Today’s leaders a threat to Mandela’s proud legacy?

A reputation broken might be repaired, but the world will always keep its eyes on the spot where the crack was.

Yesterday, all eyes were on South Africa after the first black president, Nelson Mandela, was elected. Today, all the eyes are on the US as its first black president, Barack Obama, occupies the White House.

I wonder if, tomorrow, after the 2009 elections, the world will look at South Africa with the adulation it did yesterday, given the political quagmire we are experiencing.

I remember when Mandela decided to step down as the president prior to the elections in 1999. He left a legacy that was noted throughout the world.

I am concerned about what legacy our leaders of tomorrow will leave for our beloved country and the world.

This definitely puts the legacies of Mandela and other heroes and heroines of our democracy in the balance.

A New Jersey For the Springbok?

A new Springbok jersey featuring South Africa's national sporting emblem, the King Protea, will be launched in time for the test series against the British & Irish Lions in June. Will this jersey be to big a change for South Africa?

There has been ongoing controversy over the century-old springbok emblem with its critics saying it is a reminder of South Africa’s apartheid past. The new-look jersey will feature the King Protea on the left-hand side and the leaping springbok on the right, in line with a President’s Council decision of December. The Springbok badge will be simplified with the dropping of the current device of a ball within a protea that is placed above the springbok.

No date has been set for the launch of the new jersey, however the Springboks will wear it for the first time against the Lions in Durban on June 20.

Lesser Known South African Wildlife and Animals

LESSER KNOWN ANIMALS

There are a lot of well known animals and wildlife in South Africa, like the Big Five. Here are some of the lesser known animals and wildlife.

Some of the well known African large animals are the hippo, giraffe, kudu, wildebeest (the famous gnu) and zebra, all frequently seen in South Africa's conservation areas.

Heightened awareness, however, has created an increased appreciation of lesser known animals. A sighting of the rare tsessebe (a relative of the wildebeest) may cause as much excitement as the sight of a pride of lion. And while one can hardly miss a nearby elephant, spotting the shy little forest-dwelling suni (Livingstone's antelope) is cause for self-congratulation.

On the really small scale, one could tackle the challenge of ticking off each of South Africa's seven species of elephant shrew - a task that would take one all over the country and, probably, a long time to accomplish.

LESSER KNOWN WILDELIFE

South Africa is a country rich in flora—it is said to have more species per square mile than any other country in the world. The terrain is tremendously varied and includes deserts, grasslands, forests and high mountains with peaks over 11,000 ft. in elevation. The climate varies from region to region as one moves across the country, resulting in a wide array of plants with different cultural requirements.

The incredible number of South African plant species can be attributed to that region’s geologic history. South Africa has had a very stable geologic situation over many millions of years. While North America was at one time or another covered by ice caps, shaped and disrupted by volcanic activity and covered in part by inland seas, the settled situation in South Africa has allowed the plants there to slowly evolve and differentiate. The result can be found in more than 20,000different plants, representing about ten percent of all plants on earth.

English and Dutch colonists in the 17th Century first brought many of the fascinating plants of South Africa to attention and cultivation outside the continent. As a result quite a few of our most popular flowers and bulbs have a South African heritage. In gardens along the coast of California many of the lesser-known South African bulbs have been in cultivation for years. Gladiolus, Freesia, Clivia, Gerbera daisies, Phygelius, and annual Gazania are just a few from a diverse list of South African natives that we enjoy. Unfortunately for gardeners in the intermountain West, cold hardy South African perennials had not yet found champions in the gardening world, and were few in number and difficult to locate. Due in large part to the pioneering efforts of Panayoti Kelaidis, Curator of Plants at the Denver Botanic Gardens, this situation has changed.

Within the past five years several superb new cold-hardy herbaceous perennials have become more widely available. Some of these plants had been in cultivation for many years in England but hadn’t been tested for cold hardiness. Others are available as a result of Mr. Kelaidis’ collections through Denver Botanic Gardens. The most noteworthy D.B.G./Plant Select introduction would certainly be Diascia integerrima “Coral Canyon”. This superb everblooming cold hardy perennial has expanded the usefulness of the genus beyond its former use as annuals in container plantings and beds. Diascia integerrima “Pink Adobe”, introduced in 2002 by High Country Gardens, is a new dwarf form of the species with pale salmon-pink flowers.


These are exciting times in the horticultural world, spurred on by passionate interest in finding new and different perennials. The cold, high altitude regions of South Africa hold many treasures. As we continue our efforts to find and test these plants, I think we’re in for many new and wonderful surprises

Aparthied Play: Coming Soon

South Africa now is about to meet South Africa then at Marin Theatre Company, where Athol Fugard's gripping "My Children! My Africa!" has been extended through Feb. 15. A group of recent graduates from the LEAP School in Cape Town will attend the Feb. 7 performance at the theater and participate in a preshow discussion about apartheid-era secondary school education, as depicted in the drama about a teacher's fatal efforts to bridge the state-enforced racial divide, and how apartheid's legacy continues to affect students today. Tickets for the show ($20-$51) are available at (415) 388-5208 or www.marintheatre.org.

The students' visit is sponsored by Teach with Africa, which works to alleviate educational problems in South Africa in part by sending multidisciplinary teaching teams to the country. To find out more about Teach with Africa's programs, call (415) 412-7400 or go to www.teachwithafrica.org. - Robert Hurwitt

Kagga Kamma Reserve

Kagga Kamma Reserve is a place in South Africa just 3 hours out of Cape Town, on the Western Cape. It's on average about 20 degrees celsius ni Kagga Kamma. There is a game reserve and resort on the property. There are lots of activities that you can participate in while in Kagga Kamma.
Kagga Kamma consits of many diffrent onsite places to visit. There are onsite hotels. In these hotels they hold confrences and weddings. There are also luxurious things, like spas, nature drives and trips through the area and a mini-observatory with a 10-inch telescope as well as a shop, bushmen lodge and Pubs/Resturants. There are also many safari trips availible where you can see animals.
Kagga Kamma reserve is probably most known for their Private onsite game reserve. On the reserve there is a 4x4 where you can drive down a trail while viewing the animals on the reserve and view the landscape features. There are camps on the route. There are also guided trips through the game reserve. It's located on an untouched wilderness on the reserve.

Five Themes Of Geography: Place

South Africa is a very diverse place. It's full of lively culture and diverse religons. Many festivals and religous celebrations take place right in the streets. Weather it's a celebration with crazy customs or a funeral, it's always beutiful no matter what. One celebration that many South Africans participate in is Human Rights Day.
There are many meuseams, hotels, parks and reserves are just some of the places to visit and see. One very beutiful palce to visit is the Kagga Kamma Reserve. Another place that South Africa is wel known for is the Kruger National Park.
One of South Africa's most beautiful landscape features is the sunrise and sunsets. It's full of mountains and is surrounded by beautiful oceans and rivers.
South Africa is also known well for another thing... their animals! The Big Five are found in South Africa. The Big Five cosist of the Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Buffalo & Rhino. These animals can all be spotted at most reserves around South Africa. When people go to reserves, they are usually looking towards taking a close look at one of the Big Five.
Overall, if you are someone looking to find out about South Africa and what it's like you should visit some of the places and take a close look at the landscapes as well as animals and culture.