DAY -3 Departure

I am flying out to East London via Johannesburg this afternoon, arriving about midday tomorrow, so now there is no stopping me being there next week.

I just hope it does go ahead as planned. You never know with this sort of thing - there are quite a few scenarios that I can think of that could slow things down or even prevent anything happening at all. Anything from bureaucratic bungles (wrong defendant, right day or vice versa and so on) to illness of any one of the many people who have to participate in the trial.

It really is one of those occasions where you have no control over events at all - swept along in a way that only State machinery can achieve.

Besides all that, the fact that the State prosecutes the defendant additionally forces you into the role of a helpless onlooker in many ways. You have no say in the selection of who will prosecute the case (that is, act in the interests of my mother and us as a family). You have very little influence over who should be called as witnesses or many of the other things that would come naturally with a civil case where you hired lawyers. Of course this has been standard practice for a long time, but it doesn't make it any less difficult to come to terms with.

I suppose I should look on the bright side and accept that whatever does or doesn't happen next week, it will still be an opportunity to spend time with my father, sister and other family members and friends. I am looking forward to that.