A BBC farewell that pulls at the heart-strings, but it's just a season

[View in browser]( [Mail & Guardian]( M&G Mornings | Tue 29 Aug   [Ron Derby] This week, I read a beautiful farewell piece to an uneasy South Africa by outgoing BBC journalist Andrew Harding. It’s a melancholic piece about a country he has lived in for 15 years, half of our 30 year democratic experiment. I suggest that you take a read, as many people who leave this country, there’s always a level of sadness to leaving a country with vast potential but sometimes it seems, insurmountable problems. Were most of us to write a farewell letter in this climate, I think most would write something rather similar about the utopian idea of our “rainbow nation”. It’s a tough season, but a season it is. What determines the length of the season is the depth of inertia of our young populace that no longer bats an eyelid at the many signs of societal rot. As the Mail & Guardian, along with exposing the rot and the stench of corruption, we are going to have to play the role of finding and highlighting solutions to our ailments. Instead of fearing topics such as austerity and accepting market dictates, we must peer beneath the hood and look for solutions to find our better future. There’s much to believe in this country of ours and we have to learn to live with certain discomforts with living in a transforming country. And it is uncomfortable at times. Ron Derby | Editor-in-Chief [@Ronderby]( [Lions (1)]( Premium [Africa’s lions slipping towards extinction]( The carnivores have lost about 36% of their range in the past two decades [// Read more]( [Karpowership2]( [Karpowership shareholders to square up in court over R200bn gas deal]( PowergroupSA accuses the Turkish company of trying to transfer its shares to another black economic empowerment company without sticking to their agreement [// Read more]( [mixtape_Aug_Prince (1)]( [Ampersand Mixtape 6: Reasons to be Cheerful]( This mixtape gives you 38 musical reasons to be cheerful. It’s brim-full of happy songs from across genres, borders and generations, guaranteed to put a perma-grin on your face [// Read more]( Recommended Reads Premium [Africa’s lions slipping towards extinction]( The carnivores have lost about 36% of their range in the past two decades [// Read more]( [Russia-Ukraine: SA remains between a rock and a hard place]( The country’s flip-flop position on the war has many hidden facets to it [// Read more]( [South Africa’s consumer food inflation likely to continue slowing]( The country’s sector should be robust enough to survive renewed global risks [// Read more]( [UPDATED: Cape Town pub cleared after police probe but racism case still before court]( Hank’s Olde Irish will now pursue civil and criminal litigation against the accusers [// Read more]( [Uyinene Mrwetyana’s family want Post Office transformed into “a place of healing”]( Hundreds marched to the Clareinch post office in Claremont to commemorate four years since her rape and murder [// Read more]( Pic of the day [Over One Hundred Killed In Maui Wildfire Leaving The Town Of Lahaina Devastated] In an aerial view, burned cars and homes are seen in a neighborhood that was destroyed by a wildfire on August 18, 2023 in Lahaina, Hawaii. At least 111 people were killed and thousands were displaced after a wind driven wildfire devastated the towns of Lahaina and Kula early last week. Crews are continuing to search for missing people. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) [Share]( [Share]( [Tweet]( [Tweet]( [Forward]( [Forward]( This email was sent to {EMAIL} [why did I get this?]( [unsubscribe from this list]( [update subscription preferences]( Mail & Guardian Media LTD · 25 Owl St · Braamfontein · Johannesburg, Gauteng 2001 · South Africa