Living in SA

The power of sport and sports psychology

noreply@blogger.com (Helen TB) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:27:00 +0000

As the 2010 soccer world cup draws nearer, life in South Africa is changing. For one thing, huge soccer balls keep appearing in public spaces. (There is one stuck into the OR Tambo airport building, and one in the microwave tower in Pretoria/Tshwane, and those are just two examples.) Miraculously some of the road works that we have been living with for what seems like forever, are nearing completion, and the Gautrain link between OR Tambo airport and Sandton has generated a bit of excitement all of its own. Will it be completed in time? First it was no. Now it is a definite maybe. It's a huge issue. And then there's the vuvuzela controversy. The latest country to voice their complaints over this instrument is Japan (and if you are in any doubt about how strongly people feel about vuvuzelas, check out the comments at the end of the article in the link.) Clearly, vuvuzelas are potent psychological weapons, and we should not underestimate the role of psychology in sport. Just look at how the Springboks performed after the unusual rendition of the South African national anthem on Saturday.

Thinking of walls and what taking them down might mean

noreply@blogger.com (Helen TB) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 08:53:00 +0000

Tomorrow (9 November 2009) is the 2oth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The taking down of that wall signified the end of the separation of Germany into East and West, and for many was a physical manifestation of the end of the cold war. The fall of the wall was greeted with euphoria as the artificial divisions the wall created with their accompanying pain and hardship were done away with.

In South Africa, the Goethe Institute is marking this anniversary with a project to take down the wall around the institute. The Fall Wall project was given to architecture students at the University of Johannesburg, who were invited to submit designs for alternative borders for the institute. In security conscious South Africa, we are all too familiar with living behind high walls, and the price we pay in isolation and paranoia for this. The Fall Wall project invites us to reconsider our ideas about security, walls and what the taking down of walls might mean for us.

Can we be secure without walls around us? Will alternatives to physical barriers be as effective in keeping us safe? It's a challenging idea. One website which has recently taken up the challenge, approaching security in a different way is Crime Aware. The idea here is to share information about crime and through spreading awareness, create safer communities. Walls certainly do not stop crime; at best they are deterrents, and we pay a price for living behind them. In my book, it is certainly worth exploring other alternatives which might help create a safer and more secure society.

Two interesting websites

noreply@blogger.com (Helen TB) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 10:23:00 +0000

Here are two interesting websites with nothing except their South African connection in common:

The first, FoodBank South Africa is the site of an organisation which aims to create and manage an infrastructure in South Africa to distribute food which would otherwise go to waste. A great idea which I hope is a sustainable one. FoodBank SA is affiliated with The Global FoodBanking Network, a US based charitable organisation whose aim is to reduce world hunger.

The second is the site of the South African mountaineer, Sean Wisedale, who is the first South African to have summited the highest mountain on each of 7 continents. Sean has recently returned from an attempt to summit K2; to read the story of this attempt and his other achievements, visit the site.

Voting in Singapore

noreply@blogger.com (Helen TB) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 14:11:00 +0000

The notice above was posted outside the lift on the floor where the South African Commission in Singapore is housed. When I saw it, I knew I was in the right place. My cross has now been made, my thumb inked, and my special vote for the 2009 South African elections cast.

South African flags and beaded enamel mugs decorated the table with the voting forms to make us feel at home.

The voting itself was a unique experience: hearing Afrikaans being spoken so far from home; voting without standing in a queue; sharing in the instant cameraderie generated by meeting up people from home in a foreign place who are there for the same purpose as you.

So roll on 22 April. The first leg of the voting is over; overseas special votes are waiting to be counted. And to all South Africans at home; remember to make your own crosses and get your own thumbs inked on Wednesday next week.

Voting update

noreply@blogger.com (Helen TB) — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 12:09:00 +0000

If you applied for a special vote because you are not going to be in your electoral district on April 22, you can now check the status of your VEC10 form online at the IEC website. If your special vote application was successful, you will need to fill in a VEC1 form before you vote. This form will be available at foreign missions where voting will take place on 15 April, but can also be downloaded from the IEC website. You need to take this form with you when you go to vote. The IEC website also allows you to find your voting station, gives you a list of participating political parties and candidates and a lot of other information.

Visiting the smoke that thunders and a different economic reality

noreply@blogger.com (Helen TB) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 16:00:00 +0000

In late February I was told that I had won a prize of 3 nights in Victoria Falls. Fully expecting a scam, I did not believe this until the time my flight was in the air, going along with things simply because I have always wanted to see the Falls, and this seemed like a chance to do that. It was anyway the stuff of jokes; first prize a weekend at Vic Falls; second prize two weeks at Vic Falls; as at the moment, far from being a tourist paradise, Zimbabwe is a PR nightmare: in the news because of human rights abuses, economic collapse and cholera.

First sight of the "smoke" - the spray from the Falls

View from the bar of Gorges Lodge of the Batoka Gorge

We stayed at Gorges Lodge, situated some 22 km from the Falls. Part of Zimbabwe's Campfire project (a portion of its revenue goes to benefit local communities) the lodge is set on the edge of a gorge 250m above the Zambezi river, in indigenous gardens, and has all the space and tranquility you could ever wish for. Both the dining room and bar overlook the gorge and it was hard to leave behind the spectacular views that accompanied our beautifully presented and prepared meals. The resilience and resourceful of Zimbabweans was apparent everywhere. Money, the actual physical stuff, is in short supply. Zimbabwe dollars are useless now as currency, and are sold or swopped by locals as souvenirs. Only South African rands and American dollars are now accepted; credit cards are useless too as credit card companies no longer operate in the country, and no atms were working. The cash we had when we entered the country was what we had for our stay; and it was at first disconcerting, then liberating to leave behind the familiar props of cash and credit cards.

The Falls themselves are spectacular. Known in Tonga as "Mosi-oa-Tunya" (the smoke that thunders); they are 1708 metres wide and 108 metres high, and form the largest sheet of falling water in the world. The Zambezi riverwas very full when we were there, and spray from the falls made it impossible to stay dry on the walk to view them; but getting soaked was part of what made the experience a memorable one.

The Devil's Cataract

Main Falls

Cruises operate on the Zambezi above the falls, and it was humbling to float on one of Africa's largest rivers at sunset in the company of crocodiles and hippos with the spray from the falls rising in the distance.

Change is given in a mixture of dollars and rands, but T-shirts and shoes are also readily accepted as currency by artists and street vendors, and are needed as much a foreign currency; so take some extra clothing if you plan to visit.

Artists' Market in Victoria Falls

Prices are in US dollars: a coke costs R40 and a toasted cheese R300; so you do need to do your sums to make sure the cash you have sees you through; not cheap for South Africans. But you can't beat this for a unique travel experience: you might well be the only people staying in your hotel; you can wander through an empty casino with deserted slots and dusty atms and talk to people who have come through turmoil and hardship with smiles on their faces; while down the road one of the world's most breathtaking sights continues to smoke and thunder.

The strange case of the South African government, the visa and the Dalai Lama

noreply@blogger.com (Helen TB) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 15:20:00 +0000

I was stunned to learn today that the Dalai Lama has been denied a visa to visit South Africa by the South African government. He had been invited to South Africa to participate in a high profile peace conference which was to have included Archbishop Emeritus Tutu, Nelson Mandela and F.W De Klerk, South Africa's Nobel Peace Prize laureates. The conference was endorsed by Norwegian Nobel Peace Committe. An iniative of the 2010 Soccer World Cup organising committee, the message they hoped to get across with the conference was that soccer can play a large role in bringing peace and unity to South Africa.

Denying a visa to the Dalai Lama has dealt this message a fatal blow. Government's explanation (as set out in the Mail and Guardian online) that they want to focus on the World Cup rather than Tibetan issues makes no sense to me. Surely by denying the visa government has itself shifted the focus away from 2010 to the Dalai Lama and Tibetan issues, and in addition, created a huge amount of negative publicity for the event which may be very hard to undo?

During the runup to the 1994 elections, talks were held in South Africa between widely divergent political parties and groups. What has happened to this tradition of tolerance and mutual respect? Are we simply caving in to Chinese pressure? Whatever the case, a peace conference where a participant is barred from attending cannot be called a peace conference. For those who have the inclination to register their protest, there is an online petition about the issue.

World cup tickets

noreply@blogger.com (Helen TB) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 08:49:00 +0000

As 2010 creeps closer, the World Cup becomes more of a reality. On 19 Feb, World Cup ticket sales began in South Africa. We (South Africans, that is) can buy tickets at affordable prices; for a first round match, the cheapest ticket is R140. Buying tickets is a process, which you can find out more about on the Fifa website (where you can buy online) or through First National Bank, where there are brochures explaining how to do it. Not normally a soccer fan, I cannot bear not to be part of such a huge sporting event when it is happening right under my nose. Remember though that it's a massive event, and if you want a ticket it might be best to make your move now.

Won't be here on 22nd, but want to vote?

noreply@blogger.com (Helen TB) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 07:55:00 +0000

If you want to vote on 22 April, but cannot because you will not be in your voting district, visit the IEC website to see if you qualify for a special vote. If you do, you need to download the VEC 10 form from the website, and get it to the IEC before 27 February 2009. There are only 3 days for special votes: 15 April to vote at foreign missions outside South Africa, and 20 and 21 April to vote in South Africa. This may be a very important election; I am not going to be here on 22nd, and I will try and arrange my flights to make the 15 April foreign mission voting. So if you are not going to be here on election, day but want to vote, visit the IEC online to see if you can.

Election time!

noreply@blogger.com (Helen TB) — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 13:32:00 +0000

The date for the next election in South Africa has been set for Wednesday 22 April 2009. The political landscape has changed significantly since the last election. A new party, COPE, has appeared; the ANC has suffered the defection of longstanding members; we are part of a world in economic turmoil, and have witnessed the inauguration of the first Black American president. Interesting times indeed, which will no doubt make for an interesting election. Whether our politicians are going to deal with this in interesting new ways, as Barack Obama did, and continues to do,by using digital media to great effect; (see for instance the live question and answer session at Ft Myers posted on the White House blog yesterday) remains to be seen.

Judge for yourself whether our politicians are up to the challenge by visiting the websites of the main players:

African National Congress (ANC)

Congress of the People (COPE)

Independent Democrats (ID)

Democratic Alliance (DA)

SA Tennis Open

noreply@blogger.com (Helen TB) — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 15:21:00 +0000

J0-Wilfried Tsonga in his match against Denis Istomin

As a school girl I spent quite a few hours watching tennis, and vividly remember seeing tennis greats like Evonne Goolagong and Billy-Jean King when they played here in tournaments.

Start of doubles match: Baghdatis and Chardy v Levinsky and Scherrer

Last held in 1995, the SA Open has returned as part of the ATP circuit. It is being played at Monte Casino in Johannesburg from 2 - 8 February.

Marcos Baghdatis in the doubles match

Yesterday I had a wonderful afternoon and evening of tennis there. Although the two remaining South Africans in the singles, Rik de Voest and Izak van der Merwe both lost their matches, the fact that this tournament is back can only mean more and better opportunities for South African players. So great to see players of the calibre of Marcos Baghdatis and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the flesh; tv tennis cannot compete with live tennis in my book., nothing can beat the atmosphere and tensions of the live match. Hope this tournament goes from strength to strength. The SA Open tennis website has live scoring, news and all the results.

Touring SA on your computer

noreply@blogger.com (Helen TB) — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 07:58:00 +0000

Have a look at Virtual Tour Guide, a great site which lets you go on virtual tours of South Africa. Here is a taste:

Union Buildings sunset in http://www.360cities.net/area/tshwane

Just one thing, the Union Building does not house parliament, as the site says, but the executive of the SA government. Parliament is in Cape Town. Great visuals though, so slip forgiven! (And thanks to Nic Haralambous and SA Rocks for alerting me to this).

Yay for South African cricket

noreply@blogger.com (Helen TB) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 12:35:00 +0000

The Proteas, taken at the Oval in Aug 2008

Last Saturday the international arrivals hall at OR Tambo airport was packed with people welcoming the Proteas home. Over one thousand people showed up to congratulate the team on their historic victory against our arch rivals the Aussies: the Proteas beat Australia 2/1 in the test series and 4/1 in the ODIs. (If you missed out on the action, details are on the Cricket SA website.) Some of the players looked a little stunned as they came through the doors, but they fully deserved the welcome they got and it was great that Graeme Smith who came home early with an injury, and Makhaya Ntini, who came home early to be with his family who were in a car accident, could also be there to share in the celebrations. Australia arrives in SA later this month for a series consisting of three tests, five one days and two Twenty20 matches. If I know the Australians, they will come here determined to even up the score; something to look forward to indeed. Viva cricket viva.

A new bird in my garden

noreply@blogger.com (Helen TB) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 12:07:00 +0000

These are pics of a Barthroated Apalis. I saw this bird in my garden for the first time on 29 January 2009. Okay, I did need help finding out what is was, (thank you Martin) and would not have been able even to ask for help without the pictures, which were tricky to get because it hardly stayed still for a second. It was eating the remains of flying ants from the paving. This January we have had some very heavy rainfalls, and quite often in the evenings after the rain, flying ants appear. One evening the sky was crowded with hundreds of bats preying on these insects. I have never seen so many together at once, and it was magical to watch them weaving and swooping. Not a patch of sky was left batless and the air was full of their chirps and clicks. Next day the birds came to clean up the leftovers, as the Barthroated Apalis is doing here.

Happy Chinese New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Helen TB) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 14:36:00 +0000

Happy Chinese New year! January 26th is the first day of 2009, the year of the ox (4707) in the Chinese calendar. (For more about Chinese astrology, visit the Chinese Astrology Year chart.)

Chinese New Year celebrations were held yesterday at Nanhua Temple, near Bronkhorstspruit, and included a Dharma function, a traditional dragon and lion dance to chase away bad luck; and many other cultural exhibitions and events.

Lion dance

Experiencing other traditions and cultures is lots of fun; it was great to sample the traditional Chinese food sold by the many stalls around the temple and a highlight was the performance of the Free State Orchestra of Chinese Music, which combined traditional Chinese and western instruments, and played traditional and modern Chinese music as well as adaptations of western music. How wonderful that we are able to participate in celebrations like this without leaving South Africa.

May your 2009 be filled with health, happiness, prosperity and many blessings!

Me and Barack Obama

noreply@blogger.com (Helen TB) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 12:51:00 +0000

That's my face on the person in the blue coat standing just behind Michelle Obama. No I wasn't there, just watched the inauguration along with many other South Africans, appreciating the well written and delivered speech and the messages of hope. The inauguration was a historic moment (although I thought Mandela's inauguration more stylish, but then I'm biased) and I'm going to follow the official White House blog with interest. If you would like to add your face to those at the Obama inauguration, visit Fotoflexer.

South African wins Dakar rally

noreply@blogger.com (Helen TB) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:44:00 +0000

Although I am not generally a fan of motor sport, the Dakar rally has always been of interest to me because of the combination of skill and sheer guts this endurance race demands. So it was with delight that I watched the progress of Giniel de Villiers, who has now become the first South African to win this race. Sad though, that another competitor, the Frenchman Pascal Terry, died during the race, which this year was held in South America because of unrest in Mauritania. An extreme event, but a fascinating one.

Some bests of 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Helen TB) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 14:17:00 +0000

A bit late I know, but I sometimes have trouble getting into the new year, especially when I have to grapple with taxes at the beginning of it. Here are a few South African things that I enjoyed last year:

The Nike ad featuring Oscar Pistorius:

Joule MPV, the electric car unveiled at the Paris Motor Show: not bad looking, not hopelessly expensive to buy, and South African!

Beating the All Blacks at Dunedin:

The switching on of the Darling Wind Farm, South Africa's first renewable energy power initiative.

SALT, dark skies and a solar eclipse

noreply@blogger.com (Helen TB) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 18:10:00 +0000

On new year's eve, Venus sat, spetacularly bright, just to the left of a crescent moon softened with a halo. The view was much better for those at the Star party, held at the SALT (Southern Africa Large Telescope) telescope in Sutherland. As Sutherland, in the semi-desert Karoo, is one of the coldest places in South Africa, I have never had any particular urge to go there. But news of the telescope, along with the fact that there is very little light pollution there (South Africans there are champions of the International Dark Skies Awareness Project, which aims to make people aware of the adverse impact excess artificial lighting can have on local environments), have made me curious. 2009 is the International Year of Astronomy, so that may be the time to make the trip there. And while we are on the topic of astronomy, we will be able to a partial solar eclipse here in South Africa on 26 January. The eclipse will be able to be seen throughout South Africa. Click here to see the various places from which one will be able to view the eclipse.

Deon Meyer - one of my favourite SA authors

noreply@blogger.com (Helen TB) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:20:00 +0000

I have just finished reading 13 uur the latest Deon Meyer. It is such a pleasure to read a book in a favourite genre (thriller/detective story) which is South African. Set in Cape Town, it deals matter of factly with South African realities like how crime impacts on tourism and affirmative action while focusing firmly on a gripping storyline. It's a page turner. It's only available in Afrikaans at the moment, but is due appear in English later this year. If you are South African, you can order it online from loot.co.za:

OR Tambo airport

noreply@blogger.com (Helen TB) — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 14:54:00 +0000

Friends and family seem to have been travelling around an awful lot during the past few months, so I've found myself at OR Tambo airport (what used to be called Johannesburg International) on what seems like a weekly basis. Apart from one surreal experience where I parked in newly opened and unsignposted parking and got so lost trying to find the terminal buildings that I joined a disconsolate band of fellow travellers on the same quest to find my way out, I am pretty impressed with the developments at the airport. (We were forced to ask one of the people directing traffic with those giant hands that people wear at cricket matches before we found our way out of the parking and into the terminal buildings, and I had resort to this again to find my car.)

OR Tambo airport now boasts new international arrivals terminals, a host of new shops, new information and help points, and more and more parking is being built. Parking has long been a problem at this busy airport; much more is now available, and event more is being built. Lights have been installed above each existing parking bay, red indicating that the bay is already taken, and green that it is free; blue is for disabled parking. The nightmare of finding parking here is now slowly receding.

One of the new arrivals terminals

New parking garage under construction

Information point

Most impressive and exciting are the first signs of the long awaited Gautrain, a rapid transport rail system, one branch of which is to run from Sandton to OR Tambo. You can't miss the giant concrete pillars as you approach the airport on the highway, or as you enter the international section of the airport. Apparently once the train is running, you will be able to check in your luggage at Sandton station, and travel to the airport unencumbered with bags, and then retrieve your luggage at your final international destination. Sounds a bit too good to be true; but I love the idea.

Gautrain construction as seen from the international terminal

Christmas images

noreply@blogger.com (Helen TB) — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 12:23:00 +0000

Some images of Christmas in South Africa:

Wire and bead Christmas tree and decorations at the Red Plate restaurant in Haenertsburg:

Luggage stacked up at the taxi rank at Komatipoort, near the Mozambican border, as people prepare to catch taxis home for Christmas:

Christmas light and ANC poster on a lamp post, Northern Province:

In the Cape: the Cape Peninsula

noreply@blogger.com (Helen TB) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 13:32:00 +0000

Some spots on the Cape Peninsula

I've been visiting lately:

Fish Hoek Beach

Kalk Bay Harbour

This is a small fishing harbour, with some great eating places (the Brass Bell where the sea spray hits the windows, the Olympia Cafe; to name only two); and a collection of small, interesting shops.

View from the window of The Brass Bell

The Olympia Cafe

Silvermine Wetlands Conservation area

Sophea Gallery and Tibetan Teahouse in Simon's Town

This teahouse has an amazing view and tasty and imaginative vegetarian food. Paintings and Tibetan items are on show and for sale.

Penguins on Boulders beach

More South African music

noreply@blogger.com (Helen TB) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 16:59:00 +0000

More bits of South African music I like:

African Jazz Pioneers and Jonas Gwangwa from the best of South African Live jazz on the John Player Jazz Music Special:

Koos du Plessis singing one of his compositions, Skielik is jy vry (Suddenly you're free):

Josh Groban, Vusi Mahlasela (who comes from Mamelodi, not too far from where I live!) and the Soweto Gospel Choir, singing Weeping at Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday concert at Hyde Park in London in June 2008. Weeping is remarkable for the fact that, even though it was a protest song, it avoided being banned in the 1980s, a time when banning was all the rage, and instead became a hit. Weeping was composed by Dan Heymann and originally sung by the Cape Town band, Bright Blue.

Standing together

noreply@blogger.com (Helen TB) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:58:00 +0000

When we moved into our house, there was no fence at all. We put one up after we had a break in, and although it felt a bit like living in a prison, we thought it would be irresponsible not to take all reasonable precautions to prevent harm coming to anyone living in the house. For a while we felt safer, but then, two years ago, crime began to escalate rapidly. By that stage, most people in our area were living behind high walls and fences, but these did not prevent burglaries, armed robberies and attempted hijackings becoming the order of the day.

Then two women who are neighbours decided to take action. They began holding community meetings, and after a lot of discussion, the community in this area implemented two things: a community patrol and an sms system. The patrol is run by a security company employed by the community. Men on quad bikes patrol the area 24 hours a day. People living in the patrol area contribute financially to cover the costs. Financial contributions are voluntary, but enough people contribute to make the patrol a viable option. The sms system allows us to alert each other via our cell phones if we notice anything strange or if we have a problem that other people in the area should know about. In addition to preventing crime, the system has helped reunite a parrot, rabbits and numerous dogs with their owners. On one occasion it was used to find a lost child (thankfully this only took 10 minutes).

The results? Crime has dropped by 97% since implementing the patrol. The community has a good working relationship with the police. Co-operation is spreading into other areas; a joint venture with the Parks department is underway to upgrade a small park in the area; one park clean-up by residents has already taken place. A newsletter is being produced, meetings and community braais are held; neighbours now know each other better and high walls feel less like prisons. Safety is a community issue, and standing together does make a difference. Crime remains something we need to be aware of, but we now feel less helpless and scared by it.

Crime is a difficult thing to deal with. While I condemn crime, and any violence and victimisation of people, I am uncomfortable with the fact that discussions about crime often assume that the world is two dimensional, made up of criminals and victims; baddies and goodies. None of us are wholly good or wholly bad. Probably, given certain circumstances, I too, would be capable of criminal action. But recognizing this should not prevent us from taking responsbility for preventing harm to ourselves. Standing together as a community is a way doing this. How we choose to stand together will be different in different communities. Employing a security company will not always be the answer, but the principle of working together as a community is the start of a good crime prevention strategy.