STRAIGHT TALK
MARK BARNES: Loftus reflections — we need to find and protect the middle ground
It’s the person who takes the first step towards the middle who wins. Let’s break some rules, blur some lines, and get on with it
I didn’t relish the thought of getting up at 4am on Saturday, but I had to get to the park-and-ride in Pretoria by 5am, from where buses would take us to Loftus Versfeld stadium for the inauguration of the president. It felt good to be there, among everyone. It was to be a day filled with lessons — of unity and of division, at a personal, sit-next-to-me, level. Once through meticulous security, I finally boarded a bus. No sooner had I sat down than the lady seated immediately behind me tapped me on the shoulder. “It is customary to introduce yourself when you sit down in front of someone,” she said. It was an invitation, not a criticism. We introduced ourselves, as did many other strangers, as we set off with common cause before dawn to bear witness to the new dawn. I arrived at the stadium at 6.08am, before first light. Formal proceedings were only scheduled to start at 11am, so we had five hours to mull around, see and be seen, as they say. Dress was formal/traditional and peo...
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