A recent trip to Wakkerstroom (Music Festival – if you have not been, add it to your bucket list!) made me think about how government (local, provincial & central) are ‘passing the buck’ in terms of accountability & liability, just like they’ve done with schooling, medical care, security & electricity!
Along the way to Wakkerstroom & especially close to & after Standerton there were LOTS of our national (ALL in fact) road trade mark i.e. potholes. As we’ve all been taxed to death for road repairs, directly & indirectly, where has the money gone & why are the weeds growing in the ‘new’ roads when a year ago these were being worked on? We all know where the money has gone!
The direct affect of this blatant theft & insolence is that the secondary by-pass road, which was supposed to be an interim measure, has now become (in this instance the R23) a fully fledged & totally overused main road! Add to this the MANY trucks who use it to by-pass the toll road & it is a HOLE disaster!
So what do the authorities do? They issue an informal, implied waiver, disclaimer & indemnity (by means of signage) ‘BEWARE POTHOLES’ which they (I am sure) feels qualifies as a ‘USE AT YOUR OWN RISK’ qualification. If you sue them (for damage to your vehicle, injury or death) there is no doubt in my mind this is the defence they will rely: volenti non fit injuria
Now look more locally at the ‘HIJACKING DISCLAIMERS’ i.e. ‘CRIME/HIJACK HOTSPOT’ – instead of installing & monitoring cameras and/or manpower, the effect is the same as with the potholes: ‘We have warned you so don’t come & knock on our door’!!
Despite all of the above we LOVE our country & are having a HOLE lot os fun …. even in the DARK!
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