Going to the clinic is actually a huge experience. I am always the only white person, and where at first people looked at me with a lot of distrust, by this time I am kind of excepted, and although some are a bit loathe to greet, I remain friendly, and calm, and some people even talk to me.
But although I had to sit for four hours to see the doctor, it was time spent very enjoyably, as the most bizarre characters appear at regular intervals. They are usually the men who do not work, but who of course lie drunk every day, while their wives do some hard work at the farms. The women usually work in the packing stores, but according to Berty, who had done it for some time, it is backbreaking work. Although they sit, the constant bending over the conveyer belts are really hard on the back and shoulder muscles.
So first this morning, and way too late too see the doctor, this old man came in. He was so thin that a child could easily snap his body in half, and the stench of him was terrible.
The women are not scared to have their say, and like one they all chimed in: Aggenee oom hans! Gaan uit, jy vrot! (oh no uncle Hans get the hell out of here! You are smelling like a bally garbage heap!) Oom Hans just gave them a vacant smile, then stumbled further into the room, trying to greet everybody with a handshake!
But this lot would have nothing of that, and the room emptied with lightning speed, angry voices calling for sister Heidenrich to come and remove the hapless oom Hans, who was oblivious to the fact that he was being shunned!
So sister Heidenrich came out of her office, gave one look and one sniff, and told oom Hans to go home and sleep it off! Oom Hans however was not to be sweeped aside so easily, and in great detail told the sister how sore his tummy and his liver is, and how he sat on the toilet the whole night!
Sister Heidenrich is one busy lady, and she shortly told the old man that if he wanted to suip ( overindulge) he had better suffer the consequences by himself, and not come to the clinic and upset sober and decent people with his shitty smell! 'Ja, you want to suip the whole week-end, and then expect me to help you recover, but those days are now over! Nobody that is half drunk will ever come here for help again! Sies man! {shame on you) The old man looked like a cookie that is busy crumbling, all his bravado had now left him, and he started crying, telling everybody how badly he was treated!
Nobody showed any sympathy.
Through the morning a few other drunkards arrived, all very apologetic, but sister Heidenrich just sent them all on their way.
She then said that she had a meeting in George, and was told that there wasn't a lot of money available for the clinic, and she was told to dispense less medicine. As the doctor only come twice a week, the rest of the time she had to see them and give medication like cough syrups, and stuff, but no anti biotics and so on!
It is so bad that our goverment have such a lot of money to waste, like on Zuma's house, but there is never money for the people.