Jumpa Lagi, Malaysia.

My working visit to Asia has come to an abrupt end. I will be back to as soon as I can, funds permitting. I return to South Africa via Doha on 1 March. My immediate priority is sorting out health issues, banking issues, and issues relating to my home (house). Beyond that, and once I have sorted my health issues, in particular, I will get back to the manuscripts I abandoned when the Covid Pandemic entered. There was no way that I was going to expose myself to the dreaded virus.

First among the list of writing priorities, apart from my weekly columns in Business Day, Daily Maverick and VryeWeekblad, which are necessary to keep wolves from the door. I would be in trouble if I lost any of those columns. There aren’t any newspapers or media platforms that are both independent and pay their columnists and contributors. It is in part because of the state of the media in South Africa – fewer outlets remain independent – and in part because of the state of the political economy. Independent media as private corporate bodies, as opposed to state-driven propaganda media or fish-wrap reportage, cannot escape the impact of the multi-dimensional crisis that has gripped South Africa, specifically, and the global political economy in general.

My last engagement was a lecture on journalism and truth, the impossibility of objectivity when you are part of a society that is under siege, and why it is important to retain intellectual honesty and integrity in search of and in defence of the truth. The lecture was at the University of Wollongong in Shah Alam, Kuala Lumpur. I was invited to deliver the lecture by the writer, filmmaker and lecturer, Zan Azlee, who, along with his wife, Sheril Bustaman (a truly progressive creative and courageous couple) and their wonderful children have become dear friends.

The kindness of Strangers and Friends

One of the outstanding features of my stay in the region over the past several months has been the unqualified kindness of strangers and friends. I have never felt so welcome. From the people who have helped me – I did not draw a salary anywhere, Visiting Professorships are usually unpaid, and continue to rely on the meagre earnings from my columns to pay the bills back home – the welcome and hospitality from friends I have known for many years, I have never felt at a loss. It’s unfortunate that I got a chest infection in early December which took me back to Kuala Lumpur to get medical attention. I should have it diagnosed and treated, if necessary, once I am back in Cape Town.

I go back to South Africa with some trepidation. Across Asia there is little communal violence (outside Myanmar, I should add), and violent crime is low. There is also little to no wilful damage and destruction of infrastructure. I guess my interest was drawn to the latter because of cable theft, and theft of metal – especially copper – across South Africa. As it goes, while I have been away, thieves broke a metal cage and stole gas bottles at my house.

In South Africa, nothing and nobody is safe… And things have gotten much worse in recent months. Then there is the near complete collapse of electricity supply, which has been described as a national disaster. So I leave the relative calm and stability of the places I have visited in Asia, and return home where we can barely keep the lights on or criminals, looters and bandits at bay.