Today's Sunday Washington Post had two articles featuring South Africa.
A rather reductionist, simplistic, (and jarringly self righteous) editorial decries South African inaction with regard to Zimbabwe. Yes, we all wish South Africa would do more. But tellingly the editors proffer few concrete solutions and cover ground that has been covered better elsewhere.
Meanwhile, at least in part because of the impact the global economic crises have had on South Africa, apparently the used-car market is flourishing in Johannesburg. This strikes me as one of those stories that shows the ways in which people are coping with economic circumstances as much as it is a slice of life from the potential encroaching calamity. It also shows people acting rationally — minimizing debt, looking for bargains, negotiating, saving, and so forth. In many ways, this may represent a silver lining amidst the concern about what's coming in the next few months.
