South Africa Travelog 2015

Friends and Family:

I am about to take off for South Africa for the International Women's Forum Cornerstone Conference and visits around Africa before and after the conference.  You can travel along with me on this blog

if you want to share the adventure.  The itinerary includes Johannesburg, Cape Town, Sun CIty/Pilanesburg National Park and Victoria Falls.

I flew from Phoenix to LA to Amsterdam and now am off to "Joburg"!

More soon!!

Thursday Morning, May 14 Home of Gill and Jim

The excitement begins!

A new adventure to an area I have never explored.

While I have been to Northern Africa (Tunisia and Morocco) I have never been to the Southern part of the continent.  My travels will take me to South Africa (Pilanesburg National Preserve and Sun City; Johannesburg and Cape Town) and to Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe and Zambia).  While in “Joburg,” I will attend the International Women’s Forum Cornerstone Conference.

The first leg is on Southwest from Phoenix to LAX; then on to Amsterdam on KLM and finally to Joburg.  I have the good fortune of staying with a friend of a friend (soon to become a friend of mine I am sure!), Gill, in Joburg and travelling with her in South Africa.  This is particularly nice since Jack is not traveling with me on this trip. Some of the meds he takes suppress his immune system and we found that he is susceptible to catching things that are hard to get rid of in 3^rd world areas.  So he is staying stateside during this adventure. 

      View of Home and Yard of Gill and Jim from the back yard....

Gill and Jim, my hosts, met me at the airport and whisked me away to their home in the northern suburbs of Joburg, called Bryanston.   Gill comes from London originally and Jim from Scotland.  They met when they both came to Zambia to work in 1976.  Gill’s background is Human Resources and Jim’s is accounting.  They have had their own work for others and built several businesses together.  Jim has retired and Gill is planning on doing so at the end of this year---or so she says!  From our initial conversations I think she will enjoy “slowing down” but I am not sure that she can give up the work she  loves.

We visited for a  while in their den where the tv had 1980s music, their was a fun bar and the game “rummy cube” on the table.  I just know we will have fun together!  (see below)

 They have great plants...some familiar!

                                    Jim in his Downstairs Bar

Thursday afternoon

May 14 Joburg         

My favorite drug, “No Jetlag” worked again!  I traveled halfway around the world (about 28 hours travel time altogether) and 9 hours time difference and I woke up about 6:30 a.m. here raring to go!  After a lovely bath, coffee and cereal and taking a few photos around the homestead, we took off to see Joburg.  Some general observations:

1.     Like many cities, there is sprawl-what was residential is now becoming business;

2.     This is a very clean city.  While we didn’t go into any of the crowded townships (like Soweto), the inner city, downtown and suburbs were all clean and the streets and highways were in great shape and there is much new growth (new buildings, new parks, etc.)

3.     Unlike many US cities, the suburbs that are middle class and upper classes are integrated.

4.     The shopping centers have mostly the same shops you might see in any large city in the world.

5.     There is a lot of theatre here: small and large spaces, as well as music venues and other arts.

The weather was spectacular-75-80s, balmy breeze and  9% humidity—just perfect.  The sun was shining and the sky brilliant blue. 

We drove South from Bryanston  through Randburg and other lovely suburbs to downtown Johannesburg.  Saw several spectacular sculptures along the way and in town some beautiful street art.   

A number of the warehouse buildings downtown are being converted into office and cultural spaces and we passed by those.   

 One of the theatres---

                            Mosaic in the theatre lobby 

 

We also saw many of these wooden heads around the arts area

We saw some of the historic buildings created after gold and diamonds were discovered and business followed.  At the Anglo-American Corporate headquarters, we saw some beautiful architectural details and sculpture.

I was told that for decades, the leaders of this company and the 7 major mine companies would meet and dine on gold dishes and cutlery and set the price of gold for the month:  for the world!

This area is referred to as Marshalltown.  It was named after James Marshall, a Scot who left Scotland for health reasons and became a developer of Johannesburg (married the sister of  Johann Rissik who is supposedly the name sake for the town), and was a director of many mining companies.  He financed a number of companies including a local brewery and co-founded Marshalltown which became the market hub for  the town in the late 1800s where food was sold and disputed claims resolved.

                                  View of central business district

This area illustrates the impact of early settlers who came from other parts of the world.  Another was Dr. Hans Merensky  a German geologist who discovered much of South Africa’s mineral wealth and an early soil and water conservationist.  An incredible legacy was created and left for Africa by this man:  Throughout his professional career, Dr Hans Merensky was a geologist and prospector. He discovered the rich deposit of alluvial diamonds at Alexander bay in Namaqualand, Namibia; vast platinum and chrome reefs at Lydenburg, Rustenburg and Potgietersrus in South Africa, which led to some of the largest platinum mines in the world; phosphates and copper at Phalaborwa in the Northern Province of South Africa; gold in South Africa's Free State Province; and the world's biggest chrome deposit at Jagdlust near Pietersburg in the Mpumalanga Province. 

After retiring in 1932 he turned his skill to the sustainable use of land on the farm Westfalia, near Modjajiskloof in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. He created a sustainable mixed-farming business incorporating both the establishment of Eucalyptus plantations and sustainable long-term agriculture based on ecologically-sound management of biological ecosystems, which included the conservation and management of water-catchment areas, soil conservation and organic principles of composting.

We headed then to Rosebank Mall which has a great African Crafts Market.  I resisted most things, just a couple of gifts to bring home :)  I figure I will see a lot over the next 2 weeks and if I don’t get “enough” I can come back before I head home.

We stopped by Gill’s office to meet her staff and see a bit about her work:  both community development and executive and organizational development (sound familiar?)

                                                                  30 year old Cycad

Back home again, Gill pointed out her Cycad to me.  In order to own this plant here, one must have a permit.  It can live for 1000 years and there is fossil evidence of its existence 280 million years ago! Amazing!  Now for a relaxing evening before heading to Capetown!

May 15 Capetown

Gil and I  did a range of transportation modes today in order to get from her home to Capetown:

1.     We took her car to the Sandton Train Station

2.     Took the train from there to the Airport

3.     Took a 2 hour plane ride to Capetown

4.     Hiked in Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden with our hostess in Capetown, Ann

5.     Drove around Capetown to see the bay—more tomorrow                                       

                   Gil "managing her farm" on her tablet while we wait at the airport

So the highpoint of the day (besides the wonderful company of two very extraordinary women who are bright, fun and amazingly hospitable) was this park. On the eastern slope of Table Mountain.

It was founded over 100 years go to conserve and promote the indigenous flora  of Southern Africa….and it is acclaimed as one of the 10 best gardens in the world.  It is 1300 acres.

While the gardens were officially founded 100 years ago, the history of the plants goes back almost 400 years:  in 1660, a hedge of Wild Almonds and brambles was planted to afford some protection to the perimeter of the Dutch colony. Sections of this hedge still exist in Kirstenbosch. The hedge is a Provincial Heritage Site. The area of the botanical garden was used for the harvesting of timber during this period.

The Kirsten part of the name is believed to be the surname of the manager of the land, J.F. Kirsten, in the 18th century. The bosch part of the name is a Dutch word for forest.

The handover of ownership of the colony to Britain in 1811 wrought changes in the use of the Kirstenbosch area. Two large land grants were made, with a Colonel Bird building a house, planting chestnut trees, and probably establishing a bath (still extant) fed by a natural spring. The Ecksteen family acquired the land in 1823, and it later came into the possession of the Cloete family (a well-known Cape lineage). It was under their stewardship that the area was farmed more formally, being planted with oaks, fruit trees and vineyards. The land was thereafter purchased by Cecil Rhodes in 1895. After this point, the area became run-down, with large groups of pigs feeding on the acorns and wallowing in the pools. The famous Camphor Avenue was planted in 1898. 

     Camphor Road--that was the "driveway" to Rhodes' cottage on this property.

The land now occupied by the Kirstenbosch Gardens was bequeathed to the Nation by Cecil Rhodes, who died in 1902.  This of course is the famous Rhodes who founded Rhodesia now known as Zimbabwe.  There is much controversy over this part of history in Africa now…instead of recognizing the contributions of these early settlers, many new Africans want to dismantle their statues and wipe them from history.

Here is an article from the local newspaper recently:

Black students have celebrated the fall of a statue of British colonialist Cecil Rhodes at the University of Cape Town, as some white groups protested at what they see as threats to their heritage.

Cheers went up as a crane removed the bronze statue from its plinth at South Africa’s oldest university after a month of student demonstrations against a perceived symbol of historical white oppression.

Some students in the crowd of hundreds slapped the statue as it came down amid ululating and cries of “amandla” (power), while others splashed red paint on it and wrapped Rhodes’s head in paper.

The government welcomed the removal of the statue, which was given the go-ahead by the mainly white university council in a vote on Wednesday night.

“It marks a significant … shift where the country deals with its ugly past in a positive and constructive way,” said Sandile Memela, spokesman for the arts and culture ministry.Protesters at University of Cape Town call for statue’s removal, bringing questions of national identity and colonial legacy to the fore

The university, which is regularly ranked as the best on the continent, was built on land donated by Rhodes, a notoriously racist mining magnate who died in 1902. A decision on the statue’s final destination is yet to be made, but it is likely to end up in a museum.

The protests began last month when a student flung a bucket of human excrement at the statue, prompting other attacks on colonial statues around the country. Earlier, the youth wing of white Afrikaner solidarity group AfriForum handed a memorandum to parliament in Cape Town to “demand protection” for their heritage. Afrikaners are descendants of mainly Dutch settlers from the 17th and 18th centuries and dominated South Africa’s white-minority government before the end of apartheid in 1994. They are no fans of Rhodes, who was on the British side in the Anglo-Boer war at the turn of the 20th century, but have seen statues of their own forebears come under attack in the wake of the university protests.Afrikaner men, some of them in quasi-military outfits, demonstrated on Wednesday at the statue in Pretoria of former president Paul Kruger – which had been splattered with paint – and at the monument to the leader of the first settlers, Jan van Riebeeck, in Cape Town.“The Afrikaner is – from a historical perspective – increasingly being portrayed as criminals and land thieves,” AfriForum said in a statement. “If the heritage of the Afrikaner is not important to government, our youth members will preserve our own heritage.”

Their attitude is in contrast to that of the university council, which voted to remove Rhodes after accepting that his statue made black university students uncomfortable on campus. Its disappearance is unlikely to end the debate over the pace of racial transformation, which goes beyond symbols to encompass economic and social divisions 21 years after the end of apartheid.

 It is important to remember that it is the beginning of  winter here--was cloudy and drizzly and
the gardens were not at their best--but still beautiful!

      

Protea bushes, for which this area is famous, in front of Table Mountain.

                                    

This looks like the cannonball tree we saw in Hawaii recently.

So next we drove out of the park and to the southern end of the city and to the coast...quite beautiful, with quaint towns and beautiful bay.  Below is a shot I took while driving near False Bay.

We returned home to a lovely Italian dinner and a South African (white) pinot noir wine.  Tomorrow we will explore more of the coast, the mountain and the downtown area of Cape Town.  So nice to have locals to show me around!!

16 May 2015 Capetown, South Africa

What a luxurious morning...slept till 8:00 a.m and came down to coffee with the girls and Ann's daughter who lives nearby.  She is a lovely young women and we had a great chat.  After my two cups of Nespresso coffee (everywhere!!), I got dressed and we headed out.  The weather forecast was for rain, but I had confidence in my hosts to take care of that.  The morning looked less overcast than yesterday:

We headed west towards the coast through magnificent communities that would rival BelAir or Paradise Valley.  Beautiful properties and homes.  We went down windy roads through beautifully wooded areas across the mountains and down to an area that has many horse farms.  We saw a dressage competition happening on some side of the street and a squatter settlement on the other.
We arrived in Haut Bay.  From there we headed South to Chapman's Peak.  there had been a huge fire about several months ago and there was a lot of rock fall down the mountain and road construction.

 Chapman’s Peak Drive winds its way between Noordhoek and Hout Bay on the Atlantic Coast on the south-western tip of South Africa. Chapman’s Peak Drive is one of the most spectacular marine drives in the world.

                          View of the Coast

   Three of the 12 "Apostles" on Table Mountain from Chapman Peak Drive

When the Dutch established a colony in 1652, a great quantity of good timber was required for construction, shipbuilding other purposes. There was no large forest in the immediate vicinity of the settlement, mainly because the rainfall was not high enough. It was soon apparent that the colonists would be able to fell wood they needed in the wetter valley that lay on the other side of a low pass  between the southern end of Table Mountain and Constantiaberg. The area was originally made up of two farms, which were slowly subdivided to make way for urban expansion. While still maintaining its rural atmosphere, the area of Hout Bay has more than 12,000 residences inhabited by a population of about 42,000 people. "Hout" is the Dutch word for "wood."

                         View of Hout Bay from Chapman Peak Drive

                             Bronze Leopard and companion

Weighing in at 295 kgs this famous bronze statue of a Leopard was placed on its rocky pedestal in March 1963, scupted by Ivan Milford Barbeton. The bronze leopard is in memory of the last leopard sited in the area in the 1930s.   Apparently there was a lot of wildlife in this area before that.

After our visit to Hout Bay we continued North along the coast passing through small communities of full-time and vacation homes, beach shops, and then the area became denser and denser as we approached the heart of Capetown.  One area had large apartment buildings and a seaside walkway that is reminiscent of Miami.  

It was now time to get serious about some lunch and a little shopping (we did need more coffee for breakfast and possibly some souvenirs).  So we went to the Harbor House for lunch and sat outside along the water.

and a great lunch we had~

after which we had some entertainment-

including darling little kids who danced and watched~

In the shopping area of crafts, we saw a great mosaic!

 From here we headed to Downtown Capetown and saw the commercial and governmental center of this 3 Million population city.  There were several new buildings as a result of the sports events of a few years ago (stadium and transportation systems) and old buildings that have been around for more than 100 years.  We also went to the oldest residential area known as the Malay Quarter or the "Bo-Kaap."  The area is known to be a center for Muslim community and the  Mosque there was the first in the Cape, built in 1804.

Then on we went to see the famed Table Mountain up close.  We didn't take the cable car since the combination of weather, crowds and parking made it difficult to access.  But the views from up in that area were spectacular!

Table Mountain up close:  you can see the cable in the upper right hand corner

Views of the city from Table Mountain:

 

 

 On our way home, we stopped at the market, the ATM  and other mundane chores and went by Ann's Grandson's school:  a top private high school for boys:

And after a busy day of sightseeing, we came home to a quiet supper.  Ann made the most spectacular dish that he had learned in a cooking class she recently took in Tuscany:  tomato soup with Parmesan ice cream!!  OMG!  It was fabulous!  I have never made ice cream, but this dish is worth trying!

 Well...now that I have documented the day-it is time to go to sleep.  We will visit the beautiful South African wine country tomorrow and then fly back to Joburg!

17 May, 2015 Joburg
Well that was a whirlwind trip of Capetown and vicinity--there was so much more to see that we couldn't fit in in 2.5 days--but we covered a lot of territory.  

We woke up to a beautiful sunrise and clear view of Table Mountain which was in contrast to cloudy mornings earlier.

Then we had breakfast with Ann's daughter and significant other and then took off for the wine country.  This is spectacularly beautiful country as you will see.  As we were driving quite a bit, I learned a bit more about the history of the country, as well as flora and fauna.

First stop was Stellenbosch.  It is the home of Stellenbosch University.  It is an old Dutch town founded in 1679.  In 1690 Huguenot refugees settled here and planted grapes and thus the South African Wine industry was born.
The Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek valleys form the Cape winelands, the larger of the two main wine growing regions in South Africa. We visited all 3 areas today (but didn't do any true wine tasting till we had lunch!)

Not counting the students of Stellenbosch U, there are probably 125,000 people living here. There are apparently about 25,000 students at the University.  It is a highly respected university that until recently had Afrikaans as its main language.  But now, English is used most commonly.  Apparently many students have left the other major universities as they have lowered standards and many more students are coming from other parts of the country.

The town is very quaint with buildings that date back to 1680 and they have the house open for visiting.  In front of it is an interesting piece of "public art."  Notice the lady in background.

 Just across the street from this a lovely church in the tradition Cape Dutch style and down the street another:

What I found really cool were all the traditionally thatched roofs:

Even though this is the second oldest city in South Africa, and was very quaint, it had some interesting contemporary street art and galleries:

Also  beautiful trees...they are known for their oaks (don't know what this one was).....

I could have easily spent a day or two here going into the galleries and chic shops and visiting the old buildings.  Many lovely hotels and B&Bs in the old buildings.  But push on we did to see the next town in the area: Franschhoek

View from above the valley.

Not only is this a wine-making town, but it has become kind of a trendy place for locals as well as tourists to come and visit.  So on a Sunday afternoon it was very crowded.  So as we had lunch reservations at 1:00 PM we didn't spend much time here.  It is a small town with only about 15,000 residents.  It was settled by the French Huguenots in 1688 so it's name is Dutch is "French Corner."

                    Local Dutch reformed church, built in 1847

                                            fall colors in the grape leaves on this arbor
So off we went to make our reservation at the Delaire Graff Estate and Winery....omg! Incredibly beautiful....and great food.  Just the driveway into the place was magnificent with beautiful trees, plantings and sculpture:

then we entered the area of the restaurant and were blown away by traditional and contemporary sculpture:

and the touches...like flowers....

and then there were the views!

and then there was the food....

This was an oxtail ragout--short ribs with parsnips, herb mash and oxtail ragout...delicious and most unusual!
Man, was I in heaven...oh I did have a glass of their 2011 Botmaskop (red blend) which was lovely.

                             my hostesses, Ann and Gill....in front of this glorious estate

Then we walked around a bit and saw more of this beautiful property

 

Two types of Strelitzia Reginae:

We saw some more of the vineyards and then drove to the airport via the town of Paarle..another wine farming town....

Well...as you can see, this was a trip to satiate the senses!  I had great fun with these gals and we enjoyed perfect weather and great guidance on the area.  Would like to have seen Robbin Island and the Penguin Colony, but couldn't do everything in that short a visit...next time.  

So tomorrow Gill and I drive to Pilanesburg and Sun City so that I hopefully will get to see African game!  I can't wait!

Monday Sun City and Pilanesburg Park
Drove for several hours to this caldera-cum-entertainment center in the middle of the desert. We moved from Gauteng province into the Northwest province which is the home to the Bafokkeng tribe which  is the wealthiest of the tribal clans as their property is all on platinum. (Joburg sits on gold mines and NW has platinum) This clan has approximately 350,000  members and they manage their money well.  The King is an architect by profession; he is the youngest of 3 brothers and the other two died. So he inherited the role and gave up work as an architect.  He has had the foresight to say that the mineral wealth may dry up so they invest their current assets well to protect their future.  Many of them work in Sun City.  (later I met his mother....)

We had lunch after we arrived at one of the golf clubs at this Sun City Complex and there saw baboons enjoying the course!

We checked into our room, and took a peak at the complex--a bit like Disneyland or Las Vegas: built in the middle of a desert in a caldera and landscaped to be like a tropical paradise.



Below is a view from our room:  if you like at the land in the top of the photo, it gives you an idea of what the property was like before it was developed by Sol Kerzner who also did Atlantis in the bahamas.
In 1979 Kerzner developed Sun City, the most ambitious resort project in Africa. Over a period of ten years he built four hotels, a man-made lake, two Gary Player designed championship golf courses and entertainment center with an indoor 6,000-seat multi-purpose arena in which he presented many superstars including Frank Sinatra, Liza Minnelli and Shirley Bassey and which was also the venue of many World Title fights promoted by Bob Arum's Top Rank organisation. During 1985, Kerzner's Sun City, South Africa resort was the topic of anti-Apartheid rock album titled Sun City by a group of rock musicians calling themselves Artists United Against Apartheid.
In 1994, following the first democratic elections in South Africa, Kerzner was asked by incumbent President Nelson Mandela to arrange the VIP function at the Presidential Inauguration which was attended by approximately a thousand people, including many of the world's leaders and heads of state.



We took a walk around the property and saw the man-made lakes, waterfalls and jungles.  We saw interesting birds.



and plants--including a texture that was left after cutting down a number of thin trees:

I just love that texture!

Then we  went off to join our guided game tour in Pilanesburg National park and what a ride that was!  In this 20 person open jeep like vehicle, we traveled for 3 hours through this 123,000 acre preserve. 

The crater of a long extinct volcano is the setting of Pilanesberg National Park - a fascinating alkaline complex produced by volcanic eruptions some 1300 million years ago.The park exists within the transition zone between the dry Kalahari and wetter Lowveld vegetation, commonly referred to as "Bushveld". Unlike any other large park, unique overlaps of mammals, birds and vegetation occur because of this transition zone. Springbok, brown hyena, the red eyed bulbul, and camel thorn trees usually found in arid areas are found cohabitation with moist-area-limited impala, black eyed bulbul and Cape chestnut tree.

The area had been degraded by human settlements and commercial farming.  When the park was established in 1979, they restocked the area with animals and  built a fence of 66 miles around it.  This keeps the animals in the 123,000 acre area and strives to keep out the poachers.

Well...it was worth their effort!  As he drove through the park, we saw an amazing array of animals.  My friend Gil said she had never seen a leopard...well, we got a leopard, a male lion (also rare) a large herd of elephants (within 10 feet of us!), rhinos, hippos,  impala, waterbucks a giraffe, wildebeest, tsessebe, banded mangoose and zebra.  I gather from everyone that I had extraordinary luck!  Here are a few of the pictures:

White Rhino

what a feast!  It got quite chilly by the time we got in after 7:00 PM.  but we were all thrilled.
We still managed to go to the Indian restaurant next door to have dinner before retiring!
Tomorrow morning is a 6:30 am game drive, too!

19 May, 2015  Sun City
well up with the birds and beasts this morning and out on the game drive!  I realized how lucky we were last night--with all our sightings....this time we had fewer elephants, hippos and rhinos, etc.
but more giraffes, zebras and a pride of lions!! a few of them are below!

White-breasted Cormorants in the tree:

We had a lovely buffet breakfast accompanied by live piano music whilst looking over a waterfall and then packed up and headed to Joburg.  There we picked up our mutual friend Iffit, did some errands and prepared for the first evening of the International Women's Forum--the Presidents/Leadership Dinner.  This was held at a lovey hotel where I caught up with some existing friends and made some new ones!

Johannesburg May 20-22
Well the focus and rhythm of my time here for the past few days has been very different.  I went into "conference mode" where we meet from 8:30 to 4:30 and then have evening activities. The International Women's Forum is a really exceptional organization and the members, staff and connections allow for access to amazing experiences and people.  I have continued to strive to understand this country through the program and the conversations I have and I will share the lessons I am taking away.  Tomorrow, early, we leave for the airport to fly to Victoria Falls where I will play adventurer/tourist again for 3.5 days with two of my Arizona Women's Forum friends and one of their daughters..

May 20
Since the conference activities didn't continue until we the evening, Iffit, Gil and I went off together for the day.  We went to a friend of Gil's, Reinhoud Boers,  who was a reporter and who is a book seller and trip organizer.  Gil wanted him to meet Iffit so that he would organize a trip for the archaeology society to Turkey.  It was fun to watch Iffit share her enthusiasm and options for trips that he would love.
It was also interesting to see another house (tight security) with a compound including a large yard, a separate building for their office and a casual, large home with lots of "artifacts"collected from around the world.  He was also forthcoming with the concerns he had about the current government, sharing his disdain for the lack of education of President Zumu (3 years of education) and the disenfranchisement of other groups.

From there we went out to the Cradle of Human Kind.  Since Africa is a very old continent, there have been many discoveries of human remains here from hundreds of millions of years ago.  There are active archaeological sites in this area as well as a museum.  We only had time to visit the museum, Maropeng.  It was a very impressive facility and great for children in particular.  For instance, they talk about the formation of earth and the movement of continents.  They have a little "boat" tour that gives you the experience of the different phases (heat, ice age and volcanos) of earth's development.  This was reminiscent of Disneyland.

"Our world was born in a ball of burning gas 4.6-billion years ago, in a universe that is about 14-billion years old. Over time it cooled, the early atmosphere formed, and the first land masses appeared. The first life forms, which were like the black algae you sometimes see in swimming pools today, emerged about 3.8-billion years ago."

They then talk about the emergence of human life forms:
"While the exact shape of the human family tree is something scientists are still debating, the one thing that they mostly agree on is that humankind was born here in Africa. In the Cradle of Humankind, about 1,000 hominid fossils have been discovered, spanning several million years.

The oldest hominid fossils from the Cradle are more than 3-million years old and belong to the genus Australopithecus. There were many species or types of Australopithecus, which lived in Eastern and Southern Africa. “Mrs Ples”, the famous fossil of a skull of an Australopithecus africanus, was discovered at the Sterkfontein Caves by palaeontologists Dr Robert Broom and John Robinson in 1947. “Mrs Ples” is about 2.1-million years old."  Below is a picture of Mrs.  Pleas.

During the conference, we got to go to Wit University and meet with some of the faculty and go into the vaults and see famous skeletons that were contemporaries of this skull (Taung Child and others)...more later!

The program here emphasized that we all come from these early humans--so all come from Africa!

The other theme was about the continental drift and how the continents came apart and drifted into their current configuration millions of years ago.  They had fossil evidence of ancient plants that were found in Africa and Antarctica that proved they had been connected.

The facility and grounds were really beautiful:

I had seen these bird's nests elsewhere--but don't remember what kind of birds they house:

I mentioned the thatched roofs I had seen elsewhere--some of this is thatch:

One of the walls of the facility was made of beautifully stacked rocks:

On our way out, we saw beautiful "fire sticks"

We stopped by Gil and Jim's house to say hello to Jim and then headed to the hotel for opening ceremonies--what a party!  More about that later.

    

May 21 IWF Conference Opening

The official start of the conference was an evening gathering at Summer House.  This was the residence of a prominent Joburg businessman who wanted it to be one of the most spectacular homes in South Africa, if not the world.  We met in the area around the pool and had our welcoming speeches, heavy hors d’oeurves and great music. 

It is a time to reconnect with IWF friends from around the world.  My friend, Iffit from Turkey (who started the Turkish forum 2 years ago and has been coming for about 4 years) seems to be the “belle of the ball!”  She knows everyone in such a short time and is beloved by many.  It is so much fun to watch how she has become an “extrovert” in this setting.

The Arizona "girls" at IWF:  Barbara Barrett, Russell Walker, Leslie Motter and yours truly:

 After this event was an “after party” on the rooftop of one of the hotels in  Sandton where there was a dj with great contemporary African music, people on stilts juggling fire, limbo stick with fire and 4 telescopes so we could see the constellations of the southern hemisphere.  Great food and music and dancing.  One of the best IWF parties ever!

May 22 Joburg/IWF

One of the great joys of IWF is the opportunity to meet interesting people with experiences and background very different from mine.

Waiting to go into the conference I met Sonto Mujakachi:  a very elegantly dressed woman I would guess is in her late 40s or early 50s.  She has recently started her own consulting firm after working for several decades for a major power company in community affairs.

Sonto grew up in Soweto. She told me that the professionals who lived there left Soweto 20 years ago when apartheid ended and they were no longer limited to living in townships.

I asked her to tell me about what I had heard about the lack of electrical power capacity because the government did not take the recommendation of power companies to buy capacity.  She said that 15 years ago when it was recommended the government had many priorities:  highest among which was to build housing as the country has a serious housing shortage.. On the other hand, South Africa had a surplus of power and was selling it to other countries.  So they didn’t think it would be needed.  And we discussed the challenge of entitlement in the townships (and the recent protests where they feel they should receive free electricity).  She noted that one of the businesses you will see in the townships are people who are squatting near better homes and the better  homes make money by selling some of their electricity to others.  More to learn here!

I asked Sonto how to address the entitlement issues.  She said they need greater engagement with the people so that they come to understand the bigger picture. I told her about my experience with engagement in my work for Grady Hospital in downtown Atlanta.  After that she asked if I had been to Soweto and when I said no. She offered to take me.  What an opportunity!  So when I return from Zimbabwe, we will go to Soweto. 

I asked her what she thought of President Zuma.  She handled it very well:  she said they need a  more intellectual leader and one who sees the bigger picture. 

And then the program began!  

Imilonji Choral Society 

 

The conference:  International Women’s Forum May 20-22, 2015

I have shared a bit about the opening of the conference and an example of meeting a new friend.  Now I will talk about the program—which was fascinating.  And the IWF Forum in South Africa did a wonderful job of organizing this meeting and providing great “color” as well as “content.” The music, dancing, costumes and ceremony were amazing.  They did a great job of having panels with differing points of view, as well. The theme was “Legacy and Inheritance” and unlike my family business programs—it was more on the legacy of apartheid and cultural traditions, rather than familial legacies. 

The opening included a choir,  the Imilonji Choral Society with praise singer, Zolani Mkiva.  Their performance was in regional tribal costumes with a collective voice that sent goose bumps down my arms. The President of IWF  Sein Chew made her opening remarks and quoted Amelia Erhardt by saying:

           “The most difficult thing is to decide to act; the rest is persistence.”

The opening panel included an Under Secretary of the UN and Director of UN Women’s programs a beloved South African Poet and a 25 year old aeronautical engineer who has demonstrated how young people in South Africa can thrive in any sector and advocates for taking responsibility to make the world a better place.  Also on the panel was Dr.  Mhlope who is a renowned South African story teller, poet author and performer who energized this session like a gospel preacher!

Ubuntu

They talked about the concept of “Ubuntu”  It is a way  of  being: of goodness, of responsibility to one’s family or community, to seek freedom and security and prosperity for everyone.  The upside is a graciousness:  “I am here because you are.”The downside is when the concept keeps individuals from excelling for fear of standing out or leaving someone behind. 

Diversity

Another panel was on “what makes us South African.”

The answer was ”Diversity.”

Diversity  in animals, environments, people, languages heritage and history.  And  weaving it together is our accomplishment and our challenge. I think that is a very profound statement. Based on my experience in SA and elsewhere, having the maturity to be able to connect with people who are different and appreciate that difference is not easy.

Cradle of Human Kind

They learned consciousness, according to  Serote, during the struggle for freedom.

But they needed to turn “consciousness” into action. The first step of that was the constitution.  The vision is to have a non-racist, not sexist society.  He acknowledged that it has been difficult to accomplish that.  Some people want revenge rather than reconciliation.  Many blacks could not believe it when Mandela wanted reconciliation  with people who had oppressed them for so many years.  He said

“This country is a cradle of human kind:  you are all South Africans.  We will call you to come back to help us forge this nation. “ 

Hope and Legacy

Dr. Mhlophe said: “ It is hope that shines in our eyes that take away our tears”

What a profound statement.  It is true.  When there is hope there is energy and health. She spoke of her parents and what she learned from them:  first and foremost her values.  Secondly, an appreciation of ancestors that she gained as she heard the stories from her father when they cleaned the family graves.  She also learned from her father to say “thank you.”  It is gratitude that makes us happy.

The panel spoke of not repeating the mistakes of the past:  racism is racism no matter who it is directed toward.  “A bird gathers feathers from many different birds to make a nest.”  In other words, we need to appreciate our diversity. And we need to remember who we were before the genocide and discrimination.  We had a vibrant culture and need to fold that into who we are today.

The question was raised about what makes the panelist hopeful:

1.  Must keep the government accountable to the citizens (to date most have said that President Zuma is not doing so—but others in the government are confronting him)

2.  Collectively solve problems:  we are working to do that!

3.  Young people with drive and ambition  will save the country

There is a difference between the The “Born Frees”  (i.e. the kids who have been born in the last 21 years) vs. entitled youth who feel they should be given everything because of the past

The next panel was moderated by  Karima Brown, The Battle between Unity and Discord

“Dreaming is easy:  doing is difficult”

I think the following represented more than one person on the panel’s point of view:

·      Remember inhumanity so we don’t do the same

·      Arrogance of power; ruling party becomes to comfortable; we need a strong opposition to the left and the right. 

·      Optimism comes from civil society; robust media;  Freedom of press, association and awakening of government;

·      Need to have employment based on merit and not party loyalty

Most everyone I spoke to felt Zuma is corrupt and has been “feathering his own nest” rather than using the government’s money to help the country.  One of the panelist was Thuli Madonsela who is the “Public Protector of South Africa” whose office was established by the constitution.  Many people said she has taken on corruption—even the President and he is being confronted with paying back the government coffers because of her confrontation. 

Another Panelist was Mark Lamberti:  who is the CEO of Imperial Holdings, LLC and a business leader in the community.  He held a very balanced point of view between solving the country’s problems with compassion, but understanding the problems caused by the lack of infrastructure (electrical black outs) and an excessively powerful labor union that is creating barriers to increased investments in SA. 

He and others spoke of the psychological damage of apartheid and that it will take a long time to heal.  The self worth of individuals was damaged when they were told where they could go, whom they could marry and what they could do.  This has resulted in xenophobia, child rape and violence.  People have wounded souls.

“You can’t talk your way out of a situation you behaved into.”

We need to give people the opportunity to work:  to enhance self worth”

And unemployment is rampant in South Africa:

66% for young people age 18-24%

25-34  39%

nationally 25%

Aftermath of Conflict:  Starting Again

Over lunch, we heard from another panel, including an American psychologist who specializes in treatment of trauma. She noted that trauma is often about betrayal (e.g. sexual abuse).  Institutional betrayal is the toughest and that is what South Africans are recovering from.

She indicated that healing from trauma and betrayal requires addressing this experience by telling the stories and be heard.  Create conditions to tell the truth and be understood.  Denial is an issue; stressful when they recognize what has happened.  We have to be careful not to re-traumatize the victim by treating them as sick and taking away responsibility from the perpetrator. 

Freedom of speech is the antidote to betrayal.

Paul Hughes, former Arms Control professional, talked about reconstruction after conflict.  He said there is no cookie-cutter approach that works, have to take a regional perspective.  But some of his observations included:

·      Justice is essential

·      Post conflict transformation takes a generation

·       Evidence of progress includes:

o   Are schools re-opening?

o   Stabilization of economy?

o   Good governance

o   Deciding who should go to trial  is power.

o   A System of reintegration:  Women are leaders in civil society  and need support to make reintegration  happen.

Behind the Scenes: Evolutionary Studies Institute

In each of our IWF programs, we have opportunities to go “behind the scenes” at locations that are special to the city we are visiting.  I chose to continue to explore the ancient world of Africa.

The Origins of Man museum which is famous at this university contains a younger generation of fossils.  We got to see what others don’t see at the Centre of Excellence in Paleosciences at University of Witwatersrand.  Christine Stenninger: research manager and paleobiologist and evolution of mammal behavior) and several of her colleagues talked with us and took us into the vaults to see a small portion of their very famous collection include the Taung Child.  In addition, we learned that the public will soon hear about a new discovery they have recently made. 

The larger skeleton shown here is of an eleven year old boy from the malapa era.

To give perspective to the eras in which they are working:

o   4.6 billion years first evidence of life

o   we start working in Cambrian 500 million years ago

o   400 Million years ago the animals came out of the sea. 

o   65 million years ago asteroid hits earth and wipes out dinosaurs

o   200 thousand:  man arrives

400 Million years old:  oldest fossils we have at this institute

Taung Child

If you feel old... this is the famous Taung Child that was discover in 1924 in South Africa-the first artifacts to show that humans walk upright...I "met" him in the Witwatersrand University paleontology center of excellence in Johannesburg. He's about 2.8 million years old. The "Taung child" fossil is known as the first and best example of early brain evolution in hominins, the group containing humans and their extinct relatives.

35,000 years old:  oldest rock art.

In order to make it back to the hotel in time to go to our dine-arounds, we had a police escort to get us through traffic (I guess they are keeping up with Atlanta last fall when a dozen motorcycle cops stopped rush hour there!).

Another IWF  tradition is the Dine-Around

Typically we go to a member’s home and there are about a dozen of us.  I guess there weren’t enough big homes for 450 of us so 40 members of our group went to an old power station in town and had 4 tables.  Ours was interesting with members from around the world.  Our table hostess was the Queen Mother Semane Mototlegi; Mother of the King of the Bafokeng Community.   

                             

She is a humble and gracious woman who came from royalty in another African country, Botswana. As we did our introductions, she asked to wait till the end.   As I may have mentioned before the Bafokkeng tribe is the wealthiest tribe as their property is all on a bed of platinum.  There are about 350,000 members of this community. The current King is an architect by profession; he is the youngest of 3 brothers and the other two died, so he ascended to the throne.  His mother indicated that she has two daughters as well, but they are not interested in community leadership.

I have heard that her son has been quite wise in his management of the royalty income fro the platinum mines and has diversified their investments to protect against a time when they may no longer have this income.  

The source of family income, I learned was her late husband's grandfather who sensed that owning land would be important.  So people throughout the community worked hard to gather money.  Now blacks could not own land in those days so the King of that era spoke with a local Christian church leader who was willing to buy the land on his behalf and hold it for him.  On a handshake, the elder king turned over the cash to the church and they bought the land and when the time came that the tribe could own land, the church turned it over to them.  This land had platinum.  

Semane, (whose name means a gentle swarm of bees) was asked how she came to meet and marry her husband.  She said he came to her home and was attracted to her and that was that! When her husband died, succession would clearly go to her sons.  Her son the king is 42 now and is not married nor have any sons.  His cousins would be in line to succeed him if he has no heirs.

Closing the Gap  H.E. Dr. Joyce Banda (former President the Republic of Malawi; Recogized as one of Africa’s most powerful women and a physician).

Her mission in life is to empower women and youth (identified when she was in her 30s; she is now 65).  According to those who were sitting with me, she was voted out of office because she was too confrontive about corruption and problems and didn’t paint a “pretty” enough picture. (Unlike President Zuma who was charming and promised everything but did not have the capability or character to follow through!).

Dr Banda believes that they must reengineer schools to produce entrepreneurs not just employees and that microfinance is a key to seeding the economy. In order to close the opportunity gap and make sure all people are moving forward, they must:

o   have strong political will

·      Committed leadership with accountability and good governance

·      Fight corruption, even at personal cost

·      Freedom of press

·      Programs that are multi-generational and multi-gender

·      And Leadership:  which she defined as when you reach the peak, you reach out to others to help them. She said that she will work until the job is done….and not quit a day sooner.  What an inspiration!  There were other speakers on her panel, but none as exceptional.

Across Africa:  Toward Democracy

IWA South Africa’s president opened this panel with the observation/questions:  Nigeria’s election and peaceful transition was unexpected and encouraging;  What is the future impact on the rest of Africa? 

The keynote address on this panel was by Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. If her name sounds familiar she was married to the now President Zuma of SA. My other sources tell me that she and her ex-husband were freedom fighters together and married and had several daughters.  However, the power got to him and he took on 4 wives and many mistresses and now has many children (20 or 30?).  She ultimately found she couldn’t handle this lifestyle, his ethics or the intellectual gap between them.

She quoted someone on the formula for democracy (I couldn’t get his name) and she added her commentary to it: How to measure democracy:

30%:  whether there is a legal framework is democratic

For women to be part of the decision making via merit and quotas (quotas focus the mind on finding the right women)

30%  citizen participation (people register and vote and participate in dialogue via a conducive environment, peace and freedom to vote for whomever they want).  Taking into account the diversity of the country.

30% Do citizens have a better life (employment, financial security) and

access to basic services (clean water, energy and technology) land rights and education and health.

Women need to be part of judiciary, education, captains of industry:  as part of democracy.

Agenda 2063:  the Africa we want (African union agenda)

Need to invest in youth with basic services and education

Manufacturing needs to be developed :  if we export raw materials, others make money off the materials and we need to have the jobs that come from industrialization. 

The other interesting presentation was by Ahmed Naguib who spoke to IWF conferences in the past (2011 or 2012) as a leader of the Tahrir Square protest of 2011.  At the time he spoke to us before, he was very optimistic about the new opportunities for democracy in Egypt.  This time he commented on how naive he had been, thinking they had created sustainable change.  Our revolution has been reversed by the military coup.17,000 people have been tortured; 40,000 in prison in one year with no due process, no rule of law.    The government is using patronage to build support for their authoritarian regime. There are 7.5 million people working for the government!  They have failed to create a narrative that people have bought into.  He said it would take a generation to create the kind of change that we see in South Africa.

Fighting corruption is key.

Well…that gives you a sampling of the programming at this IWF Cornerstone Conference. It is difficult to digest all of this—and more –to which we were exposed. I love the presentations, the dialogue and the stimulation to all of us who attended the program. 

And then there was the closing dinner. Oh my god!  Not only was there a feast—but entertainment that was over the top! Several women who were among the most accomplished in this crowd (imagine what they have done!) were honored.  And then the fun began…One of the greatest voices I have heard sang a bit of opera, an inspiration South African song and some pop.  Given Mabena is an opera singer and founder of the group, Afro Tenors.  IF he had been selling his CDs at this event, he would have made a fortune.  He was incredible.

3 Tons of Fun

Then from the sublime to the ridiculous---“3 Tons of Fun”  performed.  One of South Africa’s most beloved all-female groups.  They sang some African songs..but then did songs from 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. and forward!    They got everybody-and I mean everybody—up and dancing.

Unfortunately I didn’t have my camera—just my phone to catch the photos…it was over the top!  What a grand finale! 

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe Monday, May 25
Before I share the rest of our trip to Victoria Falls....I had to write about an amazing adventure!

We got up at 5:30 a.m  and got ready for a 6:15 pick up for the lion encounter.  We were picked up about 620 and proceeded around town to pick up other passengers and headed to a private reserve for the Lion Encounter.  They conserve the lion population that is dieing off because of encroachment on open space by humans, diseases such as HIV/AIDS, bovine disease etc and by poachers.  they are educating people about the plight of lions and helping to cultivate the lion population and release them into the park. They have 3 stages of growing lions who have contact with humans, then released to have babies who grow up without human contact and are integrated into the wild, prepared to flourish.

We were well taken care of with about as many staff as participants including one fellow with a rifle in case it was needed.  We were educated about how to conduct our selves around the lions and then we took a walk with them and got to pet them~ it is so thrilling to be in such close contact to observe and interact with such powerful and beautiful cats....

first sighting of one of the 4 cats we met--18 month old youngster.  and here are some other view that I caught of them:

 

 

AND my opportunity to hang out with them~~

No, he's not licking his chops because he had me for breakfast......

 

we then met two 11 month old cousins who loved to play and cuddle with each other

 All 4 of us, LD, Russell, Leslie Motter and Ashley survived the Lion Encounter and just loved it!

Leslie and her daughter had to prepare to leave after this adventure--but Russell and I continued to hang out in Vic Falls.  we spent the afternoon in the city, meeting some craftsmen and buying a few souvenirs.  Then we went to the old traditional Victoria Falls Hotel--an elegant colonial hotel from 1904 on...and oh yes, we had the 7 course dinner in the Livingstone Room--

starting with Crocodile tail....

We actually arrived on Saturday, May 23...

We spent a long time getting to Zimbabwe as the Joburg airport expects you to be there 3 hours in advance…so we left the hotel at 8am and after a 90 minute flight go to Z’we at 1:15 PM and then customs took another hour and waiting for others to be transferred with us took another 30 minutes…thus we got to our hotel about 3PM and left again 45 minutes later to do our “sundowner cruise” on the Zambezi.

We stayed at Victoria Falls Safari Lodge which was constructed out of wood and thatch and sits overlooking a large watering hole in a National Park.  Thus, we saw many animals coming to drink.  The other side of the property is lushly planted and had resident warthogs who lounged there. 

                View of the next door rooms from our porch--and the preserve beyond

We headed out to the Zambezi river and cruised between Zambia and Zimbabwe.  It was a lovely cruise with wine and hors d’oeurvres and commentary from time to time on what we were seeing.  

One of the islands in the river was called “Long Island:”  a far cry from the one in the US. 

The left bank is Zimbabwe, the right bank is Zambia.  the larger island on the top is "Long Island"

 Ashley and I stayed on the upper deck as she was taking photos along with me. She wanted to see a hippo and I wanted to see a crocodile…we both got our wishes…great fun!  And saw many interesting birds as well. 

 

....and this is why they call it the "Sundowner".....

We headed back to the hotel and had a light supper before retiring for the evening.  

 

Vegetable stew elegantly presented!

 Our beds were turned down and surrounded by mosquito netting.  We were fortunate as we only saw one mosquito during the trip and weren’t bitten at all.  We were in Africa during late fall/early winter so the weather was beautiful:  no rain and mostly 60s-70s temperature wise.  And the humidity seemed quite limited as well.

    Helicopter taking off while we waited headed towards the falls-that is the spray that comes up from the falls!

Sunday was a very full day as Leslie and Ashley had to head back on Monday at 11 am. We started with our “Angel Flight” in a helicopter over the falls and surrounding area.  That gave us a “bird’s eye view” of the falls: amazing!   

This is this direction that David Livingstone approached the falls--via water, however--not knowing what was ahead!

 The falls from overhead

Then we went and saw it on foot…there was much spray in some areas so we weren’t able to take pictures an stay dry along the whole route…but we did most of it. The power of the falls is amazing. The height of the falls is approximately 351 feet and 5750 feet wide and the volume of water is hard to measure. The water goes into the Zambezi which is the 4^th longest river in Africa.

And there was interesting and beautiful flora and fauna along the way:

Then we had a quick lunch at an Asian restaurant at "Elephant's Walk" a little artsy arcade before we went on for our Game Drive in a private preserve called "Stanley and Livingstone."  We finally got back to our hotel about 7 and had a quick dinner before crashing! I got the 5th of the big Five Animals everyone tries to get while on this game drive:  the buffalo!

 and an optical illusion:

 and some more rhinos.....mom and child 
and a regal Giraffe....

and a dam.....as the sun began to set and it began to be cold!

Caught a fleeting glance of the famous guinea fowl...but they were too fast for me!

 

My friends Russell Walker and Leslie Motter and Leslie’s daughter Ashley and I had a wonderful time together and were great traveling companions.  It was wonderful to have a 13 year old along to share her experience as a traveler. 

 

This is a shot of the Victoria Falls Property and gives you a sense of the architecture.   

We enjoyed having a breakfast made for us and one morning even had pancakes...this shot also gives you a sense of the dining room....

So our last day in Victoria Falls we went to Elephant's Walk to Shop--

 

Rhino who welcomes people to Elephant Walk--made of found metal

 

We got to know two of the artisans there. And bought a few souvenirs:

Then, we walked over the the Victoria Falls Hotel and sat on the porch and looked at the falls,

Entrance to the 1904 Colonial Hotel

Victoria Falls Bridge in Fall

After which we had dinner in the Livingstone Room.  

 

 Cheese Service

What a dinner we had!  We planned to do a la carte, but the 7-course tasting menu was about the same price!  We had Crocodile tail amuse bouche, Ostrich carpaccio and quail egg, scallops with sweetcorn, tomato essence with basil (amazing!  clear tomato juice chilled, etc) Beef fillet with oxtail pithivier, cheese, Chocolate "egg" with milk ice cream and coffee with petit fours (which we couldn't eat!)....and pinotage wine. 

We flew back to Joburg and had dinner with Gill....and then a last day in Africa.

May 27, 2015 Johannesburg

Visit to Soweto with Sonto

Sonto is the women I mentioned earlier who grew up in Soweto and has worked in the power companies and is now becoming a business owner.

She graciously offered to take me to Soweto and give me a tour of her home of origin. She picked me up in a Jaguar sedan (haven’t seen many of those in SA) and off we went!

During our 4 hours together we had a very open conversation of our own lives, our countries and politics.  What a wonderful opportunity to really connect with a new friend who could also give me another window on South Africa.

Sonto drove me around Soweto, a city of 3 million people officially and perhaps another million undocumented residents from other parts of the country or Africa.  It dawned on me that I had a mental image of a much smaller population.  Soweto is the size of metropolitan Phoenix!   Its population is not included in the count for Joburg as it is a separate city. even though it is quite close (Joburg has another 9 million people). 

Originally, the townships were created by people coming to get work in the mines. and they  set up camp (like 110 years ago). The government followed by putting up structures.  One such building was pointed out to me by Sonto was like a dormitory for single men who came there for work. She pointed out that they had money and lots of other “business” cropped up around there such as prostitution.  

The government then established the townships with one road in and one road out to control the population and to keep the villagers away from white communities. South Western Township= SOWETO.  I later learned that each part of the buildings had a different group based on tribal and language heritage.  (There are 300 languages in Africa)The same is true of the communities in Soweto.

There are different communities within Soweto—wealthier areas and shanty communities. 

 But there were far fewer shanty communities than we saw in Cape Town.  

Sonto took me to the neighborhood in which she grew up-a lovely middle class neighborhood (her father and grandfather were farmers and retailers and did quite well).  
 

 Her mother was a nurse and worked for Anglo American Mining Company.  When the political situation was getting hotter in the 70s,  her parents did not want Sonto or her two brothers to get caught up in the issues and become distracted from studying. So they were sent to the country to live with an aunt.  Sonto went on to attend one of the first integrated convent schools and her brothers went to Marist schools.    All three have become very successful professionals.

We drove to the Hector Pieterson museum in the Orlando West section of Soweto.   This is named in honor of the 13 year old who was the first person shot on June 16 1976   as youngsters were peacefully marching to seek education in their own language rather than that of their oppressors, the Afrikaans.

It was a mini version of the Human and Civil Rights museum we visited in Atlanta.  We didn’t have much time because there was much to see and the museum was packed with school children (all wearing uniforms).  (I was not allowed to photograph in the museum). But this was an important day in the life of South Africa:  the tipping point at which people were no longer going to accept oppression.  They were no longer going to be kept to a “compound” to live and to honor the people who limited their movement, their opportunities and their survival as free people.  

On that fateful day, hundreds of Soweto schoolchildren were shot dead by apartheid police while protesting against the use of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in the township’s schools, with young Hector Pietersen becoming the first victim.

The students planned to meet at Orlando Stadium before marching to the regional offices of the Department of Bantu Education, where they intended raising their grievances with the authorities. They carried placards that read, “Away with Afrikaans”, “Amandla awethu” (“Power to the people”) and “Free Azania” (“Free South Africa”), and sang Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika (God Bless Africa), now the national anthem of South Africa.

On the way to the stadium, they were met by the police, who ordered them to end the march and disperse. A violent confrontation ensued, in which students threw stones and police fired shots. News of the events in Soweto soon spread, igniting uprisings around the country in which more than 550 people died. One of the first to die on June 16 was Pieterson.

We later went to Regina Mundi the  Roman Catholic Church where  the students fled for protection that day  from  the police's bullets and teargas canisters. The police followed the students into the church, firing live ammunition and damaging the marble altar and crucifix. Bullet holes are still visible in the church ceiling and damaged marble stand provide tangible evidence of the violence of these police raids and the ensuing rush to evacuate the building. A woman who took us through the church showed us the bullet holes and the evidence that “blanks” could not have penetrated the windows as claimed, rather police used lived ammunition.  From 1995 to 1998,  Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu presided over Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings at Regina Mundi.  The church can hold 4000 in its pews  and has some beautiful stained glass windows and paintings.

Regina Mundi continues to play an important role in the spiritual and social life of Soweto. Weddings, funerals, baptisms of leading personalities and their families as well as ordinary people take place here.  My hostess also called this her home church when she was growing up.

We also went to the Nelson Mandela house built in 1945.  This is the house he moved to when he and his first wife married (1946) and then he and Winnie lived in until he was taken to Robbin Island.  Winnie lived there during her husband’s imprisonment.  The young woman who guided us described the attacks on the house by police with guns, tear gas, etc. terrifying Mandela’s children who lived there.    Mandela is quoted as saying:  ‘That night I returned with Winnie to No. 8115 in Orlando West. It was only then that I knew in my heart I had left prison. For me No. 8115 was the centre point of my world, the place marked with an X in my mental geography.’  (in 1990 upon his release from prison)

He was to spend little time here in the ensuing years, as his role in struggle activities became all-consuming and he was forced underground (1961), living a life on the run until his arrest and imprisonment in 1962.  Nelson Mandela returned here for a brief 11 days after his release from Robben Island in 1990, before finally moving to his present house in Houghton. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, herself imprisoned several times, lived in the house with her daughters while Nelson Mandela was in jail, until her own exile to Brandfort in 1977, where she remained under house arrest until 1986. The family continued to occupy the house until 1996, when the Mandelas divorced. The house was subsequently turned into a public heritage site, with Nelson Mandela as the Founder Trustee.

‘The house itself was identical to hundreds of others built on postage-stamp-size plots on dirt roads. It had the same standard tin roof, the same cement floor, a narrow kitchen, and a bucket toilet at the back. Although there were street lamps outside we used paraffin lamps as the homes were not yet electrified. The bedroom was so small that a double bed took up almost the entire floor space. 

Sonto also took me to the area in which her maternal aunt still lives and has a small café where she sells beverages. 

 Her uncle worked with her at the power company till he retired.  They were most hospitable to us.  Sonto pointed out that in their culture, you don’t call ahead and make an appointment:  you call on the way or just stop in.  and so we did.

                                                              Sonto and Uncle

Sonto also spoke of other aspects of the culture:  ignoring some responsibilities like paying tickets (she even acknowledged doing so herself!) and an attitude of entitlement that I alluded to earlier.  She said many people were lazy and that the immigrants from Zimbabwe who had nothing were more motivated to work hard and do what it takes.   For example, well=educated professionals who couldn’t find jobs in Zimbabwe would come and take jobs as domestics in Joburg.  My friend Gill also described the same phenomenon.  Yet, there are many ambitious youngsters coming from Soweto who will be the future leaders of the country. 

There have been many opportunities that have come with the new government and constitution: quotas for jobs for blacks and women; educational opportunities; grants for small businesses.  If you are an entrepreneur, it is much easier to get a business going than in other countries.  Gill spoke about the requirements for companies to develop people and her company is one of those that provides that education.

We had lunch at a café on the famous Vlakazi street in Soweto that housed two Nobel prize winners:  Mandela and Tutu. It has become a very busy tourist street with shops and restaurants and people offering to wash your car.  Sonto said that the real estate in this area is booming.  People who had very small houses could get $400,000 US for them and so many people are now holding on to this apparently appreciating asset.  Sonto also took me by the one hospital in Soweto:  one of the largest hospitals in the world .  This is a public teaching hospital and is overwhelmed.  There is a small private surgical hospital in the area as well. 

Well, with that we drove back and continued to discuss politics, her new business as a farm owners (continuing the tradition of her grandfather and father) and our families. What a lovely day!  After she dropped me off at the hotel I hung out in the executive lounge and took care of emails, worked on this travelogue, etc.  My friend Russell and her driver picked me up and we were off in traffic for the airport.  If you count the time getting to and waiting at airports, the elapsed travel time for this voyage is 34 hours J  (assuming I get to Phoenix on schedule!)

Some reflections on this experience:

1.     The generosity of people who hosted me was absolutely heart-warming.  That made the trip very special

2.     It is phenomenal to see the changes that have occurred in 21 years in this country.  For example, neighborhoods in middle to upper class Joburg that are really integrated-rather than de facto segregation.  Considering only 20 years ago Blacks were not allowed out of the township except with passes to work in people’s homes…this is amazing.

3.     The reverence with which Mandela is held by South African’s reminds me of  Ataturk in Turkey.  They both changed the country significantly and were “father’s” of the modern eras of both countries.

4.     While I had only limited exposure directly to other countries in Africa, it is evident that the continent is greatly suffering and having something to give people hope, skills and opportunities is essential.

5.     I did not see evidence of rampant crime anywhere I traveled.  While I was careful as I would be in most any city, I did not feel fearful in South Africa.  It appears the greatest crimes are against the immigrants who are coming from other African countries and “taking jobs” from South Africans.  As we drove through many different parts of towns I saw mostly clean streets and people who were trying to make a living. There were some parts of Soweto where people were hanging out in the streets because they were unemployed and their houses were too small …but there was not a sense of threat.

6.     Once again, I feel like there are people who are working so hard to make the world a better place and it makes me feel as if I haven’t done enough.

7.     I was so energized by the adventure of each day.  So many sights to see, people to meet and lessons to learn.  Not to mention animals to encounter!

Post Scripts

8.  My eyes are now open in different ways:  at home, I am much more aware of the movement of birds and animals than I ever have before.  And I am tuned in to news about Africa.  Just this morning (a few days after being home) I saw an article in the NY Times about the discovery of the remains of a slave ship off of the coast of Cape Town.  http://nyti.ms/1HXrHle This ties into the long, painful history of slave trade and disregard for the lives of humans that I also read about as I read "Into Africa" about the lives and backgrounds of David Livingstone and Mr. Stanley.

9.  The pre-opening night of the conference (program for Presidents) featured a talk by The head of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange ("JSE"), Nicky Newton-King .  I had asked for her comments as I thought they presented a balanced look at her country and was a good introduction for us.  I just received them and am including them here:

This is a country.....
  Where you can sit down to dinner in this hotel and listen to lions in the zoo below you

•   Which is home to 7 Nobel laureates, 2 of whom lived in the same street; which has had 5 peaceful democratic elections and which has hosted a fabulous world cup of soccer - but which at the same time is struggling to find a way to achieve inclusive growth that offers real opportunities to the economically marginalised
  
•   Where you can find all of the world’s top brands and yet 16m people receive social grants off a tax base of 5m
  
•   Where many of its struggle icons took refuge in countries around the continent - and yet we have seen incidents of xenophobic violence which challenge our very African-ness
  
•   Which is working hard to catch up on the critical electricity generation necessary to grow the economy - but which at the same time is home to the state of the art square kilometre array in the midst of the Karoo – a privilege won against formidable global competition
  

•   Which has a world class financial system and an exchange that has been recognised for 5 years in a row as the world’s best regulated - and yet is in the midst of a vigorous discussion about the economic framework for the country’s future direction
  
•   Where diversity is a competitive advantage - but one which we have yet to realise in its full potential.
  As you participate in the conference, you may find it raw to hear us talk so easily
  

•   of black, coloured and Indian colleagues rather than of people of colour
  
•   of people with disabilities rather than of people who are less abled.
  These blunt labels have enabled us to confront some of the most important issues of our democratic transition – although of course there is still a path to go as you will read in our newspapers and glean over the next few days.
  However, it is also fair to say that we have gone further down the path on gender diversity than in many other aspects of diversity.
  We come from a proud and fierce tradition of strong women in this country. To give you a glimpse of that tradition
  

•   20k women marched on the Union Buildings in Pretoria in 1956 to protest laws requiring women to carry passes entitling them to be at a given place. “You strike a woman, you strike a rock” echoes still today to represent the courage and strength of South African women. 9 August, the day of the march, is honoured as women’s day in SA
  
•   Under previous President Mbeki, 50% of ANC MPs and 50% of cabinet Ministers were women
  
•   Dr Nkosasana Dlamini Zuma our former foreign minister now heads the AU
  
•   Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, our previous Deputy President is now the UN Under-Secretary-
  General and Executive Director of UN Women
  
•   Our National Treasure Thuli Madonsela is the much respected the Public protector who
  vigorously shines the spotlight on concerns regarding public governance
  

You will hear their stories and those of so many other women who have placed their own imprints on the foundations of our beloved country, during the course of this week. It is important that we recognise and salute them.
Turning to my own business at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange:

•   Top 20 exchange globally
  
•   Largest in Africa – 75% of Africa’s market cap
  
•   When I was appointed, Gill Marcus was the Governor of SARB and Maria Ramos the CEO of
  one of our big 4 banks – unprecedented internationally to have women hold those roles
  simulateneously
  
•   We have 500 people: 60% black – 52% female
  
•   Average age: 38
  
•   My Chairman is a woman
  
•   Of my executive: 7/10 are women including heads of all my major business units and the CFO.
  All 10 of us come from different education, experiental and societal back grounds.
  
•   Not unusual to be the only women in the room when we meet our clients
  So, as we have reinvented every element of the DNA at the JSE, my experience is that diversity is a competitive advantage
  

•   Allows one to look at the most complex issues from completely different perspectives
  
•   Really do feel it has enabled us to tackle increasingly difficult issues far faster and with a creativity and richness that would not have been possible if we had all come from the same
  school, the same back ground.
  As a country we are a work on progress. We sometimes acknowledge the difficulties we face more enthusiastically than we celebrate what we do well at.
  We are a resilient nation and tremendously proud of our journey and what we have to share with our guests. I wish you all the very happiest of times as you lean in to our story and perhaps uncover aspects of your own. Above all, come back soon with your families and share this week and all that is special about SA with them.
  

I hope you have enjoyed this adventure! It is great to share it with you.