Podcast appearances and mentions of louis trichardt

Several roads are impassable due to localised flooding in some parts of Limpopo. It's been raining for a few days in the northern parts of the province and the most affected are rural areas in the Vhembe and Mopani districts. The Punda Maria road between Louis Trichardt and Thohoyandou has also been severely affected. Some low-lying bridges have been washed away, while some have been badly eroded that led to the roads closure. For more, Jon Gericke spoke to SABC News reporter, Vutivu Maluleke

Several roads are impassable due to localised flooding in some parts of Limpopo. It's been raining for a few days in the northern parts of the province and the most affected are rural areas in the Vhembe and Mopani districts. The Punda Maria road between Louis Trichardt and Thohoyandou has also been severly affected. Some low-lying bridges have been washed away, while some have been badly eroded that led to the roads closure. Jon Gericke spoke to SABC Meteorologist Azwi Tuwani

We're picking up speed from here on, the fulcrum that was the mid-19th Century is passed and our story is developing quickly - this is episode 203 the Siege of Makapansgat and Reconstituting history. It is 1854, almost mid-way through the sixth decade of this momentous century and the region that's under our gaze is the northern Limpopo territory, the Waterberg. Those who live there today will know of its grandeur, and its extensive mountain ranges, riverine bush, delightful geology. Thaba Meetse is the northern Sotho name for the Waterberg, where the average height of the peaks here are 600 meters, rising to 2 000 meters above sea level. The vegetation is officially known as dry deciduous forest, or just the Bushveld to you and me. The original people here date back thousands of years, early evolutionary stages of hominid development can be traced here, so in some ways, it's part of the story of human existence on the planet. Its all about the type of rocks here, and the soils. Clamber amongst the red koppies and ravines and you can look out over the bush veld, with it's minerals such as vanadium and platinum, part of the Bushveld Igneous complex I spoke about in episodes one and two. Tectonic forces forced the rocks upwards, creating the famous Waterberg, the Thaba Meetse ranges, rivers deposited sediment and in these sandstone layers, you'll find the famous caves surrounded by cliffs hundreds of feet high, rising from the plains. Scientists and palaeontologists tracked our very first human ancestors who lived at Waterberg as early as three million years ago, and inside the cave we're going to hear about, Makapansgat, skeletons of Australopithecus Africanus have been found. Homo Erectus remains have also been found in the cave. This site has yielded many thousands of fossil bones, and what is known as The Cave of Hearths preserves a remarkably complete record of human occupation from Early Stone Age “Acheulian” times in the oldest sediments through the Middle Stone Age, the Later Stone Age and up to the Iron Age. It also is where one of the earliest Homo sapiens remains were found, a jaw found in the cave layers by archaeologists. The lime enriched deposits and dry conditions within the cave have allowed for the exceptional preservation of plant, animal and human remains as Amanda Beth Esterhuysen points out in her 2007 Wits University PhD. So its really metaphorical — an iconic cave because this is where the Boers and the Kekana people were going to go to war. Part of our story this episode is about a track, a wagon trail, that passed between the ivory hunting centre of Schoemansdal, Soutpansberg and the newly established Boer town of Pretoria and which cut straight through the middle of Kekana chief Mokopane's territory. And inside this territory is Makapansgat. Since the first trekkers had arrived in 1837, the Langa and Kekana people who lived in the Waterberg had watched in some disquiet as the numbers of Boers increased over the years. It was almost two decades after Louis Trichardt had wheeled his wagons through the Waterberg, and by the mid-19th Century there wasn't a week that went past without hunters or prospectors wandering through. It's a double irony then to relate that both the Langa and Kekana had origins further south, they were part of the amaNdebele who had fled from Northern Zululand during Shaka's reign, related to the amaHlubi, and had been involved in some land seizing themselves. Don't simplify history, its more radical than a buffet hall of red berets. King Mghombane Gheghana of the Kekana, and Mankopane of the Langa, were not prepared to accept Trekker overlordship like they had fought against Mzilikazi's overlordship. They rejected the trekker system of labour where every black adult male was supposed to work for the Boers for nothing. Mokopane by the way is a northern Sotho form of Mghombane Gheghana, and he was known throughout the territory as Mokopane.

We're picking up speed from here on, the fulcrum that was the mid-19th Century is passed and our story is developing quickly - this is episode 203 the Siege of Makapansgat and Reconstituting history. It is 1854, almost mid-way through the sixth decade of this momentous century and the region that's under our gaze is the northern Limpopo territory, the Waterberg. Those who live there today will know of its grandeur, and its extensive mountain ranges, riverine bush, delightful geology. Thaba Meetse is the northern Sotho name for the Waterberg, where the average height of the peaks here are 600 meters, rising to 2 000 meters above sea level. The vegetation is officially known as dry deciduous forest, or just the Bushveld to you and me. The original people here date back thousands of years, early evolutionary stages of hominid development can be traced here, so in some ways, it's part of the story of human existence on the planet. Its all about the type of rocks here, and the soils. Clamber amongst the red koppies and ravines and you can look out over the bush veld, with it's minerals such as vanadium and platinum, part of the Bushveld Igneous complex I spoke about in episodes one and two. Tectonic forces forced the rocks upwards, creating the famous Waterberg, the Thaba Meetse ranges, rivers deposited sediment and in these sandstone layers, you'll find the famous caves surrounded by cliffs hundreds of feet high, rising from the plains. Scientists and palaeontologists tracked our very first human ancestors who lived at Waterberg as early as three million years ago, and inside the cave we're going to hear about, Makapansgat, skeletons of Australopithecus Africanus have been found. Homo Erectus remains have also been found in the cave. This site has yielded many thousands of fossil bones, and what is known as The Cave of Hearths preserves a remarkably complete record of human occupation from Early Stone Age “Acheulian” times in the oldest sediments through the Middle Stone Age, the Later Stone Age and up to the Iron Age. It also is where one of the earliest Homo sapiens remains were found, a jaw found in the cave layers by archaeologists. The lime enriched deposits and dry conditions within the cave have allowed for the exceptional preservation of plant, animal and human remains as Amanda Beth Esterhuysen points out in her 2007 Wits University PhD. So its really metaphorical — an iconic cave because this is where the Boers and the Kekana people were going to go to war. Part of our story this episode is about a track, a wagon trail, that passed between the ivory hunting centre of Schoemansdal, Soutpansberg and the newly established Boer town of Pretoria and which cut straight through the middle of Kekana chief Mokopane's territory. And inside this territory is Makapansgat. Since the first trekkers had arrived in 1837, the Langa and Kekana people who lived in the Waterberg had watched in some disquiet as the numbers of Boers increased over the years. It was almost two decades after Louis Trichardt had wheeled his wagons through the Waterberg, and by the mid-19th Century there wasn't a week that went past without hunters or prospectors wandering through. It's a double irony then to relate that both the Langa and Kekana had origins further south, they were part of the amaNdebele who had fled from Northern Zululand during Shaka's reign, related to the amaHlubi, and had been involved in some land seizing themselves. Don't simplify history, its more radical than a buffet hall of red berets. King Mghombane Gheghana of the Kekana, and Mankopane of the Langa, were not prepared to accept Trekker overlordship like they had fought against Mzilikazi's overlordship. They rejected the trekker system of labour where every black adult male was supposed to work for the Boers for nothing. Mokopane by the way is a northern Sotho form of Mghombane Gheghana, and he was known throughout the territory as Mokopane.

This is episode 202, the sounds you hear are the sounds made by wagons rolling across the veld — because we're going to join the trekkers who've mostly stopped trekking. For the trekkers, the promised land was at hand. The high veld, parts of Marico, the northern Limpopo region, the Waterberg, the slopes of the Witwatersrand into the lowveld, the Free State with its rocky outcrops and vastness, the dusty transOrangia. In the Caledon Valley, Moshoeshoe was monitoring the Dutch speakers who were now speaking a combination of languages, morphing the taal into Afrikaans. Further east, King Mpande kaSenzangakona of the Zulu had been keeping an eye on the colonial developments while indulging in expansion policies of his own. This period, 1854 and 1855, is like a fulcrum between epochs. The previous lifestyle of southern Africa, pastoral and rural, was running its final course, the final decade before precious mineral discoveries were going to change everything. Let's just stand back for a moment to observe the world, before we plunge back into the going's on in the Boer Republics. Momentous events had shaken Europe, a succession of revolutions which had somehow swept around Britain but never swept Britain away. This is more prescient than it appears. These revolutions are forgotten now, they're an echo but in the echo we hear the future. The 1848-1855 revolutions were precipitated by problems of imperial overload in Europe. Liberal nationalism was also sweeping the world, and the American constitution was on everyone's lips. Copies of the American Constitution were cropping up in the oddest places. Like the back of Boer ox wagons and inside the churches, alongside the Bibles. American missionary Daniel Lindley who you heard about in our earlier episodes, the man from Ohio who had started out life in south Africa as a missionary based near Mzilikazi of the amaNdebele's great place near Marico. He had copies distributed to the Boers. This is important. There is a direct link between the American constitution, South African concepts of what democratic rights were, which you could then track all the way to the 1994 New Constitution after apartheid. Schoemansdal, to the north, and the basis of ivory trade, was much bigger and richer than Potch. The Schoemansdalers looked down their noses at the Potchefstroomers — it was an ancient Biblical pose — it was hunters and shepherds versus farmers, Cain versus Abel. The clash between settled and nomadic societies. One of the dirty little secrets of South African life in the mid-19th Century was how successfully these new arrivals in the north, the trekkers, had decimated the elephant, rhino, lion, leopard, crocodile, and hippo populations. Schoemansdal was living on borrowed time. The story begins with a hunting party seeking white gold — ivory. An elephant hunt. It also begins with a massacre, and ends with a siege of a cave. The Nyl Rivier was always disputed territory, particularly since chief Makapan and Mankopane, otherwise known as Mapela - Nyl means Nile and the Boers had renamed this river for all sorts of important resonant reasons. This river is a tributary of the Limpopo and it is located in the northern part of the Springbok flats.There are two main versions of what happened, and I'm going to relate both, then we shall try to extricate fact from fiction. This episode will deal with the initial events, and next episode we shall conclude the saga with it's terrifying cave fighting and ultimate South African symbolism. The Langa and Kekana people first experienced trekkers in 1837 when Louis Trichardt entered their territory — from then on a steady trickle of trekkers could be found inside Langa and Kekana territory. The area we're focusing on is close to where the town of Potgietersrus would be founded, the modern day town of Mokopane. We can begin to connect our histories here. Makapan, Mokopane, Mankopane, Potgieter.

This is episode 202, the sounds you hear are the sounds made by wagons rolling across the veld — because we're going to join the trekkers who've mostly stopped trekking. For the trekkers, the promised land was at hand. The high veld, parts of Marico, the northern Limpopo region, the Waterberg, the slopes of the Witwatersrand into the lowveld, the Free State with its rocky outcrops and vastness, the dusty transOrangia. In the Caledon Valley, Moshoeshoe was monitoring the Dutch speakers who were now speaking a combination of languages, morphing the taal into Afrikaans. Further east, King Mpande kaSenzangakona of the Zulu had been keeping an eye on the colonial developments while indulging in expansion policies of his own. This period, 1854 and 1855, is like a fulcrum between epochs. The previous lifestyle of southern Africa, pastoral and rural, was running its final course, the final decade before precious mineral discoveries were going to change everything. Let's just stand back for a moment to observe the world, before we plunge back into the going's on in the Boer Republics. Momentous events had shaken Europe, a succession of revolutions which had somehow swept around Britain but never swept Britain away. This is more prescient than it appears. These revolutions are forgotten now, they're an echo but in the echo we hear the future. The 1848-1855 revolutions were precipitated by problems of imperial overload in Europe. Liberal nationalism was also sweeping the world, and the American constitution was on everyone's lips. Copies of the American Constitution were cropping up in the oddest places. Like the back of Boer ox wagons and inside the churches, alongside the Bibles. American missionary Daniel Lindley who you heard about in our earlier episodes, the man from Ohio who had started out life in south Africa as a missionary based near Mzilikazi of the amaNdebele's great place near Marico. He had copies distributed to the Boers. This is important. There is a direct link between the American constitution, South African concepts of what democratic rights were, which you could then track all the way to the 1994 New Constitution after apartheid. Schoemansdal, to the north, and the basis of ivory trade, was much bigger and richer than Potch. The Schoemansdalers looked down their noses at the Potchefstroomers — it was an ancient Biblical pose — it was hunters and shepherds versus farmers, Cain versus Abel. The clash between settled and nomadic societies. One of the dirty little secrets of South African life in the mid-19th Century was how successfully these new arrivals in the north, the trekkers, had decimated the elephant, rhino, lion, leopard, crocodile, and hippo populations. Schoemansdal was living on borrowed time. The story begins with a hunting party seeking white gold — ivory. An elephant hunt. It also begins with a massacre, and ends with a siege of a cave. The Nyl Rivier was always disputed territory, particularly since chief Makapan and Mankopane, otherwise known as Mapela - Nyl means Nile and the Boers had renamed this river for all sorts of important resonant reasons. This river is a tributary of the Limpopo and it is located in the northern part of the Springbok flats.There are two main versions of what happened, and I'm going to relate both, then we shall try to extricate fact from fiction. This episode will deal with the initial events, and next episode we shall conclude the saga with it's terrifying cave fighting and ultimate South African symbolism. The Langa and Kekana people first experienced trekkers in 1837 when Louis Trichardt entered their territory — from then on a steady trickle of trekkers could be found inside Langa and Kekana territory. The area we're focusing on is close to where the town of Potgietersrus would be founded, the modern day town of Mokopane. We can begin to connect our histories here. Makapan, Mokopane, Mankopane, Potgieter.

Elim Hospital, outside Louis Trichardt, in Limpopo is still experiencing chronic water shortages. The provincial department of Health says the hospital is currently solely dependent on municipal water tankers. For the latest update Elvis Presslin spoke to Neil Shikwambana, Spokesperson for the Limpopo Department of Health

This is episode 158 and we're taking an epic regional tour into the along the Limpopo River to meet with the Venda and other groups of folks who hail from the province we now call Limpopo. Thanks to listener Mushe for the suggestion. By the mid-fifteenth century Shona-speaking immigrants from Zimbabwe settled across the Limpopo River and interacted with the local Sotho inhabitants. As a result of this interaction, Shona and Sotho led to what is now regarded as a common Venda identity by the mid-sixteenth century. Venda-speaking people live mainly in the Soutpansberg area and southern Zimbabwe, but they also once lived in south-western Mozambique and north-eastern Botswana. Venda grammar and phonology is similar to Shona, particularly western Shona and Venda vocabulary has its greatest equivalent in Sotho. Phonology is the branch of linguistics that deals with systems of sounds within a language or between different languages. According to most ethnographers it is not only the Venda language, but also certain customs, such as the domba pre-marital school, that distinguish them from surrounding Shona, Sotho-Tswana and Tsonga communities. First a quick refresh. We heard in one of earlier podcasts about the Mapungubwe kingdom which lasted until the 13th Century - following which Shona speaking people's moved southwards into the Soutpansberg region over the centuries. Archaeologists have established that by the fourteenth century, or the late Mapungubwe period and what is known as and the Moloko, the early post Mapungubwe kingdoms emerged in northern Transvaal. This is where the forebears of the Venda come in. Zimbabwean ceramics help a lot here, they were produced by Shona speakers and their fourteenth century distribution demarcated the Shona trading empire centred around Great Zimbabwe. The rulers at Great Zimbabwe controlled most of the country between the Limpopo and Zambezi rivers until smaller trading states broke away in the fifteenth century. I've covered this in great detail in Episodes 5, 6 and 7 if you want to refresh memories. We also know that trade between these early kingdoms and the east coast was established, goods like gold, ivory, and copper were traded with Arabic and Portuguese merchants. The Venda were directly impacted by this trade, along with another unique group called the Lemba who are directly related to ancestors who actually traded all the way from Yemen in the Middle East. More about them in a few minutes. Ceramics help us piece together the past more effectively, the period of Shona and Sotho interaction eventually involved into more than a mere overlap of these ceramic styles, because for the first time different stylistic elements appeared on the same vessels. These Letaba pots have also been unearthed in the eastern Transvaal or Limpopo Province as its now known. It is interesting that these ceramics are still produced today, these Letaba pots and ceramics are made by the Venda, the Tsonga, the Ndebele, but anthropologists and historians believe the style itself is distinctly Venda in character. The Venda kingdom pretty much stretched from the Limpopo River in the north to the Olifants and Ngwenya River, or Crocodile River, in the south, but by the time Louis Trichardt rode through their land in 1836, the great Venda empire had almost vanished, torn up by external threats — damaged by the amaNdebele and even amaZulu raiders. The second group who could be found in this territory are the Lemba. They remain one of the self-defining groups of the region who have a stunning origin story. I am going to tread quite carefully here because there's science and then there's oral tradition. As you'll hear, the Lemba believe they are related to the lost Tribes of Israel, and have recently demanded that they be recognized as such. Their narrative and origin story links them to the Middle East and the Judaism and there is DNA evidence to back them up.

This is episode 158 and we're taking an epic regional tour into the along the Limpopo River to meet with the Venda and other groups of folks who hail from the province we now call Limpopo. Thanks to listener Mushe for the suggestion. By the mid-fifteenth century Shona-speaking immigrants from Zimbabwe settled across the Limpopo River and interacted with the local Sotho inhabitants. As a result of this interaction, Shona and Sotho led to what is now regarded as a common Venda identity by the mid-sixteenth century. Venda-speaking people live mainly in the Soutpansberg area and southern Zimbabwe, but they also once lived in south-western Mozambique and north-eastern Botswana. Venda grammar and phonology is similar to Shona, particularly western Shona and Venda vocabulary has its greatest equivalent in Sotho. Phonology is the branch of linguistics that deals with systems of sounds within a language or between different languages. According to most ethnographers it is not only the Venda language, but also certain customs, such as the domba pre-marital school, that distinguish them from surrounding Shona, Sotho-Tswana and Tsonga communities. First a quick refresh. We heard in one of earlier podcasts about the Mapungubwe kingdom which lasted until the 13th Century - following which Shona speaking people's moved southwards into the Soutpansberg region over the centuries. Archaeologists have established that by the fourteenth century, or the late Mapungubwe period and what is known as and the Moloko, the early post Mapungubwe kingdoms emerged in northern Transvaal. This is where the forebears of the Venda come in. Zimbabwean ceramics help a lot here, they were produced by Shona speakers and their fourteenth century distribution demarcated the Shona trading empire centred around Great Zimbabwe. The rulers at Great Zimbabwe controlled most of the country between the Limpopo and Zambezi rivers until smaller trading states broke away in the fifteenth century. I've covered this in great detail in Episodes 5, 6 and 7 if you want to refresh memories. We also know that trade between these early kingdoms and the east coast was established, goods like gold, ivory, and copper were traded with Arabic and Portuguese merchants. The Venda were directly impacted by this trade, along with another unique group called the Lemba who are directly related to ancestors who actually traded all the way from Yemen in the Middle East. More about them in a few minutes. Ceramics help us piece together the past more effectively, the period of Shona and Sotho interaction eventually involved into more than a mere overlap of these ceramic styles, because for the first time different stylistic elements appeared on the same vessels. These Letaba pots have also been unearthed in the eastern Transvaal or Limpopo Province as its now known. It is interesting that these ceramics are still produced today, these Letaba pots and ceramics are made by the Venda, the Tsonga, the Ndebele, but anthropologists and historians believe the style itself is distinctly Venda in character. The Venda kingdom pretty much stretched from the Limpopo River in the north to the Olifants and Ngwenya River, or Crocodile River, in the south, but by the time Louis Trichardt rode through their land in 1836, the great Venda empire had almost vanished, torn up by external threats — damaged by the amaNdebele and even amaZulu raiders. The second group who could be found in this territory are the Lemba. They remain one of the self-defining groups of the region who have a stunning origin story. I am going to tread quite carefully here because there's science and then there's oral tradition. As you'll hear, the Lemba believe they are related to the lost Tribes of Israel, and have recently demanded that they be recognized as such. Their narrative and origin story links them to the Middle East and the Judaism and there is DNA evidence to back them up.

A head-on collision between a minibus taxi and a truck on the N1 near Louis Trichardt in Limpopo has left six people dead. The deceased were passengers and the driver. According to Limpopo Transport Department spokesperson Tidimalo Chuene among the deceased were an infant, two women, and three men. Bongiwe Zwane spoke toreporter, Lutendo Bobodi

The National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola has confirmed that 18 suspected cash-in-transit have been killed in a shoot-out with police in Louis Trichardt, Limpopo. He says officers have been tracking the suspects for three days. Sebenzile Nkambule spoke to Police National Spokesperson, Brigadier Brigadier Athlenda Mathe...

A fire broke out last night at the Kutama Sinthumule Maximum Security Prison at Louis Trichardt in Limpopo. Two explosions were reportedly heard inside the facility as the fire raged. The public-private owned correctional facility can accommodate more than three-thousand people. The prison has been in operation since 2002. For more on this Elvis Presslin spoke to our SABC reporter, Michael Makungo

This is episode 130 and the Voortrekkers are moving inexorably towards Natal, where the Zulu king Dingana awaits. At about the same time and as you'll hear next episode, a large Voortrekker commando of more than 360 Boers, Griqua and the Rolong warriors were going to gather with the intent of finishing off Mzilikazi Khumalo. The amaNdebele king had arrived back at Mosega in the Klein Marico valley, and had also just fended off an impi sent by Dingana. By now, the number of trekkers arriving at Thaba ‘Nchu area had increased to a few thousand, including a large party under Pieter Jacobs that had left the Beaufort West district. These were the remnants of the Slagter's Nek rebellion, they were relatives of the Boers who'd been hanged 22 years earlier. I covered the Slagter's Nek rebellion in episode 74, the bitter resentment about what the British had done had never been forgotten nor forgiven. And here was the result, dozens of families from Beaufort West and elsewhere, determined to escape the might of the British Empire in their little wagons, determined to seek freedom on the expansive veld, the deep African hinterland with all its mysteries and excitement. There was also Jacob de Klerk who'd left the Baviaan's River district - 62 families in 30 wagons. Another important group were the 100 trekkers led by 72 year-old Jacobus Johannes Uys which had departed from the Uitenghage district in March 1837. The real leader of this group, however, was his son, Piet Uys. He'd befrended Louis Trichardt a few years before - and was called dynamic — energetic — charismatic. Uys had also visited Dingana two years before to sound out the Zulu king's views on possibly granting land to the trekkers in Natal. Uys was well liked in the eastern Cape — and when he arrived in Grahamstown en route to the hinterland, a deputation of 1820 British settlers turned up to present him with a huge Bible bound in leather from Russia and inscribed with a stirring message that God would guide the Voortrekkers because the Volk had faith. By April 1837, Dingana was even more troubled by the Qadi people and specifically, their chief Dube kaSilwane. They inhabited a small territory to the north of the Tugela in the vicinity of where Kranskop is today. Dube was often referred to a peace-loving, but some say this was post ipso facto because a lot of men killed by Dingana were characterised as peace-loving. But just to explain further, Zulu oral history says that Dingana had Dube killed for no other reason than he excelled during a dancing competition in which the Zulu king was participating. Very ancient rule there. If you have a dancing king, don't show off and make him look like an amateur. Bad career move. Uvezi, uNonyanda Mgabadeli goes the most famous izibongo zikaDingana, — Vezi Nonyanda, Mgabadeli means the Prancer and this is how the entire 430 line poem about Dingana starts.

This is episode 130 and the Voortrekkers are moving inexorably towards Natal, where the Zulu king Dingana awaits. At about the same time and as you'll hear next episode, a large Voortrekker commando of more than 360 Boers, Griqua and the Rolong warriors were going to gather with the intent of finishing off Mzilikazi Khumalo. The amaNdebele king had arrived back at Mosega in the Klein Marico valley, and had also just fended off an impi sent by Dingana. By now, the number of trekkers arriving at Thaba ‘Nchu area had increased to a few thousand, including a large party under Pieter Jacobs that had left the Beaufort West district. These were the remnants of the Slagter's Nek rebellion, they were relatives of the Boers who'd been hanged 22 years earlier. I covered the Slagter's Nek rebellion in episode 74, the bitter resentment about what the British had done had never been forgotten nor forgiven. And here was the result, dozens of families from Beaufort West and elsewhere, determined to escape the might of the British Empire in their little wagons, determined to seek freedom on the expansive veld, the deep African hinterland with all its mysteries and excitement. There was also Jacob de Klerk who'd left the Baviaan's River district - 62 families in 30 wagons. Another important group were the 100 trekkers led by 72 year-old Jacobus Johannes Uys which had departed from the Uitenghage district in March 1837. The real leader of this group, however, was his son, Piet Uys. He'd befrended Louis Trichardt a few years before - and was called dynamic — energetic — charismatic. Uys had also visited Dingana two years before to sound out the Zulu king's views on possibly granting land to the trekkers in Natal. Uys was well liked in the eastern Cape — and when he arrived in Grahamstown en route to the hinterland, a deputation of 1820 British settlers turned up to present him with a huge Bible bound in leather from Russia and inscribed with a stirring message that God would guide the Voortrekkers because the Volk had faith. By April 1837, Dingana was even more troubled by the Qadi people and specifically, their chief Dube kaSilwane. They inhabited a small territory to the north of the Tugela in the vicinity of where Kranskop is today. Dube was often referred to a peace-loving, but some say this was post ipso facto because a lot of men killed by Dingana were characterised as peace-loving. But just to explain further, Zulu oral history says that Dingana had Dube killed for no other reason than he excelled during a dancing competition in which the Zulu king was participating. Very ancient rule there. If you have a dancing king, don't show off and make him look like an amateur. Bad career move. Uvezi, uNonyanda Mgabadeli goes the most famous izibongo zikaDingana, — Vezi Nonyanda, Mgabadeli means the Prancer and this is how the entire 430 line poem about Dingana starts.

Calvin is the Founder and CEO of Melon Mobile, South Africa's newest Mobile Network. While the service is recent on the scene, the team have been building the product for the past two years. Calvin has more than two decades experience combining entrepreneurship, internet service provider and providing efficient simple solutions to everyday life.Calvin was born into a family of farmers, originally resident in Zimbabwe. During his school years his family moved to South Africa and continued farming in the Northern Eastern corner of South Africa, near Louis Trichardt, also known as “Fightertown RSA”, as this is where the Fighter Squadrons of the South African Air Force are based.   He went straight into business consulting with Accenture, before a family need brought him back to the farming town of Louis Trichardt once more. When Calvin's father passed away, he was needed to help the family. It was during this period where Calvin put his entrepreneurial mind to the test, combining tech and farming. Calvin quickly made a name for himself solving farming problems with his simple tech solutions. The tech business pulled him back to Gauteng and his journey continued.Years down the line, Calvin was head hunted to set up a business unit with the mighty MTN brand. The “big yellow machine” as he affectionately refers to MTN, wanted Calvin to set up the home fibre and mobile data division, to run in parallel to their already dominant voice business. Calvin rallied his team and dubbed the new division “supersonic”, and boy did the success come quickly. Within 2 years, supersonic won best Internet Service Provider in South Africa 2019.Our journey crossed paths when he reached out to me to set up a remote call centre, during the crazy work-from-home and school-from-home era of 2020. Demand for internet rocketed and he needed to scale a team quickly. Digital Care was born to support supersonic with customer care.Please enjoy this conversation with Calvin Collett. Send me a message with any questions or comments about Calvin or the podcast.This episode is proudly brought to you by PilotInsure, straight and level insurance. PilotInsure brings trusted insurance solutions to both commercial and private pilots. This includes loss of licence, life cover, disability, investments, and key man insurance. Get in touch with PilotInsure today, to make sure you have your destination alternate intact.         info@pilotinsure.co.zawww.pilotinsure.co.za Get in touch with Alex: alex@alexmacphail.co.zahttps://www.instagram.com/alexmacphail99https://www.linkedin.com/in/flyingmogulwww.alexmacphail.co.za

Last episode we ended with Hendrick Potgieter and Sarel Cilliers riding to try and find a route to Delagoa Bay, and meeting up with Louis Trichardt. If you remember, Potgieter had warned his followers camped the Sand Rivier not to cross the Vaal River into Mzilikazi's territory, or they'd be attacked. We'll come back to what happened when a small group decided to ignore his orders in a moment. Some explanation is required about what the difference is between a trekboer, and a Voortrekker. The drosters, or raiders, had preceded the Voortrekkers, and in many ways, they had scarred the landscape and warped the perception of folks who dressed in trousers and carried muskets. The frontiers mixed race groups that had pushed out of the Cape starting early in the 18th Century, more than one hundred years before the Voortrekkers, had ploughed into the people's of inner southern Africa, and these same people were to become the agterryers of the Boers in the future. The Voortrekker Exodus was one of many early 19th Century treks out of the Cape by indigenous South Africans. There was a northern boundary and the Kora, Koranna, Griqua, basters and other mixed groups expanded this boundary, speaking an early form of Afrikaans, simplified Dutch, indigenised if you like. The Zulus and Ndebele, and others, who were going to face the new threat on the veld, did not have the long history of fighting the Dutch and the English and did not really understand how to avoid suicidal full frontal suicidal attacks on entrenched positions — they were machismo to the max — believing that a kind of furious sprint towards the enemy would overcome everything. The Boers had another system which was perfected on the open plains of southern Africa. They would ride out to within range of a large group of warriors, an ibutho, and fire on them while keeping a sharp eye out for possible outflanking manoeuvres. The warriors would persist in a massed frontal attack, and the Boers would ride in retreat in two ranks. The first would dismount, fire, remount and retire behind the next line of men who would repeat the action. They would load as they rode, some could do this in less than 20 seconds, or they would hand their rifles to their baster agterryers who would hand them their second musket, increasing the volume of fire. They would draw the enemy into the range of the rest of the Boers inside the laager, and these would open lay down a deadly fusillade, usually stalling the enemy's assault and demoralising the attackers. Sensing victory, the an assault force inside the laager would ride out, routing the enemy. The Voortrekkers departed from these eastern and north eastern locales in more cohesive groups, bound by religion. The differences that emerged the factions, were group based on the leadership of individuals, whereas the trekboers of earlier times had been far more isolated, small nuclear families roaming the vastnesses, the Karoo, the scrublands, the men often taking Khoi and Khoisan mistresses or wives. The earlier frontiersmen were like hillbillies facing off against each other sometimes — squabbling with neighbours. The new moral code that imbued the Voortrekker way demanded conformity, it knitted the Groups together, and there would be no compromise or adaption of the Khoe or Xhosa way of life that had characterised earlier trekkers. Meanwhile, carnage.

Last episode we ended with Hendrick Potgieter and Sarel Cilliers riding to try and find a route to Delagoa Bay, and meeting up with Louis Trichardt. If you remember, Potgieter had warned his followers camped the Sand Rivier not to cross the Vaal River into Mzilikazi's territory, or they'd be attacked. We'll come back to what happened when a small group decided to ignore his orders in a moment. Some explanation is required about what the difference is between a trekboer, and a Voortrekker. The drosters, or raiders, had preceded the Voortrekkers, and in many ways, they had scarred the landscape and warped the perception of folks who dressed in trousers and carried muskets. The frontiers mixed race groups that had pushed out of the Cape starting early in the 18th Century, more than one hundred years before the Voortrekkers, had ploughed into the people's of inner southern Africa, and these same people were to become the agterryers of the Boers in the future. The Voortrekker Exodus was one of many early 19th Century treks out of the Cape by indigenous South Africans. There was a northern boundary and the Kora, Koranna, Griqua, basters and other mixed groups expanded this boundary, speaking an early form of Afrikaans, simplified Dutch, indigenised if you like. The Zulus and Ndebele, and others, who were going to face the new threat on the veld, did not have the long history of fighting the Dutch and the English and did not really understand how to avoid suicidal full frontal suicidal attacks on entrenched positions — they were machismo to the max — believing that a kind of furious sprint towards the enemy would overcome everything. The Boers had another system which was perfected on the open plains of southern Africa. They would ride out to within range of a large group of warriors, an ibutho, and fire on them while keeping a sharp eye out for possible outflanking manoeuvres. The warriors would persist in a massed frontal attack, and the Boers would ride in retreat in two ranks. The first would dismount, fire, remount and retire behind the next line of men who would repeat the action. They would load as they rode, some could do this in less than 20 seconds, or they would hand their rifles to their baster agterryers who would hand them their second musket, increasing the volume of fire. They would draw the enemy into the range of the rest of the Boers inside the laager, and these would open lay down a deadly fusillade, usually stalling the enemy's assault and demoralising the attackers. Sensing victory, the an assault force inside the laager would ride out, routing the enemy. The Voortrekkers departed from these eastern and north eastern locales in more cohesive groups, bound by religion. The differences that emerged the factions, were group based on the leadership of individuals, whereas the trekboers of earlier times had been far more isolated, small nuclear families roaming the vastnesses, the Karoo, the scrublands, the men often taking Khoi and Khoisan mistresses or wives. The earlier frontiersmen were like hillbillies facing off against each other sometimes — squabbling with neighbours. The new moral code that imbued the Voortrekker way demanded conformity, it knitted the Groups together, and there would be no compromise or adaption of the Khoe or Xhosa way of life that had characterised earlier trekkers. Meanwhile, carnage.

Moshoeshoe's elder sons were now at a site that was to be named Moriah, 24 miles south of Maseru, chosen by the two French missionaries Arbousset and Casalis for its beauty - and the fact that it was uninhabited. But before we return to what was going on there, we need to swing around southern Africa for a little update about what else was happening circa 1835 and 1836. The Voortrekkers were coming. Dingane was marauding - or more accurately - impis representing Dingane were marauding. Port Natal traders were conniving. The Koranna and the Griqua were expanding. The British were conquering. By now Moshoeshoe of the BaSotho was facing influx after influx, including word that more than 8 000 and possibly as many as 12 000 people mostly of the Rolong chief Moseme had arrived at Thaba Bosiu, his mountain redoubt. But there were also Griqua under Barend Barends amongst these, and Bastaards under Carolus Baatje. He welcomed these immigrants hoping for some protection against the Kora people, brigands who were operating with virtual impunity across the Orange River, predating on African groups as far as Ndebele territory along the Vaal. But the Kora heyday was over, by 1835 Moshoeshoe's sons Letsie and Molapo were bent on proving their manhood and planned on attacked Kora villages seeking bigger herds and more women. Moshoeshoe got wind of the plan and stopped them, fearing they'd both die in the attempt. And yet, their attitude was a precursor to the Kora's final comeuppance. Moshoeshoe was an expert at avoiding trouble if he could. He was going to need all his diplomatic skills because his territory was facing buffeting. At the beginning of 1836 as the Voortrekkers were beginning to appear and the Kora who had been strengthened by some Xhosa refugees from the Sixth Frontier War who'd scattered seeking a new home. These Xhosa settled at Qethoane under chief Mjaluza, joining the Kora people living along the Riet River - just west of where Kimberley is today. Soon Moshoeshoe was hearing reports that Mjaluza was demanding a kind of travel and protection toll from BaSotho trying to return to Lesotho from the Cape colony. Mjaluza was also seizing their cattle. A short while later he was informed two of his son Letsie's councillors had been killed by Mjaluza. That was that for the bandit Xhosa chief. Rumbling along slowly, at 5 miles a day - about 8 kilometers on average, were two main leaders we heard about and will hear about again. Louis Trichardt and Lang Hans Janse van Rensburg passed Suikerbosrand which had been the scene of a recent battle between the Zulu and the Ndebele, then turned towards the Olifants River and descended down the valley through a mountain range they named Sekwati Poort after the Bapedi Chief Sekwadi. He welcomed the travellers, they were passing through after all and he had nothing to fear from the Boers. Travelling so closely however, was proving a problem for Van Rensburg and Trichardt. The Boer leadership had always been prone to infighting and their relationship was no different. The conflict was sparked over Trichardts advice, which as actually good advice in retrospect, that Van Rensburg should stop killing so many elephants. His wagons were now groaning with ivory, wiping out entire herds, and expending a vast quantity of gunpowder. He'd need that to fight off rampaging hordes said Trichardt.

Moshoeshoe's elder sons were now at a site that was to be named Moriah, 24 miles south of Maseru, chosen by the two French missionaries Arbousset and Casalis for its beauty - and the fact that it was uninhabited. But before we return to what was going on there, we need to swing around southern Africa for a little update about what else was happening circa 1835 and 1836. The Voortrekkers were coming. Dingane was marauding - or more accurately - impis representing Dingane were marauding. Port Natal traders were conniving. The Koranna and the Griqua were expanding. The British were conquering. By now Moshoeshoe of the BaSotho was facing influx after influx, including word that more than 8 000 and possibly as many as 12 000 people mostly of the Rolong chief Moseme had arrived at Thaba Bosiu, his mountain redoubt. But there were also Griqua under Barend Barends amongst these, and Bastaards under Carolus Baatje. He welcomed these immigrants hoping for some protection against the Kora people, brigands who were operating with virtual impunity across the Orange River, predating on African groups as far as Ndebele territory along the Vaal. But the Kora heyday was over, by 1835 Moshoeshoe's sons Letsie and Molapo were bent on proving their manhood and planned on attacked Kora villages seeking bigger herds and more women. Moshoeshoe got wind of the plan and stopped them, fearing they'd both die in the attempt. And yet, their attitude was a precursor to the Kora's final comeuppance. Moshoeshoe was an expert at avoiding trouble if he could. He was going to need all his diplomatic skills because his territory was facing buffeting. At the beginning of 1836 as the Voortrekkers were beginning to appear and the Kora who had been strengthened by some Xhosa refugees from the Sixth Frontier War who'd scattered seeking a new home. These Xhosa settled at Qethoane under chief Mjaluza, joining the Kora people living along the Riet River - just west of where Kimberley is today. Soon Moshoeshoe was hearing reports that Mjaluza was demanding a kind of travel and protection toll from BaSotho trying to return to Lesotho from the Cape colony. Mjaluza was also seizing their cattle. A short while later he was informed two of his son Letsie's councillors had been killed by Mjaluza. That was that for the bandit Xhosa chief. Rumbling along slowly, at 5 miles a day - about 8 kilometers on average, were two main leaders we heard about and will hear about again. Louis Trichardt and Lang Hans Janse van Rensburg passed Suikerbosrand which had been the scene of a recent battle between the Zulu and the Ndebele, then turned towards the Olifants River and descended down the valley through a mountain range they named Sekwati Poort after the Bapedi Chief Sekwadi. He welcomed the travellers, they were passing through after all and he had nothing to fear from the Boers. Travelling so closely however, was proving a problem for Van Rensburg and Trichardt. The Boer leadership had always been prone to infighting and their relationship was no different. The conflict was sparked over Trichardts advice, which as actually good advice in retrospect, that Van Rensburg should stop killing so many elephants. His wagons were now groaning with ivory, wiping out entire herds, and expending a vast quantity of gunpowder. He'd need that to fight off rampaging hordes said Trichardt.

There was a great exodus of some people, the movement of the people into the interior of South Africa - a moment that was going to reverberate all the way to the present. The Great Trek as its known had begun by mid-1835, and to be honest, was a medium sized Trek already. It had been a steady flow across the Orange River for decades, led by the trekboers, traders and hunters steadily rolling their wagons inland. They were following the trailblazers, the Kora, Bastaards, Oorlam, Kora. Some of the traders didn't come back, and not because they died out there on the distant veld. Now, they liked what they saw along the Orange River, across the Klein and main Karoo, over the Drakensburg mountains all the way to Marico, pushing onwards through the Kalahari, into what is now southern Angola, across the Soutpansberg. This episode we'll hear about the early travellers, the outliers, the adventurers, the dreamers. Humans are naturally motivated to see what's over the next hill or river, to quench a curiosity thirst, to seek a greener grass. But first, we need to end this Sixth Frontier War, a guerrilla war where the British had been outfoxed across the Kei ravines and Amatola fastnesses by the amaXhosa. The Colonial Office was counting the cost and it was expensive to keep thousands of troops on the move, and to keep paying the Khoekhoe solders. 455 farms had been burned and the losses to the Colonial treasury was already 300 000 pounds, more than one hundred settlers and soldiers had died. Hundreds of xhosa warriors and civilians had been killed, thousands of head of cattle eaten by both sides as they relied on food on the hoof in these times of chaos. Hintsa's son Sarhili was now Xhosa regent following the shooting of Hintsa. The unpleasant truth for Colonel Harry Smith to accept was that the British army and its auxiliaries were in a bad way. While the Xhosa continued to move about the territory, the British could not. Colonel Henry Somerset was swanning about in Grahamstown, well fed and clothed, but many frontier posts were running out of food and uniforms that had turned to rags. Provisioning was inadequate worsened by disorganisation.

There was a great exodus of some people, the movement of the people into the interior of South Africa - a moment that was going to reverberate all the way to the present. The Great Trek as its known had begun by mid-1835, and to be honest, was a medium sized Trek already. It had been a steady flow across the Orange River for decades, led by the trekboers, traders and hunters steadily rolling their wagons inland. They were following the trailblazers, the Kora, Bastaards, Oorlam, Kora. Some of the traders didn't come back, and not because they died out there on the distant veld. Now, they liked what they saw along the Orange River, across the Klein and main Karoo, over the Drakensburg mountains all the way to Marico, pushing onwards through the Kalahari, into what is now southern Angola, across the Soutpansberg. This episode we'll hear about the early travellers, the outliers, the adventurers, the dreamers. Humans are naturally motivated to see what's over the next hill or river, to quench a curiosity thirst, to seek a greener grass. But first, we need to end this Sixth Frontier War, a guerrilla war where the British had been outfoxed across the Kei ravines and Amatola fastnesses by the amaXhosa. The Colonial Office was counting the cost and it was expensive to keep thousands of troops on the move, and to keep paying the Khoekhoe solders. 455 farms had been burned and the losses to the Colonial treasury was already 300 000 pounds, more than one hundred settlers and soldiers had died. Hundreds of xhosa warriors and civilians had been killed, thousands of head of cattle eaten by both sides as they relied on food on the hoof in these times of chaos. Hintsa's son Sarhili was now Xhosa regent following the shooting of Hintsa. The unpleasant truth for Colonel Harry Smith to accept was that the British army and its auxiliaries were in a bad way. While the Xhosa continued to move about the territory, the British could not. Colonel Henry Somerset was swanning about in Grahamstown, well fed and clothed, but many frontier posts were running out of food and uniforms that had turned to rags. Provisioning was inadequate worsened by disorganisation.

The International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) exists to bring our industry together to create a vibrant future for all. They have a fresh outlook on fresh produce, believing it can help solve some of the world's most pressing problems. They are the largest and most diverse international association serving the entire fresh produce and floral supply chain, and the only to seamlessly integrate world-facing advocacy and industry-facing support. If you have a place in the fresh produce and floral industry, you have a place in IFPA. They are here to grow your prosperity. They do that by conducting advocacy; connecting people and ideas; and offering guidance that allows us all to take action with purpose and confidence. Each month, we will be focusing on a major area of Southern African fresh produce and discussing that all with the country's key industry experts so we can learn and appreciate fantastic Fresh Produce for the area! For March, we are taking a deep dive into the hugely innovative and ever moving world of AgTech! If you just take the USA alone, when the nation was formed some 240 years ago, farming was the economy's primary driver. By 1870, nearly half of the employed population held jobs in agriculture. Today, it's a $3 + trillion industry – but only 2% of Americans hold a farm-oriented job. This is, in many ways, thanks to technology. Tractors and other automation advances in the 20th century let large farms shift management to only a handful of people. But this, paradoxically, has also slowed things down in the 21st. With only a few people working every farm, there's not a lot of time – or incentive – to innovate. It has been often stated that you only get 40 attempts at farming. From your 20's to your 60's, you get 40 seasons. But in AgTech, you get 40 attempts in a week! But even farmland isn't immune to the information revolution. Today, there are hundreds of agriculture tech startups around the world, and some experts say the situation reminds them of the early days of the internet: There's a lot of activity in agriculture, but no clear winners yet – it's hard to say who might become the Facebook or Amazon of the scene. Couple that with climate change pressures, the fact that two billion more people will live on this planet by 2050, and that just 40% of the world's land is available to grow crops, and you have yourself a market ripe for innovation — and big money. Joining us will be: Alastair Smith. Alastair works for KHULA! App where he is the Executive Head, Fresh Produce Market Place. He graduated with a B.Agric Admin from Stellenbosch University as well as a Certificate in Business Functions from Rhodes Business School. He has also completed the Prince of Wales's Business and Sustainability Executive Program through the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability. With a range of varied Agri Business experience, Alastair sees himself as a positive disruptor with over 19 years of business management experience in supply chain in agri-business, retail, FMCG and most recently, in the tech start-up environment. Martin Jensen. Martin currently Leads the IT Team at ZZ2 who are tasked with the ambitious project of digitising and optimising processes within the ZZ2 ecosystem. He holds a BSc. IT (Hons) Degree from the University of Johannesburg and in a career spanning 20 years, Martin has held positions at large corporations such as Shoprite and Imperial Logistics as well as numerous entrepreneurial ventures including start-ups. He has held various positions in the IT & Supply Chain space in different industries including retail, logistics, aquaculture and agriculture.  Greg Whitaker. Greg was born in Polokwane, Limpopo and grew up on a farm outside Louis Trichardt, before moving to Pretoria for his high school years. After matriculating, Greg studied at Stellenbosch University and then moved to Johannesburg in 2012 where he...

Pietersburg / Polokwane is the largest city north of the Witwatersrand complex, and with a bit of effort you can discover some little hidden gems. A detour to the East is worthwhile - the mountains around Tzaneen, the realm of Modjadji - the "Rain Queen" - Duiwelskloof, Magoebaskloof - all names steeped in mystery - as befits the mist covered mountain peaks and their secrets. Getting back to the N1 we explore Louis Trichardt, Soutpansbergdorp, Buysdorp - all tracing their origins to the Voortrekkers - and eventually we get to Cecil John Rhodes' gateway to the then Rhodesia - Beit Bridge.The Road Trip SA app is available for downloadDo you want to visit and explore South Africa? Touch Africa SafarisThis is a recording of a radio show - Radio Ecohealth

Pietersburg / Polokwane is the largest city north of the Witwatersrand complex, and with a bit of effort you can discover some little hidden gems. A detour to the East is worthwhile - the mountains around Tzaneen, the realm of Modjadji - the "Rain Queen" - Duiwelskloof, Magoebaskloof - all names steeped in mystery - as befits the mist covered mountain peaks and their secrets. Getting back to the N1 we explore Louis Trichardt, Soutpansbergdorp, Buysdorp - all tracing their origins to the Voortrekkers - and eventually we get to Cecil John Rhodes' gateway to the then Rhodesia - Beit Bridge.The Road Trip SA app is available for downloadDo you want to visit and explore South Africa? Touch Africa SafarisThis is a recording of a radio show - Radio Ecohealth

A case of kidnapping involving girls has been reported in a village outside Louis Trichardt in Limpopo. Police say two girls, aged 13 and 15, were allegedly abducted and gang-raped in Tshitunitshafhasi village. They were found in a house rented out to some people; mostly construction workers after the community members searched the area. Police say the teenagers were kept in the house for four days. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to SABC reporter in Limpopo, Rudzani Tshivhase 

My Mother's Report on Family Trip to S. Africa Wed., Dec. 5:  Departed Tampa 9:10 a.m.. on United #1572, on time and arrived at Dulles 11:19 a.m.  It was blowing snow lightly at first, then heavier and heavier.  We had a five-hour layover in order to insure we would be able to catch our flight on South African Airways #208 at 5:20 p.m.  We took a trolley to our gate then had to board another trolley that drove us for ten minutes to the other side.  The plane was very new, clean, could handle about 600 people and it was nearly full.  It was 30° and ice was forming on the plane so the machinery came out to de-ice which took 20 minutes.  Apparently, it was decided that wasn't enough so they did it again causing a total of a two-hour delay before taking off and two hours late on arrival. Good food but was slow to serving us as we were on Aisle 65.  So many young people and babies on board because the whole month of December is a holiday and schools are out through January – their summer.  Naturally one baby was crying almost the entire trip.   Thurs., Dec. 6:  We arrived at Johannesburg airport.  I had requested a wheelchair for Mother when I purchased the tickets so they met us, showed us exactly where to go, got our bags, took us through Customs and delivered us into the waiting arms of Carole and Ron who were quite concerned because we were almost the last ones through.  Our bags apparently were loaded first but took off last.  That night we stayed at a bed and breakfast near the airport.  The lady had six or seven rooms on the block which she rented and then she would fix any kind of breakfast you wanted.  The rooms that Mother, Jamie and I stayed in were beautifully decorated in antique.   Fri., Dec. 7: Jamie was the first one up and started taking pictures of the beautiful pool and garden area.  The lady threw out food for the birds so Jamie saw many unusual birds.  Africa has 2,000 bird species.  Breakfast was huge.  The coffee was served in a glass container with a plunger that you pushed down to strain out the coffee grounds.  Jamie gently was trying to push but it seemed stuck and then cracked the glass sending coffee and glass on the table, floor and particularly in Jamie's plate so she got another serving of food.  The mess was quickly cleaned up.   The expensive homes have large yards that are beautifully fenced with decorated walls, lights, ornaments and curled barb wire on top to discourage uninvited guests.  The landscaping is gorgeous with soft-looking grass and many beautiful flowers and lots of fruit trees.  Johannesburg, like all large cities, is very crowded with fast-moving traffic which is very stressful but Ron maneuvered us safety through all the aggressive and crazy drivers.  The further north we traveled towards their home in Louis Trichardt, it thinned out and we enjoyed the beautiful country.   We crossed the Tropic of Capricorn which is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the earth. It lies 23° 26′ 22″ south of the Equator and marks the most southerly latitude at which the sun can appear directly overhead at noon. This event occurs at the December solstice, when the southern hemisphere is tilted towards the sun to its maximum extent.  The other circles are Tropic of Cancer, Equator, Artic Circle and Antaric Circle.  There were several interesting sites along the way where we stopped and took pictures.   Jamie has enough camera memory for over 1,000 pictures.  That evening we had Debonos Pizza.  In the homes, every door and window has iron bars with separate keys for each lock.  No screens – you just open the windows and let the fresh air in along with any bug or bat that wants in.  Jamie photographed a dung beetle on the kitchen floor and then scooped it up with a paper towel and gently dropped it out the window onto the ground outside.  They say mosquitoes aren't a problem in that area but I saw a couple in the house and had several welts on my legs.  December is the rainy season and Ron says bugs have been much worst than he remembers.  Carole and Ron have an enormous, beautiful house - all tile floors; stone, brick and wood outside and inside.  That evening Carole fried chicken with mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables, gravy, corn on cob and, of course, cornbread – yum, yum!   Sat., Dec. 8: After a good breakfast, we went to the mall, which is about the size of the small mall area on Dale Mabry where SteinMart is located.  When you park, there are “car watchers” who watch your car while you are shopping and then you tip them when you return.  That evening Carole fixed her famous lasagna and I fixed a big salad.   Sun., Dec. 9: Ron preached at a small church at Makhado; there were about 100 there and the small building was packed.  Surrounding the current building is a foundation that will triple the size.  Stacks of bricks are in the yard.  As they have money, they buy the materials and work on building the walls.   Ron preached in small phrases of English and the translator, who is the regular preacher, repeated in their language.  Ron preaches at different congregations each Sunday using the same format.  They sing in their language and have beautiful, strong, energetic voices.  The children's class is taught up front by a lady and dismissed before the men come in.  People kept arriving through about midway service.  They were very friendly.  They dress very nicely but Carole says they seem to wear the same outfit every Sunday so they might only have one nice outfit.  They only meet Sunday morning – no midweek service.   Ron and Carole have classes in their homes or go to other homes who want special classes.  A few unusual ways of their service are that the head of the Lord's Supper breaks the bread in small pieces so that each person only has to pick up a piece and not everyone trying to break off pieces themselves.  The wine cups are stacked once they have taken their drink.  This helps because the dark shadow on the tray makes it hard to tell if the cup is full or empty.  Then at the end of the service, they announce the amount of the contribution.  Sunday night we ate at Mike's which is a chain in South Africa – very nice, clean, good food presented artistically.   Mon., Dec. 10: We started our two-hour drive toward the Pafurigate in northern Kruger Park which is a five million acre reserve – one of the largest in the world.  A Nyala, which looks like Kudu, was spotted once.  We had a picnic in one of the drive-off spots.  Driving by the river, we spotted a lone hippo playing with water coming out of his mouth like dual fountains.  We drove past an elephant without seeing him because we were looking at a bird nest.  We viewed giraffes, zebras and lots of impalas, tortoise, and a dung beetle rolling dung.   It was amazing the way Ron maneuvered the truck so we could get good camera shots.  You are not allowed out of your vehicle except at special designated areas so he would work the truck in circles to get just the right angle.  After we checked into our lodge, Jamie and I went on a night drive with a tour group and saw a Jackson chameleon, pearl-spotted owl, two water buffalo and a hare.  Our small, petite female guide had a cracked windshield but did not explain what caused it.  She carried a rifle bag but we're not sure if there was a rifle in it or, if there was, if she knew how to use it.  Bugs were flying in our hair and on our clothes.  I tried to ignore them and count it as part of the journey.   That night all five of us slept in one rondavel – which is a traditional African-style house.  It is usually round in shape and is traditionally made with materials that can be locally obtained in raw form. The rondavel's walls are often constructed from stones. The mortar may consist of sand, soil, or some combinations of these mixed with dung. The modern floor is concrete.  The roof braces of a rondavel are made out of tree limbs, which have been harvested and cut to length. The roof itself is made out of thatch that is sewn to the wooden braces with rope made out of grass. The process of completing the thatch can take one weekend or up to a year with a skilled artisan, as it must be sewn in one section at a time, starting from the bottom working towards the top. As each section is sewn, it may be weathered and aged in so as to form a complete weatherproof seal.  Carole and Ron had a climb upstairs by using a ladder and the ceiling was slanted making it hard to maneuver when you are 6'4”.   Tues., Dec. 11: In the morning, we ate the breakfast Carole had packed and watched a hornbill male bring food to his female.  Hornbills generally form monogamous pairs. The female lays up to six white eggs in existing holes or crevices, either in trees or rocks. Before incubation, the females —sometimes assisted by the male—begin to close the entrance to the nest cavity with a wall made of mud, droppings and fruit pulp. When the female is ready to lay her eggs, the entrance is just large enough for it to enter the nest, and after she has done so, the remaining opening is also all but sealed shut. There is only one narrow opening, big enough for the male to transfer food to the mother and the chicks.  When the chicks and the female are too big to fit in the nest, the mother breaks out, and then both parents feed the chicks.   This time of year is the end of spring and the start of summer.  There were a lot of baby animals that we saw.  We saw a saddle-billed stork, a chameleon crossing the road and more of the same animals as before.  That night we stayed at the Olifants Camp.  Each cabin had a door sign warning of terrorism, burglars and other traumatic possible events.   Wed., Dec. 12: While we ate breakfast, we watched the monkeys go through the garbage bags of rooms that were being cleaned.  They quickly leave when the cleaners start after them.  On our drive we saw rhinos close up – real close up – two lions, possibly young females, who were lying down and wouldn't get up even when Jamie did her excellent impersonation of the lions announcing their presence.  They lifted their heads and ears but didn't seem interested – as she probably had an American accent.   At one location other visitors told us there was a leopard that had been in a tree but jumped down and was lying in the grass.  Jamie got a picture of spots behind some brush but even though we waited for some time, it never moved enough to see any ears or tail.  We saw a wildebeest, quite a few more hippos and other animals that we saw earlier.  At one point, we were stopped along the road with about four other cars watching a herd of elephants feeding.  We could only see a few because of the trees.   Then all of a sudden like a signal was given, the herd crossed from one side to the other side, going in front and behind all of the vehicles on the road.  There were tiny babies up to huge papas – numbering over 100.  The main herd was crossing near a small white vehicle that occupants had to have been terrified; we were not surrounded by as many and it really got our adrenalin going.  That night we stayed at Kukuza.   We thought from the map that the restaurant would be close enough to walk so the five of us headed out walking and walking.  Once we got there and placed our order, Ron and Carole went back to get the truck.  They figured it would take them 20 or 30 minutes to walk back and drive the truck and it takes these servers that long to prepare a meal.  Drinks are usually served without ice but they will bring it if you request, which we did.  Our server agreed and said he would “organize” the ice.   The restaurant was a converted old train station started in the 1800's and had not been in use since 1972.  Every night until then, had been overcast, but that night was clear and the sky was spectacular!  There were more stars than the sand of the seashore and the Milky Way was outstanding!  The Milky Way is the galaxy which is the home of our Solar System together with at least 400 billion other stars and their planets, and thousands of clusters.  As a galaxy, the Milky Way is actually a giant, as its mass is probably between 750 billion and one trillion solar masses, and its diameter is about 100,000 light years.  Jamie gave Mother and me a lesson in astrology which was very interesting.   Thurs., Dec. 13: Jamie and I got up at 3 a.m. to go on a 4 a.m. sunrise drive with a tour guide.  We walked from our rondaval to the truck which was about four blocks.  There were strange sounds in the darkness around us and our steps quickened until we got to the appointed meeting place.  We were the first ones there and felt very thankful when others arrived.  We didn't see any new animals but did see some aggressively, playful monkeys trying to push each other off a bridge.  Beneath were hippos splashing in the water.   We drove for three hours on back roads and didn't see much.  The sunrise was pretty but not exceptional.  During the last few minutes of the drive, a young male lion was casually strolling down the paved highway, not caring that five vehicles were following him.  Impalas were darting back and forth across the highway in front of him seemingly confused about which direction they should go but they were not in any danger at that point because the lion was ignoring them also.  Once we got back we had breakfast at the lodge.  We ate under a thatched pointed rondavel roof with about 50 bats hanging from the center peak.  Then we drove to the gate leading from Kruger Park and bought more gifts at a private hut outside the gate.  It was a five-hour drive back to Johannesburg and the same bed and breakfast where we stayed the night we first arrived in South Africa.   Fri., Dec. 14:  It was another wonderful breakfast and then drove to the airport where Jamie and I boarded a flight to Cape Town.  Upon arrival, we were met by our tour guide, Grahm Bester, who said we could call him “lollipop” as he ate at least three a day.  He was born and raised in Namibia which is on the west coast just north of South Africa.  He checked us in at our hotel - Protea Cape Castle – and then took us on a half-day tour of the city.  There is a constant SE wind which is extremely strong at times causing the trees to have a permanent bend in that direction like the trees in Aruba but not as drastic.   He said the most beautiful housing area in the city was the Malayan quarters where no two houses together can be painted the same.  They were brilliant greens, yellows, purples, etc., very gaudy.  Cape Town was developed by the Dutch as a midway point in their spice trade.  In the middle of town are the “Company Gardens” where they grew all their vegetables but now it is all manner of flowers, trees, shrubs, etc.  It was a nice place to relax.  You can buy food and enjoy the peace.  We had tea and “pancakes” (what we call crepes) with cream and syrup.  Their syrup is so strong and sweet that it needs to be diluted with whipped cream.  The ride was very scenic with winding roads and crazy drivers, again.  People think the Indian Ocean and Atlantic Ocean meet at Cape Town, and billboards make that statement but our guide says it is only the Atlantic Ocean with the Indian Ocean further north on the east coast.   I personally don't understand how you can decide where one large body of water meets another – where is the line drawn?  They have different phrases for “fine” which they call “sorted – like “I'm sorted”, “everything's sorted”.  Instead of “watch your head”; it is “mind your head”.  Instead of “rent”, it is “let”.  Instead of “strange”, it is “dodgey”.  We asked our guide for restaurants in the area that had the Cape Town flavor.  He said he could recommend his favorite two – McDonalds and KFC.  He left us at the V & A Waterfront to shop and then to go to dinner at Quay (pronounced “key”) Four for a fish dinner.  After dinner, we took a taxi back to the hotel.  It is too dangerous to walk after dark.  We overheard other tourists talking about being robbed while they were going to the clubs and night life.   Sat., Dec. 15:  Breakfast was served at the hotel and then our guide took us to Table Top Mountain which is 3,000' up by revolving cable car.  A lot of the time the mountain is covered by cloud which comes one-fourth way down the mountain and they call it the “tablecloth”.  There were gorgeous views from on top; lots of lizard, birds, flowers and shrubs.  We then went to the Cheetah conservation and Jamie went inside & said it was like a dog.  Some are trying to get cheetah out of the cat classification.  Its claws do not retract and the skeletal structure is more like a dog.   We had lunch at a quaint, local restaurant of boboita which is yellow and white rice with spicy meat sauce, coconut, finely chopped tomatoes and peppers.  Dessert was a delicious soft cheesecake with crème, ice cream and berries.  Temperature was 103 but dry and breezy – still hot is hot.  Then we went to the Butterfly Gardens where they keep the air very humid for the butterflies.  Our guide had a very hard time with the humidity and could only stay inside for ten minutes.  To Jamie and me it felt like Florida.  They also had parrots, blue-tongue lizard, iguana and marmosets.   Dinner was at the Spur in a very large 3-story mall.  The beef enchilada was very good but the meat was chewy and like tough chicken.   There are a lot of “townships” which we refer to as shantytowns – homes made from whatever materials they can find but they have electricity and most have antennas.   Sun., Dec 16:  We were picked up for a two-hour journey to Gansbaai from our hotel at 8 a.m. by one of the crew of the white shark diving company (Stephen Frank, Sharkzone (21 552 1824 (W), 82 894 4979 (mobile), 76 277 2005, e-mail Stephen@sharkzone.co.za, Eileen, sharkdive@iafrica.com, 21 532 0470 or 083 412 3733).   We were picked up first but we had to stop at various hotels for other guests for a total of 18 or 20 on the boat.  Formalities and safety briefing was completed upon our arrival at the harbor before the 24' catamaran departed.  We went out three miles from land, threw out anchor and immediately saw a 14' shark but no one was in the cage.  Jamie and others put on their wet suits; five go in a cage at a time.  There were six or seven sharks.   Guide says they are mainly curious and not wanting to eat.  The duration of the tour out at sea is approx. 5 hours.  Snacks and drinks were served onboard the boat and a then a sandwich upon our return to shore.  After the dive, they took us to Saxon Guest House which had a beautiful view of the ocean and sunset – our only capture of a sunset in two weeks.   We walked to dinner about five blocks away as we were told it was very safe in that area – still all the homes had fences and gates with curled barbed wire and the restaurant kept it's doors locked and unlocked them for each guest.   Mon., Dec 17:  Our second day of white shark diving was much different than the first.  The sea was rougher and five people got sick, spending most of the trip hanging over the rails – feeding the sharks.  Only three sharks showed up so Jamie didn't go in the cage so that other people who had not been could have their chance.  Jamie got some exciting shots the day before so we just enjoyed the boat ride and watched the kids' eyes as the few sharks that there were came circling the boat.  Afterwards we went back to Cape Castle in Cape Town.  We were too tired to go out and eat so we ate at the hotel.  They really need lessons in cooking but it filled our tummies.   Tues., Dec 18:  We were scheduled to view the penguins on the beach but were “touristed out” and ready to do nothing.  This trip we have seen 73 species including birds, mammals and reptiles.  The six most impressive were lions, elephants, rhinos, hippos, leopard and sharks.  Our guide took us to the airport and we departed Cape Town 1340 (1:40 p.m.) on South African Airways #336 to Johannesburg.   In Johannesburg we were to connect with #207 at Gate 11, which was a long trek with our gear.  Jamie went to look for more souvenirs and I stayed with the luggage.  Another traveler noted that the flight had changed to Gate 3 which was a good distance from Gate 11 – more than would be expected - so I waited for Jamie and we hurried to Gate 3.  Many passengers had the same problem; when on the plane they announced they were waiting for several passengers.  We finally departed at 6:15 p.m., watched a couple of movies, had several meals and slept.   Wed., Dec 19:  We arrived at Dulles at 6:00 a.m.; had to collect our bags; go through Customs and recheck our bags; then board United #1571 at 8:30 a.m.  Vern picked us up in Tampa at 10:50 a.m.  As wonderful and exciting as the trip was, it was good to be home.   As nice as December was in South Africa, I think the best month would be mid-November, which is their spring, and the time that Carole suggested.  We missed a lot of the flowers of spring that Carole said were really beautiful and the weather would be a little cooler.   I've been writing my story since I was able to write, but when the media goes to share it, they only choose the parts that fit their idea of what will generate views.  If I'm going to share my story, it should be the whole story.  The titles are the dates things happened. If you have any interest in who I really am please start at the beginning of this playlist: http://savethecats.org/   I know there will be people who take things out of context and try to use them to validate their own misconception, but you have access to the whole story.  My hope is that others will recognize themselves in my words and have the strength to do what is right for themselves and our shared planet.     You can help feed the cats at no cost to you using Amazon Smile! Visit BigCatRescue.org/Amazon-smile   You can see photos, videos and more, updated daily at BigCatRescue.org   Check out our main channel at YouTube.com/BigCatRescue   Music (if any) from Epidemic Sound (http://www.epidemicsound.com) This video is for entertainment purposes only and is my opinion.

Over 100 government cattle belonging to the state were stolen and looted since the start of Covid 19 lockdown at the department of Agriculture's Mara Research Station outside Louis Trichardt. Over 1000 cattles are kept there for research purposes. We spoke to our Reporter, Rudzani Tshivhase.

Grace Bible Church Louis Trichardt 128 Munnik St, Louis Trichardt | http://www.gracebible.org.za/| http://www.sonofcarey.com/

Series on Humility - Episode 3 ~ Genesis 2:7 Grace Bible Church Louis Trichardt 128 Munnik St, Louis Trichardt | http://www.gracebible.org.za/ | http://www.sonofcarey.com/

Grace Bible Church Louis Trichardt 128 Munnik St, Louis Trichardt | http://www.gracebible.org.za/| http://www.sonofcarey.com/

Grace Bible Church Louis Trichardt 128 Munnik St, Louis Trichardt | http://www.gracebible.org.za/| http://www.sonofcarey.com/

Seven lions that escaped from a private farm in Alladays, outside Louis Trichardt have been recaptured. which include two lionesses, The lions escaped on Monday night as they were last spotted by community members roaming the surroundings of Alldays policing area on Tuesday morning. The police, together with the farm owner and Limpopo's Tourism department have dispatched teams to locate the pride.

Die Malan gesin van Louis Trichardt is uniek. Felix en sy twee dogters Ziamay (15) en Danieka (17) is aldrie onder die top 200 fikste Crossfit-atlete in die wêreld. Ma, Lee Malan, bestuur die familie se skedules, en sorg dat almal se mae vol is. Christelle van Tonder het by hierdie fikse familie gaan kuier, en gaan uitvind hoe sake verloop in 'n huishouding waar drie kompeterende atlete woon.

Meanwhile, still in Limpopo.... Police have spent the better part of yesterday afternoon and evening battling out with an angry crowd that has barricaded the R523 road with stones and other objects at Tshi-tu-ni village outside Louis Trichardt in Limpopo. Community members are demanding the rearrest of a rape and murder suspect who was released in court on Monday. This follows the death of a school girl over and the rape of an elderly woman the past weekend. Our reporter Rudzani Tshivhase reports....

Communities in Vuwani and surrounding areas in Limpopo are starting to feel the impact of the shut-down. The local shopping complex is partly surrounded by police's razor wire, as angry protesting residents burn schools and infustructure. At some villages residents are forced to walk long distances to reach the main road to go and buy food at towns like Elim, Thohoyandou and Louis Trichardt. Some clinics are also not operating. Rudzani Tshivhase reports

The SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) says it may approach the Equality Court should the owner of a building with segregated toilets not be cooperative. Commission investigators visited the Vleissentraal office block in Louis Trichardt in Limpopo this week following reports that the buildings toilets are allocated according to race groups. We spoke to spokesperson for the Human Rights Commission, Isaac Mangena...