A different view on current affairs & history
Hammelberg was a Dutch lawyer who emigrated to South Africa in 1851 and lived here until 1871 taking a leading part in the affairs of the Orange Free State. This blog covers the 10 days during December 1861 when he visited Port Elizabeth.
Main picture:
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Recollections of the town by visitors especially in its early days, provides an indelible record of how they viewed the town but more importantly, how it operated. Some of the descriptors relate to the residents’ industriousness and the consequential hustle and bustle whereas others refer to the stark bareness of the hill especially prior to the planting of trees.
These recollections of John Campbell, a surveyor, and passenger aboard the Eastern Province who visited the town from the 25th February 1862 to the 17th March 1862, adds a fresh layer of depth to the understanding of this bustling town.
Main picture: The first breakwater around 1866
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South Africa’s declaration of war against Nazi Germany on the 6th September 1939 would have a profound impact on South Africa. Among the vortex of events would be the establishment of a Royal Navy training base at Seaview being the only Royal Navy training base outside the United Kingdom.
Main picture: The interesting thing about this picture is that it is pre-1934. They started construction on the hotel in 1934 from the right of the hotel as you looked at it with the ocean behind you. The giant Norfolk pines are not yet even visible, the two structures that are visible are on what would become hotel land.
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(For those who do not follow American politics closely, the symbol of the Republican party is the elephant)
The Addo Elephant National Park outside Port Elizabeth was established in 1931 and is home to 600 elephants, up from 11 when it started. A legendary beast amongst them was Hapoor, so named because he had a chunk missing from his ear caused by a hunter’s bullet. His name was an Afrikaans portmanteau of “hap” meaning a bite or a piece, and “oor” meaning ear. He was a large and assertive beast who dominated his herd from 1944 to 1968.
You can see where this analogy is going although I have to stretch a bit, I admit.
Continue readingWith election fever coursing through South Africa, there are many hack actors bedevilling the melodrama that constitutes SA politics. Overseeing this all is the spirit of Madiba who most still hold dear. Many try to bask in his reflected glory and humanity by claiming a bit for themselves. However, few are worthy.
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My name is Bond, Nkandla Bond (courtesy of VBS, unpaid of course), aka JZ, aka Spear of the Nation, aka Father of the Nation (23 children and counting), aka uBaba, aka Number One, aka Number One accused, aka Dead Man Walking (according to his medical parole submission).
The genital warts have returned, the rash is back.
JZ has arisen from the foetid heap of ANC history to haunt SA again by joining the shiny new MK Party.
For SMAC’s look at the 2024 elections, the new MK Party and SA’s oldest politician, now that Gatsha Buthelezi has shuffled off into his sunset, read on
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By every metric, South Africa is bleeding. It’s as if we’ve been infected by a haemorrhagic virus like Ebola which causes every organisation in the country to bleed. Actually, it’s a well-known virus that’s been around for 30 years – the ANC.
Barring SARS, SARB and the Department of Finance, every department and most municipalities are dysfunctional and supplying fewer or more shoddy services every year. Institutional memory and competence were replaced with anyone from a disadvantaged group as long as they vaguely matched the job requirements. Nor did they look too hard at the applicants’ experience, track records or qualifications. This combined with preferential procurement created fertile ground for the virus to flourish until incompetence and corruption now dominates every facet of the public sector economy.
This SMAC will not look into the Health Department which is eyeing the private Medical Aid reserve funds or that Water and Sanitation needs up to R1 trn to sort it out or anything similar. The remit is too large. This SMAC will restrict itself to the sorry sordid sagas of the SOEs and their toxic debt piles that are bankrupting them and hobbling the economy.
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I thought the (Mis)Advent(ure) Calendar was to be the last SMAC for the year but, while popping antacid tablets like smarties after overindulging on Christmas eve with family and contemplating a huge Christmas lunch with friends, I was inspired by an aspect of Trump. Perhaps my distended stomach triggered an uncomfortable association with the detestable man.
Trump is a runaway shoo-in for the Republican nomination and he’s getting itchy bone spurs at the thought of sticking it to all his enemies when he returns to the White House. At his rallies, he has been testing out the various borderline dictatorial actions he will take and has found that his band of cult followers lap it up. With the exception of Mitt Romney and Liz Cheney, all the Republican Grandees have obsequiously acceded to his de facto leadership and the Republicans have essentially become the party of Trump or a T party.
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