The South African, Issue 505, 12 March 2013

12 - 18 March 2013 Issue 505

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p2 | Mandela thanks UK government in letter published for first time

INSIDE:

• Murderratedown50%• 66%ofSouthAfricanshappy

withpoliceservice• Averageincomeincreased

35%overlastdecade

byHEATHERWALKERVIOLENCE in South Africa is clearly out of control, the police are doing a bad job – it’s surely irrational and foolish to keep voting for Jacob Zuma and the ANC, right?

Or is this simply the perception of those of us from the leafy suburbs? What if we try to understand South Africa from another perspective? This was Jonny Steinberg’s argument in his talk entitled The Future of SA Politics, delivered at the monthly SA Chamber of Commerce meeting in London last week.

“In South Africa we live on different planets. Part of understanding SA is putting ourselves in the shoes of people very different to us,” he said.

“This may come as a surprise but South Africa’s murder rate has in fact declined by 50% in just over a decade. It’s hard to explain why. There are few places in the world where that has happened. Yet it’s hard for the middle class to see because it hasn’t affected them. The majority of people murdered in SA are black and unemployed, living in squatter camps and townships.

“But for first time in SA history, the middle class are experiencing

‘SA GOVT DESERVES MORE CREDIT’

violence in ways they never have before. They are being murdered by car-jackers and house invaders.

“SA is a very violent society, but not more violent than 10 years ago. It’s a diverse place, one person says violence is clearly down, another says it’s obviously up.”

The South African author and Oxford University lecturer said this was why in a recent national survey, most South Africans said they were happy with the police.

“The first large sample independent victim survey in SA history, undertaken by the Institute

for Security studies two years ago, found that two thirds of South Africans were happy with the way they are policed. To us that sounds bizarre and yet the reason is simple – people have long memories, they are comparing the way they are policed now to 20 years ago. Even if they weren’t born yet they hear about it from relatives.”

Steinberg said most of the calls police receive and respond to are for domestic incidents such as assaults. “25 years ago the police didn’t do in black South Africa. People are responding to the fact that there has been huge change in the fabric of their daily lives.

“The middle class has experienced the opposite. A police force that protected them well 25 years ago doesn’t anymore. You have these incredibly divergent experiences in the same country. A whole lot of people saying obviously the police service has improved; another group saying obviously it is falling apart.”

Steinberg said that before the last general election in 2009 the ANC commissioned polls on voting preferences of black people in Gauteng. The results found that of black people earning less than R4,000 (£293) a month, 80% said they’d vote ANC, while half of those earning R7,000 or more said they’d vote ANC.

Steinberg commented, “The poorer people were the more likely they’d align themselves to the ruling party (yet let it be said that

Jonny Steinberg on future of SA politics: ‘It’s obvious why majority continues to vote ANC’

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p3 | SA women’s network launched in Wimbledon

p8 | Cape Wine Academy launches in London

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2 | 12 - 18 March 2013 | thesouthafrican.com

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even 50% is still a big connection). It seems a paradox that those who have done best are least likely to support the ANC, those who have done worst the most likely. Why?” he asked.

Steinberg illustrated his possible explanation with the story of a man he’d met who was jailed in 1991 for a murder he didn’t commit. He finally walked free 20 years later in 2011 and returned to his home town in the Free State to see post-apartheid SA for the first time.

“I was interested in what he saw. I asked him what was different. He said almost everything had changed, it was like walking into a new world. He said the most striking thing was how much bigger the township was, not because there were many more people but because they lived across bigger spaces, there were literally thousands of new brick houses. People who used to live seven to one house were now living four to five in a house. Couples had more privacy, ‘one has space to think’ was how he described it. What struck him more than anything else was how the spaces people lived in had changed.

“He was shocked by the degree of unemployment, but added that there was now a welfare state that cushioned it. He was upset by the level of corruption, but pointed out that it didn’t stop the state delivering houses, pensions and drugs to people with Aids.

“He was upset by violence and crime, yet he said the police were different. Despite recent reports of police brutality, he felt the police were no longer at war with people.

“This story makes it almost obvious why the majority of poor South Africans will vote ANC, knowing about poor service delivery, corruption and violence. Their lives have changed and these changes are directly about a state that builds houses, gives pensions and welfare benefits.

Although thousands still live in shacks without running

“Obvious why SA still votes ANC’

Continued from front page water or electricity, Steinberg said the recent census showed ‘beyond any reasonable doubt’ that life is getting better for the majority. Between 2001 and 2011 the average income of a black person in SA rose from R22,522 to R60,613 a year. The census revealed that South Africans on the whole are earning 35% more. In addition, 84% now have electric lighting compared to 58% in 1996, while 85% of five and six year olds were attending school, compared to 35% 15 years ago.

“The poorest have benefited the most. All the extra things they receive now come directly from government. The ANC has built 1.8 million houses and given them away for free – it has literally changed the spaces in which they live. This is unprecedented anywhere in the world.

“The ANC gets the big vote it does because a lot of people have seen real change. Why vote for anyone else, you don’t know what anyone else will do, you know what the ANC will do and you like it. It’s not irrational.

For these reasons, Steinberg believes the opposition stands little chance of winning the vote of the rural poor in the foreseeable future.

He said it was a different story in urban South Africa, where the black middle class is not necessarily voting ANC.

He said it wouldn’t take the ANC losing a huge amount of urban support for them have to govern cities in coalitions.

Steinberg believed the government is not given enough credit for a lot of what it does, but acknowledged that it must be held accountable for its failings. There may be two million HIV-positive people on state-provided antiretroviral treatment, but this would never have happened without huge p ressure from civil society groups and NGOs.

He said the ANC’s biggest failure has been education and that this was contributing to the rising levels of worker discontent in the mining and agricultural industries.

Jonny Steinberg talks at Deloitte in London last week. Photo by Christine van der Merwe

3thesouthafrican.com | 12 - 18 March 2013 |

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We are all a little foreign here, no matter how well integrated we become. It felt good to know that those around me understood my roots, my language and my typical South African sense of humour!

South African women’s network launched in Wimbledon

by KAREN de VILLIERSTHE buzz began long before the event. In my inbox was a bright red invitation, written in a lekker South African style. “Skatties! Missing a bit of SA cull-cha? Please join us for an evening of networking...”

No real need to reply, I was one step out of the door already.

Karine Torr, editor of Darling Magazine, decided to launch a South African women’s networking group in Wimbledon. “I decided to host this event to give South African women a chance to meet each other. I don’t want it to be exclusively

business orientated as many women are at different stages of their lives. We have a common history and culture and it’s great to celebrate that together,” explained Karine.

Janet Broadhurst from the charity Foodbank addressed the group on the work being done on behalf of those less fortunate.

Jessica Shelver, a dynamic young woman, gave a flawless speech and is a brilliant example of the kind of insightful, confident yet approachable South African who embodies the qualities of our younger generation.

Later, every woman was given the opportunity to say something about herself. I do not think I was the only one to scurry about getting business cards and have lined up a number of contacts, from an interior decorator to a chiropractor! Good to know when you are a stranger in a strange land. And this is the crux of it all. We are all a little foreign here, no matter how well integrated we become. It felt good to know that those around me understood my roots, my language and my South African sense of humour! I look forward to the next meeting.

Mandela thanks UK government in letter published for first time Britain’s National Archives release formerly top-secret letter from Nelson Mandela thanking the UK government for the ‘valuable gift’ of books sent to him in prison

by SULIET OLADOKUNA PERSONAL handwritten letter from Nelson Mandela, thanking the British government for sending him books while in prison, was released by The National Archives to mark World Book Day on 7 March.

The letter dated 14 September 1962 has been made available to view online for the first time as part of a selection of records on Mandela’s arrest and trial.

It is available to download as a pdf, along with other letters as part of the National Archives collection on Mandela.

Mandela’s letter to Sir John Maud, the British ambassador in South Africa, was until now an official top-secret government paper.

In it, Mandela describes the books as a ‘valuable present’.

He also thanks the former editor of The Observer, David Astor who led the campaign to provide him with

the books. Mandela refers to Astor as ‘his friend in England’.

Astor and Maud used their connections to ensure that Mandela received the books. They reassured South African officials that the books had no hidden agenda to prevent the authorities from scrutinising them.

Mandela used the books provided through the Commissioner of Prisons in South Africa to study for his University of London Law degree.

The online files contain correspondence between Astor, Maud and the Commissioner of Prisons, and the list of books Astor wanted Mandela to receive.

His choice provides insight into the thoughts, topics and philosophies that would have occupied Mandela during his 27 year sentence.

The correspondence confirms that

Mandela received six books from Astor while in prison:

A Short History of Africa by Roland Oliver and JD Fage; A History of Europe (Vol I and II) by HAL Fisher; Essays in Biography by JM Keynes; Anatomy of Britain by Anthony Sampson, and The Making of the President by Theodore H White

Astor sent five more books to Mandela but it is not apparent whether he ever received them.

Record specialist at The National Archives, Simon Demissie said, “Mandela’s letter is a great example of the respect he spent many years struggling for. We are delighted to make it available online so that people across the globe can appreciate this unique piece of history.”

The documents can be downloaded in full from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

4

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| 12 - 18 March 2013 | thesouthafrican.com

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by CHRISTINE van der MERWESOUTH African author and Oxford University academic Jonny Steinberg shared his riveting insights into South Africa’s history and future political landscape at the SA Chamber of Commerce’s monthly First Wednesday event at Deloitte in London on 6 March.

The highly successful First Wednesday programme offers members the chance to hear expert opinions on various topics. This is followed by network over South African wine and canapés.

southafricanchamber.co.uk

Jonny Steinberg talks at First Wednesday


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From the series ‘A New Beginning’ © Araminta de Clermont

by STAFF REPORTERTHE British Museum’s new exhibition, Social fabric: African textiles today features beautiful textiles from Eastern and Southern Africa. The making and trading of cloth have been vital elements in African culture for at least two millennia. Through cloth we can understand not only Africa’s history but also its engagement with other parts of the world. This exhibition will consider the global phenomenon that is African textiles.

Displaying a wide range of textiles and related objects from the British Museum’s extensive collection, most of which will be exhibited for the first time, this exhibition will take a new look at the history and continuing significance of printed and factory-woven textiles in eastern and southern Africa.

It will explore the patterns of global trade that these pieces reveal, as well as the ways in which they have influenced some of the region’s foremost contemporary artists and photographers, including Georgia Papageorge, Karel Nel, Peterson Kamwathi and Araminta de Clermont.

The opening section will contain four visually striking pieces that will introduce the long history of textile traditions in Africa and their

African textiles exhibition opens at British Museum

use as a means of communication. Two of these pieces contain a welcome and warning. The first message is unequivocal, the second far more enigmatic, though both are conveyed through the medium of textiles known as kanga, widely worn by women (and sometimes men) in eastern Africa. One inscription translates to ‘Welcome stranger’, the other, ‘You know nothing’. These textiles play a very special role in Swahili society; the wearing of printed cloth by women in eastern Africa was initially a powerful symbol of emancipation, and the inscriptions in Kiswahili became a means of communicating ideas which might have been difficult to say out loud.

The main body of the exhibition will demonstrate how textiles can be used to address global issues and to express individual concerns in this part of Africa. For example, kangas may carry political or educational messages; this section will include a kanga that was commissioned by a politician seeking election in Kenya which contained the Kiswahili inscription SINA SIRI NINA JIBU ‘I have no secrets but I have an answer’ in which the name of the politician, Nasir Najib, is hidden. This section will also contain a striking kanga from Tanzania that shows an AIDS ribbon on top of a map of that area.

The inscriptions state that “We young people declare war on AIDS because we have the capacity and the will to do it!”

The final sections will consider the history of textile traditions and trade, whilst looking at the origins of the different types of printed cloth from various areas of South Africa, such as shweshwe, a printed indigo cloth with a complex history, and their wider influence on contemporary art and connections with other parts of the world. This section will include pieces of early printing equipment and examples of cloth and hand-painted textiles from Zanzibar, as well as historical photography of people wearing the various textiles.

The unspoken language of African textiles often provides a way of suggesting thoughts and feelings which cannot be expressed in other ways, and these cloths regularly move between the realms of the secular and the sacred. This fieldwork-based exhibition aims to contribute to the small but steadily growing body of research into these hitherto rather neglected African textile traditions.Textiles from southern and eastern Africa - 14 February – 21 April 2013, Room 91, British Museum. Opening hours: 10.00–17.30 Saturday to Thursday and 10.00–20.30 Fridays

Displaying a wide range of textiles and related objects from the British Museum’s extensive collection, most of which will be exhibited for the first time, this exhibition will take a new look at the history and continuing significance of printed and factory-woven textiles in eastern and southern Africa


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ons” het sy met ’n gejaagde asem in my oor gefluister. “Ek weet dat jy weet dat ek weet dat jy weet, en daarom voel ek dat ons dinge na die volgende vlak toe moet neem” En met dié het sy my teen die trappe uit na die boonste verdieping gelei.

Die plastiekpakkie het geritsel in haar hande en toe sy dit oopskeur, het die reuk van rubber die lug gevul. Ek het haar vraend aangekyk, maar al wat sy van haar kant af laat hoor het was “wees ’n skat en help my om hierdie ballonne op te blaas”. Ek het woordeloos aan haar versoek voldoen en met elke opgeblaasde ballon het my fassinasie met haar gegroei. En gegroei. En gegroei.

Sy het my vervolgens na die kombuis ontbied waar sy my met ’n vonkel in haar oë betrag het. Sy het haar tong verleidelik oor haar lippe laat gly en my versoek, nee, bevéél, om vir haar te doen wat net ’n wáre man vir ’n vrou kan doen. Ek kon nie anders as om gehoor te gee aan haar pleidooi nie en met ’n flinke draai van my sterk, manlike gewrig het ek die Mrs. Balls-bottel se doppie afgeskroef. “O, Pik!” het sy in ekstase uitgeroep, “jy’s die een vir my! Doen met my nét wat jy wil!”. En toe vat ek haar Nando’s toe.

Kort voor lank het ek die strop om die nek gekry, letterlik én figuurlik, want vir Nadia was pyn en lyding van die grootste belang. “Maak my seer!” het sy my eendag gesmeek terwyl sy haar romp so effens begin optrek het. “Nou maar goed”, het ek geantwoord: “jy het vet enkels en onooglike spatare op jou kuite”.

Op ’n ander geleentheid het sy my gesoebat om haar iets aan te doen wat haar pyndrempels tot die uiterste toe sou beproef. Ek het lank daaroor getob, maar uiteindelik onderneem dat wanneer ek klaar

All Those Afrikaner Boys

KAREN DE VILLIERS

The OPTIMIST

I AM not a politician and hardly intelligent enough to write papers on the status of gender discrimination, opting rather for the insipid jokes about Venus and Mars and multi-tasking versus brawn.

It has been going on since Adam picked the apple and said ‘she made me do it , so who am I to take umbrage when some silly person once again, yawn, decides to vent publically about how men are this and women are that. All rather tedious actually. Feminists left the building a long time ago.

But when someone in power, like our dear Lulu Xingwana, the minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities, decides to slag off our Afrikaner men in the Australian media, I kinda want to go and give her a hiding.

It is bad enough that our country is reeling a little right now, once again the focus of being the most violent place to live, guns for breakfast sort of thing, but the heckles rise when those who should advocate start hurtling accusations like confetti at a wedding.

Afrikaans men are raised in a rigid Calvanistic environment and so think that their women and children belong to them.

Hence they can shoot them, abuse them and toss them to

the Rottweilers at whim. When did the slave trade

end I wonder?Afrikaner men are having a hard time right now. Poor

chaps, having to do the army, fight the war and vote Nationalist every Sunday, now they have to struggle against reverse discrimination and fall in line with everyone else. Employment is hard to come by when your history makes you the co-conspirator of the old regime. Tough when you thought your daddy was perfect and discovered he was part of the Broederbond.

As one Afrikaner man said to me “my identity is disappearing so fast I don’t know where I fit in with this new democracy”.

They do fit in. Not because they are Afrikaners but because they are South African.

And the violent bit? Every man, no matter colour or culture is an idiot to think that women are there to be possessed.

What about the women that are forced into arranged marriages, or subjected to rape because they are virgins and can cure Aids?

No ethnic group should raise their sons to believe that women are objects to possess and any man that thinks it is his right to own a

woman should be fed to the local crocodile.

And what about the women? I doubt Afrikaner women in this decade feels subservient to any man.

Perhaps dear Lulu has never bothered to get to know any Afrikaans woman?

So she should be fired on the spot. Firstly for bad mouthing citizens of her own country on foreign soil and secondly for playing the witch in the witch hunt against one particular group of South Africans.

Los die manne Mev Xingwana until you know of what you speak. My daddy, my husband and my son never owned anyone.

Go and get an education. I think you are the one with the disability.

MY naam is Swart. Pik Swart.Ek onthou nog die dag soos

gister. Dié dag toe ek met my loodgieterswa in haar oprit ingetrek het. Wat my eerste van haar opgeval het, was haar grasperk. Dit was ruig en welig en digbegroei, só anders as die hedendaagse tendens om net ’n klein grasperkie te hê.

Of inderdaad géén gras te hê nie.Met my sterk, manlike kneukels

het ek aan haar houtvoordeur geklop en toe dit oopswiep kon ek duidelik sien sy was ’n MILF: ’n Mens In ’n Loodgietersfiasko. “Ek is Nadia” het sy met ’n skalkse glimlag gesê. ’n Warm gevoel het oor my bene gestroom, en dit was nie nét toe te skryf aan my inkontinensie nie.

In die hoek van die sitkamer het ’n naaimasjien gestaan. Die relevansie daarvan was aanvanklik onduidelik, maar toe ek die versameling mombakkies teen die mure sien, het ek die kloutjie by die oor gebring. Nadia was ’n aanhanger van S&M - stikwerk & maskers.

Ek het vervaard aan die werk gespring en spoedig korte mette met haar gebarste wasbakpyp gemaak. My gereedskap was maar pas terug in my sak toe die nimlike Nadia weer haar verskyning maak. “Pik, daar is iéts aan die gang tussen

Oor vyftig skakerings van Swart

FANIEos oppie jas

FANIE VAN DER MERWE

was, sy vir weke lank nie sou kon sit nie. Sy het geesdriftig tot dié idee ingestem, en nét die volgende dag het ek haar sitkamerstel op eBay verkoop.

Ja, pyn en lyding was nou maar eenmaal haar ding. “Straf my!” het sy op ’n dag wellustig uitgeroep. “Laat my die pyn verduur wat net ’n man ’n vrou kan toedien” het sy verder gepleit. Ek het gemaak soos sy gevra het, en sedertdien het ek nog nooit weer die toiletsitplek afgeslaan nie. Nadia wou egter nie net pyn ervaar nie. Sy wou dit inderdaad ook uitdeel. Soos die keer toe sy, geklee in niks behalwe haar nuwe hoëhakskoene nie, voor my kom stelling inneem het. “Is jy seker jy kan die pyn hanteer?” wou sy in ’n wulpse stemtoon weet.

“Ek dink so” het ek huiwerig geantwoord. En toe bring sy die kwitansie vir haar nuwe skoene te voorskyn. Maar Nadia het tóg haar perke geken, en daarom het ons op ’n veiligheidswoord ooreengekom. Sy sou dié woord uiter wanneer dinge vir haar onhoudbaar raak, maar na ons derde besoek aan die ongevalle-eenheid het ek besef ons sal ’n ander woord as ‘afbetalings-verkooptransaksie-verdiskonterings-ondernemings’ moet kies. En dít is die storie van Pik en Nadia, of ‘P en Nis’, soos ons vriende ons noem. Soos almal het ons maar ons op-dae en af-dae, maar verreweg die meeste is op-én-af-dae. Is sy perfek? Seker nie. Maar ten minste is sy nie ’n sadomasochis nie.

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ASSEMBLY AND RIVERSIDE STUDIOS PRESENT THE BAXTER THEATRE CENTRE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWNIN ASSOCIATION WITH THE SOUTH AFRICAN STATE THEATRE

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MIESJULIE.COM7 MARCH - 19 MAY 2013

THE EDINBURGH FESTIVAL SMASH HIT ARRIVES IN LONDON

The Legend of Livingstone: London bicentenary talk by Colonel Blashford-Snellby STAFF REPORTERON 28 March join seasoned explorer Colonel John Blashford-Snell at the Royal Geographical Society in London as he hosts an illustrated lecture to celebrate the 200th anniversary of one of the most popular British heroes of the late 19th century, Dr David Livingstone.

Born on 19 March 1813, this explorer, writer, missionary, medic and anti-slavery campaigner rose from humble beginnings in a Lanarkshire tenement to become celebrated as “Africa’s first freedom fighter.”

Colonel Blashford-Snell will be celebrating the life of this extraordinary man through an in-depth illustrated lecture during which time he will endeavour to reveal who the real Livingstone was, his achievements, his failures and his legacy today.

The evening is being hosted

Tretchikoff ’s Chinese Girl original, world’s most famous print, on saleThe original painting ‘Chinese Girl’ by SA artist Vladimir Tretchikoff,

said to be the most widely reproduced and recognisable picture in the world, goes on sale at London auction house Bonhams next week

by STAFF REPORTER‘CHINESE Girl’, the most iconic work of Vladimir Tretchikoff – the Russian émigré who settled in South Africa – will be sold at the Bonhams South African art sale on 20 March 2013 for an estimated £300,000 to £500,000.

Said to be the most widely reproduced and recognisable picture in the world, from the 1950s prints of this famous work sold widely in South Africa, Britain, Europe and America. The picture was bought directly from Tretchikoff by an American woman, Mignon Buhler in Chicago when he was touring the US in the ’50s. It has been in the same family ever since and is being sold by the original buyer’s granddaughter.

Tretchikoff himself claimed that by the end of his career he had sold half a million large-format reproductions of the ‘Chinese Girl’ print worldwide (and that doesn’t include smaller print versions); today you can also find mugs, wallpaper and assorted other ‘Chinese Girl’ paraphernalia.

In its obituary to Tretchikoff (who died in 2006), the BBC confirmed that ‘Chinese Girl’ was indeed the highest-selling print in history. Even as early as 1961, a BBC presenter made the following assertion (as related in ‘Pigeon’s Luck’, the artist’s life story): “Which painting

do you think is the most famous in the world? Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Mona Lisa’? Botticelli’s ‘Birth of Venus’? Gainsborough’s ‘Blue Boy’?… Before you answer, let me tell you you’re wrong. It’s the green-faced ‘Chinese Girl’ by Tretchikoff.”

‘Chinese Girl’ is inspired by the sitter Monika Sing-Lee, who was working at her uncle’s launderette in Sea Point, Cape Town when Tretchikoff spotted her and asked her to model for him. Boris Gorelik, author of the forthcoming new book Incredible Tretchikoff (due out in 2013), was the first researcher to trace Sing-Lee in 2010. He remarks on the unmistakable resonance between photographs of Sing- Lee in 1952, and the painting ‘Chinese Girl’.

But the painting goes beyond a portrait to become something more iconic. Clearly, Tretchikoff had a personal investment in the work. Having spent many years as a child in Harbin (the Russian-founded town in Manchuria) after his family fled Russia, he later moved to Shanghai where he worked in advertising and commercial illustration until 1934. As the artist explains in ‘Pigeon’s Luck’: “In painting ‘Chinese Girl’ I had a lot of experience to draw on… My mind and soul went into this painting, and perhaps there lies the explanation

for its success. Somehow perhaps I caught the essence of Chinese womanhood…”

Giles Peppiatt, Director of South African Art at Bonhams, said, “The iridescent hues of ‘Chinese Girl’ reflect Tretchikoff’s experimentation with the possibilities of his colour palette: the green-blue patina-like effect of the sitter’s face is uncanny, heightening the red of her lips and framed by her lustrous dark hair. The deftly- handled golden hues and decorative detail of her tunic emerge from the lines of charcoal on brown canvas, a combination of media familiar from works like ‘Basotho Girl’ and ‘Zulu Maiden’. Notably, the combination of lustrous golden silk and the blue-sheen of the model’s skin combine to produce an otherworldly glow: a luminescence that is the leitmotif of Tretchikoff’s best works.”

Tretchikoff’s value has risen exponentially in the art market, due to both the re-evaluation of his legacy in exhibitions such as Tretchikoff: The People’s Painter, at IZIKO South African National Gallery (2011), and his appearance on the world stage on auction at Bonhams. A new world record was recently achieved at Bonhams with the semi-nude painting, ‘Portrait of Lenka (Red Jacket)’, featuring Tretchikoff’s lover and muse, which sold for £337,250 (R4.7million). Just over 100 Tretchikoff works have appeared at auction, a 20-year trajectory which charts a remarkable resurgence in the artist’s popularity.

Commenting on the sale, author Boris Gorelik, said, “At this South African Sale, Bonhams offers a work that is familiar to millions throughout the world, not only devotees of South African art. What’s more, this is one of the most important pop culture icons in Britain and the Commonwealth in the 1950s to early 1960s. Today, even prints of the ‘Green Lady’ in mint condition, which went for a couple of pounds in their day, change hands for hundreds of pounds.”

For Gorelik, part of Tretchikoff’s market resurgence is due to the nostalgic aura of the works, which should not be underestimated: “Take ‘Chinese Girl’ for example: millions of people – perhaps your parents or grandparents – bought a lithograph of this painting, hung it on their wall and admired it for years, if not decades. Maybe even you grew up looking at it. And today you can get the real thing – the original canvas.

by The Mantis Collection who proudly represent two properties based at Victoria Falls and upstream on the Chobe River (www.stanleyandlivingstone.com and www.zambeziqueen.com).

Also supporting the event are London-based tour operators Original Travel who create tailor-made luxury holidays around the globe. Original Travel will be offering their expert advice on travelling in the steps of Livingstone. Mantis and Original Travel will be offering a 10 night ‘Luxury Zambian holiday – In the Footsteps of Livingstone’ as part of the auction to raise funds for the Scientific Exploration Society.

Tickets cost £20 pp and include a complimentary drinks & canapé reception before the lecture.

To purchase tickets contact [email protected] or call 01747 853353.


Entertainment Follow us on Twitter:@TheSAnews

NOTHING quite compares to Karoo lamb. Though it is seldom, if ever, available here in the UK, there are some great alternatives – Welsh lamb or even the more obscure Salt Marsh lamb from Orkney.

A great tip to get an instant lamb flavour to any gravy: Render the lamb fat down. Strain and clarify. Pour it into an ice tray and leave to set in the fridge. Use a nob or two of lamb fat and whisk into the finished (chicken/ veal)gravy (in French it is Monte au beurre) and you’ll have a glossy, rich lamb flavoured gravy. This tip came from a chat with a famous 3 star chef.Serves 16

Ingredients16x500g racks of lamb: short bone

cut back bone off

Racks of lamb with port sauceSouth African chef

Grant Hawthorne brings us his tried and tested recipe for succulent roast lamb

bay leaves, all spice, garlic, black pepper, paprika, onion, lemon juice and zest, seasoning. Marinate at least 48 hours. Strain. Reduce marinade till 50% and add lamb jus, reduce by 1/3rd. Strain. Monté au beurre.

Drizzle racks of lamb with olive oil. Roast in hot oven till dark brown. Remove. Allow to cool slightly. Paste herb on top (presentation side). Bake in oven for 15 minutes (till crust is cooked). Prepare port sauce with lamb jus. Remove. Carve and arrange on plate (overlapping or standing tall). Nappé port jus over. Garnish with straw/ waffle/ boulangere/ Artic/ Almond potatoes.

Note: for enhanced flavour, marinate only in seasoning, garlic, rosemary, lemon, olive oil.

3 sprigs Rosemary1l red wine½ small jar wholegrain mustard10 cloves3 bay leaves10 all spice2 Tbsp garlic1 Tbsp black pepper1 tsp paprika2 med. onions, thinly sliced100ml olive oil3 lemons, juice & zest of

SeasoningHerb crust (prepared)Port wine2 l lamb jus50g cubed cold butter

MethodExpose 2” of bone on racks (keep

all off cuts for stock). Marinate in wine, rosemary, mustard, cloves,

by GRANT CODRON THE Cape Wine Academy (CWA) is a bona fide South African institution with diplomas and all, and now it’s coming to London. But local CWA representative and wine trader Louis Holtzhausen is really a patriot at heart who wants South African wine to get the respect it so richly deserves. We chatted to him about launching the CWA in England.

What is CWA about?First and foremost it’s about educating people about South African wines. And for people already in the wine trade, it’s to better their education about SA wine.

Why learn about wine?The more you know about something, the more you enjoy it. I always say to people it’s important you know what you don’t like. If you have something you really enjoy, you’re enthusiastic and passionate about it. That’s infectious.

Why bring this to London?I think London is the wine hub of the world. If you look at the places where wines get traded, there’s no city in the world that can compete. So what better place to educate people about SA wine?

How is SA wine regarded here in the UK?The UK is the biggest importer of SA wines but we’ve fallen behind over the last couple of years. People don’t want to spend a lot on our wine

Cape Wine Academy launches in LondonThe Cape Wine Academy, founded 1979, is the official wine education institution in South Africa. Previously, aficionados

of SA wine overseas were limited to correspondence courses. Now a passionate South African is bringing it to London

here. It’s mightily frustrating because I think we’ve got wines that are equivalent to, if not better than, what many perceive as the leading wines. And I think this is where education comes in. Not necessarily that of the average drinker, but the sommeliers, the hotel managers, the professionals.

How good is South African wine?These are very exciting times. There are innovative, highly acclaimed and groundbreaking winemakers all over SA at the moment and if I start to name them we would be here the whole day! We’re the only country to have our own grape (pinotage).

What can one expect to learn at the Cape Wine Academy?It’s different to just a wine tasting. It compares grape varieties and focuses on geographical contexts. You don’t just walk away with more knowledge about wine, tasting wine and wine making techniques. People make real

friends there; they’ve got something in common: a love for wine.

What’s your goal?Supporting the South African wine industry, getting more sales for it, and putting SA wine and producers on the front page.

Are there viable career options for people who attend?Absolutely. Once you’ve studied wine for four years, whether you’re going to be a sommelier or a wine merchant, that’s your trade. But there are other tiers. Retail, trade, even wine brokerage.

Is wine brokerage quite buoyant then?Yes but only if you know your wine. But if you’re the only person, or one of the few, with a case of a certain wine for 10 or 20 years, that’s absolutely invaluable. Ultimately, whether you make money on it or not, you’ve got something to drink.

To find out more about the Cape Wine Academy, contact Louis on [email protected]

Louis Holtzhausen


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Nedbank’s African agriculture driveby JEREMY KUPERHow would you describe your position?I am responsible for the African continent in so far as Structured Commodity Finance within Nedbank Capital is concerned. So my team of 10 principals and associates basically looks after the agri, soft commodities, energy and metals space on the continent.

Insofar as the focus is on the agricultural side, this would include physical production and cultivation of commodities on the African continent, as well as the trading and storing thereof, for either traders or processors down the supply chain.

What kind of agri-clients does Nedbank invest in?[Our aim] would typically be to serve a range of clients that would fit within the investment banking ambit. Individual farmers would typically fall outside of that mandate; we have our colleagues at Nedbank Business Banking to service a client on that front.

We look at commercial agriculture. At this stage in terms of where we are in our growth, in our model, and according to our mandate at Nedbank Capital, we wouldn’t fund subsistence or small-scale farmers. Unless it’s part of an outgrower model where there is a hub of commercial farmers – we would then support outgrowers in the vicinity as part of a hub-and-spoke approach.

So our target market would typically be the larger corporate clients with a need to cultivate commodities either on a wholesale or a commercial basis.

We furthermore assist them with the financing and storing of those commodities, until such time as they require the stock for processing or trading. Obviously supply and demand is going to affect the price of commodities along the supply chain. At the end of a cycle, where all the commodities are coming in during a harvest period, which is typically two to three months, the supply is more than the demand, so that means that the prices are naturally in a depressed low in terms of the commodity cycle. Therefore

a lot of processors (millers, ginners, crushers, etc) take advantage of that and would like to stock up on these commodities for subsequent utilisation throughout the season.

So our facilities would typically cater for that and we would allow either on or off-balance sheet storage of those commodities. Either at a haircut price – in other words where we’ve brought in a price buffer – or against a short or selling position on a recognised commodity exchange. And we would then hold stock on behalf of our client in

accordance with their draw down profile throughout the year.

We don’t offer a strict set of standard products; we would like to think we provide custom-made solutions for our clients. And it’s not only in South Africa – those solutions span across the continent.

It would be for both the range of the ABCDs of the world (the big four international traders) as well as the smaller East African and Southern African traders that are obviously cutting a niche for themselves with these types of products in their specific regions.

One of the things we are involved in and have been for some time is the Ghana Cocoa Board. We enable Ghana Cocoa Board to procure cocoa beans from small scale producers, and those cocoa beans are then sold to international buyers.

This is a $1.5bn facility, which is syndicated amongst a whole number of banks. Another product which is taking off is the commercialisation of crop cultivation in Southern Africa. We have a number of clients where we deal through a conduit, called a contract manager, and that contract manager then contracts

An interview with Zhann Meyer, Africa Head, Global Commodity Finance at Nedbank Capital

individual farmers to grow a crop for a specific season, along certain parameters. So we would insist on, for instance, insurance on the crop, which would cover us for drought, floods, hail, rain, fire and all risks associated with crop cultivation.

We would also insist on price risk mitigation, where we would short the anticipated crop on an exchange – the South African futures exchange would be a typical example. We would also insist on regular reporting on the progress of the crop. In essence what we do here is we recognise collateral based on the intrinsic value of the crop yet to be harvested. We then

finance the seed, insecticide, the fertiliser, herbicide and diesel for the cultivation of that crop. And that’s a product that’s grown phenomenally in the last couple of years, especially in Southern Africa. A typical model would require the farmers to give land as collateral. This product differentiates itself from that. We don’t ask for alternative collateral, we basically take the crop as collateral for the loan.

What rates are you expecting for your agri-investments? Are you talking about in excess of 20 percent?I think for a commercial farmer at this stage, if you don’t get a 20 per cent return on your capital, then you should seriously consider going into another business. For us 20 per cent is, I would think, pretty much the bottom line.

Having said that, if you look at where Southern African agriculture is going, you will find that the number of commercial farmers have reduced significantly in the last ten years.

What’s happening now, is that basically the bigger farmers are becoming even bigger as they are able to use economies of scale to produce larger crops at a reduced price, and thereby obviously increasing returns. Increased mechanisation reduces your dependence on labour.

Especially in the South African scenario it’s a risk that a farmer would prefer not to take, to be heavily labour dependent. So I think there’s a movement, whether rightly or wrongly, for commercial farmers to move towards mechanisation, to reduce their dependence on labour.

Above: Nedbank’s Zhann Meyer


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Note: The above exchange rates are based on “interbank” rates. If you want to transfer money to South Africa then please register/login or call us for a live dealing rate. Make use of a Rate Notifier to send you alerts when the Rand exchange rate reaches levels you are looking for.

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Rand/Pound weakness remains amid jitters

Germans lead the way as South Africa boasts 10% tourism growthby STAFF REPORTERSOUTH Africa has once again announced increasing tourism numbers: the months from January to October 2012 showed an increase of 10,4%, to 7,535,498 arrivals.

A total of 204,247 tourists from Germany visited South Africa from January to October 2012. This represents an increase of 12,2% compared to the corresponding period in 2011. Germany is one of the key traditional overseas markets for travel to South Africa, with the United States of America and the United Kingdom taking the lead.

Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk is delighted with the continuing interest shown in South Africa. “Positive growth from the traditional markets – and Europe in particular – gives us confidence that the work we are doing to grow tourist arrivals is paying dividends.

by JESSE CROOKSTHE South African Rand has spent the last week playing victim to local factors, as well as being affected by movements in the British Pound and US Dollar. The Rand was trading at 13.677 to the Pound on Monday, and had firmed up marginally to 13.578 by Friday.

The previous week’s announcement of SA’s record trade deficit was the event that triggered heavy selling of the currency- a move that continued affecting rates the following week. Market players were skittish- waiting for a move to 9.16 for the USD/ZAR pair. Fresh labour tensions were sparked at Lonmin’s platinum mines on Tuesday, and an increase in producer price index did not help the currency regain ground. Mike Keenan, from Absa Captial

said ““Reports of labour tension at Lonmin are possibly behind the renewed rand weakness‚ while producer inflation numbers underscore the fact SA’s economic fundamental backdrop continues to deteriorate‚”, as reported by fin24.com.

On Thursday, the Pound dropped to a 2 ½ year low against the US Dollar, bringing its total decline for 2013 to 6.1%, thereby making it the second-worst performing currency among 10 developed-market currencies; as tracked by Bloomberg. The Pound later regained a touch of strength after British policy makers announced that they would keep their quantitative easing programme unchanged.

The weakness in the Pound has largely been keeping the GBP/ZAR

pair in check, however the market will be looking towards South Africa’s current account data to be released on Tuesday for direction.

GBP/ZAR: 13.583EUR/ZAR: 11.830USD/ZAR: 9.104AUD/ZAR: 9.311

Exchange rates at 8am, 11/3/2013

Rules of the general visitor visaby JP BREYTENBACHAPART from the single-entry visitor visa to the UK, valid for six months, there are also two year, five year and 10-year multiple entry visitor visas available for persons wanting to visit the UK on a regular basis.

The visitor visa allows travel to the United Kingdom for six months out of 12 months. One is only allowed to spend a maximum of six out of 12 months in the UK.

Once six months in the UK have passed, you will need to leave the UK. The permit holder does not need to return to his/her home country, and is allowed to travel to any other country as long as they are outside the UK.

The multiple entry visitor visas mean one does not need to stay for the full six months in the UK. For

example one can travel for two months to the UK and leave for two months, travel again for two months and leave for two months etc, as long as the permit holder does not stay in the UK for more than six months per 12 months.

Please feel free to contact us for more information, or contact our South African affiliate office to apply for your visitor visa from South Africa.

JP Breytenbach is Director of Breytenbachs Immigration Consultants Ltd. Contact him at info@bic-immigration or visit www.bic-immigration.com

In association with

Visit: TheSouthAfrican.com/move-to-australia

South Africa has every reason to feel confident about the state of its tourism industry going forward” Van Schalkwyk said during his visit to the ITB trade show in Berlin.

The minister also underlined the importance of the German market for South Africa, and stressed that the growth of arrivals from Germany must be maintained. To inspire and motivate German travellers, South African Tourism continues to intensify its marketing initiatives with German tour operators, and also approaches travel agents individually to educate them about the destination.

Media cooperation agreements created for the relevant German target groups as well as innovative brand partnerships continue to attract German travellers to the Rainbow Nation.

According to the Minister, growth in visitor numbers is a reflection on

the destination itself: “South Africa is irresistible and beautiful; it’s easy to access and explore, and offers excellent value for money.

In particular, our friendly people and the unique experiences our country offer make a visit to South Africa extra-special.”

Van Schalkwyk also reiterated the importance of tourism as an economic growth engine for the country. Tourism has been identified as one of six priority sectors in South Africa to achieve economic growth and attract investment.

Tourism attracts foreign direct spend and creates jobs. In this regard, the country has identified the following targets: to attract 15 million arrivals by 2020; to increase the share of tourism in gross domestic product from R189 billion in 2009 to R499 billion in 2020, and to create more than 225,000 new jobs in tourism.


Business: SA Power 100Like us on Facebook:facebook.com/thesouthafrican

When I got here I struggled to get used to the house designs too. In SA houses are laid out so there is a lot more outside living.

All those things require time to get used to. You also need to be able to deal with the weather, but I really enjoy it here now. But it has taken some effort to get to where we are.

You did mention you had a bit of a proviso there around your children’s education, so would you say to fellow South Africans who have kids in school that you need to wait until a certain period till you can go home? And how does that impact on your decision?It does affect my decision and I have to be very conscious that my decisions are not disruptive to my children. My advice to other parents would be that they should recognise that the syllabus is different and parents should make adjustments.

Make sure you look after these things very closely if you want your kids to get back on top of the game as quickly as they can.

So the natural career progression for you will be within Eskom but as Eskom has limited facilities outside SA I imagine you will be going back before long. Yes the plan is to wait for the end of my contract and go back home. My intention, as I say, was to get international experience, which is working out reasonably well. And at the end of the day,

I want to go back into the company and into the country.

Do you understand now why British people always talk about the weather, or is that still

funny?I absolutely do. It takes

a while, but I can relate to

specification requirements.What was the biggest challenge about coming to the UK for you and your family?There are a number of things: the social infrastructure you have back home, and the degree to which you can rely on your extended relationships for support is not something you can find in a new country. It’s something you have to recreate, so that’s one of the difficulties we’ve experienced.

Short of the language, it requires a lot of effort to bridge the gap culturally.

Could you give me an example?Well, typically, your social interactions in the UK are very different from those in SA. For example, the way in which you think about travelling in the UK and the way you think about travelling in SA is very different.

In SA you would jump into your car without having to leave your house, and you would reach your place of work without having to walk on the street. Here it’s all very different and difficult to get used to it.

on our website: TheSouthAfrican.com/Business/SAPower100

Read interviews with other SA POWER 100 achieversNaresh SinghGeneral Manager: Eskom International

BULLET BIOGRAPHY

Education: Executive MBA (Oxford University)

BSc Eng Electrical (Natal)

Executive development programme (Gordon Institute of Business Science)

Career trajectory2012: Appointed board member, South African Chamber of Commerce UK

2009: Appointed head of Eskom’s International Offices, based at the main office in the UK

2002 - 2006 : Executive Manager - Regulation, National Electricity Regulator/National Energy Regulator of South Africa

1997 - 2001: Regional Plant Manager, Eskom Distribution KZN

1995 - 1997: Electrical maintenance manager, Majuba Power Station

1993 – 1995: Contracts manager, Majuba Power Station

1991 - 1993: Junior engineer, Randcoal

44

05

7

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British culture now, British life, all aspects of British society.

I mean, if I were to say the significant thing about today was that the sun was shining for two hours? Well, yeah I would absolutely relate to that.

But is it people that you miss the most?Yeah, it’s friends. It’s extracurricular activities that involve people or religion or things that you would’ve taken for granted back home.

They say everybody has a

difficult first year when they first come to England.

Was that the case for you?I think that’s definitely a good assessment. And then after about a year you started to realise that you had actually developed some social infrastructure around you and around your family and it felt all right. I think that after six months, the sun started coming out, we were having barbeques, and by that stage we were all quite comfortable in the environment.

by JEREMY KUPER and MEDHA PRAKASAMHOW many people are in your office in the UK?Presently we have a strength of 12, but our complement is 20.

Your role in the UK involves procurement and sourcing materials Eskom will need in SA?Yes. First of all, what we do here is look to see how suppliers and potential suppliers are able to deliver what we want. Whether they have the technological capability, the resource capability and whether they can meet our quality and

Pamela NomveteCoronation St and former Generations actress

Jonny SteinbergAuthor and Lecturer

in African Studies at Oxford University


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BREYTENBACHS IMMIGRATION CONSULTANTS LTD: UK & SA ImmigrationBreytenbachs Immigration Consultants specialises in UK and SA Immigration. We pride ourselves on our reputation for excellence, fast results and friendly personal service. Registered by the OISC to level 3, you can be assured that your case is in safe hands!We can assist you with: • All Points-based Immigration matters• UK Visitor visas• Tier 1 / HSMP• Tier 2 / Work permits & Sponsorship • Tier 4 / Student Visas• Dependency, unmarried partner and

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ABANTU BUTCHERSAbantu Butchery boerewors specialist, supplying wholesale and catering and retail shops as we are fully EEC licensed, we can also supply vacuum packed steaks in any quantity you may require. Probably the best boerewors you have tasted at a remarkable price. 19 City Arcade, City Centre, Coventry, CV1 3HXTel: 02476555767

ACC & FINANCECRUGAHome of CRUGA biltong. Cruga’s factory shop offers a full range of South African and Zimbabwean groceries plus boerewors, droewors and of course biltong. Tel: 01908 565 432. Email: [email protected] Web: www.cruga.com Address: Tilers Rd Kiln Farm, Milton Keynes, MK11 3LH

KALAHARI MOONThe Southern African Shop in Bristol.Wide range of stock including excellent boerewors and biltong. Centrally situated, friendly service. Connecting South Africans. Tel: 0117 929 9879 Address: 88 - 91 The Covered Market. st Nicholas Market, Corn Street, Bristol, BS1 1JQ Email: [email protected] Website: www.kalaharimoon.co.uk

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QUALITY SOUTH AFRICABiltong £22 per KGDroewors £20 per KGGame Biltong £40 per KGChilli Sticks £22 per KGCheese Grillers £14 per KGKoeksisters £3 for 5And many more. For more great prices find us on www.qualitysouthafrica.co.ukor contact Christopher on 07543106591

KALAHARI MOON WESTONThe Southern African Shop in Weston (Opp Tesco car park entrance). Wide range of SA and Zim products. Relax in our licensed cafe while shopping. And try our South African homecooked food. 7 Lockling Road, Weston Super Mare, BS23 3BY. Tel: 01934 708089.Email: [email protected]

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Like us on Facebook:facebook.com/thesouthafrican Zimbabwe Community

by STAFF REPORTERGLOBAL money transfer company MoneyGram is the main sponsor of this year’s edition of the Zimbabwe Achievers Awards (ZAA) on Saturday 20 April at the Millenium Gloucester Hotel in London. By extending its role as principal sponsor of the ZAA for the second year running, MoneyGram has cemented its relationship with the Zimbabwean community in the UK and also demonstrated its hope and support for the success of their home country. “WE are really grateful to MoneyGram for supporting this event from its inception three years ago and with this year’s sponsorship, they have been our main financial backer for two years now. This is clear evidence of their ongoing commitment to our community and an expression of their shared hope in the success

MoneyGram returns as ZimbabweAchievers Awards headline sponsor

of our home country,” said ZAA chief executive Conrad Mwanza. MoneyGram’s Oluwaseyi Oke said, “Giving to and supporting the communities that use our services is another way of saying thank you; because without our customers, there is no MoneyGram! We are delighted to be associated with the ZAA to celebrate excellence within this great community. That is why we are the headline sponsor of ZAA for the second year running.”

In the UK, customers can send money to Zimbabwe from every UK Post Office, Thomas Cook and anywhere you see the MoneyGram sign or online at www.moneygram.co.uk. It costs just £4.90 to send £100.00 and money arrives in minutes. MoneyGram provides consumers with an efficient and secure way to send and receive money globally with a network of over 310,000 local agents across

By extending its role as principal sponsor of the Zimbabwe Achievers Awards for the second year running, MoneyGram has cemented its relationship with the Zimbabwean community in the UK

197 countries and territories. In Zimbabwe, MoneyGram services are available at Kingdom Bank, Metropolitan Bank, Stanbic Bank, Bonga Travel & Financial Service, Hungwe Travel and anywhere you see the MoneyGram sign.

Now in its third year, the ZAA is an awards ceremony seeking to recognise Zimbabweans who have pushed the limits to raise the Zimbabwean flag high and do both themselves and their fellow countrymen proud. Now a prominent red carpet fixture on the African community calendar, the ZAA is the only event that pays tribute to Zimbabwean success across all walks of life, emphasising inspiring achievements and highlighting inspirational role models in the fields of business, sport, entertainment, philanthropy and popular arts and culture.

www.zimachievers.com

by SERTAN SANDERSONRECENT attacks in the Zimbabwean bush highlight a growing danger in Africa linked to human habitats being built in dangerously close proximity to wildlife, as wildlife campaigners are trying to protect animals from humans as much as humans from the animals. A Zimbabwean woman was mauled to death by a lion, having picked a spot in the bush near the town of Kariba, to engage in some intimacy with her boyfriend. The lion approached the couple while they were having sex and attacked Sharai Mawera, who later died at the scene. Her unnamed boyfriend, who is believed to be a local fisherman, managed to flee the scene, naked (but wearing a condom). He reportedly tried to get help but it was too late for Mawera when the police arrived at the scene. They fired gun shots in the direction of the lion but didn’t manage to capture or kill the animal.

The attack follows another similar incident last weekend, when a local

Lion kills Zimbabwean woman while she makes love to boyfriend

man was also mauled to death by a lion in the same suburb of Kariba. Since neither of the victims were devoured by the lion afterwards, authorities suspect that it might be one and the same lion behind the two separate attacks and are launching a hunt for the animal amidst concerns that it might have now acquired a taste for human flesh.

Lion attacks are on the rise, as humans are venturing further into previously uninhabited territory in Africa. However, lions are also becoming an endangered species, as trophy hunters from around the globe are growing increasingly keen on killing lions, so much so that dedicated game farms are illegally sprouting up across Southern Africa to serve foreign clientele, who are often willing to pay extortionate fees for the trophy hunt. Other wildlife crimes such as rhino poaching are also fuelling a momentum to encourage wildlife protection in Southern Africa but attacks on humans such as these are considered to be a backlash.


Travel Follow us on Twitter:@TheSAnews

Into Frontier CountryDespite the province’s improved roads, a car and a camera still

suffice to get you as lost as you like in the central Eastern Cape

Clockwise from centre-left: a typical Transkei beach at Bulungula Lodge, an aerial view of Grahamstown, and a view of the Bulungula headlands

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Cape Town 539 Accra 460 Bue.Aires 640 Auckland 799Durban 630 Cairo 315 Chicago 469 Bangkok 499Gaborone 750 Dakar 495 LA/SFO 499 Bejing 445Harare 579 Douala 435 Lima 525 Dubai 329 Jo’burg 479 Entebbe 499 New York 399 India 489Mauritius 738 Lagos 450 Rio 515 KUL/SING 549Maputo 665 Lusaka 575 Toronto 399 Pakistan 499Windhoek 699 Nairobi 449 Vancouver 439 Sydney 835

by BRETT PETZERTHE Eastern Cape is a place you drive through slowly, whether because of goat herds grazing on the road shoulder, or a pineapple vendor running up to the car, or a hill suddenly peeling away from the horizon, revealing a steep plunge down to a pristine, beachy river mouth.

Mostly, it’s all three, or at least it was throughout our road trip through Frontier Country, that slice of the province stamped by the history of British expansion into the Xhosa heartland and studded with the forts and battles that shaped Grahamstown and nearby towns.

We took two weeks to make the 210km from Cintsa to Grahamstown - not on foot, driving - because the Eastern Cape takes time. It also gives a sense of time.

This is a place where cows walk down to the beach after a day of heavy grazing to sit and look at the sea (locals attribute this to the wild dagga that grows freely on their grazing land).

And there is a lot of sea to look at: perhaps the best-known of the region’s glories is its multitude of small, perfect bays and river mouths lost to the world. The sand is clean and white, the vegetation rich and dense, and there is mostly no one around.

This means that, in case you become paralysed with leisure after first tying your hammock between milkwood trees on the beach at Cintsa, you should bring a quantity of festive drinks with you - unless you really enjoy sorghum beer, which is probably the only refreshment you can buy from passing herdsmen. Cintsa was our first stop, and Buccaneer’s Backpackers - a large, friendly, family-owned concern - was our first port of call, but you can tear

old friendships apart in the pubs of this province by asking where the definitive best beach backpackers is. They all offer the sort of prices that allow a two-week holiday elsewhere to stretch into a second month here; most have a particular speciality, like (respectful, meaningful) trips deep into Xhosa hill country and into local villages, or surf lesssons or battlefield tours. In our case, we headed next to Bulungula Lodge, possibly the best case of the oft-touted ‘development in partnership with local communities’ I have ever seen or heard of, where we had beauty treatments in a traditional mud-brick hut somewhere in the hills.

What makes Bulungula unique - apart from the lack of roads and mains electricity - is that it is 40% owned by the local Nqileni community. Xhosa locals don’t ‘benefit’ from your stay; they profit from it as businesspeople.

This is a distinctly better kind of tourism - Bulungula was one of the first Fair Trade Tourism establishments in the world - which in itself is as new and arresting as the total quiet of the place.

The food here is abundant and cheap but also fresh and tasty. The Eastern Cape in general is hardly a gourmet destination but, given the distances and the less-than-first-rate roads, there is perforce a lot of locally-grown fresh produce with subtle flavour variations from place to place, and plenty of meat and venison from the herbivores that dot every hill.

After Cintsa and Bulungula, our carful of travellers felt in need of a place where people outnumbered livestock, and so we crawled into Grahamstown, famous for its university and the National Arts Festival. However, we arrived when Grahamstown was slumbering

through a humid mid-summer, without students or festivalgoers.

This left us free to explore the deep tradition of eccentricity that the City of Saints (it has over 15 stone churches and a cathedral) has nurtured.

One example is Henry Henry Carter Galpin’s Camera Obscura, a huge Victorian mechanism capable of high-definition spying on everybody in the valley, or the crenellated and turreted Scottish manor house built by an old laird that now serves as the university’s Anthropology Department.

All roads lead to the pub in Grahamstown, however, and this is none other than the famous Rat & Parrot. Grahamstown has some fine restaurants and, as one might expect of a university deeply invested in the arts, a theatrical and live music scene worthy of a large city.

One interpretative dance performance later, however, and our thoughts turned urgently to nature. Grahamstown proved a clever base as we found that Addo Elephant Park, malaria-free and stuffed to the rafters with pachyderms, was quite close by. Addo was as kind to us as everyone else in this often-overlooked but amply rewarding province. After game drives in which charismatic megafauna pursued each other in front of and around our LandRover, we sat for hours in the camp’s own animal hide, socialising and drinking, while we watched 60 or so elephants do exactly the same, fraternising at the waterhole.

The Eastern Cape’s beaches, hills and history are something you can see without much money, preparation or booking. Sturdy walking shoes are a plus, detours are essential, and a not-overly-specific date of return home are highly recommended.


SportLike us on Facebook:facebook.com/thesouthafrican

by JEREMY BORTZ COLIN Ingram’s second one-day international century and Rory Kleinveldt’s 4-22 propelled the Proteas to a commanding 125 run win in Bloemfontein in the first of five one-day internationals on Sunday. Ingram hit a superb 105 not out off 104 balls to guide the Proteas to 315 for four in their allotted 50 overs. Openers Graeme Smith (30) and Hashim Amla (43) had laid a decent foundation before being dismissed in quick succession.

Ingram and captain AB de Villiers then put together a 120-run partnership for the third wicket before De Villiers was dismissed for a very well-played 65 at just better than a run-a-ball. Ingram took over and played his part in ending Shahid Afridi’s participation with the ball. His eighth and last over cost 21 runs; Ingram hitting two boundaries and Faf du Plessis the other three. Du Plessis put on 62 with Ingram before scooping to short fine leg.

Ingram, Kleinveldt steer Proteas to convincing winFollowing Sunday’s victory over Pakistan, SA cricket coach Gary Kirsten says the experimentation phase is now over

Bluegrass Digital cycles Cape Argus for Foodbank charity

by STAFF REPORTERNICK Durrant, one of The South African’s directors, and his Cape Town based company Bluegrass Digital entered a corporate team into Sunday’s Cape Argus Cycle Tour, riding to raise funds for Foodbank South Africa.

The annual Cape Argus Cycle Tour follows a scenic 109km

circular route from Cape Town down the Cape Peninsula and back. It is also the world’s largest individually timed cycle race.

FoodBank South Africa is South Africa’s national foodbank network, which work with government, food producers, manufacturers and retailers to help secure and distribute food through their network of

Although not known as a big hitter, Farhaan Berhardien was sent in with four overs to go and he duly obliged smashing 34 off only 14 deliveries, including the only two sixes of the innings off consecutive balls. He sent Junaid Khan over long-on and midwicket and ensured Ingram, on 96, had strike in the last over. Ingram would not disappoint, stroking the first ball through the covers to bring up his second century in Bloemfontein and a second against Pakistan. In reply, Kleinveldt picked up a career best 4-22 in just 5.2 overs as Pakistan were bowled out for 190 in just under 37 overs.

Lonwabo Tsotsobe bowled well up front as he found swing with the new ball and he could well have picked up two wickets – the first edge from Mohammed Hafeez fell short of slip while the second popped out of du Plessis’s hands at gully. Tsotsobe would end with 1-52 in nine overs and Kyle Abbott 1-35

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One of The South African’s directors was part of a team that rode the Cape Argus Cycle Tour to raise funds for Foodbank South Africa

in six. Ryan Mclaren bowled very well too picking up 3-19 in seven.

In the build up to this series, South Africa’s only preparation for the ICC Champions Trophy in England in June, coach Gary Kirsten said the experimentation phase was now over. “”The players that are in this squad are the best players in the country. We’re not experimenting. We’re playing the best players,”

With the Test season now over, Kirsten was also upbeat about the Proteas’s prospects in the shorter version of the game.

“We’ve played a lot of Test cricket over the last while, so it’s nice to have a focus on ODI cricket so we can upgrade our skills and make sure we spend as much time as we can knowing what we need to do to close games out in tight moments.”

Although under little pressure in this game, after an extremely disappointing T20 series loss, the Proteas will be pleased to return to their winning form.

foodbanks.Bluegrass Digital is inviting

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SPORT12 - 18 March 2013 NEWS FOR GLOBAL SOUTH AFRICANS www.thesouthafrican.com

BLUEGRASS DIGITAL CYCLES CAPE ARGUS FOR FOODBANK P15PROTEAS PULL OFF CONVINCING WIN P15

by KEITH MOOREIT was a successful weekend of rugby for the South African franchises as three of the five managed wins over New Zealand teams – two of them away from home.

The Cheetahs pulled off a remarkable win in Dunedin over the highly lauded young Highlander side, picked by many to be in the middle of a rugby resurgence with a host of stars playing alongside young talent.

The Bulls, perhaps even more surprisingly, beat the Blues despite fielding a reasonably inexperienced side in sun-drenched Auckland and the Stormers held off for 80 minutes to beat the Chiefs 36 – 34 in Cape Town. The Sharks also won in Port Elizabeth, and although their performance won’t be the subject of much hype, much credit for their tryless endeavour must be given to the determination of the defending Kings outfit.

The performances from all the teams have not made it easy for pundits to predict who will be sitting at the top the South African conference in July.

The Bulls, largely unimpressive in their initial two wins at home, were suddenly in rampant form in Dunedin, and seemed to boast the type of pack that has won them the title in the past – quick, brutal and clinical.

The Sharks, sitting second in the conference, will be happy with three wins from three but won’t necessarily be particularly happy with the manner in which

SA teams score hat trick against New Zealand sides - we predict the ultimate victors

those wins came about. Yes, it’s important to win ugly when it counts, but season after season the Sharks are left scratching for bonus points as the regular season comes to a close.

The Southern Kings continue to impress with their ability to rise to the challenge when called upon.

Winning against the Force was a good showing but pushing the Sharks all the way to the end would have sent a bigger message to the remainder of their domestic rivals. The Stormers have had the worst opening fixtures to contend with, and the cost of those fixtures is shown in their position on the log.

Fourth in the SA conference and 10th overall, things don’t get much easier for the Cape side who face Brumbies then Crusaders next.

The Cheetahs, crowd favourites in New Zealand and Australia, are playing the most mercurial rugby of the lot.

To turn that hammering they received against the Chiefs into a win against the Highlanders is more than a little confusing for the coaching staff to build on.

The brand of rugby they play makes it easy for them to play with width, but that width often ends up giving counter attacking teams the chance to put plenty of points on them.

With all that it’s difficult to see who will take top spot at the end of the season but personally I see it finishing 1. Sharks, 2. Bulls, 3. Stormers, 4. Kings, 5. Cheetahs.

WHICH TEAM WILL TAKE THE SA CONFERENCE?

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - MARCH 10: Arno Botha of the Bulls in action during the round four Super Rugby Match between the Blues and the Bulls at Eden Park on March 10, 2013 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Sandra Mu/Getty Images)

Documents

The South African, Issue 505, 12 March 2013