Can you believe it's already the middle of the year?
Last week was an interesting one for someone like me, who likes to observe and connect unrelated and seemingly random events to try to make sense of a singular challenge.
Firstly, we saw the new changes to the ministerial handbook that will cut the extravagant wings of our ministers and MPs.
Most of it involves travel, with vehicle purchases now strictly administered by Finance Minister Tito Mboweni.
It’s one of these larney cars that was conveniently on standby for Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula last week, when he experienced a Metrorail nightmare that we are all too used to.
Wanting to experience the service for himself, Mbalula and his team travelled from Chris Hani Station to Langa last week, when two women were hit by a train at Nyanga Station, forcing his train to stop.
Fikile Mbalula tried out trains. Photo: Phando Jikelo/ANA.
But the minister was having none of it and simply hopped into his car and made his way to his destination.
I wonder if at any point it struck him to give any of the stuck commuters a lift, so they could also be on time for their appointments.
Or if it occurred to him that he was exercising an option that none of the other passengers have, but which they pay for with their taxes.
Oh, the irony!
Anyway, Mr Fix It, as he likes to be known these days, has promised to address our train nightmare effectively and permanently within the next three months.
The fact that citizens were hit by a train must be another concern that he addresses.
Did he notice how poorly the train lines are fenced all along the way?
I will remain ever the optimist and hope for the best, because we deserve it.
But I want to remind us that despite his new nickname, Mbalula will not be able to fix this all on his own.
That fact hit home last week when I saw a picture of a man in broad daylight on an electricity pylon busy stealing overhead train cables.
It’s important that someone took the picture, but I wonder, are they prepared to follow that case through to its conclusion?
I don’t judge them if they do not, because I understand the social pressure for them not to.
Which is something else Mr Fix It must keep in mind, as he proves to us that his promises can stay on track better than a Metrorail train schedule.