Surf & Murders

Durban Diaries Blogger Clive Read leaps off North beach pier for a quick body boarding session.
Durban is a far cry from New York City although our traffic is rapidly approaching gridlock at times. Timing is everything. We are sitting here on the East Coast of Africa with some of the best weather in the world. So what does most of this cities folk do come 4pm? They head home in rush hour traffic when there is this warm ocean to leap into . My office is five minutes from the beach and one does not even have to swim out to sea and can leap off the pier into the surf with a board. A quick surf or swim followed by a Wimpy coffee and most of the traffic is on its way.

Today is a real quiet day at the Television news station where I work. Just the usual murders hi jackings and daily crime in this great country called South Africa. We don't even bother any more unless its a mass killing or some celebrity. I covered the funeral of local reggae star Lucky Dube last week who is just another stat on the crime books. Of course the top cops were put on the case and three guys are now on trial. The most pathetic thing was one of his young sons (about 8) who approached me at the funeral and told me his dad played in a band in Jo'burg. I asked him what his Dads name was and he replied "Lucky Dube" So the grieving family had decided not to break the news to this innocent child and here he was at his fathers funeral with hundreds of mourners proudly telling me about his dad who played in a band.

If you don't become thick skinned in the news business in SA you will be doomed or leave for New Zealand. As I am typing this my mobile pings to notify me off the latest housebreakings and hijackings in my neighbourhood for the day. I check on the streets involved and carry on with my day.