Of political confessions and UK’s May succession battle

June in London has been really crazy.

Freaky weather. But not as extreme as in Mozambique and parts of Tanzania. Pictures of rising waters along Jangwani area for example were circulating on social media here. While we mourn Mozambique, London has been really cold this week.

Normally now should be sunshine times. Beginnings of summer. Again NOT as bad as Cabo Delgado, north of Mozambique two months ago. 70, 000 affected by the cyclone. No cyclone in London but rain and slightly chilly as I write this. Normally, we should not be feeling cold in June in London.

Meanwhile we may reflect on the ongoing political climates and elections...

South Africans voted recently. Cyril Ramaphosa’s ANC won the elections though it was said that black youth wanted the Economic Freedom Fighters led by charismatic Julius Malema to win. Before the elections it was said that the older would vote for the more cautious Ramaphosa.

Obviously the main issue in th elections was land. South African born whites were once again on the spotlight.

And what about London?

At least ten candidates in the rightwing Conservative party are sprinting for the leadership. This is after the formal resignation of Theresa May last week. Favourite is of course, Boris Johnson.

But there are other interesting characters, too. One is Sajid Javid, a Pakistani immigrant’s son. Then there is Michael Gove.

Gove was THE headlines recently. He confessed taking cocaine during his youthful journalistic days. Other political hopefuls also came out claiming they had smoked cannabis or sniffed the notorious white powder in their morning years. Mr Javid hit on them arguing drugs is a middle class indulgence.

This got me thinking.

On two fronts.

One is the ganja, marijuana, Bangi smoking lot. Tend to be poorer folk. Normally blacks. Ganja has been praised to be a “wonder drug” by some.

And even Ganja beer is expected to flood (note that terrible word again, again, again!) our shops within months. The fans of Ganja allege all sorts of gibberish and hogwash but, I just see many black brothers losing their marbles. If not mentally unstable, mood swings schizophrenia, ad infinitum.

Second is the more sophisticated mind altering substances, among which cocaine is supreme. Sajid Javid, the party and Prime Minister Hopefuls criticised middle class cocaine and drug users for fuelling crime. We know it is organised criminals who deal with drugs.

Public confessions that political leaders tend to do is to avoid scandals and accusation. In Michael Gove’s case, a new book outlining his life is due, so he decided to come out clean, in case he becomes PM.

Will that ever happen to our African politicians?

Which writer will dare release a book about Mulema or Ramaphosa’s life before they are elected? Which African journalist will publish a book about Robert Mugabe, or Jacob Zuma? What about our own East African ex Presidents? Outline their private lives and make them confess publicly?

It is a different pot to cook altogether.

It is cold in London in June though. Outside my window rain drops.

Something else crosses my mind.

The desperation of Africans.

Two topics knock the mind.

One regards an image of a priest at a church; he has his fingers on a woman’s private parts. She is not naked though. She is fully dressed but the fingers outline the shape of her most sacred area. And in church. In church with other worshippers watching and praying and trusting and waiting and singing and accepting. The caption reads that the so called priest was helping the young wife conceive. Probably she had tried for a long time, having failed to get pregnant attended church, to ask for benediction, salvation, a solution.

Desperation.

Desperation makes the young search and do all sorts of things...

I cannot count the number of times I have received strange Emails from strangers. Enquiries for jobs.

Usually the letters are formal and these applicants are mostly young women. They list their qualifications. That they graduated and qualified at such and such institution of higher learning.

How on earth did this happen? What crosses their minds thinking a London based writer and musician will offer them jobs as accountants and secretaries? This is desperation of the highest order.

I could be a sneaky cheat and lie to these desperate females.

Promise them all sorts of things. But it is never going to happen. All I would say is not every Tanzanian living overseas owns a rich company that can employ graduate.

Most of us are struggling and trying to manage life. Young, educated people reading this, take note. Please do your research properly and apply for jobs at the right places.