member of the so-called premier league.
Now, that’s a bunch. For those who don’t know, the "premier league" refers to the provincial premiers of Mpumalanga (David Mabuza), Free State (the said Magashule) and North West (Supra Mahumapelo). Their main goal is to get Dlamini-Zuma elected and protect the current president.
So the other day, with the prospect of President Jacob "Shameless Wonder" Zuma being voted out of office by his own ANC comrades if a vote of no confidence is conducted under a secret ballot, Mabuza decided to pipe up. He told a reporter he and his ANC friends would act against the dissenters.
What David Mabuza is saying is that all those 249 ANC MPs exist merely to be told when to eat, sleep and snore by the party bosses
"You vote with the DA, with the EFF [then] we are going to remove you and deploy another comrade there and reverse that thing because we are the majority there," Mabuza said.
You have to love this guy. What he is saying is that all those 249 ANC MPs exist merely to be told when to eat, sleep and snore by the party bosses.
He has learnt from the best. The Shameless Wonder, Zuma, said the other day that black people suffer no stress. Perhaps that is why, after everything we have heard about his closeness to the Guptas, he still publicly visits them, as he did last week. No doubt he was there to take further instructions on who to appoint to cabinet.
But I digress. The Free State is falling apart. The roads are potholed. I am told you need a little "cold drink" to get anything done.
After a productive day in Mangaung last week, my good colleagues Ziniko Mhlaba and Linge Ndabambi decided to grab some lunch. We headed for the Waterfront. I made feeble sounds about the fish place. Ndabambi gave me a dirty look: "Today calls for some meat, my brother."
So off we went to Braza, a steak chain I have sampled elsewhere before.
From Braza you gaze upon the dead pool that is the waterfront. The water is dirty. The dam’s edge is marked with traces of scum. Debris floats on top. All that’s missing is a stench from the water. Yuck, as my kids would say.
It was daytime and only four tables were taken.
We were there for meat and we got some. Ndabambi went for the T-bone steak — all eye-watering 600g of it. Mhlaba had the rib-eye steak at 400g. I was being dainty: the 300g fillet.
The service was just about all that was good. The food was shocking, really. My fillet was like the meat you have at a funeral on a Saturday morning — slaughtered the day before. It was as though no ageing had taken place at all. The T-bone was on the tough side and only half was eaten. The rib-eye was okay. Thank God for the wine.
I don’t blame the restaurant, though. The staff tried. I blame the politicians. Magashule has set the bar very low down in the Free State, and it shows in just about everything.
Braza **Loch Logan Waterfront105/7 Henry Street, WillowsBloemfonteinTel: (051) 447-2821
***** Mcebisi Jonas**** Excellent *** Good** Poor * Jacob Zuma
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