PALI LEHOHLA | SA, where the cat’s colour is as important as its ability to catch mice
In a country with a well-defined economic policy it wouldn’t matter, but SA’s policy is unclear and undefined
SA presents itself as a country of deep conundrums, one in serious need of catharsis to achieve enduring social compacts. They are underlined by Saul seeking to be Paul and the Prodigal Son seeking cleansing after wasting his fortunes and being picked from a pigsty by his father. The book of Acts throws up several conundrums regarding Saul’s name-change to Paul, often referred to as the Damascus moment. Saul the persecutor is said to have been blinded by light on his way to Emmaus. Jesus ordered his rescue and restored his sight, after which he became the apostle Paul. Another transformative moment is captured in the Gospel of Luke, in which Jesus narrates the parable of the Prodigal Son, who through greed asks for his inheritance. His father obliges. He squanders it on wine, women and worldly wonders, ultimately becoming poor. He finds a job on a farm and works in the pigsty. It is here that his father finds him, cleanses him and restores him, but his siblings are unhappy about the gesture. This column focuses on the possibility of a Damascus cum pigsty moment for SA...
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