A VIEW OF THE WEEK: Are they really on site investigating?

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put Humpty together again.

Away from those 1797 origins, the song could be a metaphor for the world order, peace, and even your neighbourhood in 2026. It has collapsed, and no one can put it back. Iran and the US, and its ally Israel, are sending drones at each other like a padel ball in a northern-suburbs neighbourhood court.

Whether you believe the claims that the US has used to justify its bombings or the Iranian counter-action, it has affected the whole Middle Eastern area and will ripple to every part of the globe. This spreading tsunami will be felt in energy and fuel prices, in casualties, and in trade, which may eventually lead to economic stagnation or recession, further job losses and weaker markets. It is also felt politically.

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Already, America is angry that the UK did not just roll over and give them their lunch – I mean, airbases to use – and Spain’s refusal to the request creates its own diplomatic crisis. In South Africa, wemay be geographically safe, but the ANC’s historic ties to the Iranian regime, which they havedoubled down on this week, our case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, and the current tension between the US and South African officials mean we are never far from mind. It is this same ANC that has also led, at a more local level, to service delivery falling off the wall.

And if they had been running DumptyVille Municipality at the time of Humpty’s fall, their appointed comrades may not have sent anyone to the wall. But they certainly would have launched an “investigation” into the matter. I experienced this first-hand this last weekend when the power went out in our area. The usual dance followed:

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