Are there any South Africans, Batswana (from Botswana), Zimbabweans, Mozambicans, Namibians or anyone from Southern Africa out there?

If so, what do you think about Africa on the Net. Are we represented at all and does anyone know it's us when we are out and about on the forums or Net in general.

Also, what do you think of Southern Africa and Africa in general?

Changes everything I knew about life, the universe, and everything.

Where you from?
I love it down here; we have sun, surf, girls and somewhat lax laws on driving and a legal drinking age of 18.
What more could a man want from life?

This pretty much sums up what I know about Africa. More specifically, Kenya.

Jokes aside, I rarely see people on the internet discussing Africa if it's not about genocide or diamonds.

I know. It's sad that people don't know much about Africa. It isn't always as bad as it's portrayed around the world (except for central Africa, that's the closest to Hell we will ever find on the planet) and Southern Africa is awesome if you go past the tourist traps into the real Africa.

The girls love foreigners too and we love to party so whats with the bad rep all the time?
If these aren't suitable reasons for a continent to be redeemed then I don't know what is ;)

rabidrabit:
I know. It's sad that people don't know much about Africa. It isn't always as bad as it's portrayed around the world (except for central Africa, that's the closest to Hell we will ever find on the planet) and Southern Africa is awesome if you go past the tourist traps into the real Africa.

The girls love foreigners too and we love to party so whats with the bad rep all the time?
If these aren't suitable reasons for a continent to be redeemed then I don't know what is ;)

So,
Northern Africa=Decent.
Central Africa=Pew, Pew I'm dead?
Southern Africa=Bloody fucking awesome?

I've been to Israel and Egypt but I don't know much about central or South Africa apart from the fact at my old prep school a large amount of the teachers were from South Africa so I learnt a few words in swahili.

Well if you are from South Africa, you should know that you have just been bowled out for 83. I didn't think England bowled all that well, just straight.

Barciad:
Well if you are from South Africa, you should know that you have just been bowled out for 83. I didn't think England bowled all that well, just straight.

WE in Canada have neither the time nor the patience for cricket....

I did a project on South Africa for a Debate on Nuclear restrictions, looks like a pretty cool place. Especially the stuff in the jungles that makes you die/mutilates in new and interesting ways.

LewsTherin:

Barciad:
Well if you are from South Africa, you should know that you have just been bowled out for 83. I didn't think England bowled all that well, just straight.

WE in Canada have neither the time nor the patience for cricket....

Mate WE in Scotland/Ireland/Wales/Most of England have neither the time nor the patience for it....

LewsTherin:

Barciad:
Well if you are from South Africa, you should know that you have just been bowled out for 83. I didn't think England bowled all that well, just straight.

WE in Canada have neither the time nor the patience for cricket....

I did a project on South Africa for a Debate on Nuclear restrictions, looks like a pretty cool place. Especially the stuff in the jungles that makes you die/mutilates in new and interesting ways.

Well you will be be hard pressed to find any decent sized jungles in South Africa. Scrub land and forests yeah, but not Heart-of-Africa jungles. That would be awesome though.

On the subject of cricket, I HATE the bloody game. Can't stand to watch or play it.
Now rugby is another story altogether... (Even though we are getting our arses handed to us by the Aussies and the All Blacks)

Bulletinmybrain:

So,
Northern Africa=Decent.
Central Africa=Pew, Pew I'm dead?
Southern Africa=Bloody fucking awesome?

Well that's a generalization of some note but yeah I think that pretty much sums it up. We all got our problems it's just that Central Africa has much bigger problems than the rest of us. Too many wars over tribal squabbles from years before, land issues and resources. They need desperate help but most are too scared to go in and help (I know I am) or are making too much money from these wars to care.

Rugby's fine, rugby's great, we can talk about that instead. We can't all like cricket, but there you go. Yes, the Tri-Nations, the single toughest and most intense sporting contest on earth. No weak sides, and no easy games. You just have to lose it ever so slightly, and thats it, you'll be coming last.
I'm still unsure of how on earth England got to the World Cup final last year. Even though there at least three sides better on paper than us, we still got through. Ireland forgot to turn up (a shame, when you consider how much talent they have), The All Blacks need to put the term 'choke' in their national anthem, and as the French and Australians. The Australians forgot to bring any forwards with them, and I forgot how we beat France.
But anyway, you were the better side and so fairplay to you. Have you had any major retirements since the World Cup? I already know that New Zealand will be playing to their full potential, but the Australians?

Barciad:
Rugby's fine, rugby's great, we can talk about that instead. We can't all like cricket, but there you go. Yes, the Tri-Nations, the single toughest and most intense sporting contest on earth. No weak sides, and no easy games. You just have to lose it ever so slightly, and thats it, you'll be coming last.
I'm still unsure of how on earth England got to the World Cup final last year. Even though there at least three sides better on paper than us, we still got through. Ireland forgot to turn up (a shame, when you consider how much talent they have), The All Blacks need to put the term 'choke' in their national anthem, and as the French and Australians. The Australians forgot to bring any forwards with them, and I forgot how we beat France.
But anyway, you were the better side and so fairplay to you. Have you had any major retirements since the World Cup? I already know that New Zealand will be playing to their full potential, but the Australians?

\

Ah, The 2007 IRB Rugby World Cup. The greatest game of Pong SA and England ever had.
What a farce that turned out to be, the heavies played terribly and let the underdogs through but at least that lead to some of the best rugby I have ever seen by those teams. New Zealand are a different story all together, the best team on Earth during the year but they choke at every major game in the World Cup. Oh well at least we won.

Finally, someone who understands the Tri-Nations for what it really is, a hellish test between 3 Juggernauts with the victor claiming the right as the best team in the Southern Hemisphere and recently, let's face it, the world. SA just got a new coach and we have lost a lot of experienced players to overseas clubs so they aren't in SA and only pitch up to play in the internationals. We looked OK at the start of our time overseas but when we came back we just seemed to fall apart, I put it down to the new coaching system and the fact that we are starting to try and bring more young talent through. ( Not that they necessarily get enough game time when they do play)

rabidrabit:

Barciad:
Rugby's fine, rugby's great, we can talk about that instead. We can't all like cricket, but there you go. Yes, the Tri-Nations, the single toughest and most intense sporting contest on earth. No weak sides, and no easy games. You just have to lose it ever so slightly, and thats it, you'll be coming last.
I'm still unsure of how on earth England got to the World Cup final last year. Even though there at least three sides better on paper than us, we still got through. Ireland forgot to turn up (a shame, when you consider how much talent they have), The All Blacks need to put the term 'choke' in their national anthem, and as the French and Australians. The Australians forgot to bring any forwards with them, and I forgot how we beat France.
But anyway, you were the better side and so fairplay to you. Have you had any major retirements since the World Cup? I already know that New Zealand will be playing to their full potential, but the Australians?

\

Ah, The 2007 IRB Rugby World Cup. The greatest game of Pong SA and England ever had.
What a farce that turned out to be, the heavies played terribly and let the underdogs through but at least that lead to some of the best rugby I have ever seen by those teams. New Zealand are a different story all together, the best team on Earth during the year but they choke at every major game in the World Cup. Oh well at least we won.

Finally, someone who understands the Tri-Nations for what it really is, a hellish test between 3 Juggernauts with the victor claiming the right as the best team in the Southern Hemisphere and recently, let's face it, the world. SA just got a new coach and we have lost a lot of experienced players to overseas clubs so they aren't in SA and only pitch up to play in the internationals. We looked OK at the start of our time overseas but when we came back we just seemed to fall apart, I put it down to the new coaching system and the fact that we are starting to try and bring more young talent through. ( Not that they necessarily get enough game time when they do play)

The one team in the World Cup that really surprised me was Argentina. They played in a very similar manner to you, but with a little less class and guile. The question to ask would be if, or when, should they be admitted to the Six Nations tournament. Your obvious answer would be not now, as they would just get hammered in every game.
However, I would like to point out a comparison of our old Five Nations becoming the Six Nations with the addition of Italy (in 2000). Though they still remain the bottom side in the group, it is not by much. Optimisticaly speaking, I think that they will improve greatly in time.
What are your views on the matter?

I'm a South African, I'm out here! Well, except I'm in England.
What are game prices like in Southern Africa?

afrophysics:
I'm a South African, I'm out here! Well, except I'm in England.
What are game prices like in Southern Africa?

Well it's nice to see us spreading to the 4 corners of the globe. Don't you miss the sunshine?

Terrible. We pay between R200 and R500 for new releases depending on the format. They systems themselves are also hugely expensive but then again technology in general has always been expensive down here. Sourcing stuff can also be a hassle if its not picked up by the big retailers but that's a problem all over the world surely.
OK it may not seem like much when you convert the prices but its still a hell of a lot for us to spend on games.

rabidrabit:

afrophysics:
I'm a South African, I'm out here! Well, except I'm in England.
What are game prices like in Southern Africa?

Well it's nice to see us spreading to the 4 corners of the globe. Don't you miss the sunshine?

Terrible. We pay between R200 and R500 for new releases depending on the format. They systems themselves are also hugely expensive but then again technology in general has always been expensive down here. Sourcing stuff can also be a hassle if its not picked up by the big retailers but that's a problem all over the world surely.
OK it may not seem like much when you convert the prices but its still a hell of a lot for us to spend on games.

There's sun here! Well, not that much but it's not as bad as everybody says! I know what you mean about the prices, while I would be delighted to pay so little in pounds, it's generally a higher percentage of a South African income.

rabidrabit:
Are there any South Africans, Batswana (from Botswana), Zimbabweans, Mozambicans, Namibians or anyone from Southern Africa out there?

There are definitely some around, but not many. South Africa shows up as the 23rd country of Escapist readers in our stats, though that's well under 1% overall.

One neat thing you may not have noticed is the ability to search users by claimed country: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/profiles/search?country=ZA&search=1 - it's neat, though there's no guarantee that it's true :P

It's not surprising given the low level of internet access in South Africa. (For those that do, is it anything to do with Telkom's market monopolisation and prices? It's something I overheard my parents talking about.)

afrophysics:
It's not surprising given the low level of internet access in South Africa. (For those that do, is it anything to do with Telkom's market monopolisation and prices? It's something I overheard my parents talking about.)

Yes that is a large part of the problem but it also has to do with the fact that we are using older lines and how we try to force as much information down these lines as possible. There are too many people on the lines than the lines should be supporting, and this is because of the recent boom in people using computer technology in SA.
But, just recently, a competitor to Telkom has opened its doors. Neotel is SA's second National Operator and they look as though they will be able to give Telkom a run for it's money. Both internet is faster and normal calls cost less for the newbie as they make use of fiber optics compared to Telkom's use of old copper lines.

rabidrabit:
Where you from?
I love it down here; we have sun, surf, girls and somewhat lax laws on driving and a legal drinking age of 18.
What more could a man want from life?

I'm Australian, we've got that AND a small neighbouring country to compete with/ beat ( No not you New Zealand... Britain Mwahaha etc.)

Reaperman Wompa:

I'm Australian, we've got that AND a small neighbouring country to compete with/ beat ( No not you New Zealand... Britain Mwahaha etc.)

That's true. I've spent quite a bit of time in Aus and we really aren't that different from each other. Is it just me or are all of us down here pretty much the same?

Also, my hate for your sports teams grows yearly. Damn you and your nieghbours for your superior running and ball skills :-)

rabidrabit:

Reaperman Wompa:

I'm Australian, we've got that AND a small neighbouring country to compete with/ beat ( No not you New Zealand... Britain Mwahaha etc.)

That's true. I've spent quite a bit of time in Aus and we really aren't that different from each other. Is it just me or are all of us down here pretty much the same?

Also, my hate for your sports teams grows yearly. Damn you and your nieghbours for your superior running and ball skills :-)

Yeah pretty much same history, with a few basic elements popping up in each country.

Though Australians have ANOTHER secret weapon... our attitudes, come here and the national feeling will shock most people " Chill out maaaaate" an entire nation of professional sleep-inners. luvs it.

And the inevitable fact that the Australian rugby team has still yet to comprehend the offside rule in rugby. Oh, and they are all either gays or criminals, or, in the case of Sterling Mortlock, both.

Fondant:
And the inevitable fact that the Australian rugby team has still yet to comprehend the offside rule in rugby. Oh, and they are all either gays or criminals, or, in the case of Sterling Mortlock, both.

Ummm... ouch? meh why should i care you're probably right, but whatever if they suck, they suck, if they're good on the other hand then calm down ( i really don't care for rugby)

Not South African myself, but the only lasting multiple-game spanning friendship I've developed online is with one. And from his point of view, SA ain't so cool.

Like, his complaining about... load shedding I think it was. Where a nuclear power plant was understaffed so they had to cut off power for a couple hours a day?

Most of the problems in Central Africa actually stem from soil degredation.

Singing Gremlin:
Not South African myself, but the only lasting multiple-game spanning friendship I've developed online is with one. And from his point of view, SA ain't so cool.

Like, his complaining about... load shedding I think it was. Where a nuclear power plant was understaffed so they had to cut off power for a couple hours a day?

Yeah load shedding is really shit. It involves the cutting of power to different sections of the cities and provinces on a rotational basis to allow the grid to keep up with demand. Its due to the fact that SA has a woefully inadequate power grid and the company in charge (Eskom) is staffed by under-qualified people who got their job for their political connections rather than their actual knowledge or experiance.

The problem with the Koeberg Power station (the nuclear power station in Cape Town)is that almost all of the engineers who designed and maintained the nuclear reactor and its surrounding equipment have left the country and taken the knowledge of how it works with them. This is a very real problem in SA and this sort of 'brain drain' affects most of us directly as the technical positions are filled by the wrong people and those trained to handle these problems take their degrees and fly off to greener pastures.

But its not as bad as it could be and with the proper skills it can be fixed, its just that having your power cut for 4 hours every third day in the middle of Winter really sucks balls.

the monopoly guy:
Most of the problems in Central Africa actually stem from soil degredation.

Would you care to elaborate?
I know that poor soil quality is a huge problem up there and the need for more farmland/grazing pasture is what drives a lot of conflicts between tribes and countries, but how much of a role does it actually play in the greater parts of Central Africa?

Fondant:
And the inevitable fact that the Australian rugby team has still yet to comprehend the offside rule in rugby. Oh, and they are all either gays or criminals, or, in the case of Sterling Mortlock, both.

A little harsh to the Aussies I think but I do know I have called them much worse during the matches between us. But yeah the ability of both Aus and NZ to play the ball on the ground and play so far offside they could catch the ball if it was passed to the fullback is truly awe-inspiring.

rabidrabit:

the monopoly guy:
Most of the problems in Central Africa actually stem from soil degredation.

Would you care to elaborate?
I know that poor soil quality is a huge problem up there and the need for more farmland/grazing pasture is what drives a lot of conflicts between tribes and countries, but how much of a role does it actually play in the greater parts of Central Africa?

Soil is like grass, it's at the bottom of the food chain. Take it away and the whole thin collapses. Due to inefficient farming, warming climate, deforestation what little good soil was there is gone. Without good soil farmers could barely raise barley (a very hardy crop). If a country cannot feed itself it becomes dependent upon imported food; thus vulnerable to price fluctuation. Should the price go up people can't afford food. This happened with Haiti, but not exactly with Central Africa.

During the 1950's Central African region known as the "Sahel" experienced a period of high rain. Many people moved their to farm; but when the 1970's rolled around, so did drought. The inefficient farming, combined with the large influx of new inhabitants and drought ravaged the area. The only source of food was that from charities, handfuls of rice every so often. The region collapsed and is still recovering, more then 100,000 people died between 1973 and 1984.

I actually wanted to start a thread about soil degradation, but who the hell wants to talk about dirt?
Aside from me of course.

I do.

Really? Strange. That makes 2.

GLORY, GLORY SPRINGBOKKE!

Finally the team shows what it can really do. Even though the Aussies handed the game to us on a silver platter the boys showed why the can win the World Cup. Man what a game!

Anyone else see the game?