POTCHEFSTROOM

We spent the day at Potchefstroom at Colleen’s, one of Ray and Koekie’s 2 daughters (Lynn, the other lives in Joburg.). Potch, as they call it, is about 45 minutes away – a university and industrial town. The university is very attractive on lovely grounds and completely secure. One of Colleen’s two sons, Raymond was at home – he is about to do his master’s degree there. Colleen took us round the university, past the schools where Wayne’s two eldest board and the college where David’s eldest is about to enroll to study agriculture…. and then to the school where she teaches - a public school, which was once an English school, is now 100% black. Once apartheid ended, blacks were free to leave the townships and go to the local schools. They prefer English schools, but a few go to the Afrikaans schools – the choice is theirs. There is no segregation, but in general blacks do not want to go to Afrikaans schools which are naturally associated with their oppressors. They want English schools. There are 11 official languages and there is talk of schools teaching in one or more of them.

Colleen has about 42 7th graders in her English class – the desks are so close together group work is impossible, In fact, it is hard to walk about at all. She may well have up to 50 students next school year, which starts next week. It is a tired classroom, which has seen better days. Colleen has obviously had to make a lot of adjustments, but she is so cheerful and quite a veteran – 30 years.

Now is the time to mention Black Economic Empowerment – otherwise known as reverse discrimination. It is a huge problem because, while one understands completely the blacks’ resentment and desire for position and power, too many unqualified blacks are placed in positions they cannot handle. There are not enough qualified black teachers, so much so that the black governing body of Colleen’s school requests white teachers and white administrators. So far, so good, but a black vice-principal is about to be forced on them, unless they go to arbitration.

It is the same in government positions, banks, law firms. Every company must hire at least one black. Whites find it hard to advance – a color ceiling, if you will. Ministers and top officials pay themselves huge salaries and drive around in huge Mercs with bodyguards, sirens blaring. And then there’s the president who has just married his 5th wife - and who has said that taking a shower will prevent AIDS. (He is pictured in cartoons as having a shower growing out of his head!!) AIDS is still a huge problem thanks to the previous president, Mbeke and his crazy health minister. Tribalism rebounds with the Zulu president. Did you catch the full Zulu wedding and simultaneous engagement to his future 6th wife!!!!! No comment here!!

Who knows what the future will bring – there is a great deal of optimism: everyone feels that if any African country can be successful, South Africa is the one. That said, there are still some members of the ANC who would like to oust every single white. Everyone hopes that South Africa can avoid the fate of Zimbabwe and other states that have become dictatorships.

I noticed a lot of changes for the better since I first visited 13 years ago, and even changes from 5 years ago. There are still dreadful squatter camps – Zimbabweans and Mozambiquans still pour through the open borders. But proper homes are cropping up and some are quite large and fairly fancy; the combis (VW type vans that serve as taxis) are new; bicycles are the latest models; blacks are better dressed.....and, most importantly, there are signs of a black middle class. That said, crime continues unabated and some of it is horrific. Whites still live in a state of siege and many are still considering emigrating.

Anyway, it was a lovely day and it was so nice to get to know Colleen better – it is always hard to talk to someone in depth at big gatherings, such as last year when I last saw her.

It poured with rain all day and most of the night. Ray and his sons were delighted, of course, with the 33mil average rainfall on the farms – great for the crops. Though Ray is no longer involved with the running of the farm, he still checks the water!!!

We watched the second part of the Royal Variety Performance before going off to bed to the soft sound of the rain.