Knysna War Memorial

About a month or so ago I stated in a post on the Mossel Bay War Memorial that each and every town seems to have a war memorial of some kind. We spent a couple of day in the beautiful town of Knysna and I made sure that I stopped by the Knysna War Memorial … Continue reading Knysna War Memorial →

Mossel Bay War Memorial

Just about every town seem to have a war memorial of some kind (I don't mean anything bad with that, I'm just saying) and Mossel Bay is no different. This Mossel Bay War Memorial stands at the Point below the Cape St Blaze Lighthouse on the rock formation known as Frog Rock and was unveiled on 28 September … Continue reading Mossel Bay War Memorial →

SS Mendi Memorial

Mendi Memorial in New BrightonThere is a monument in the New Brighton township of Port Elizabeth to those who died on the SS Mendi in the First World War. Blacks were not allowed to represent South Africa during the war as soldiers and those black people who did volunteer were sent to Europe as Labour Corps … Continue reading SS Mendi Memorial →

Freedom Park Part 2 – Isivivane

The part of Freedom Park that touched me the most was the sacred place of Isivivane. Isivivane is an isiZulu and isiXhosa word and is the spiritual resting place for all those who played a part in the freedom and liberation of South Africa. It is inclusive of all religions and faiths and invites all … Continue reading Freedom Park Part 2 – Isivivane →

Freedom Park Part 1 – S’kumbuto

Freedom Park in Pretoria tells the tale of South Africa in the voice of the South African people. What makes the place even more special is that it urges us to experience our shared history and heritage as brothers and sisters and hopes to dispel the myths and prejudices that has distorted and concealed the … Continue reading Freedom Park Part 1 – S’kumbuto →

Retief (Voortrekker) Pass

Driving up the Olivierhoek Pass over the Drakensberg in comfort only having to dodge the occasional pothole, I was wondering how tough it must have been for the Voortrekkers to get down this mountain during the Great Trek in 1837. On a visit to the Voortrekker Monument outside Pretoria I saw the painting above and I imagine it … Continue reading Retief (Voortrekker) Pass →

Retiefklip (Retief Rock)

One of the things I was quite anxious to see when I was in the Drakensberg area was Retiefklip. I asked at the resort where we were staying how to get there and was told that the road was very badly damaged in the rain that fell in the week or so before. Seeing that … Continue reading Retiefklip (Retief Rock) →

Kaalvoet Vrou (Barefoot Woman) Monument

At the top of Voortrekker Passstands a monument to a woman walking barefoot over the Drakensberg. After the Voortrekkers entered Natal, which was a British Colony in those days, in 1847, there was a number of trekkers who wanted to return to the Free State. Susanna Smit, sister of Gert Maritz, one of the Voortrekker leaders, declared that she … Continue reading Kaalvoet Vrou (Barefoot Woman) Monument →

Burgersdorp Dutch Language Monuments

Driving through the town of Burgersdorp in the Eastern Cape, visitors will pass a park called Burger Square with a collection of monuments in it. One of the monuments (actually two, but if you keep on reading you will understand) is a monument to the Dutch language which is mainly out of what the Afrikaans language developed. … Continue reading Burgersdorp Dutch Language Monuments →

Old Post Office Tower

The tower of the old Post Office building in the Port Elizabeth city centre