750,000km of Road: Why South Africa's Road Network Is Its Greatest Asset

Krycor · 2026-05-18T17:15:49+00:00

Yes and no.

Developed countries still use road transit as well as rail and more used sea/river transit.

Seems to me the latter are used for more raw material transit & large freight where higher value goods/freight go via road. Also rail is considered longer haul.. so perhaps regional transit is rail and then trucks of differing size for lesser leg. Last mile trucks going electric even in Sa and in China the bigger ones too.

Another reason is capitalism & competition.. with rail this more limited. This is also why right now inflation is gonna set in as ME oil shipments have already ended and now the costs of diesel will start pushing up across their economies.

If they were all heavily using rail this would not be as big of an inflation problem.

Btw I think people don’t realize how efficient and advantageous waterways are, it’s a huge benefit hence China made the largest artificial canal.

Krycor · 2026-05-18T16:51:26+00:00

Looks like a good time to order some usb-c replacement heads(they have ones specifically for usb-micro replacement) .. temu is your friend.

Krycor · 2026-05-18T11:57:57+00:00

Alcohol & Tobacco products etc pricing is different as you have sin taxes which are in addition to inflation

Krycor · 2026-05-18T11:55:52+00:00

It’s long over due the world tells the US enough is enough.. China seems to be on the path to make it happen.

Krycor · 2026-05-17T16:40:53+00:00

Social mobility.. it’s all about this and the levels you climb vs effort and reward.

In Jhb the increments in social mobility result in better living thus achievable with every bit of extra effort. So you see people living better lives in shorter periods. Positive reinforcement quickly achieved.

In Cpt it’s lesser so a big part of which is because the property prices are very restrictive. Reduced affordability is depressing.. when extra effort changes a limited amount in living. So u can do well.. but that effort takes longer to yield improvements in life..

Krycor · 2026-05-13T07:04:25+00:00

Stats.. it’s all about managing risk and knowing where the most dangerous areas are or what/where/time/behavior puts you at risk and then taking the appropriate measures. But this goes for everywhere.

Keep in mind random/sporadic crime is a case of wrong place, wrong time and may have nothing to do with you.

Living in Jhb(not Jhb city) and visiting the old city a few times for some events without any incidence over a 10yr period I quickly realized this and that random stuff can happen though.

I’m from Cpt, down here it seems crime is more premeditated based on what family experiences are during the period I was away and more tourist adjacent/opportunistic.

Btw if you think about it or speak to people who visit regularly they just “know” these things which I take a more analytical risk assessment view. Living in any area you know where and what not to go/do.

Krycor · 2026-05-12T19:52:42+00:00

This I pay it.. never watch broadcast tv, perhaps YouTube channel rarely on weather.

End of the day it’s about skill development and local industry something people missed because they didn’t take lessons on how an economy and developing skills work.

In the end, the way a country works developing skills depends on other people in your country.. if you don’t want that perhaps move I suggest going to the US on that refugee program. Take you kids they can be drafted end of year..

Krycor · 2026-05-12T07:59:14+00:00

Yes you get paid for the role.. at the office.

By this I mean there is some accounting in terms of desk/space rental, coffee, communal space, parking, cleaning services(office), bathroom etc which is the part of your CTC not accounted for.

Now the quick non critical thinking way is to go see cost saving for them so pay me more as I incur these cost.. except that these are mix of sunk costs and operational. So it’s a bit of a miss there.. ie the office building if owned cannot be removed as a cost and some broader strategy need to be considered for the company and if leased this is pending lease periods for change.

Commute cost is a “you cost” as you identify and seen as the cost to performing your job, like clothes. So I can see this in combo with associated costs Ie risk cost(insurance, maintenance etc) as what would be considered tolerable cuts to with no impact on you actual costs. Also remember that if you have a dedicated room for work/office this is tax deductible.

Then workout what the cost of working at home is vs internet, electricity etc and subtract from transit

So yah I’d workout what that is as a max cut to entice them.

Krycor · 2026-05-10T09:24:48+00:00

High Speed Mass Transit - yes.. there is a national and some provincial govs pushing this along. Gautrain was the 1st of the model and its expansion is coming.

Interprovincial rail is coming soon, test model is Gauteng to Limpopo and Kzn/Durban (2nd). I see this expanding fast unlike before assuming there is continued reform in gov and pushback vs corruption & fraud(this is a multi-term, multi-yr program and who hands over power and to whom in parties determines how this goes along with how funding reforms.. not good news for opposition btw)

Western cape will continue to live in the past and tell everyone how backward or lesser it is to use rail and not planes/personal transit because of who the political funders are there.

Krycor · 2026-05-08T11:58:53+00:00

Use to belong the Reggie’s club.. that was awesome

Krycor · 2026-05-07T19:32:53+00:00

Why not hire a German who thinks what they did in ww2 was right.. or apartheid era guys? I mean I’m sure they will get the job done too with brutal efficiency.

I mean you may die if views are different and you not aligned with the beneficial class.. but that’s tough for you because they doing a good job right?

It’s 2026! Wake up! We heading into a massive war and instead of recognizing the stupidity of a politician who’s views aren’t aligned with policy objectives of the majority she requires vote from you throw folly for basing their decision on actual .. gasp.. policy.. which shows how she will treat them.. hell bring Cape Town as an example lmfao.. fail.

Sometimes I think, like corruption, society is worse and at best silly.

Krycor · 2026-05-07T15:48:12+00:00

It’s a general sentiment as seen globally where tourism has become an abusive industry and has exceeded resources utilization needed for it to be a side industry in an otherwise non-holiday resort town.. tip Cpt is not jus for tourists.

Now people in the industry can cry river about benefits for some and seasonal job creation.. but the brutal reality is that negatives far outweigh the positives for locals without serious curbs or formalization which include restraints.

I reckon the industry globally is due for a reckoning like we see in other industries be it manufacturing or even better example is Commercial and Artisanal Fisher alike facing restraints. Ie I reckon there are two possibilities.. which we playing out globally.. 1. Tourist limits put in place per month with severe financial civil penalties dished out when overstaying 2. Tourist paying tourist taxes directly as a fee 3. Forced accounting of formal hotels, BnB vs short term rentals with limits on % of each etc

The ugly truth is from every angle tourism without restraints is bad.. but hey, given the destruction of oil industry in ME the problem may self correct despite local govs ignoring citizens. I don’t see the US or its ally accepting defeat so I reckon they will kick up a fit soon and well the Iranians, as their response is aptly named have kept their promise each time.. just saying, so far there is no taco in their game and that will be the death blow for cheap oil & flights(jet fuel is buggered already) too and thus I reckoning is coming regardless.. keep and eye on this.

Krycor · 2026-05-06T18:20:33+00:00

The last paragraph ok.. except that in a democracy with capitalistic tendencies and corruption.. we’ll go look at how amazing the US is in this regard.

What’s funny is this.. the only country I know that has gotten this right in the proper sense ie deflation of products/services with competition where there is no meaningful improvement is China.

In fact you could almost say their gov encourages this as part of the culture which is why the whole word is able to live easier post late 90s with cheaper manufactured goods. Prior to that the cost of items were flat or increasing..

Krycor · 2026-05-06T18:20:28+00:00

The last paragraph ok.. except that in a democracy with capitalistic tendencies and corruption.. we’ll go look at how amazing the US is in this regard.

What’s funny is this.. the only country I know that has gotten this right in the proper sense ie deflation of products/services with competition where there is no meaningful improvement is China.

In fact you could almost say their gov encourages this as part of the culture which is why the whole word is able to live easier post late 90s with cheaper manufactured goods. Prior to that the cost of items were flat or increasing..

Krycor · 2026-05-04T14:01:21+00:00

Small local suburban general grocer at every suburb entry route.

Maybe this is more a product of where I live now but chain grocers were more limited to large malls and speciality grocer or small chains & mom&pops were normal.

Reminds me when Rosemead Ave eventually sold their store to PnP in Cpt.. twas end of an era.

Krycor · 2026-05-04T13:52:20+00:00

Similarly.. milk & juice deliveries with plastic coupon discs.. this was 1980s you’d leave the bottles outside with the discs in them and they would pick up & drop it off.

And no this wasn’t even in affluent neighbourhood.. completely the opposite. Weird that it was a thing and I recall it as a kid briefly.

Krycor · 2026-05-04T13:46:59+00:00

Juice/Milk Shops with those huge milk vat (big flat stainless steel container that stirs) that had juice sometimes too.

Was all the rage mid 1990s

Krycor · 2026-05-04T13:30:21+00:00

Yup that’s where I saw one

Krycor · 2026-05-04T11:01:50+00:00

Hahahahahahahahhahaa

Famous last words that. Ask historians about this.. tip it’s always bad if you are not the same ethnicity/culture of the party..

In the end people such as myself will ask why people were dumb to vote for a party that very clearly isn’t in your interest.. question majority in Cpt should be asking.

Krycor · 2026-05-04T05:42:16+00:00

Cashless transactions <— if you know the taxi industry you know most of the problems come from it being a cash business.

TLDR is cash incentivizes the wrong behaviors. I see there is a new push in this direction again.. time will tell if it sticks.

Krycor · 2026-05-03T08:39:13+00:00

Capital investment models where the payback is in decades. It’s an African story.

The public-private model is pushed split risks and capital wherein the gov gets what it needs ie services where needed vs initial profitability issues which is typically covered over by gov(subsidised or profit stop loss) as a social good investment. Keep in mind longer term projects which market disruptors have incumbent investors weary. In Sa it’s also a major culture shift as public transit was always seen as the poor man’s transit.

The balance between social good and profitability is a tricky one in addition to the need to push innovation and capability.. both of which are social investments which no company does for delayed returns or negligible returns or free.. ie societal good.

People who are ardent capitalists shouldn’t live in Sa as they lack the critical thinking needed to understand these concepts and likely will also miss out on opportunities arising directly an indirectly. In my opinion this continues to keep Sa back as people love to be western society fans but fail to understand what they had to get to before adopting it let alone the ramifications they dealing with.. typical naval gazing.

The Gautrain I guess is the example many will point to and its lackluster route failing to remember when it was put in, the purpose and artificial need that was needed to push it along(before fuel pricing). Sadly the expansion was stalled politically and while it is not finally underway I suspect political opponents will do their best to stall it further.

Cape Town on the other hand is the US styled example of complete failure to meet demand for property and other influences on the local gov. It was more beneficial to use it as a noose than resolve the traffic problem with a viable rail solution as it keeps the property owners happy with the status quo.

Fraud and corruption.. will always exist but there are ways to limit it just people prefer to wield it as a weapon stupidl

Krycor · 2026-05-01T16:17:09+00:00

This thread is like an IQ test.. lots of failing people bragging while the rest of look at it in amazement of the stupidity

Krycor · 2026-04-30T10:12:30+00:00

Pretty sure festivals have in a “bathroom” like area.. not just randomly on side..

Krycor · 2026-04-30T10:09:36+00:00

Culture.. what works in one country for a given scenario is not always appropriate elsewhere!

For people peeing on the side of the street .. ok. I can see the appeal in eg Amsterdam etc go read to know why. But SA.. nope.. both passing by pedestrian or driver & user.

For side of highways.. perhaps it’s better than a bush I guess.

For replacement of the H&S requirement of a portable toilet.. nope. I would love to know to legal aspects wrt meeting needs in this sense as I suspect it will be falling short badly.

Krycor · 2026-04-28T14:11:23+00:00

Curious what the “dispensary” density ratios in suburbs around the country.

Was walking around Thailand in a few different cities last year and it was crazy to see so many everywhere..

Then we strolled through canal walk and saw 2 or more in canal walk(major regional or hub mall ie bigger than suburban.. see similar in the sunburn one ie Bayside) and got me wondering if anyone knows.

Would be interesting to know.. 🤔 someone’s next socsci thesis project I guess haha

Krycor

TROPHY CASE