The Casual Observer

Port Elizabeth of Yore: Building’s name reflects change

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 19 November 2023 0 Comment

Most buildings bear the same name throughout their life. This assumes that its name is not that of the tenant. In South Africa’s case, there is another reason for name change: politics. In this process, many buildings since 1994 have been renamed to reflect the new political order. In the case of this building, it has had to suffer the indignity of two names, each one to reflect this change.

In this process the Colonial Mutual Life [CML] building was renamed Pleinhuis and ultimately Noninzi Luzipho. In the case of the sale by CML in 1980 of this four storey Art Deco style building on the corner of Baakens Street and Whites Road evoked concerns regarding “insensitive changes.”

Main picture: The CML Building per La Femme 28 Aug 1996

Port Elizabeth of Today: Threats Confronting the Swartkops River and Estuary

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 17 November 2023 0 Comment

.In the Swartkops River and its estuary, Port Elizabeth possesses a priceless environmental jewel. Will it ultimately follow the dismal well-trodden path taken by the mouth of the Papenkuils River known as Smelly Creek. By the early 1960’s it was taking its last gasp The destruction of the habitant chocked the water flow and the ingress of industrial chemicals killed the reeds and other vegetation. Ultimately the few resilient flamingos doffed their caps and bade their millennia old sanctuary adieu. And not a tear was shed.

Too easily the same steep and slippery slope could ineluctably overwhelm nature’s defences in the Swartkops Valley.

To eliminate the threats and mitigate others, this is what the plan of action should encompass.

Main picture: The Swartkops Estuary

Port Elizabeth of Today: The Mosque that Survived two Attempts at Demolition

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 16 November 2023 0 Comment

For the Muslim community, the Mosque is an integral part of communal life. Furthermore, when a musjid has been built and the ground dedicated to the service of God, it may not be deconsecrated.

Yet fate had placed two obstacles in the path of the Pier Street Mosque or Musjid ul Aziez of South End.

Main picture: Pier Street Mosque

A SMAC in the Face #58: King Con

By Blaine McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 14 November 2023 0 Comment

The King of the grifters, King Con, found himself in court and it has been a virtuoso display of petulance, bullying, victimhood, obfuscation, deflection, blame the other guy, denial and meandering logic. Although he didn’t have to attend proceedings until called, he elected to sit at his lawyers’ table and defiantly glare at everyone, particularly if there was a camera pointing at him. This is the glare he had stayed up all night practicing for his mugshot on 24 August when he was arraigned on election racketeering charges.

This trial is a civil case of fraud and he had already been found guilty of fraudulently overvaluing his properties. The court is now sitting to determine his sentence

Port Elizabeth of Yore: The History of Newton Park

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 13 November 2023 0 Comment

This blog is substantially based upon a brief talk given by Mrs Margaret Harradine at the Newton Park Library on the 16^th May 1990.

Main picture: Newton Park in 1947

Port Elizabeth of Yore: The Scandalous Female Cyclist of the 1890s

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 13 November 2023 0 Comment

Outdated sexual mores impede the development of humankind in multiple ways. In a previous blog I have already dealt with all the rules and regulations preventing males and females from sharing a swim. These rules were only dispensed with on the opening of King’s Beach in the early 1900s. Unbelievably female cyclists were frowned upon for cycling, let alone for being accompanied by men. Unlike their swimming counterparts, these restrictions were normative rather than rules and regulations based.

This is the story of a female who defied those norms.

Main picture: The Brown family cycling at the Van Staadens River

Port Elizabeth of Yore: When Main Street could have been called Motor Town

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 12 November 2023 0 Comment

In the space of a century, not only have the vehicles vastly improved in quality and performance but the modus operandi of the industry too. In this blog we will follow the work experiences of Rupert Charles Mouat during the 1920s when many vehicle sales, assembly and repair shops were located in Main Street. This influential period in the development of this industry would become pivotal to rescuing Port Elizabeth from insignificance as the Transvaal grew by leaps and bounds

Main picture: 1926 – General Motor’s first factory in Darling Street

A SMAC in the Face #57: God Wants Semtex

By Blaine McCleland in Opinion Pieces 10 November 2023 0 Comment

The Israeli/Palestinian issue has seen five conventional wars since 1948 between the Israelis and various coalitions of Arabs in support of the Palestinians. This area also became a proxy war for the West supporting Israel and Russia supporting the Arabs. The Russian bear went into hibernation in 1989, but reawakened with the invasion and annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the invasion of Ukraine last year. Although it is a shadow of its former self, it has aligned itself with the next superpower, China, and a bunch of crazy as bat shit nuclear regimes like Iran and North Korea. Meanwhile, China is increasingly flexing its muscle in the South China Sea and ramping up its rhetoric and intimidatory manoeuvres against Taiwan.

Has the outrage by Iran-backed Hamas been carefully scripted by Iran to take advantage of the realignment of world order to force a massive international confrontation. Will history record this as the spark that led to WWIII, like the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand that snowballed into WWI?

Given China’s leading role in this possible outcome, perhaps it will be called WWXI.

Port Elizabeth of Yore: The Loton Tipper Families of P.E.

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 8 November 2023 0 Comment

Like all families in which multiple generations share the same names, confusion reigns but doubly so when two are equally well known. So it was with the Loton Tippers of Port Elizabeth. The father was a merchant operating in Main Street whereas his son, also Loton Tipper junior was renowned as an athlete and as an administrator. Now probably only known for a steep road in Amsterdamhoek called Tipper’s Creek.

This blog is largely derived from an article entitled The Two Loton Tippers of Port Elizabeth by Margaret Harradine. Perhaps due to being related, even if distantly to the Tippers, her insight into the family is profound.

Main picture: Weekend and holiday cottages along the Swartkops River more than a century ago

A SMAC in the Face #56: The Power of One

By Blaine McCleland in McClelands 7 November 2023 0 Comment

Apart from the Boks stealing the knockout matches from under the noses of their opposition, remarkable was the winning scoreline in three matches in a row by a margin of ONE. SMAC pays tribute to this number and elevates it to godlike status.