42nd Hill & Kwaggashoek

42nd Hill and Zebra Corners
September 17 through September 21.

We exchanged our “Good-byes” and “Thank yous” for wishes of “Safe journeys” and “Enjoy you stays” and became wards of the Harrismith Rotarians. Our new sets of adoptive parents.
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We have met extremely generous and well-tempered people throughout our entire journey and Harrismith was no exception. Is it possible that all South African Rotarians are congenial, big-hearted and happy to share insight into their country with strangers? Or are these the type of people that chose to host GSE teams? More likely the latter, but regardless, we perceived each club as being just as hospitable, if not more so, than the one prior. The memories we take home and keep forever will be of the people we have met. We will always speak of them and Rotarians with fondness, with respect, with reason and common sense in describing their lives in this exceptional place they call the Republic of South Africa.
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The Free State province is home to primarily the Afrikaners and Besotho peoples. As we move further east we come to Kwa-Zulu Natal where we encounter more Xhosa and Zulu cultures. Farther east along the coast in Durban, a large Indian population lives. We have not come across inter-racial marriage, not here in the interior. Such was strictly forbidden under Apartheid. As for a practical matter, the black and white cultures are too far removed from each other at this time. We suspect that the mixture of the races in some of the schools signal an eventual blending to some degree.
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The Harrismith Rotary club meets at the Lawn Bowling green and clubhouse. The locals have never heard of the Italian game of Bocce, but it looked to us as if the English influence here has caused the game to be elevated to that of golf. There’s a clubhouse, with bar and kitchen facilities, plaques, awards and evidence of tournaments – complete with photographs of champions!
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Rotarian Johan Kuun took us on a quick tour of 42nd Hill where we took “snappy-pics” of children playing much to their delight. Johan distributed coins. We felt a bit uneasy doing this, but were assured by our host and his dialogue with those we photographed that all was fine. We were participating in the white culture, as it’s existed for generations. I’m not sure how I would feel if a carload of tourists drove through my neighborhood and took “snappy-pics” of my son or me.
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Then again, to the credit of our hosts, they know and understand the plight of the blacks. They do what they can to employ those who are capable, establish business relationships with others and support educational, hospice and charitable organizations, which serve mostly, black populations. One Rotary project we were asked to consider supporting is that of a winter blanket distribution.
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The Besotho people traditionally wear blankets for warmth. We see blankets hanging on fences to air or dry after laundering. The club will take donations and purchase 1,000 blankets again this year (their winter begins in June, remember.) Blankets cost R60 ($8.30) each. They will distribute these in the 42nd Hill township.
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Tours included:
Hope House – a children’s home for neglected, abused or HIV+ children. The police, social services, and the courts for a minimum of 2 years place these. Many attend school in the township, as the goal is not to break what social structure they have. Some are sponsored by individuals and attend private schools. The Harrismith club plans on applying for matching grant funds to purchase a kombi (van) to transport the learners as taxi costs are mounting up. The center houses 25 children. Some 86 have been housed here since it opened. The center gets 60% of its funding from the government. The rest of its R45,000 ($6,225) monthly budget comes from donations, including much in food. Local churches sponsor some bedrooms. This entails providing furnishings. The place was in need of painting – a project for anyone wishing to travel down to Harrismith and take part!
Thiboloha – a school of 265 learners in Quaqua (recall the black community of 700,000) who are either blind, deaf, suffer from dyspraxia (hearing enabled but unable to speak – usually as a result of cerebral palsy) and severally mentally retarded. (Little political correctness here in this part of Africa). Director Minna Steyn, employed here for over 20 years, explained that children with disabilities are hidden in the black communities. They are stigmatized. Regardless of their tribe of origin, the deaf are taught South African Sign Language (SASL) as their primarily language and English as a second language. We were treated to a deaf-mute choir – a moving experience as some 20 students dressed in blue school uniform used SASL to “sing” along with a recording. The silent emotions expressed brought tears to our eyes. If this wasn’t enough, two of the children pantomimed poetry. This combination of dance, sign and facial expression with their teacher reciting for our ears melted our hearts.
The Magistrates Court – Emil visited the local court where Mag. Pratt and Chief Mag. Breyl shared a bit of South African judicial differences and similarities. The magistrates took great delight in this visit, it seems everyone we meet is more than happy to share a bit of their professional life. One item of note, the accused in criminal trials sits in the box reserved for them, while the defendant attorney sits along the side of the well next to the prosecutor. The court must first approve any conversation between counsel and client!
Mark, Cheri and Annie Rose visited a local primary school. The kids were both white and black. They were very attentive and very much interested in meeting us. They all appeared to be very well kept. The standards were similar to those in US. The children were very interested in America and asked about Halloween, Thanksgiving and whether any of us knew Beyonce Knowles or lived closed to her. They hugged us upon leaving.
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Now we’re not entirely sure what we did to deserve this unbelievable trip to District 9320 in South Africa. A stroke of fate, good Karma or dumb luck. That being said, we certainly have no idea what we did to deserve being pampered and treated to game drives, exceptional cuisine and unlimited drinks (we were good) at our two night stay at the Kwaggashoek Game Ranch.
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The Ranch sits on some 3,500 hectares (over 7,000 acres). There are rolling treeless veldts, wooded areas, pools, streams, valleys and cliffs. Our hosts Monte and Nadine Pienaar, along with baby Michael, left no want unfulfilled. The ladies stayed in a first rate and richly decorated chalet, complete with high thatched roof and porch over-looking a broad valley and small lake. Mark and Emil spent the night in basically a trailer with a tile roof, which collected the day’s heat like an oven. This was because the original lodge burned to the ground and is still in the rebuilding phase. Nevertheless, we spotted Hippopotamuses, white Rhinoceroses, Wart Hogs, Zebra, Giraffe, African Buffaloes, Impalas, Elands and Red Hartebeest all viewed on the game drives from the lofty perch on the four wheel drive truck.
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Friday September 22, off to Lesotho.