The City of Cape Town, through Brett Herron (the mayoral committee member for transport) and Priya Reddy (Spokesperson for the Deputy Mayor of Cape Town) has finally deemed the issue of the Tuksi job losses important enough to speak to us plebes down in the gutter of Cape Town.  Here are the Tweets that went between us tonight – my tweet first:

20 guys are unemployed & @brettherron can’t even be bothered to comment.Acting as if we’re his lordship’s subjects.

@Batonage I have commented extensively on the tuk-tuks…on television, on radio and in print.

That was the rather dismissive response I received from our Glorious General, Who Descended From Heaven.  For a full list of his titles (its a long list, so pick you favourite) see here:  (please note this is a joke – just like Brett’s “Transport Plan”)

I replied:

@brettherron yes Brett, yet you did not address the fact that you caused 20 people to lose their jobs. Where do you stand on that?

I then retweeted him with my comment that he made no comment on the job losses. Our “Highest Incarnation of the Revolutionary Comradely Love” (again see a list of his titles here) could not be bothered to respond to that. We are only worthy of engagement in an election year.

But WAIT!!

In steps Priya Reddy. The head turd polisher at the great gold plated ivory tower that is the City of Cape Town’s deputy mayor office. Official title is Spokesperson for the Deputy Mayor in the City of Cape Town.

She tweeted:

@Batonage that’s not playing fair with @brettherron! More than 140 characters are needed to explain this complex, broad issue.

Excuse me? Playing fair? Poor Brett! Bad Hennie! Brett drove home in his goddamned gold BMW, and Tony the Tuk Tuk driver wonders how he is going to feed his kids tonight. (FYI Priya – Tony is a real person, not a figment of my imagination – for the off chance you gave a shit) Ask the 20 newly unemployed, many of them bread winners for their families whether Brett is being fair. Ask them if they think it is fair that they lost their jobs because of a ridiculous red tape issue. I asked her if she thinks it is fair. Her  lame response?

@Batonage @brettherron like I said its complex. No one wants unemployment. But the City needs to think of the interests of ALL residents.

Yes Priya – especially residents in power who already have a job and need to hang on to those jobs at all costs. Like you and Brett. This Cape Town cookie jar is significantly smaller than the national one eh? Let those in power not give a shit about those in need – as long as those in power have a job and can pay for that Nederburg Lyric and Debonair’s Something Meaty pizza fix on a Friday evening nuh? Love Actually on DVD just won’t be the same without those 2 luxuries. Ooh, and don’t forget the box of Quality Street for that little bit of decadence before you head off to bed.

I responded

@Priyared There is NO scenario where costing someone their job in this economic environment is acceptable.NONE.Pull the other one @brettherron

The expected, unsurprising personal attack followed right after:

@Batonage Man I wish I had ur life! Dinner @greenhousect, blanket finger pointing, & a cartoonist’s view of right & wrong. Lucky u G’nite

(To clarify, I was at an invitation only awards dinner at The Greenhouse, had tweeted it, and hence her idiotic comment)

I asked her whether she can put herself in the newly unemployed shoes – no response – life is easy when you have a job.

In closing – my last Tweet :

@Priyared Reality is that @brettherron is no better than an ANC cadre. Don’t care about job losses, just about his beloved red tape and own agenda.