March 29

10,568 miles from The Dalles

Our excursion:

I visited South Africa during apartheid in 1970 and we went on a number of safaris with Maddy and Jackson about 20 years ago  Think about a country that began with 574 separate tribes numbering as many as 15 million. Then taking their lands, killing most of them and moving many of the remaining people to reservations on less desirable land. Then, enslaving millions to boost production and insisting on separate living facilities. Even today, eliminating programs intended to address past grievances. Enough of that, let me get to South Africa.

The earliest settlers were hunter gatherers and cattle  herders. About 1000 BCE, the Bantus entered through the north in the form of 600 different tribes. They succeeded with better agricultural practices and by having mastered the use of iron. Life proceeded predictably until that pesky Vasco de Gama showed up in 1497. The Portuguese appreciated the location as a stopover as trading ships moved around the Horn to the Indian Ocean. The Dutch were the first Europeans to settle their,in 1652,  and used their outpost for commercial purposes….not interested in expanding their footprint. A few (they say 9) left the “compound” and interacted with the locals. They were known as Boers and Afrikaners. By 1800, there were 17,000 Boers who controlled 26,000 slaves. They became a conservative religious enclave.

In Europe, in the late 1700’s, the French bested the Dutch and the weakened Dutch made it easier for the British to move in and control the valuable Cape location. The British ended the slave trade in 1807 and abolished slavery in 1833. The Boers, attempting to preserve their conservative life style, moved north in the “Great Trek.” About the same time the Zulus were consolidating power among the tribes of the north. They battled in the mid 19th century and , with superior weaponry, the Boars held their own. However diamonds were discovered in 1860 and gold in 1886. This caused the British to redraw the lines so that the Boers were moved away from the mineral deposits. Tensions rose and resulted in 2 Boer Wars, the second of which the British won in 1902.  After burning some of their houses and placing many Boers in  internment camps, new lands were granted to them….Orange Free State and Transvaal

In 1910 the Union of South Africa was created. In 1961, it became a Republic. The National Party imposed apartheid in 1948. Conflicts arose that led to famous events like the Sharpeville Massacre where police killed 60 and wounded 180 blacks…all shot in the back. Nelson Mandela, the troublemaker, received a life sentence for his treasonous efforts to achieve equal rights., He was released after 27 years in prison. By the mid 1980’s some of the measures began to be repealed.  In 1994, there were national elections with Blacks having the right to vote. 

The country now has a population mix of  African (81%), Colored (8 percent), White (7%), and Indian/Asian (3 %) They are burdened by poverty, crime and inequality. There is unemployment of over 30 percent and it is known as a country with one of the most unequal income distributions. It’s still in flux.

Richards Bay is a deepwater port, developed relatively recently….a real difference from the Swahili coast. The harbor was established during the Anglo-Zulu War in 1879.  The deepwater port development was initiated in 1965. The town was incorporated in 1969. In 1976, a railway and pipeline was connected to Johannesburg. In that same year, there was a forced removal of Zulus. Three suburbs were created…for whites. A suburb (township) for blacks was established 15 miles south. In 1985, a suburb was created for Indians and Coloreds. Seems complicated for a town of 20,000. The racial composition is currently 40 percent White, 38 percent African, and 20 percent Asian/Indian. Seventy-five percent are under 34. Unemployment is at about 40 percent.

The port has developed a coal export facility that has the capacity to be number 1 in the world. They also have 2 aluminum smelters and a fertilizer plant. When the port was created, there was lots of open land. A 100 year plan was created to prepare for more commercialization and industrialization. Tourism is picking up…not because there’s anything to see…but for its access to Zululand and game parks. It doesn’t sound too interesting, but the crime rate is high so there may be some excitement.

By the time we arrived at Richards Bay, I had recovered from a very nice birthday party with about 40 people. Karla did a great job making it all happen. One of the highlights was bringing in Grace, a friend from Kenya, to sing Happy Birthday with a Kenyan twist. She is a waiter in a ship restaurant and was prodded into singing before, at a dinner. Everyone enjoyed it. In the  morning we honored a tradition of a couple who have bubbly wine every Saturday. Because of the ship arrival time and long excursions, Joanna and Mary were forced to do it at 10am to preserve the tradition. There are 10 of us in total who help with the consumption. Nice people and nice tradition.

There was minor excitement before we left the ship. A pilot who was on board was. picked up by helicopter to be transferred to a new site. It was fun to watch.

At the assigned time, we descended to the dock with face masks on . There is so much coal being moved that the dust can coat everything. All of the furniture was removed from the decks and we were advised to keep our deck door closed. Actually, it didn’t seem that bad. We inspected the 10-12 craft tables and then got on a bus to take us to Lake St. Lucia, about 1 1/2 hours away. We had an informative guide and appreciated the green countryside. The dominant feature was eucalyptus trees; there were thousands of acres. They let the trees grow for about 10 years and then use them for making paper or export wood chips.

Once we arrived at  the lake….really an estuary….we boarded a flat bottom boat and made our way to hippo and croc territory. We saw a fair number of hippos, most primarily submerged. They are used to watching boat excursions. As expected, the only croc was sleeping…but still a croc. It was a bonus to have a warthog show up and a fish eagle visited as well. Karla rode on the front of the boat to help spot. The captain was pretty good and didn’t need much assistance, but I felt better with her there as backup. A pleasant and uneventful day completed with the 1 1/2 hour return to the ship. On to Durban tomorrow.