The post Post Office era

On Sunday, surf at the Corner was running following some big winds. I worked across to the westernmost section in front of the rocks where the waves had better shape and pitch. In big surf it's harder to latch on to the wave: you have to take it when it's quite critical, so need shape to turn and stay ahead of the white water as it tumbles over. Between sets I had close-up views of the attractive buildings along the Muizenberg 'Historical Mile', including the old post office. Completed in 1911 it was later used as a courthouse and has recently been renovated and taken over by an ad agency. There are loads of other old buildings including Cecil John Rhodes' cottage and Rust en Vrede, one of architect Herbert Baker's best residential works. The SA Post Office business is in turmoil with scores of branches closing down. It has run at a loss in recent years, aggravated last year by an insane, long drawn out strike. This was a wake up call for many businesses, not least magazine publishers (yes some people still read hard copy magazines!), who couldn't distribute their product. Inevitably they have sought other forms of delivery. You have to feel for unionised workers whose leaders are prepared to sacrifice jobs and livelihoods in return for unaffordable salary increases. In the photo you can see  from the quality of the building that, back in 1911, post was a profitable and respectable business, vital for firms and individuals alike. E-commerce has not really caught on here as it has in the UK and China. The Royal Mail has gained a new lease of life from the likes of Amazon.com, delivering stacks of parcels all over the country. I still get the odd radio station verification (QSL) in the snail mail along with local postage stamps. I don't hang about waiting for the postman to arrive anymore but when one does come it gives me a real kick.

China's has its way

I recently read Evan Osnos' book on China, "Age of Ambition". It was fascinating and had the virtue of following a number of diverse characters through time, a sort of longitudinal study. But I felt it had too much ideology about the inevitability of democracy - the ticking clock for China. I don't seem to detect that feeling among Chinese themselves, although I can't claim to have my finger firmly on the pulse. A few years ago I read all the biographies of Han Suyin in which she covers the worst of the Mao periods, inter alia. Some criticised her for being too forgiving of Mao. But when I look at China today I don't detect nearly such vitriolic hatred of Mao and his appalling destructions within the country as I do in Europe/USA. Perhaps it's just human nature: you move on, the new generation forgets the past, especially if you have to live there. This is all mixed up with big doses of patriotism and ancestral memory. I do follow the company Tencent closely and see the explosion of internet usage, e-commerce, classified ads and mobile phones across China. Services of all kinds are dramatically spreading through cities and provinces, rich and poor alike. That all has a very long way to run, most people have no idea. You see JD.Com delivery scooters everywhere and there are said to be over 1000 peer-to-peer money lenders, I could go on.... Osnos' book seemed to examine China via a pre-selected lense, whereas it's more likely developing along its own course, veering this way and that but never actually conforming to a handed-down ideology from the 'West'. We see the same thing in many economists' analyses of 'Africa' (all 50 plus countries!), where if only Africa adopted this way of doing things, or that, it could more quickly resemble/replicate the rich countries. Get real! As with China, 'Africa' is going to do things its way and there will be many different ways. Ditto India.