Johannesburg - There is something in the air. I was going to write about the Declaration of the BRICS Political Parties Plus Dialogue, on how BRICS countries are interested in promoting the use of local currencies in international financial transactions as a step towards a more equitable and inclusive global financial system.
But then a Johannesburg road flung taxis off the ground.
There is something in the air, and it’s not the smell of gas after this week’s explosion that rose rows of taxis at Bree Street to the air.
Shock waves dismembered the connection between the taxi’s tyres and concrete, catapulting vehicles a few feet skyward, and leaving them at the mercy of gravity.
About 48 people sustained injuries, the explosion resulted in one confirmed fatality. May that soul rest in peace.
Egoli Gas is the only company that runs gas pipelines underneath Johannesburg roads.
The company said it is unlikely that a gas pipeline or leak caused the explosion. They said their network experienced no pressure loss, indicating the gas pipelines are intact. Though they confirmed a “small leak” in their pipeline located at the corner of Bree and Eloff Streets, the company believes that the crack was caused by the collapse of the road.
Illegal mining has also been ruled out as a possibility of Wednesday’s explosion in the Johannesburg CBD by the Department of mineral resources and Energy.
While the cause of the explosion is yet to be revealed, let’s pray the funds to fix Bree Street will not be looted.
And let’s hope it does get fixed, we already have a gaping sinkhole in Roodepoort that has not been repaired for almost a year.
There is something in the air. About the BRICS Dialogue Declaration; I was going to mention how using local currencies can curb BRICS countries’ reliance on Western currencies which can be volatile and vulnerable to change. It’s a smart strategy to stabilise the system and secure sustainable success.
This edition of Poetic Licence would have been about how this strategy can help to level the playing field and give emerging economies more control over their financial systems. How it can also promote greater cooperation and understanding between countries, leading to a more harmonious and peaceful world.
Ultimately, a more inclusive and equitable global financial system can benefit everyone, regardless of their background or nationality.
But then I encountered a viral video of a knife-wielding white man in the Free State, unleashing his fury on a frail elderly black woman, his domestic worker. He assaulted her and threatened to cut off her fingers in a grotesque dance of past and present, where the scars of South Africa’s history seemed to reopen before people’s eyes; it was as if the shadows of apartheid had resurfaced to haunt the collective conscience once more.
Sometimes, facing the raw brutality of reality can leave one grappling with questions like; how do we heal from scars of the past? Can we ever truly mend the wounds of history?