In a country where neighbours can come to blows over the issue of whether or not their mutual suburb should be boomed, there is now a Web site where South African citizens can air their contentious views online.
Patriotic or pessimistic comments can be sent to 082 003 006 007 and will be published on sunnysideup.co.za. Visitors to the site can also vote in a weekly quick poll, the first being whether they agree with the following statement: "SA is going down the plughole and we better get the heck out while we still can." Results are available on the Web site in real-time this week.
Sunnysideup also provides a weekly statement or question about SA, together with a model answer to show whether commonly held beliefs about this country are true.
"Many South Africans are quite positive about their future in SA, but they lack the facts to defend their position," says Ivan Booth, Sunnysideup founder. "Similarly, pessimistic South Africans trot out tired arguments that can easily be refuted."
He says he was motivated to create the site because he was tired of people complaining about South African problems without ever providing any solutions.
The site provides suggestions about what people can do to make an immediate and positive difference in the country, from donating blood to joining the police reservists. A South African news story is featured on the site every day, and 50c from every SMS sent will be donated to a selected charity every month, this month being the National Sea Rescue Institute.
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