WEEK 16 MIDDELBURG, EASTERN CAPE IN THE BO-KAROO ROAD TRAFFIC PEOPLE MIGRATING

Video clip of truckers on the national road near Middelburg, Eastern Cape

My blog attracts viewers from Russia and Romania – the bulk is however from the USA. I would appreciate it if you guys from Russia and Romania as well as the land where Trump is up to his shenanigans and old Biden whose ancestors hail from Ireland, lives, will get in touch with me. I have no idea whatsoever why people from Russia or for that matter Romania, will look at my blog! I say to you: WELCOME and please continue and to write me a story. Once again: WELCOME

How do people migrate? It is a phenomenon since creation of mankind. People migrate. How? This morning on my way to a friend of mine, I see people migrating: always on the go to live somewhere else.

I heard my refugee-clients telling me how they fled the atrocities of their countries, fleeing to the land of milk and honey: South Africa. How? Walking [a better description is probably: fighting their way thru the bush] thru thick bushes. Escaping lions. Swimming rivers and the lucky ones got thru; the unlucky ones are devoured by crocodiles. Or their fellow country men killing them with machetes – by the thousands in 100 days.

Others were hiding under tarpaulins on the trailers behind the big trucks that are on our roads. Still, others, approaching border posts, were hiding from customs and excise personnel; fortunately, some of these customs officers can become blind instantly – especially when enough money is exchanged. Some are so intoxicated of some weird and dangerous concoction that they lie under these tarpaulins unable to move or even to call out! Yet, they register what is going on and that they have to keep quiet, yet they do so involuntary because of the diabolical workings of the concoctions.

The wide open spaces of the Eastern Cape, South Africa

On the national highway between Capetown and Johannesburg these trucks are coming fast and furious from the opposite direction either going to Egoli or on its way to the quay in Capetown. And then I remember when I was very young, practicing the subtle and noble art of hitch-hiking, I was picked up many a time by a trucker. Sometimes the driver was kind and let me sit in the front with him. Mostly, you sat at the back of the truck – have you ever sat on the back of a heavy-duty trailer facing “backwards” so to speak, in other words not facing the way you are travelling? Well – I won’t forget.

The blazing sun in the Bo-Karoo near Middelburg Eastern Cape

When the moon is shining from above and you are freezing on that trailer, charging thru the Bo-Karoo you have the wonderful opportunity to watch faster going vehicles approaching and then overtaking your benefactor and disappearing in the dark night. And you know you are somewhere in Africa and that somewhere is South Africa. And more exactly, you know for sure you are travelling on a trailer with your back to somewhere and you are going somewhere. It is a physical and spiritual awareness on that heavy-duty trailer facing backwards on a moonlit night in the Karoo.

And now, now that I am an older man, I am travelling in my own vehicle and I do remember those days. And my wife is with me and we celebrated our 50^th wedding anniversary on the road to Capetown because she is a botanical artist and she is exhibiting two of her paintings at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. Here is the link to that exhibition with her paintings amongst 63 other botanical artists of South Africa.

ESKOM pylons in the veld of the Bo-Karoo, near Middelburg

The wide open spaces of the Bo-Karoo are just a blur of images

I remember how many years ago, unmarried and travelling from the Caprivi Zipfel to my love waiting for me in Roodepoort. I got a hitch from the heart of the Caprivi Zipfel in a real old British army Land Rover who dropped me slapdash in the middle of the wild Southern Africa bush of Botswana. I remember clearly, he told me that he was going to turn right at a specific bush going due south thru Botswana. Then all of a sudden, he tells me: “Do you see that big one right in front of us? Yes, that huge tree on the right! I will drop you there. OK?”

And it was OK with me because I was going straight, if you can call it straight thru the bush to Rhodesia. And there I was standing with my luggage on a wide gravel road in Botswana in the wilderness: waiting for another lift. I was standing in the bush and it was far from quiet: I heard the Landrover engine fading away leaving me to listen to the bush.

My motto was: if there is a road, there will be a vehicle and that driver will stop and take me with.

There I was, standing in the blazing hot Botswana sun waiting and looking at elephants having a big ball of a party in the Zambezi River not far from me. They were splattering and cajoling in the river not too far from me and I was watching them. That was more or less 1971. Some time, heh?

Over the tree tops, I saw something akin to dust or smoke rising – can it be my next hitch? Or what is it? What is that smoke? Coley Hall-trucks were all over the place and it was one of those; he stopped and I hopped on. Off we were going like mad thru the African bush fast approaching the Rhodesian border – not the Zimbabwean border because Zim was only a living concept in the terrorists’ minds. Zimbabwe. You remember the Zimbabwean Ruins? Well, now it is something else. I see it is called THE GREAT ZIMBABWEAN RUINS. No, I was not going to see those ruins, I was on my way to South Africa hitching trucks and anything else that will pick me up.

Sitting in the front of that Coley Hall truck, I had a very good outlook over these trees of Botswana, Zambia and Rhodesia: those greens were fascinating. All different shades or green with shocking blue skies that you get in Africa. And then I saw smoke rising in the distance. Surely the bush is on fire! And that is dangerous. My driver/guide was so gentle with me, obviously unskilled in the ways of the foreign bush. “No,” he said to me “It is not smoke. It is moise-a-tunya!” And he waited for my next question: “What on earth is moise-a-tunya?” “Oh.” He said. “It is the smoke that thunders.” And he kept quiet.

Looking back now to that conversation, I realise what a masterful story-teller he was. A simple truckdriver? A skilled conversationalist and master craftsman of stories of the bush of Africa. He was also a master teacher to re-interpret history. He explained: “That is what you whiteys refer to as Victoria Falls.” Of course, he was spot on; it is a European construct: Victoria Falls. It was to honour a queen sitting somewhere in a place called the United Kingdom. We grew up with the “scientific knowledge” that the great explorer David Livingstone have “discovered” it. Not so! Not so by far. The indigenous peoples of that land knew it even before David was an excited speck in his father’s eyeballs. That was way back when I learned this history lesson.

The heading refers to Middelburg in the Eastern Cape and my short video clip is of trucks on the national highway north and south bound. My wife and I were on our way back home in Rivonia, Johannesburg, Gauteng from a round trip of more than 3300 kilometers. It was my 73^rd birthday and our 50^th wedding anniversary. And to celebrate her first botanical art exhibition at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens of South Africa. This is a story for another blog post – I got distracted and ended up reminiscing my road trip thru the southern part of southern Africa using my thumb to bum lifts from all and sundry.

Please write me your story: neelscoertse@wirelessza.co.za

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Week 15 Leeza Theron and 50- and 1-day years married

Myself, Leeza Theron and my wife Annemarié

This photograph of me, my wife Annemarié and Leeza Theron were taken exactly 50 years and 1 day after our marriage. Leeza was one of three flower girls at out marriage in Middelburg, Transvaal, now Mpumalanga. Yes, we got married on Friday 13 April 1973.

Leeza Theron [Haycock], Lorraine Brandon, Annemarie Coertse & Hanlie Haycock

My parents Mr & Mrs Coertse Snr, CJC & AC, parents in law Mr & Mrs Haycock

Paintings by Leeza 1992 that she presented to my wife

Annemarié visited Leeza and her husband in London 1992 when Leeza painted these two flower paintings for her. And we hung it in our sitting room ever since.

Two of Annemarié’s botanical paintings were accepted for exhibition in Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens for the Contemporary Botanical Art exhibition Plant2023 from 14 April 2023 - 25 April 2023. And because it coincided with my 73^rd birthday, we decided to attend and to celebrate this wonderful event in Capetown. Part and parcel were to meet Leeza – she and her family are living in that area and she teaches Afrikaans for schoolchildren. She is still very excited about her children that she has the privilege to teach.

Annemarié and her two botanical paintings at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens 14 April 2023

We were waiting her arrival and at one stage I was alone at the table when I saw her coming. The plastic sheeting that protected us from the wind, clouded the view and it was somewhat difficult to identity her and for her to identify me. Then we made eye contact – and it was joy from the word go. I haven’t seen Leeza for some years while Annemarié had seen her some time ago. Well, we kept contact during these years and we are always in her presence with those two floral paintings since 1992 when Annemarié got it from her in the UK. We were much blessed by this meeting and we parted with heavy hearts and tears in our eyes.

She told us a story, which in turn reminded me of Frank McCourt in his book TEACHER MAN, of how she teaches. She is no ordinary Afrikaans teacher in a posh English school. I hasten to add that she is no ordinary teacher! She is a drama queen.

Frank apparently was an innovative and highly creative teacher. He encouraged his learners to bring along recipe books for discussion. And he got some stiff opposition from the parents – what on earth would he do with that? Recipe books to class? Well, well, I never. Yet it is true.

And Leeza? What did she do with her schoolboys? The very same thing: bring recipes books with and they had a ball of a time discussings this. And to top it all, they started cooking on a Friday – cooking while talking Afrikaans.

And she tells us a moving story about this troubled old soul who felt neglected and rejected by all and sundry. His mom brought him to Leeza’s home for music lessons [piano]. And I can imagine the welcoming session she arranged for him, while his mother pushed off to go shopping.

This boy was not a novice in front of the piano; oh no, he had some certificates to show for his skills. And he was troubled; he had difficulty accepting himself for what he is and for what he wanted to be.

Leeza: “What would you like to drink? Coffee? Tea?” and she was already on her way to the kitchen. “You haven’t been here for some time, not so? Well, you will see that the piano is waiting for you in exactly the same spot when you last were here. Go ahead and play something for me while I prepared our tea and coffee.”

And he started playing. And she kept herself busy in the kitchen; she did not tell me this, but I just think that she took her time to let the boy get busy with the piano that he knew so well.

His reply to his erstwhile teacher? “Mam, thank you for accepting me for who I am.”  

I have a number of stories about our trip to the Cape and back, but that will have to wait for another day. On the way down stopping at Colesberg I met this ram who is about 3 years old – his story for later.

Please write me your story: neelscoertse@wirelessza.co.za

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Week 14 EASTER, THE EASTER BUNNIES, EASTER EGGS AND THE SILLY CROSS

 PHOTO OF JULIUS ALLEGEDLY REFERRING TO THE SILLY CROSS

Easter is on us. And we wish the other “Happy Easter.” What does that mean?

Easter is NOT about Easter bunnies or Easter Eggs being hidden in gardens for the “kiddies” to search for. This is way off the mark of the essence of Easter. There is NO resemblance to the real Easter at all. That is a way to detract the attention away from the real Easter story. And, in the meantime, it is really all about the silly [“folly”] cross of Jesus Christ! I am of the view that these silly Easter eggs and silly Easter bunnies are of the same ilk as what Julius allegedly said [bearing in mind that he disputes him saying that “garbage” as he referred to it].

Julius Malema is reported to have referred to the “little silly cross of Jesus.” With further reading it seems to me as if Julius is disputing this exact phrase – let’s give him the benefit. Having said that, let us just explore this saying and ask ourselves: is it a “silly cross”? This is not original thinking. St. Paul said that already in the first letter to the Corinthians chapter 1 – grab your Bible and read the entire chapter. He said it is foolishness for some.

See this link where he denies having said that “garbage.”

He said that they [meaning his cohorts] cannotwait for Jesus to deliver land to them. He was not even original in this saying. Please continue to read. In this TIK TOK video clip he states categorically that they are not religious. Well, Julius it is abundantly clear that you are not religious but thank you for just saying it yourself.

I, however, find corroboration in our Scriptures for the silly little Cross of Jesus Christ. The Cross is still anathema to the world. You have to save yourself!

If I understand the Gospels correctly, it is reported therein that the spectators were rather dismissive about Him hanging there, alone because his dapper disciples fled, bleeding, helpless and disfigured. The same crowd that hailed Him to be the Hero riding on a donkey, and plucking off their garments and throwing it onto the ground for the donkey to trample it [read Matthew 21: 2 and 5], that same crowd were besides themselves shouting: “Let Him be crucified. Let His blood on us and our children.” [read Matthew 27: 25 and please continue to read and read how He was mocked and belittled]. That was the extent of the derision of the world at that time. And now, we expect the world to see Him in a different light? What makes us believe that that will happen?

The soldiers standing next to the Cross were taunting: “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself.” [Luke 23: 37].

I read in Matthew 27: 39 – 40:

“And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”

I am sure you would agree with me that those were blasphemous words, not so?

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1: 18:

“For the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” [My emphasis].

Shall we substitute the word “folly” perhaps for “silly”? Then I did something further about this word “folly”, I took my Oxford THESAURUS and looked at that word and was I surprised – it is taking this word “folly” to the next level of thinking and expressing disgust. Disgust at the Cross of Jesus Christ.

Picture of the word folly

Let Julius rant and rave. Let him say what he wants about Christ. I am positive that nothing that he can come up with is new and earthshattering.

Do you remember many moons back there was an artist based in Capetown, as I remember, who painted Christ on the Cross as sufferingfrom aids? Do you remember? And what was the reaction? More or less the same reaction from us Christians. I am sure that His Cross is sufficient even for aid’s sufferers.

Picture of the painting of Christ as an aids sufferer

We are indeed living in a godless, blasphemous, murderous, corrupt world – not only in our beautiful rainbow nation, but internationally. Barbaric shall I also describe contemporary society. Just listen to any news bulletin and see how it covers the entire globe. Rape, money laundering, human trafficking, prostitution – the list is endless and it not the exclusive domain for South Africa.

While you are enjoying your Easter buns, think of the real meaning of Easter and the folly people go to, to rescue themselves and their followers. When your children and your grandchildren run around following clues to find the Easter eggs [that Easter bunnies produced], that are hidden in the gardens, think and ponder in your hearts what the real and true meaning of Easter is.

Please write me you story: neelscoertse@wirelessza.co.za

 

 

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Week 13 Riding in a safari vehicle in Johannesburg – not to avoid potholes, but to appreciate graffiti and street art

 Street art at its best at Hallowed Ground, City of Johannesburg

Today, Saturday 1 April 2023, I had a lovely experience on a safari vehicle in Johannesburg!! Yes, it is true. A gentleman with the name of Eelco Meyes conducts graffiti and street art tours on a safari vehicle in Johannesburg – we even had visitors from behind the boerewors-curtain that enjoyed this outing. You guessed it right: they were from Pretoria. The one young man confirmed to me that they got safely thru customs and excise early this morning. And now they have to go back to their place – let us remember them!! This link is next level.

I had a restricted view of the artworks because of my position in that vehicle. I sat at the left hand, with my friend on my right and another gentleman on his right. They also had restricted views from their sides but we made the best we can do with what we saw – and that was pretty awesome. I take it that it is part and parcel of game drives in safari vehicles in big cities such as Johannesburg: to have restricted views. I felt as if I was a tourist in my own city! And maybe I was just that: a tourist because I have been places, I have never before been at. And I saw the most incredible art, I have never seen before. That is how I felt when my wife and I were on a conducted tour at the Dome in the Free State back in 2019. I hasten to add that there were certain streets I have been before, but then there was art on the walls I have never seen there before.

I took about 32 photos and I think I should go back to add to my collection. I gladly give credit to each and every artist for their work. You are great and keep it up. Please go to my GALLERY page to have a look at these amazing art work. 

Have a look at these stunning artworks! Under the guidance of Eelco Meyes I learnt so much about it and I thank him for it and for the initiative to organise these tours. You can find him on Facebook as well. This is a sub-culture with its rules and conventions: respect one another and respect the copyright in the images. That is why I give due credit for these guys and I think it is fair use of their art and it is for information purposes. I have not painted anything; I am not able to do so. It is their work for us to enjoy.

I am aware of the emotions these images stir up; and I think most of these artists paint incredibly fast and can even run faster than they can paint!!

I have decided to publish all 32 photos I took, instead of describing it to you.

Here are some links to good websites in respect of graffiti and street art.

Please write me your story: neelscoertse@wirelessza.co.za

 

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