Impressions and things I have learned about South Africa so far

Aids/HIV exhibit in museum

Aids/HIV exhibit in Museum

Egyptian goose on boat in marina

Impressions and things I have learned about South Africa so far

Sept 30, 2016

Despite travel agents suggesting that SA is not safe for travel, we have not felt threatened anywhere. On the road, most people give a friendly wave or want a photo. And the people we have met so far have all been friendly and helpful. Downtown Durban is a poor black area, so we are just being cautious about going out alone or after dark.

Spring is just beginning, with a few trees out in flower, particularly the purple ones. It will be a gardener's delight in a few weeks.

The current drought, 3 years now, has been particularly severe. El Nino last year made it worse. We have seen dead cattle along the side of the road that didn't have enough water. Some ranchers have to cull their herds. Sometimes the water is shut right off and they deliver containers of water to use. In the marina the water is on only certain hours of the day. The SW gales this month have been much stronger and colder than usual.

30 % of the population have HIV or Aids. (perhaps just the black %?) This is having a huge effect on the country. The medical system is strained. Businesses that rely on migrant labour like farming, cutting sugar cane and mining are losing much of their work force. At  Ardmore ceramics they have photos of the many artists they have lost to aids. You can see the fresh graves in so many towns.  But things are changing. At that business they have done their own education and the deaths have stopped. With a willingness to admit the problem, the education needed can get done.

25% of the population is unemployed, but that rises to 50% for those under 30. This seems to be a worldwide trend. Another world trend is the migration from a rural to urban lifestyle. It takes awhile to get through the checkout at the local grocery store as people try to use their combination of food stamps, credits and cash, sometimes having to return items to the shelves. The 80% black population own 14% of the land. Mandela's legacy is that there has not been much retaliation after apartheid. They don't want a Zimbabwe. There are quite a few refugees in the country from Zimbabwe. Also, a good number of former white Rhodesians live here waiting for better conditions there.

Poaching is still a major problem. There are news items about it regularly. Rhino horn is prized in China and the animals are stolen even from the game reserves. They have sent 80 rhinos to Australia just in case something happens to them here. They are experimenting with dehorning them to protect the species.

Mandela was a man willing to admit mistakes. He was disappointed that leaders that came after him didn't share his moral values. He removed fences between neighbouring countries to allow animals a larger range. But this has increased poaching from other countries. He increased the number of provinces from 4 to 9. This has greatly increased administration costs. Money was transferred from security to education. Most people think crime has increased since apartheid ended with a weaker police force. This week university students are protesting increased fees. They would like the education to be free, but the country can't afford that. There is much work still to be done here.

There are 2-3,000 human deaths from hippos every year!

The Natural History Museum is doing a good job educating visitors about climate change. It has a "Green Heroes" program. One of the parts of that are stories about the things that staff members do in their personal lives to lessen their impact. The museum and art gallery were free.

We have been here 2 weeks now and are enjoying every minute!