Be thankful we have escaped the ravages that afflict our neighbours for they are worse than those that afflict us, though Panyaza Lesufi is smoothing the path for more affliction, while the commies cry, "Long live the king".

Listen to this article 8 min Listen to this article 8 min As the sewage gushed luxuriantly from the blocked drain into my garden, I joked: "It's like living in KwaZulu-Natal!" Luckily I didn't have to live in that KZN-of-the-mind for too long. The Joburg Water people were at my place in good time, a mere 12 hours or so after I'd reported the "fault", and the problem was ultimately sorted out.

It did take two trucks: the first responders told me they'd have to call the truck with the long pipe and the pump, because it would be able to push enough water into the blocked drain to unblock it. In the end, it took two tries. The second truck piped and pumped, then ran out of water. They said they'd go and refill and be back soon, and, thank heavens, they were.

Encountering further blockages, they checked the house over the road, which in fact had sewage garnished with bits of toilet paper running down the side of the driveway into the road, and found there was some kind of entry point there through which they could reach the big sewerage pipe under the road. They muttered about...