Blogs from Eastern Cape, South Africa, Africa - page 4

“Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.” – Thomas Jefferson It is mid-August 2025 as we sit around a roaring camp fire under a star lit night sky somewhere in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve chewing the fat on a wide range of topics. All eyes gaze intently at the bright, flickering flames of the fire providing a gentle orange glow and warmth against the evening chill. The conversation focuses on the superb animal and bird sightings of the day and we marvel at how the animal kingdom was left largely unscathed by the devastating Covid-19 pandemic. On the other hand, the impact on the World’s human population was catastrophic. Apart from the significant loss of human life, the economic implosion left many countries almost destitute, other diseases such as malaria and TB ... read more

“It is in the admission of ignorance and the admission of uncertainty that there is hope for the continuous motion of human beings in some direction that doesn’t get confined, permanently blocked, as it has so many times before in various periods in the history of man.” – Richard P. Feynman On any journey undertaken, irrespective of destination or duration, there is always a moment of reflection at some point. Questions swirl in the mind; how far have I travelled, am I on the right routing, how much further, what lies ahead? The Covid-19 “journey” is one that every human being on planet earth is currently undertaking and, if many of us dropped anchor to reflect at this point in time, there is probably only one recurring question in most minds; when will this nightmare end? ... read more

“Normal is an ideal. But it’s not reality. Reality is brutal, it’s beautiful, it’s every shade between black and white, and it’s magical. Yes, magical. Because every now and then, it turns nothing into something.” – Tara Kelly In a normal world, Sue and I would be flying round about now with special friends, Ian and Sue Prior, to Vancouver, Canada. But the reality is something completely different. Covid-19 arrived about six months ago and turned nothing into something big, which humanity is still desperately trying to comprehend. Vancouver ranks in my top three cities I have ever visited (Cape town and Sydney being the other two). Beautiful waterways and snow-capped peaks in the city background. This is where around about 9th July we were scheduled to collect our RV’s and set off on ... read more

“There is no such thing as race. None. There is just the human race – scientifically, anthropologically.” – Toni Morrison. A martyr is defined as someone who suffers persecution or death for advocating, renouncing, refusing to renounce, or refusing to advocate a religious belief or cause as demanded by an external party. Accordingly, the status of the “martyr” can be considered a posthumous title as a reward for those considered worthy of martyrdom by the living. Over the centuries there have been a number of martyrs who qualify according to this definition and one who springs to mind in these modern times is Martin Luther King, leader of the Civil Rights Movement in the USA from 1955 until his assassination in 1968. What does this have to do with the Covid-19 pandemic? Well, look no further ... read more

“The difference between genius and stupidity is, genius has its limits” – Albert Einstein This past week has been incredibly eventful; the coronavirus thunders on like a rocket that has a defined path beyond human understanding, many USA cities are in flames precipitated by the death of a black citizen at the hands of the police, the new epicentres of the virus are India and Brazil and right here in sunny South Africa, the Government and its rigid lock down laws are klapped in a court of law. Riveting, no doubt, but there was an event in recent days which should lift the spirits of this nation to stratospheric heights. But before launching into this exceptional story, a moment of reflection for what some outstanding fellow South Africans have invented and achieved for the World in ... read more