Red Ant Day

I have had a bit of a rough time recently. So have about 1000 people like me. The problem was that to days ago, in the morning, I get a call to say they're busy destroying our shacks. I get there too late. The Red Ants are busy with mine. The methodology is simple. Chase owner of shack away, threatening violence. Break the lock of the door, go inside and have a quick look for small valuables: Cash, cellphones, ID books, probably in that order of importance. Then pull the shack apart, with personal items and furniture still inside. Put all wall and door materials on truck and send away. Move on to next shack. Result: Tonight there is just a scene of devastation, personal items and furniture lying everywhere, people sifting through the stuff for their things and for cardboard or anything to make a shelter. The past two nights we've slept together in this huge shed, which the new property owner apparently didn't want to be torn down. Meanwhile people have lost everything, including R2000 of shack materials each. Many lost their ID books, so the police will insist on taking them off to Lindel detention camp as refugees. God alone knows which African neighbour they'll choose to send them to. I wonder how many SA citizens are wondering around in Zinbabwe after losing their ID books? Or worse, their ID book sits in their shack back in SA. This is one of the reasons the ID book is so valuable, and must be kept on your person at all times. The othre reason is that it enables you to get on to the mystery housing list - the list for people to get free houses. However, your name just never seems to get to the top, so you never actually get one. I always saw thw read ants on tv, ripping people's homes apart, but somehow the incredible sadness of it only hits home when you're actually part of it. I only had a mattress and blanket and a few pots and things in my shack. Others had everything they had collected over the last year. The women, especially, had all the things to help them be comfortable in a difficult environment. All destroyed in one morning. I have been incredibly depressed to see it - I certainly am not proud to be a SA citizen now. We are definitely well on our way to being a typical, uncaring, tyrannical society, and I want no part of it...