Protection Racket . . .

It's glorious t-shirt weather at The Zone in Rosebank. The outdoor cafes are packed, the stores are full of well-heeled shoppers. But there's a surreal, last-days-of-empire, air: dozens of guys are loitering in yellow jackets emblazoned with the word 'security' . What are they doing? I wonder. They're friendly, no guns in sight and, unlike their brothers a few blocks away, theydon't carry batons with which to whack disorderly citizens. I ask one what he's protecting. "Ah, we're here to help the people, " he replies. "And we also keep beggars away from the shoppers".

So that's what became of the much-heralded Rainbow Nation: everyone's equal, unless you're poor and needy and likely to embarrass Madame when she's shopping or eating. The beggars, meanwhile, are on the streets several blocks away.

A luta continua . . .