My South Africa

“My South Africa is the working-class man who called from the airport to return my wallet without a cent missing. It is the white woman who put all three of her domestic worker’s children through the same school that her own child attended. It is the politician in one of our rural provinces, Mpumalanga, who returned his salary to the government as a statement that standing with the poor had to bemore than just a few words. It is the teacher who worked after school hours every day during the public sector strike to ensure her children did not miss out on learning.
My South Africa is the first-year university student in Bloemfontein who took all the gifts she received for her birthday and donated them – with the permission of the givers – to a home for children in an Aids village. It is the people hurt by racist acts who find it in their hearts to publicly forgive the perpetrators. It is the group of farmers in Paarl who started a top school for the children of farm workers to ensure they got the best education possible while their parents toiled in the vineyards. It is the farmer’s wife in Viljoenskroon who created an education and training centre for the wives of farm labourers so that they could gain the advanced skills required to operate accredited early-learning centers for their own and other children.
My South Africa is that little white boy at a decent school in the Eastern Cape who decided to teach the black boys in the community to play cricket, and to fit them all out with the togs required to play the gentelman’s game. It is the two black street children in Durban, caught on camera, who put their spare change in the condensed milk tin of a white beggar. It is the Johannesburg pastor who opened up his church as a place of shelter for illegal immigrants. It is the Afrikaner woman from Boksburg who nailed the white guy who shot and killed one of South Africa’s greatest freedom fighters outside hishome.
My South Africa is the man who went to prison for 27 years and came out embracing his captors, thereby releasing them from their impending misery. It is the activist priest who dived into a crowd of angry people to rescue a woman from a sure necklacing. It is the former police chief who fell to his knees to wash the feet of Mamelodi women whose sons disappeared on his watch; it is the women who forgave him in his act of contrition. It is the Cape Town university psychologist who interviewed the ‘Prime Evil’ in Pretoria Centre and came away with emotional attachment, even empathy, for the human being who did such terrible things under apartheid.
My South Africa is the quiet, dignified, determined township mother from Langa who straightened her back during the years of oppression and decided that her struggle was to raise decent children, insist that they learn, and ensure that they not succumb to bitterness or defeat in the face of overwhelming odds. It is the two young girls who walked 20kms to school everyday, even through their matric years, and passed well enough to be accepted into university studies. It is the student who takes on three jobs, during the evenings and on weekends, to find ways of paying for his university studies.
My South Africa is the teenager in a wheelchair who works in townships serving the poor. It is the pastor of a Kenilworth church whose parishioners were slaughtered, who visits the killers and asks them for forgiveness because he was a beneficiary of apartheid. It is the politician who resigns on conscientious grounds, giving up status and salary because of an objection in principle to a social policy of her political party. It is the young lawman who decides to dedicate his life to representing those who cannot afford to pay for legal services.
My South Africa is not the angry, corrupt, violent country whose deeds fill the front pages of newspapers and the lead-in items on the seven-o’-clock news. It is the South Africa often unseen, yet powered by the remarkable lives of ordinary people. It is the citizens who keep the country together through millions of acts of daily kindness.” -Jonathan Jansen

Some of the best scenic drives in South Africa

Chapmans Peak, Franschoek - Villiers - Grabouw, Swartbergpas, Vrystaat, Maluti's

 

Meanders and Routes

http://www.malotidrakensbergroute.com/
http://www.route62.co.za/
http://www.south-north.co.za/
http://www.midlandsmeander.co.za/
http://www.magaliesmeander.co.za/

http://blog.getaway.co.za/food/wine/franschhoek-wine-tram/

Look to South Africa

Look to South Africa


By Erik Rush (Bio and Archives)  Saturday, March 2, 2013 Comments | Print friendly | Subscribe | Email Us 41

In my view, the most frustrating phenomenon relative to the reign of President Barack Obama is the unreserved sycophantic dedication held for him by the media. Indeed, a plethora of actions taken by his administration should have been enough to have him voted out of office, impeached, or indicted by now, but he has been shielded by the press and lionized by the entertainment media.

The intellectual dishonesty and outright duplicity of the press is not restricted to on-air deceptions regarding Obama, or even domestic issues. The aggregate compromise of America’s representation globally is being misrepresented, as are international events.

One of the most tragic and dramatic examples of this is the transformation that has taken place in the Republic of South Africa since the end of minority white governance in 1994. “Into the Cannibal’s Pot: Lessons for America From Post-Apartheid South Africa” by author and columnist Ilana Mercer reveals not only how the conceit of Western liberal elites served to bring down one of the most prosperous nations in the West, but how the same motivations and methods are at work in America’s decline.

Mercer was born in South Africa, and her father was a staunch and active opponent of the policy of apartheid; it is for this reason that her family was forced to leave in the 1960s. She returned in the 1980s, and now bears witness to how Marxists and liberal elites worldwide conspired to destroy this nation under the pretext of Social Justice.

SA in trouble

Cape Town Cruise departs

http://www.cruisecompete.com/vacations/departs/cape_town/1

Movies 2013

http://screencrush.com/the-most-anticipated-movies-of-2013/?utm_source=zergnet.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=zergnet_40389

Street Soiree Stellenbosch

http://wineroute.co.za/stellenbosch_street_soiree.asp

Dakar day2

South African Map

Largest Puzzle in South Africa 32,256 pieces

Unpacked at Yuppie Gadgets The LARGEST JIGSAW PUZZLES (32,256 pieces) in the world HAVE ARRIVED IN SOUTH AFRICA- are you up to the challenge? They come in eight different bags and each bag forms one of the either different parts of the puzzle. In fact this puzzle is so big it comes with its own trolley (no extra charge).

Table Mountain

Vote for Table Mountain

Table Mountain is now officially one of the New7Wonders of Nature! Join us at Grand Parade by 7pm this evening to celebrate this.

See more pics from the mountain this weekend: http://tablemountain.net/blog/entry/table_mountain_inauguration_weekend_twitter_pictures/

Top 10 Movies Filmed in Cape Town

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Posted by Capetonian in Cape Town Highlights, Cape Town News | 0 Comments and 0 Reactions

Cape Town is similar to Hollywood in many respects: both are close to the sea, located at the base of a mountain and full of beautiful people. But they also have one more thing in common – both are popular film locations.
Cape Town’s film industry is one that contributes greatly to the Mother city’s economy and international flavour, and it’s booming, with more and more productions being shot here every year. Hollywood blockbusters, such as Safe House expose the beautiful city to the world.
The recently built Cape Town Film Studios, which is the first Hollywood-style film studio complex to be built in Africa, with state-of-the-art support services. The building encompasses studio facilities, custom-built sets, a green room, sound stages, production offices and more, and being situated in Cape Town, its location is perfect for taking advantage of a moderate climate and a variety of stunning venues and outdoor locations.
So this week, we’re counting down our top 10 movies filmed in Cape Town.

1. Chronicle (2012)
   Three high school friends gain superpowers after making an incredible discovery. Soon, though, they find their lives spinning out of control and their bond tested as they embrace their darker sides. Starring Dane DeHaan, Alex Russell, Michael B. Jordan.
2. Safe House (2012)
   A young CIA agent is tasked with looking after a fugitive in a safe house. But when the safe house is attacked, he finds himself on the run with his charge. Starring Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds, Robert Patrick.
3. Dark Tide (2012)
   A professional diver tutor returns to deep waters after 9 years, following an almost fatal encounter with a great white shark. The nightmare from the deep is still lurking – more carnivorous and hungry than ever. Starring Halle Berry, Olivier Martinez, Ralph Brown
4. Invictus (2009)
   Nelson Mandela, in his first term as the South African President, initiates a unique venture to unite the apartheid-torn land: enlist the national rugby team on a mission to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Directed by Clint Eastwood With: Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon, Tony Kgoroge.
5. The Last House on the Left (2009)
   After kidnapping and brutally assaulting two young women, a gang led by a prison escapee unknowingly finds refuge at a vacation home belonging the parents of one of the victims — a mother and father who devise an increasingly gruesome series of revenge tactics. Starring Garret Dillahunt, Monica Potter, Tony Goldwyn

Elephant overturns car in Kruger

http://blog.getaway.co.za/wildlife/elephant-overturns-car-kruger/

Cape Town for City of the Year

Cape Town has been shortlisted by the Wall Street Journal as 'Most Innovative City of the Year'. Help bring home the title by voting on 19 October: http://online.wsj.com/ad/cityoftheyear

You voted, we counted. As we finalize our list of the top three most innovative cities in the world, keep learning about the nominees below — and return to this site on October 19 to vote for the city of your choice.

Jakaranda Bome Pretoria

Zumaville

National Braai Day

http://www.facebook.com/nationalbraaiday
http://braai.com/

Braai recipes, braai advice, braai words, National Braai Day, Jan Braai 

– the world's top braai resource!

Cape Town Slang

Your Guide to Cape Town Slang

Awê, get the low-down on the Mother City’s colourful colloquialisms and sayings, ek sê...
Slang and colloquialisms are prolific in Cape Town; a fact that’s far from surprising in a nation that claims 11 official languages and in a city that’s home to an eclectic mix of cultures. That said, locals in the Mother City and in the surrounding Western Cape, more so than, arguably, other South African provinces, have their own unique way of talking smack and waxing lyrical.
Much of the credit for the area’s broad spectrum of slang and colloquialisms is owed to the coloured people from the Cape Flats, a population vibrant in every way, but most famously, for the in the way in which they communicate. Though, ultimately, words, sound bytes and sayings from all of the nation’s official languages inject themselves into casual conversations, potent road rage and cheesy pick-up lines.
So, if you’re planning a visit to Cape Town, if you’re new to the city or if you simply need to brush up on your bantering act, then look no farther; we’ve put together a beginner’s guide to Cape Town slang and colloquialisms, complete with our version of accented pronunciation.
Ag (ah-ch): An expression of irritation or resignation. “Ag no man!” “Ag, these things happen”
Awê (ah-weh): A greeting. “Awê, brother!”
Babbelas (bah-bah-luss): Derived from the isiZulu word, ‘i-babalazi’, meaning drunk; adopted into the Afrikaans language as a term for ‘hangover’. “I have a serious babbelas!”
Bakkie (bah-kee): 1. A bowl. “Put those leftovers in a bakkie.” 2. A pick-up truck.  “We all jumped on the back of my dad’s bakkie and went to the beach.”
Befok (buh-fawk): 1. Really good, amazing, cool. “The Symphonic Rocks concert is going to be befok!” 2. Crazy, mad, insane. “You tried to put your cat in the braai? Are you befok?”
Bergie (bear-ghee): Derived from berg, Afrikaans for ‘mountain’. Originally used to refer to vagrants living in the forests of Table Mountain, the word is now a mainstream term used to describe vagrants in Cape Town.
Bra (brah), bru (brew): Derived from broer, Afrikaans for ‘brother’; a term of affection for male friends; equivalent to dude. “Howzit my bru!” “Jislaaik bra, it’s been ages since I last saw you!”

Taxi problem in South Africa

It gets worse......................