But when you pay too high a price for freebies, whose fault is it? Here I would like to relate two stories. The first one happened in about 1994/95 or thereabouts. I read in the paper that the South African government had turned down US$300 million, yes US$300 million, from the Japanese who were giving it for the construction of clinics in rural areas. I phoned one of the newly ensconced government officials I knew at the time and asked, what’s going on? Can you explain this? I mean everyone knows we need hospitals in rural areas! Very calmly, my uncle, Shepherd Mayatula, a man who has not one but two Masters degrees in economics said to me, Eric, say we take this money and build these clinics. Where are the medicines going to come from? Where is the manpower to man these clinics going to come from? And the list continued, what about the cost of maintaining these structures… The he said, Eric, at this stage we think it best to preach primary health care because if people do not fall unnecessarily sick then we do not need hospitals, do we?
I'm not sure everyone will love this book. It's definitely not for the PC (Political Correctness) Police. Eric Miyeni doesn't seem to care much what people think of him. He's outrageous and he's daring, he sees the line and then he crosses it. He's the guy who voices what many people are thinking but don't have the guts to say about race, about gender violence, about politics, about our personal finances.
I love it. I think it's a great read.
