It was during lunch in Skukuza at a restaurant overlooking the Sabie River listening to the teeth-grinding, mind-numbing monologue of the woman sitting next to me that I was hit with the sudden realization of how lucky I am to live in this country. Whilst the said woman bemoaned the ‘state’ of the nation at the top of her voice, making the crocodile-infested river seem suddenly appealing, I forced myself to focus exclusively on the scene in front of me.
Where else in the world, four hours outside of a major city, can you have lunch at a restaurant overlooking a river where a lone bull elephant comes to take a dip in front of you, accompanied by a Hippo and a bloated crocodile? With the Sunday papers in front of me screaming headlines of doom and gloom: Zuma, the NPA, Julius Malema, Crime, Elections and all the concerns of daily life in South Africa for that perfect moment seemed extremely unimportant. For those few minutes I breathed in the beauty of my surroundings and focused on all that is awe-inspiring in South Africa, which no place else in the world can offer.
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April 16th, 2009 at 11:24 pm
Boet, as an ex Vallie (and a proud one at that), a SA staalward (That’s what I call any Safa who still remains in SA by the by) and all round scholar and gentleman “Great post” , short precise and to the point we get too much rambling on now day’s about positive and negative mush, pleasure to read.
FYI: Now living in PE, and have Addo Elephant park on our door step. Only 30min drive out of Port Elizabeth. Admittedly not on the banks of the Sabie (Nothing compares to the Lowveld Bush) but a lot closer and zero “traffic” ..Holy almost forgot how to spell that one..
April 17th, 2009 at 10:27 am
The symptoms of the author are undeniable: aloofness and head-in-the-sand ignorance.
To marvel over the beauty of wildlife while the ruling class savages the nation’s economy and moral standing in the world is beyond me.
April 17th, 2009 at 10:47 am
A far better and more accurate picture of today’s South Africa, elephants and crocodiles aside, can be found in an article from the South African writer, publisher and philosopher Johann Roussouw, which was so brilliant that it was reprinted in the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/14/opinion/14iht-edrousouw.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all
April 17th, 2009 at 11:33 am
Hi Elgar
Thank you for your opinion. Perhaps if you had read the title ‘A perfect moment in an IMPERFECT world’ you would realize that I am fully aware of the problems, pitfalls and corruption faced by this country, having lived here for the past 26 years. I can, however, still appreciate the beauty of the place for a brief moment which I believe that I am entitled to do.
Many thanks
April 17th, 2009 at 11:42 am
You say better, we say different. There isn’t only one, singular perspective of this nation Elgar and I think it’s a bit condescending and presumptuous of you to assume that the prevailing point of view is and/or should be negative. tsk tsk.
April 17th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
In less than a week we have elections, and the frontrunner candidate to this date has not outlined his vision of South Africa other than that “the time for retribution has come.”
That makes me indeed shuddering to think of the country’s future. Only those who have nothing will take consolation from the chaos and mayhem that lurk large over us.
April 17th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
>> Lexi,
I appreciate your clarification that you yourself enjoyed a brief moment of tranquility, how ever surreal and anachronistic that moment was. I rudely pulled you back from the dream, something I am renown for.