The Story Behind Vegetable Ben
Tuesday, December 17, 2024 | 50 Views |
In fact, he doesn’t even know the owner of the land. His only fear is being evicted by the council authorities but this is an unfounded fear though. In a country where politicians have the final say in everything Ben is well aware that should the council bye-law officer so much as suggest he move he will quickly rush to the councilor and report how the officers are harassing him and have descended on him like a pack of wolves. Councillors live for these types of situations. Otherwise what else would they be doing?
Ben’s vegetable range is quite limited and on a good day it includes cabbage, onions, tomatoes and rape. Basically his product range is as wide as a straw and the more elite vegetables with curative properties like broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, garlic. In fact I doubt Ben has ever heard of these because one day when I asked him whether he ever stocks ginger his response went something like ‘I don’t really stock beverages’. His only encounter with ginger is in its liquid form. I once asked him if his produce was organic and he coolly responded ‘I am just trying to sell them before they go bad.’ Truth is he had never heard of the word organic.
As the new Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) government takes charge, it must act decisively to equip the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) with the tools, laws, and resources needed to combat graft. The time for half-measures is over. DCEC Director-General, Botlhale Makgekgenene’s, recent address to the Public Accounts Committee paints a stark picture. Over five years, leadership instability, chronic underfunding and weak...