Girls will be Girls

Parents of 27 girls who were expelled from a school in KwaZulu-Natal are taking on the authorities. The pupils were kicked out of the school hostel after being accused of being lesbians. Parents are demanding the school take the learners back or they will take the matter to court. It all started after two girls were apparently seen kissing in a dormitory. They were apparently reported to the principal who then allegedly forced the high school girls to identify all those with similar relationships. All sounds like a storm in a b cup to me. With South Africa having a high rate of school pregnancies surely some fooling around between consenting girls is minor stuff. Let the girls get back to classes! South Africa has the most liberal constitution in the world and this case has caused a lot of head scratching. At what age can one be protected against discrimination on gender grounds. We await the outcome of the hearings. There is no truth in the rumour that the Katy Perry song "I kissed a girl and Liked it" has been banned at the school. Stay tuned!

Elephants and Mad Hatters

Have we moved into the realm of the Mad Hatter? South Africans are accustomed to weird and wonderful happenings but this one ranks pretty high. An internationally acclaimed artist Andries Botha becomes famous for his Elephant sculptures. The Durban City Council thinks it’s a good idea to have some placed at a strategic entrance to Durban. He duly proceeds with the project. All of a sudden one of the ruling party heavies stops his SUV on the freeway and demands that work on the sculptures cease forthwith. The "heavy" says elephants are the logo of the IFP opposition party and have no place in an ANC run city. When the deputy mayor is asked for clarification he says "the commission must have “slipped through the cracks. What they really want is the “Big Five” to be represented" Council will debate the matter further. In the mean time the Durban Metro becomes the laughing stock of the art world.

Peace or Pieces

At a Peace workshop today in Durban an interesting group of people gathered to discuss how to get along with each other. The occasion was to celebrate twenty years of Mandelas release and the Mandela foundation was the main sponsor. Durban's Albert Park has had its own share of xenophobic attacks. Last year foreigners were thrown to their deaths off buildings. A local city councilor has been accused of instigating the mob and was apparently captured on security cameras. The very same man was a guest speaker today. Truly the world is a strange place. Also present was a man who claims to have walked from Kenya a number of years ago. He believes there should be no borders and people should be free to go where they please. He dresses in traditional Massai regalia and is well spoken. For more info check his webpage http://www.maasaiwarrior.com

House of Death

Eleven children and adults died in this house. Burnt beyond recognition. Sarah Holland was one of those people that was called to help others. She took in in all those in need be they orphans or just people down on their luck. Twenty one of them lived in this farm house just outside Newcastle in Kwa Zulu Natal South Africa. Somehow a fire started early in the morning and pandemonium ensured. Screaming children were overcome by the smoke and flames the adults including Sarah managed to pull out ten of them before they too perished. Firemen and police who arrived on the scene were reduced to tears and in a state of shock. Outside the horses, cows, sheep and pigs continued to graze and frolic in the warm sun.Such is life. May they rest in peace.

Enough is Enough

Residents of Ntshawini near KwaDukuza on the KwaZulu-Natal north coast reckon they are tired of asking officials to install speed control measures on this notorious stretch of road. This morning they tore up road signs and threw rocks at cars and then blockaded the road with rubble, rubbish and poles.This after the death of two children who were knocked down by cars yesterday. They say there have been so many hit and runs over the years with no prosecutions. The fire department under a heavy police escort hosed most of the rubbish off the road by midday.

Slowly but Surely

Durban's new beachfront is grinding painfully along. City fathers promise all will be complete in time for the football. Beautiful wide paved promenades stretching for seven kilometers will be the envy of the world. Strollers cyclists and joggers will eventually have their day. Out with low bush's and Australian trees and in with palms and wide open spaces. Begone greasy vendors like the Excell and Starfish restaurants..tear them down and start afresh. Let there be no place to hide. In the meantime kids use the giant sandbags that will become the foundations of the paved walk ways as jumping gyms. Some benches face directly onto hoardings but soon all will be revealed. Now if someone can just stop that darned east wind from depositing tons of sand on the new promenade.

Man with a mission

One man one wheel seems to be the mantra of one Geoff Brink. He is attempting to cycle from Durban to Cape Town a mere 1 700 kms on his 36" unicycle. Why? To raise awareness for landmine victims. Yes folks can you believe some fiend sits in a workshop/factory somewhere and designs a device that when stood on leaps out the ground and takes your face off. Nice people us humans aren't we. Follow the tour and see the man with no face at www.fredhatman.co.za

End of An Era

The Lady that the media sometimes called Ms Beetroot/garlic et al has succumbed. Dr Mantombazana Tshabalala-Msimang fondly remembered by some as Manto died of liver failure. The same liver that was transplanted into her two years ago from a young teenager. At the memorial service in Durban speaker after political speaker waxed on about her many achievements. This included speaking fluent Russian to helping the poor. Little mention was made of her AIDS stance on ARV's. Bizarrely one HIV pos lady went to the podium and addressed the packed city hall and praised Manto for her work in the AIDS environment. Strangely there were no speakers from the families of the alleged thousands who were denied the life saving drugs during the Manto/Mbeki reign. Another speaker claimed that he never heard of any death due to Manto's policies. A bit like Alice in Wonderland. I personally will always remember her for freeing up my sensitive asthmatic lungs with her bans on smokers in public places. May she rest in peace.

Floods and Droughts

They came they talked they argued they fought they got loaded into police vans. There was plenty of action as well as inaction at Copenhagen depending on which side you stood. I wondered how many of the protesters had flown there or used other means of transport that made their own contribution to the CO2 emissions. Still I guess they meant well. I heard one of the young protest delegates from a first world country saying the solution was simply to stop buying stuff. I assume she meant other than food and medicine. I once read about an experiment where one did not buy any new item barring food and medicine for a period of about six months to a year. In the meantime back at the Durban ranch a group of children from the Merebank area sang and danced and did their own little protest. As far as I am aware it was the only one in my area. The rest of us simply got on with burning fossil fuels.

Wet and Wild

So finally the new Soccer stadium built for the world cup was opened.Two local teams played each other and a total of 22 000 fans were allowed into the 50 000 plus venue. Touted as a dry run it was anything but. In typical Durban summer fashion there was a steady gentle rain falling throughout the day. No expense was spared on this state of the art stadium and nearly R3 billion later it was all systems go. As I stood on the fourth level well back from the covered roof I wondered why everything was sopping wet including the fancy new work station areas for journalists. I looked up and a gentle fine spray fell from the now covered roof. Maybe the stadium was designed for Durban's winters when there is very little rain ...who knows? If I had coughed up R3b I would want some answers.

Home Sweet Home

A young man repeatedly battles to get an ID document from the state. He needs the ID to get a job which he has been offered. They say he has no birth certificate, tear up his application papers and chase him away. He goes home to his shack and hangs himself. Apart from the tragic suicide this is a common occurrence in SA when one deals with Home Affairs officials. After this all hell breaks loose. The officials are fired, the national minister arrives and before you know it the red carpet is rolled out. The sister is presented with a brand new fully furnished home (donated by "local businessmen") and everyone puts on a brave face. They even present her with a brand new birth certificate and ID book of her now deceased brother. A convey of over a hundred vehicles including ambulances, medical staff and security attends the hand over. Never a dull moment in SA.

Almost there

After driving home through Durban's Warwick Triangle for the past 38 years I wonder if I will miss the buzz on the ground. Come April 2010 I will soar with the eagles or maybe just the pigeons thanks to the World Cup Soccer. Wonder how long until some fool does literally fly off this amazing piece of engineering. Hope not.

Suffer the children

For years there have been mysterious deaths at this modern hospital in Phoenix near Durban. Health minister after health minister have done the rounds but still the babies keep dying. Locals protest about everything from nepotism to corruption and mount regular marches to the hospital. Nothing happens.... Enquiries and commissions are established but thus far no results have been produced. Just another day in SA. In the latest march protesters vowed to give the Mahatma Gandhi hospital six months to produce answers and there after court action will be taken. Don't hold your breath! (Update Mar 2010 Guess what nothing happened except a 15 yr old who accompanied a sick 11 yr old gets raped in the hospital by one of the staff)

Litter

Yesterday I walked from Umhlanga Rocks to Durban along the beach. A distance of 15kms. The last five kms before the Umgeni river is pretty isolated and part of a nature reserve. This also means there are no regular cleanups of the beach. One passes endless debris that has been washed up from our consumerist society. Much is probably from the Umgeni river.Over time the worlds oceans have been covered with this junk and now marine animals are dying at a rapid rate. If you have the stomach for more of these horrific photos then take a look at http://www.chrisjordan.com/current_set2.php?id=11 I rest my case

And now for something completely Different

Today I took a ride on my old XT 250 to the Inanda Dam. My friend Budgie accompanied me on his trusty Chinese bike. Just as well as my GPS co ords told me to travel in the opposite direction. (and these were supplied to me by a pilot) We had come to see the opening of the "Worlds first Zero Carbon Home for AIDS orphans" A young couple from the UK decided to reinvent the wheel. The result is rather startling at first. A double story thatched hut using the finest materials powered by a wind turbine and solar heaters. Five AIDS orphans will soon take up residence here looked after by a house mother. They will taken to top schools by boat each day across the massive Inanda dam. A whole set of interesting dynamics could arise with the rest of the locals who will fend for themselves. Nonetheless this UK couple have put their money where their mouths are and have already adopted two of the thousands of orphans that South Africa has. Want to know more go to http://www.project-o.org/ Watch this space for a short video clip to follow.

Smoke on the Water

They came they played and they had a good time. Nearly a thousand guitar players ranging from tots to ballies (mature men) thrashed away to the classic Deep Purple rock hit "Smoke on the Water" The idea was to set a new world record for most guitars playing one song. Seems like the current holders Deutzland will retain the title for now but be warned "we haff vays unt means" next year this motly lot vowed to re gather and re tune to bring the record to South Africa. Yours truly managed to bust a string during the mayhem while thrashing away. I'll be back!

(If the video is not working try the links to my videos at the top right)

Up She Rises

Durban's new multi billion rand soccer stadium dominates for miles. Looking like some giant UFO that landed it has already drawn plenty of controversy. Ratepayers are worried what will happen after the chaps that kick balls around have returned to their countries. Plans for a gym and speciality shops have been touted. Tourists will also be able to ride a funicular to the top of the arch for a 360 degree view of Durban. Only time will tell.

Horses for Courses

Not quite the Durban July but that did not deter thousands of rural folk from rocking up to the Dundee showgrounds. Now in it's third year these rural racing gigs are proving popular. Some may not have saddles and the horses are a little suspect but these young jockeys know how to get around a track. They come from as far as neighbouring Lesotho dressed in their traditional blankets riding their traditional ponies. This year the fashion sizzled with everything from modern to the traditional.

Beirut by the sea

Not to worry all be be complete for the massive influx of tourists come the 2010 world cup. Right now though Addington beach looks like a set for a war movie. The old life guard building is being demolished and the beach has disappeared under a mountain of sand as foundations consisting of 8 meters of stacked sandbags are being laid for the new promenade. In the mean time surfing icon Shaun Thompson was summoned to the city managers office for a chat on the status of Durban's beaches. What with ever diminishing waves some claim because of sand being washed away because of the open pier designs and one of the premier surfing competitions the Mr Price Pro migrating up the coast to Ballito for the next three years I'm sure there was plenty to share a cup of tea over. Would love to be a fly on the wall at that meeting!

Doctors on the March

May 29 2009 History was made as thousands of doctors nationwide downed stethoscopes and took to the streets. I spoke to a patient who could only hop on one leg and had the use of one arm after a motor bike accident. He had elected to go home as there were no doctors to help him with further ops. He was fully behind the strike and said conditions at King Edward Hospital were real bad. The government has since upped some of the wages but many doctors are still not happy with conditions and vow there could be further action at any time. In the meantime SA's brand new subs costing billions lie mostly idle due to lack of suitable crew and other technical problems.