“Blurry” is a term politicians hope the public will never use to describe them – at least that is what they are supposed to hope. It is certainly a struggle no matter the century or location. Some politicians simply have a better understanding of the definition for “transparency” than others. At the moment the ANC appears to be struggling with this exact word and what it might mean. At the recent ANC policy conference held outside Johannesburg this was all to obvious: at the opening of the conference many exhuberant delegates were waving flags and chanting in favour of the party’s number two, Jacob Zuma. However at the end everybody seemed to be back on-message and singing the praises for Thabo Mbeki.
The biggest issue is the upcoming ANC election in December when a new leader must be chosen – this person will most likely become president as well – making the fight for the leadership all the more relevant to all South Africans and the region. At this moment it seems likely that current president Mbeki will run for a third term as party leader, effectively blocking his greatest rival, Zuma, from becoming president of South Africa. Zuma, who was recently acquitted from a rape charge, has many sympathisers within the ANC who feel he has been wrongfully accused because Mbeki felt threatened by him. Nevertheless, Zuma’s financial advisor has been convicted for fraud and he himself could still face corruption charges…blurry.
President Mbeki is still popular, but his two terms in office have been characterized by attempts to centralize much power in the president’s office and away from the party. His quiet, backroom diplomacy has failed to bring political change to Zimbabwe, even though Mbeki has been promoting South Africa as the “superpower” in the Sub-Saharan region. His unwillingness to take a tougher stance on Zimbabwe’s leadership and his refusal to acknowledge the severity of the HIV/AIDS situation in his country during his first term have caused him to lose much of his popular base…blurry.
Despite these two frontline candidates stabbing each other in the back while smiling at the cameras, other candidates – unencumbered by blurriness – might yet emerge: Tokyo Sexwale, a former political prisoner on Robben Island turned prominent business man saidhe would run if asked; but he has probably been out of the party’s top leadership for too long to have a chance. Cyril Ramaphosa is another possibility. A former trade unionist with strong international ties, he still occupies a place in the ANC’s leadership. He has not made any noise regarding the candidacy however and people wonder if he would really wants the job. Finally, Kgalema Motlanthe, the ANC’s secretary-general, could become a compromise candidate. With the trade unions, the communist party and other opposition parties all questioning the ANC’s current leader’s sincerity for a democratic South Africa, perhaps it is time to hope for a radical change in leadership for the African National Congress.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Thursday, July 19, 2007
My Transfrontier Park
I will be the first to admit and defend the statement that South Africa has to be one of the most beautiful countries in the world. There's just no getting around it: this place must have been first in line when natural beauty was handed out. Despite its many social problems, South Africans can rest assured that their natural heritage is well protected by the National Parks and is available for all to see, even for the poorest amongst them. Most of the parks are reasonably easy to access, some will even allow pedestrians access, and all can provide good to luxurious accomodation and facilities.
But there are a few renegades to this rule. The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is one of these. It is difficult to access, being situated in the northern most tip of the country, squashed between Namibia to the west and Botswana to the east. The last 40km to the entrance are not even tarred, making it difficult to reach with regular cars. Vehicles without a decent suspension and people with weak bladders or prone to migraines might want to avoid it alltogether, as it can get a little bumpy. A species that will not be found in KTP is the day-tripping tourist: this fact makes it all the more attractive in my eyes. Due to its remoteness and size it is impossible to visit for just a day and most visitors will be travelling for a week or longer along the endless dust roads, perhaps crossing into the Botswanan side of the park as well. Speaking of size, the park is about 3 million hectares, making it a bit bigger than the Netherlands and exactly one million hectares bigger than the more famous Kruger Park.
It is true wilderness. Of all the national parks and reserves in South Africa, the KTP is without a doubt the most pristine. This simply because of its size, a minimum of human interference and the chance for wildlife to actually migrate, something which has been made impossible in all other parks, including Kruger, because of the fences. And while the South African side still has some basic tourism infrastructure, the Botswanan side only has a few 4x4 roads, making it one of the roughest and loneliest areas to travel through in southern Africa. This is one of the harshest environments in the region, with summer temperatures draining all moisture from the earth and winter nights reaching well below -10 degrees. Massive red sand dunes greet visitors upon entrance, while herds of antilopes (predominantly oryx, eland, wildebeest and springbok) play the endless cat-and-mouse game with the predators of the Kalahari - lions, cheetahs, leopards and hyena's.
I went to KTP a few weeks ago with two of my charming colleagues from GVI, namely the volunteers from Namaqua NP and Tsitsikamma NP. We had intended on making this a true GVI reunion, but logistics are sometimes tough to manage when people need to come from all over the country to one of the least accessible places one can imagine. As all the traditional camps were fully booked (not a rare occurrence) we managed to persuade the park manager to allow us to stay in the Education Centre - normally used for visiting schoolgroups. This centre, about 30km from the nearest restcamp, is hidden between two massive dunes and is on a staff-only road in the middle of nowhere. It was our private desert camp, and if not for the lack of heating at night it would have been truly perfect - trust me, getting up to go to the bathroom at night (which was located outside of course) was a true feat of willpower. The temperature dropped to -6 at night you see.
I will spare you any further details of our daily activities, but will instead leave you with several of my best pictures - I took about 400 of them. Not in vain either because our final tally of "What Did You See" beats any wildlife experience I have ever had - alright, except getting charged by an elephant, but it was a close call! To sum up:
Three leopard sightings. One of which was of a mother with subadult cub. Not a glimpse either: mom and son walked in front of the car for about twenty minutes. I know.
Two lion kills. Our second sighting was of a fresh eland kill and we arrived just as the man was taking his share. A few minutes later he was joined by about six cubs and two females. The cubs were especially keen to inspect our car (we were the only ones there) and if I had stuck my arm out of the open window I would probably have lost it.
Two brown hyena sightings. The brown hyena is NOT the hyena we always see on those documentaries or in the Lion King movie. This one is very shy, mostly solitary and much less aggressive than its spotted cousin. A very rare sight to be sure, and we were priviliged with two. Think werewolf and you have an accurate picture of them.
Several wild cat sightings. A nocturnal predator, we were lucky to see them in the evenings because it was too cold for them to hunt at night.
Countless horny things (antilopes I mean your dirty rascal).
We were very lucky indeed. I hope you enjoy the pictures.
But there are a few renegades to this rule. The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is one of these. It is difficult to access, being situated in the northern most tip of the country, squashed between Namibia to the west and Botswana to the east. The last 40km to the entrance are not even tarred, making it difficult to reach with regular cars. Vehicles without a decent suspension and people with weak bladders or prone to migraines might want to avoid it alltogether, as it can get a little bumpy. A species that will not be found in KTP is the day-tripping tourist: this fact makes it all the more attractive in my eyes. Due to its remoteness and size it is impossible to visit for just a day and most visitors will be travelling for a week or longer along the endless dust roads, perhaps crossing into the Botswanan side of the park as well. Speaking of size, the park is about 3 million hectares, making it a bit bigger than the Netherlands and exactly one million hectares bigger than the more famous Kruger Park.
It is true wilderness. Of all the national parks and reserves in South Africa, the KTP is without a doubt the most pristine. This simply because of its size, a minimum of human interference and the chance for wildlife to actually migrate, something which has been made impossible in all other parks, including Kruger, because of the fences. And while the South African side still has some basic tourism infrastructure, the Botswanan side only has a few 4x4 roads, making it one of the roughest and loneliest areas to travel through in southern Africa. This is one of the harshest environments in the region, with summer temperatures draining all moisture from the earth and winter nights reaching well below -10 degrees. Massive red sand dunes greet visitors upon entrance, while herds of antilopes (predominantly oryx, eland, wildebeest and springbok) play the endless cat-and-mouse game with the predators of the Kalahari - lions, cheetahs, leopards and hyena's.
I went to KTP a few weeks ago with two of my charming colleagues from GVI, namely the volunteers from Namaqua NP and Tsitsikamma NP. We had intended on making this a true GVI reunion, but logistics are sometimes tough to manage when people need to come from all over the country to one of the least accessible places one can imagine. As all the traditional camps were fully booked (not a rare occurrence) we managed to persuade the park manager to allow us to stay in the Education Centre - normally used for visiting schoolgroups. This centre, about 30km from the nearest restcamp, is hidden between two massive dunes and is on a staff-only road in the middle of nowhere. It was our private desert camp, and if not for the lack of heating at night it would have been truly perfect - trust me, getting up to go to the bathroom at night (which was located outside of course) was a true feat of willpower. The temperature dropped to -6 at night you see.
I will spare you any further details of our daily activities, but will instead leave you with several of my best pictures - I took about 400 of them. Not in vain either because our final tally of "What Did You See" beats any wildlife experience I have ever had - alright, except getting charged by an elephant, but it was a close call! To sum up:
Three leopard sightings. One of which was of a mother with subadult cub. Not a glimpse either: mom and son walked in front of the car for about twenty minutes. I know.
Two lion kills. Our second sighting was of a fresh eland kill and we arrived just as the man was taking his share. A few minutes later he was joined by about six cubs and two females. The cubs were especially keen to inspect our car (we were the only ones there) and if I had stuck my arm out of the open window I would probably have lost it.
Two brown hyena sightings. The brown hyena is NOT the hyena we always see on those documentaries or in the Lion King movie. This one is very shy, mostly solitary and much less aggressive than its spotted cousin. A very rare sight to be sure, and we were priviliged with two. Think werewolf and you have an accurate picture of them.
Several wild cat sightings. A nocturnal predator, we were lucky to see them in the evenings because it was too cold for them to hunt at night.
Countless horny things (antilopes I mean your dirty rascal).
We were very lucky indeed. I hope you enjoy the pictures.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
My Campfire Reunion
Although the title is 
slightly misleading, there was a reunion of sorts. But it was not held at Campfire nor did it include any of the friends I've made there, except one. My very first foreign visit since I arrived in South Africa and needless to say I was looking forward to it. Not only because since my remote location makes any visit from Europe (or US for that matter) a bit of a challenge and therefore a rare occurrence, but also because I wanted to hear some first hand news, any news, from back home. It would also be interesting to get an outsider's opinion about life here in Augrabies, as I have grown used to it by now - the shock when I return home next year is not something I'm looking forward to.
slightly misleading, there was a reunion of sorts. But it was not held at Campfire nor did it include any of the friends I've made there, except one. My very first foreign visit since I arrived in South Africa and needless to say I was looking forward to it. Not only because since my remote location makes any visit from Europe (or US for that matter) a bit of a challenge and therefore a rare occurrence, but also because I wanted to hear some first hand news, any news, from back home. It would also be interesting to get an outsider's opinion about life here in Augrabies, as I have grown used to it by now - the shock when I return home next year is not something I'm looking forward to.Still being in possession of my precious rental car I went to pick up my Campfire buddy from the
busstation in Upington, 120km away. Unfortunately it was a Saturday afternoon, the time of the week when the roads in South Africa are not for the faint of heart. Especially in our rural areas, many people like to unwind during the weekends in very colourful ways - usually some heavy drinking is involved beforehand - and lying, tumbling and crawling over the roads is one of them. Doing my best to dodge the masses and nearly failing as a little girl suddenly came out of nowhere and crossed the road, I couldn't help but think if these people had made some kind of communal suicide pact...I believe one man succeeded in this because I saw his unconscious/lifeless body lying in the ditch next to the road. I presumed he was just passed out, but one never knows around here.
busstation in Upington, 120km away. Unfortunately it was a Saturday afternoon, the time of the week when the roads in South Africa are not for the faint of heart. Especially in our rural areas, many people like to unwind during the weekends in very colourful ways - usually some heavy drinking is involved beforehand - and lying, tumbling and crawling over the roads is one of them. Doing my best to dodge the masses and nearly failing as a little girl suddenly came out of nowhere and crossed the road, I couldn't help but think if these people had made some kind of communal suicide pact...I believe one man succeeded in this because I saw his unconscious/lifeless body lying in the ditch next to the road. I presumed he was just passed out, but one never knows around here. In any case no roadkill -human or otherwise - was committed and we safely arrived back at Augrabies. First thing's first of course, we immediately began watching the homevideo's from Campfire which I got from Laetitia when I was there in January. The very worst of the worst, our Circle of Death party, we had already seen and were not keen to see again however so we skipped over that one.
Having a friend from home visit made me feel as if I were on holiday as well, I had obviously 
taken the week off, and I was determined to see as much of the park as possible. And the best way to achieve this was of course by hiking the (in)famous Klipspringer Trail once again. The summer heat was decidedly gone however so the going was a lot easier than the first time. I do feel a bit guilty for taking my friend out on what is a tough trail any time of the year and especially the last day was a bit of a struggle, but we made it in the end. I do hope the pain has gone by now, so if you're reading this please except my humble apologies once again for making you walk it...
taken the week off, and I was determined to see as much of the park as possible. And the best way to achieve this was of course by hiking the (in)famous Klipspringer Trail once again. The summer heat was decidedly gone however so the going was a lot easier than the first time. I do feel a bit guilty for taking my friend out on what is a tough trail any time of the year and especially the last day was a bit of a struggle, but we made it in the end. I do hope the pain has gone by now, so if you're reading this please except my humble apologies once again for making you walk it...We did have several great wildlife sightings along the way however, chief among which is 
without a doubt the mighty fish eagle that was resting on a tree along the river on day two of the trail. I managed to get a good snap of him (or her, tough to tell with fish eagles) as he flying off. We also had some very close encounters with three giraffe who did not notice us approaching until the last few meters and with a gemsbok (oryx) who was so lost in his own thoughts that he nearly ran us over.
without a doubt the mighty fish eagle that was resting on a tree along the river on day two of the trail. I managed to get a good snap of him (or her, tough to tell with fish eagles) as he flying off. We also had some very close encounters with three giraffe who did not notice us approaching until the last few meters and with a gemsbok (oryx) who was so lost in his own thoughts that he nearly ran us over.In the end we spent a great week discovering the park. It was especially important to me as 
having a friend from home come to visit made me realize that the world I left is still there and waiting for me to come back to it. That sounds a bit dramatic I know, but it is the truth. Although instead of making me want to come home again, this visit gave me new strength and motivation to live out here in remotest Africa until the end of the year. My friends will all still be there when I return and that thought keeps me going.
having a friend from home come to visit made me realize that the world I left is still there and waiting for me to come back to it. That sounds a bit dramatic I know, but it is the truth. Although instead of making me want to come home again, this visit gave me new strength and motivation to live out here in remotest Africa until the end of the year. My friends will all still be there when I return and that thought keeps me going.(Thanks for coming to visit me Hil, good luck with the research and see you on the flipside. Oh, and don't forget to take off your sunglasses when it gets too dark :P)
(The first day of the Trail, struggling through reedbeds)
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Up Close and Personal
If I have to judge from what my friends, family and random Brazilians have said about my blogging, I am carefully optimistic that my writing is not complete bollocks. Unfortunately I have one very harsh critic, myself, and "he" is constantly thinking of ways how to improve or change what I have written so far or am going to write in the future. One such personal criticism my sun-dried brain came up with recently is that the blog could use more intimate, personal observations or messages. Not that the previous postings haven't had their share of my own mind, but I can do one better I think.
I know what you're thinking. Just stop whining about it and just write already!
I will, rest assured, but I am not able to right now because of work related nonsense. By the way, I am not able to say that I do not have the time for it as those of you who have been to Africa know that there is no such abstract concept here. Unless maybe in the urban centres of South Africa but let's face it those might as well have been anywhere in the Western world. So time is not something I consider on a daily basis. Very refreshing I assure you.
So until I can sit down and write properly about what I haven't thought about yet I will send along some of issues that are clouding my thoughts at this very moment. (intense or what?)
1) "That's Mr. Banana Beak to you, Fuzzy!" - Explanation: as one half of my brain is constantly occupied with such things as work, walking, speaking, and gosh-that-eland-is-getting-rather-close, the other half is always playing back my favourite movies. The quotation is from one such movie...and if you do not know which than you have no business reading this blog (or you're not from my generation).
2) Oh yes...George W Bush. Just as a humvee that keeps crashing through wall after wall or house after house, the driver not knowing where the brakes are, so does President Bush rule the most powerful nation on the planet. Constantly knocking through walls which everyone assumed were indestructible. Pardoning Lewis "Scooter" Libby is the latest in a long and disturbing row of bad decisions. The sentencing of Libby could be considered as the last glimmer of hope that there was still some control over the US government's use of intelligence and war propaganda. Scooter exposed a CIA agent to journalists, jeopardizing not only said agent but also her husband who was a US diplomat at the time - a diplomat who was publicly against the war in Iraq. Such underhanded tactics have no place in a free country and Libby was justly sentenced for such a breach of national security. Fortunately for him his president did not abandon him, a protectionist "buddy" attitude which generally has no place in politics, especially if it concerns a convicted criminal. Libby still has to pay a significant fine and has two years probation, but not going to prison for 30 months will surely come as a relief to the man. Hopefully he will be able to make good use of his time now that his political career is finished...maybe an executive position at Halliburton?
3) The South African elections. A one-party system cannot be called a democracy and it is time for all South Africans to realize that it is now allowed to vote for another party besides the ANC. Freedom was achieved over 12 years ago now, surely the biggest step that had to be made, but since then the government has been struggling with the smaller (but not much less difficult) steps of running a complex country like South Africa. A lesson that I had hoped they had learned by now is that no one party (or one person) should remain in power for more than, say, ten years. Change in politics is important for a smooth-running democracy. Because if there is no fear of an election loss politicians will eventually become placated and lazy, it's as simple as that. President Mbeki said that he might consider running as the ANC candidate again and likely become president for a third term. And why shouldn't he? He faces little or no oposition, especially from other parties, and no doubt he has grown used to the trappings of office, the curse of almost all post-colonial African leaders. But in the end it is the people's choice that will determine the country's future, for better or for worse. I hope they have grown as weary as I have with the ANC.
...more to come.
P.S. It is now possible for anybody to post comments on this blog, no need to log in anymore.
I know what you're thinking. Just stop whining about it and just write already!
I will, rest assured, but I am not able to right now because of work related nonsense. By the way, I am not able to say that I do not have the time for it as those of you who have been to Africa know that there is no such abstract concept here. Unless maybe in the urban centres of South Africa but let's face it those might as well have been anywhere in the Western world. So time is not something I consider on a daily basis. Very refreshing I assure you.
So until I can sit down and write properly about what I haven't thought about yet I will send along some of issues that are clouding my thoughts at this very moment. (intense or what?)
1) "That's Mr. Banana Beak to you, Fuzzy!" - Explanation: as one half of my brain is constantly occupied with such things as work, walking, speaking, and gosh-that-eland-is-getting-rather-close, the other half is always playing back my favourite movies. The quotation is from one such movie...and if you do not know which than you have no business reading this blog (or you're not from my generation).
2) Oh yes...George W Bush. Just as a humvee that keeps crashing through wall after wall or house after house, the driver not knowing where the brakes are, so does President Bush rule the most powerful nation on the planet. Constantly knocking through walls which everyone assumed were indestructible. Pardoning Lewis "Scooter" Libby is the latest in a long and disturbing row of bad decisions. The sentencing of Libby could be considered as the last glimmer of hope that there was still some control over the US government's use of intelligence and war propaganda. Scooter exposed a CIA agent to journalists, jeopardizing not only said agent but also her husband who was a US diplomat at the time - a diplomat who was publicly against the war in Iraq. Such underhanded tactics have no place in a free country and Libby was justly sentenced for such a breach of national security. Fortunately for him his president did not abandon him, a protectionist "buddy" attitude which generally has no place in politics, especially if it concerns a convicted criminal. Libby still has to pay a significant fine and has two years probation, but not going to prison for 30 months will surely come as a relief to the man. Hopefully he will be able to make good use of his time now that his political career is finished...maybe an executive position at Halliburton?
3) The South African elections. A one-party system cannot be called a democracy and it is time for all South Africans to realize that it is now allowed to vote for another party besides the ANC. Freedom was achieved over 12 years ago now, surely the biggest step that had to be made, but since then the government has been struggling with the smaller (but not much less difficult) steps of running a complex country like South Africa. A lesson that I had hoped they had learned by now is that no one party (or one person) should remain in power for more than, say, ten years. Change in politics is important for a smooth-running democracy. Because if there is no fear of an election loss politicians will eventually become placated and lazy, it's as simple as that. President Mbeki said that he might consider running as the ANC candidate again and likely become president for a third term. And why shouldn't he? He faces little or no oposition, especially from other parties, and no doubt he has grown used to the trappings of office, the curse of almost all post-colonial African leaders. But in the end it is the people's choice that will determine the country's future, for better or for worse. I hope they have grown as weary as I have with the ANC.
...more to come.
P.S. It is now possible for anybody to post comments on this blog, no need to log in anymore.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)