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Lacey el Men

Letter from Johannesburg

North Shore resident getting first-hand look at history

“SHE WAS so upset.” [ over-
heard a shop assistant saying,
“her son was shot yesterday...
shame.”

By Elizabeth Sheridan
Contributing Writer

What! Such casual references
tre commonphice as peaple try to
come to terms with living —- and
dying —- in this city in waiting,

As South Africd's first “free and
fair” ulection wraps up tamorrow,
there is massive underlying excite
ment, apprehension and the antici-
pation of what is going to happen
AE. (afer the election).

There is no other topic of con-
versation — i's impossible ta for-
get for one moment.

People are ualking to one another
in shops, offices, in line-ups, in
schools, at lunch and at social gath-

‘erings.

Two schoolboys strolling pasl
my house, one white, one African,
were in deep conversation about the
election — they could have been ao
more that nine years old,

This, hopefully, is the new South
Africa.

A few moments cartier, hurrying
to open my front door, 1’d forgotten
to turn off the security alarm which
began its deafening wailing.

Annoyed with myself for forget-
ting to disarm the thing, being
freshly returned from the North
Shore, I turned it off. 1 was com-
pletely astonished when, two min-
utes later, two heavily armed securi-
ly guards came screeching to a halt
outside our eight-foot high electron-

' ie gates.

While | was downtown, on in
unavoidable banking visit ail
stripped of jewelry and unnecessary
hefongings. Edrove cight into Army
convoys preparing for a planned
political march which was threaten-
ing to discupt the city.

Walking briskly anto the “hold-
ing tank” security entries to the
bank, | was told that there was
something weang with my body.

It seemed the large baneh of
keys in my pockets was proving at
problem!

There are supposed plans to
evacuate foreigners if things go
wrong. Britain, it is rumored, is
planning to airlift 350,000 nationals
and Lishon will evacuate 600,000
Portuguese.

Ata rough estimate. says a local
paper. this is approximately 3,000
plancloads which, at current airport
cupacity, means that people will still
be leaving come the nest clection,

Schools are closed this week,
with students thrilled at the novelty
of going tu school on Saturdays for
the next month to make up the time.

{ went to do my weekly shop-
ping yesterday. I'd read about the
stockpiling that is going on but to
see if was something else. In
response either to a letter being cir-
culated by extreme right-wing
groves boding utter chaos or from a
superb marketing/PR ploy by the
supermarkets, shelves are being
stripped — sales are up 50%.

Local manufacturers of tinned
goods are running innovative full-
page ads assuring consumers that
they are working around the clock
to. maintain supplies.

So, you may want to buy a few
extra cans, long-life milk and a cou-

Specializing in Blinds and Draperies for over 9 years :

= OUR NEW ADDRESS WILL BE | 984-41 01 ap :

5
i
|

| #117, 948 West 3rd St.
; North Vancouver

ple of extra toaves of bread se your
can stay at home to watch the three
day/24 hour coverage of voting.

But what Drack my brains ~~
ave people planning to do with six
f2-rall packs of toilet lissue, over
S25cb worth of frozen food (he
shopper in front of me) and six
dazen candles?

Maybe they anticipating
health problems when they have to
eat all that food which is defrosting
during the power cuts they obvious:
ly foresee. They could always paper
the walls. J suppose, should the
election coverage become too bors
ing.

The esonomy seems to be hoom-
ing, ~~ houses are being bought in
record numbers, new construction is
al record-highs, there is not one
shopping mall which is not being
majorly re-vaniped,

There is justified fear that you
will be the next armed robbery or
hijack statistic and the daily vio-
lence touches everybody's lives.

“Take care” is a heartfelt parting
message as people take their leave
of friends and acquaintances with
hugs and words of support.

On a brighter note, the following
letter appeared in a local newspa-
per: “On the back of my bill, after
being served al a restaurant by a
waiter, Moses, were these handwrit-
ten words, “Thanks very much for
calling, please call again. Have a
nice, lovely, wonderful afternoon
filled with joy, peace and happiness
and an evening filled with some
sweet dreams. Comptiments of the
New Season.’ ”

The writer said, “If this is what
the new South Africa has in store,
roll on May.”

as a student.

sday, April 27, 1994

Meetgh aid tl,

Lae aie

- North Shore News - 45

POMBE RT OY eons co