Hadeda News 23 De

SE-listed metals exploration and development company

Orion Minerals has announced that Peet van Coller has been appointed CFO, with effect fromApril 1, 2023.

The appointment forms part of a series of recent and planned appointments to Orion’s leadership team in SouthAfrica, as the company gears up for operational readiness at its flagship Prieska copper/zinc project and Okiep copper project, in SouthAfrica’s Northern Cape province.

Van Coller’s appointment follows a comprehensive executive search process, which sought out to recruit a SouthAfrican-based CFO to support Orion’s near-term transition to development and production in SouthAfrica.

“With the company’s transition to mine development and production underway, we are delighted to have further strengthened our team in SouthAfrica with someone of Peet’s calibre. Peet has outstanding credentials as a finance executive in SouthAfrica and brings valuable skill-sets to our finance team, with experience spanning both the mining and contracting sides of the industry,” says Orion MD and CEO Errol Smart.

“With definitive agreements now in place for an $87million funding package with Triple Flag Precious Metals, and with the expectation that we’ll also execute final agreements with the Industrial Development Corporation for a R250million convertible loan in the

coming weeks, we are now forging ahead with predevelopment activities at our flagship Prieska copper/zinc mine,” he comments.

Van Coller is a chartered accountant who served his articles of clerkship at Ernst & Young. He has 23 years’ experience, predominantly in the mining and manufacturing sectors, including various senior finance and commercial positions at Jubilee Group Metals, Murray & Roberts, Master Drilling, Samancor Chrome,AngloAmerican Platinum and Nkomati Nickel Mines.

He will succeed Orion’s longserving CFO Martin Bouwmeester, who will remain as Orion’s company secretary and as a corporate consultant on a part-time basis, ensuring Orion will continue to benefit from his corporate experience,

and financial and strategic capabilities, says Smart.

“Martin played a pivotal role in leading Orion to its current position. Martin and his team have helped Orion, as an Australian company, to thrive in the SouthAfrican operating environment, including delivering a very successful secondary listing of Orion’s shares on the JSE.

“We are absolutely delighted that Martin will continue to contribute his extensive knowledge to Orion under a consultancy agreement,” he says.

“As Orion continues its transition towards development and mining, the timing is now right to bring more intense local financial management to our operations, which are concentrated in SouthAfrica.”Mining Weekly

Skryfwenke: Wat Beteken Tema?

die tema(s) onbewustelik terwyl ‘n mens skryf en ander kere verg dit meer werk.

Voorbeelde van algemene temas:

Grootwordjare: word dikwels in jeugfiksie gevind, byvoorbeeld Looking forAlaska van John Green

Die lewenssirkel: Lion King Korrupsie: House of CardsTVreeks

voedselsekerheid.

Hoe besluit jy op ‘n tema vir jou storie?

Indien die temas nie outomaties tydens die skryfproses kom nie, kan jy die volgende probeer:

Elke goeie storie benodig ‘n plot en elke plot benodig ‘n tema.

Wat is

‘n storie?

‘n Storie bestaan uit ‘n reeks gebeure. Die plot is die struktuur wat die gebeure aan mekaar verbind.

Wat is ‘n tema?

In effek is die tema(s) die kernboodskap agter die storie.

Dit is belangrik om te onthou dat die skrywer nie die tema vir die leser moet uitspel nie. Dit moet só geskryf word dat die leser die tema(s) self moet ontdek.

Skryfwenke: wat beteken tema en wat is die verskil tussen plot en tema?

Sweepslag is ‘n storie oor ‘n

tienerseun wat ontvoer word en in die huis van ‘n gewetenlose sindikaat beland. Hierdie beskryf die plot. Dit is egter ook ‘n storie oor die styd tussen goed en kwaad. Laasgenoemde beskryf die tema.

Die plot verduidelik wat in die storie gebeur, maar die tema verduidelik waarom. Dit verskaf die motief. Sonder ‘n tema bestaan die storie slegs uit gebeure, maar verduidelik nie waaróm nie. Sonder ‘n tema, gaan die storie leeg en sinneloos wees.

Omdat die menslike brein voortdurend na betekenis soek, hou ons van stories wat antwoorde rakende menswees verskaf. Stories help ons om menswees te verstaan. Wanneer jy weet wat jou storie se tema is, kan jy die storie soveel beter skryf. Soms kom

Die stryd tussen goed en kwaad: Sweepslag, Sindikaat, Spel, Black BirdTV-reeks en vele ander Oorlewing: Spel

Helfhaftigheid: Marvel se superhelde

Liefde: Outlander Vriendskap:Apartment Oorlog en vrede: War and Peace Verraad: Macbeth Lewe en dood: Immortality, The BookThief

Familie: One HundredYears of Solitude Reg en geregtigheid: Jack Reacher-reeks Mag:The Hunger Games en Animal Farm Rags to riches:Aspoestertjie Vrye wil vs. die noodlot: Macbeth, Oedipus Rex Daar is eintlik te veel temas om op te noem.

Sweepslag se tema is mensehandel, die goeie vs. die bose. Sindikaat het ‘n groen tema, naamlik die handel in bedreigde spesies en Spel het ‘n aantal belangrike temas, o.a. oorlewing en

Kies ‘n universele tema wat deur alle eeue reeds bestaan — byvoorbeeld vriendskap (hier dink ek onmiddellik aan die storie van Dawid en Jonathan) of jaloesie (Kaïn en Abel) — en op alle kulture van toepassing sal wees

Kies ‘n tema wat jou leser sal bybly

Weef jou tema deur die narratief. Moenie die leser daarmee begrawe nie.

Moenie jou roman met die tema begin nie, maar eerder iets anders, soos vriendskap. Fokus op meer as een tema, soos wat ek met Spel gedoen het. Die temas in Spel is o.a. voedselsekerheid, die stryd tussen goed en kwaad, oorlog en vrede, die toekomstige vs. die verlede, vryheid en onderdrukking, medemenslikheid vs. kunsmatige intelligensie, verlies en vindingrykheid, vriendskap, oorlewing, ens. Skryfwenke: wat beteken tema?

Wanneer jy ‘n boek lees/fliek kyk, probeer om self die temas daarin te identifiseer en kyk hoe dit deur die storie verweef is. Dit is die beste manier om te leer

Lekker skryf.

NOORD KAAP TUINE

Wenke van Welbekende Gepubliseerde Skrywer - Annerle Barnard

Krummelkors:

1 pakkie (200 g)

Oreo-koekies, goed fyngedruk 30 ml gemaalde amandels 80 ml-100 ml gesmelte botter

Vulsel: 1 blik (397 g) kondensmelk

1 houer (230 g) geroomde maaskaas 60 ml vars suurlemoensap

Bolaag: 250 ml room 15 ml strooisuiker 60 ml kersielikeur

1 blik (415 g) swartkersies, goed gedreineer (hou ’n bietjie van die stroop eenkant)

Grof gekrummelde Flake, sjokoladeblare ofsjokoladekrulle, om

mee te versier

Metode Voorverhit die oond tot 180°C en smeer ’n 22 cm losboomtertbord met botter Meng die beskuitjiekrummels, gemaalde amandels en gesmelte botter goed saam en druk dit op die boom en teen die kante van die tertbord vas. Verkoel tot benodig. Klits die kondensmelk, maaskaas en suurlemoensap goed saam. Skep oor die beskuitjiesbasis en smeer gelyk. Sit die tert in die oond en skakel die oond onmiddellik af sodra die tert in die oond geplaas word. Los die tert vir 30 minute in die warm oond. Haal

uit, laat afkoel tot kamer-temperatuur en verkoel tot nodig.

Vir die bolaag: Klits die room, suiker en kersielikeur saam tot stywe punte vorm. Skep of spuit die room in ’n mooi patroon op die tert.

Rangskik die kersies bo-op en versier met stukkies Flake of sjokoladeblare ofkrulle.As jy wil, kan jy die stroop uit die kersieblik met ’n bietjie strooisuiker meng en afkook. Laat dit goed afkoel en drup die koue kersiestroop oor die tert net voor jy dit voorsit.

Lewer 12-14 porsies. Bron: Faceook / Liplekker Resepte.

Sewage spills, water leaks, and a lack of water have made life a living nightmare for residents of several Northern Cape towns. The issues have been blamed on deteriorating infrastructure and a lack of maintenance.

Anumber of towns in the Northern Cape have been battling severe sewage spillages for quite some time.

Residents in some municipalities including Dikgatlong, Sol Plaatje and Magareng among others are outraged,

Over the constant stench in their areas, residents complain that they have been living under these dire circumstances for years.

Concerned residents

One concerned resident says, “They must come and fix the manhole because when it’s summer you can’t take the smell you can’t even open the doors and windows because the smell is not nice too. So, we just want the municipal to come and fix this place that’s all we want as the community.”

Another concerned resident says, “My uncle is an old man who has become sick, he had

TB, so I had to move into my grandmother’s place because of this place. Even the two kids, two brothers and a sister at home become sick now and then. So, this place is really, really, really killing us we can’t take this anymore.”

“They must listen.They don’t take note of us,” adds another resident.

While some residents complain about sewage spillages and the resulting stench, water leaks and water cuts have also become a constant challenge. Leaking pipes cost the provincial government millions of Rands to fix.

“Our roads are not fine; the water has been leaking for quite some time.Yesterday whereby we call the people of the waterworks but they don’t arrive.You call the people of sanitation so what are we supposed to do? We cannot even depend on the people that are supposed to do the jobs,” claims another resident.

“It’s very dangerous, the water gets into our own yards and our walls are falling. We need help,” expresses one resident.

Political parties’response In May, the DAin the Northern

Cape opened a case of contravening the National Water Act against the Renosterberg local municipality’s Mayor and Municipal Manager

The party accused the two of negligence, pertaining to sewage spillages into the Vanderkloof Dam.

DAleader in the Northern Cape, Harold McGluwa says, “They are actually allowing that raw sewage flows into the fund the two of them.As I said, it’s not simply a matter of water and sanitation, it is also an environmental hazard for the people of the roster balance ability. We have seen even the trucks because there’s no diesel for the trucks that they’d be close next to the road.”

The acting Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka acknowledged that sewer blockages remain a massive and ongoing challenge for the people of the Northern Cape.

During her visit to Kimberley, she indicated that authorities must speed up the work to fix the blockages and drain overflowing water next to the troubled R31.

Public Protector’s investigation

Acting Public Protector,Advocate Kholeka Gcaleka says,

“Investigation is at an advanced stage and the good thing now is that the government has committed to give us their responses, as in terms of the plans that they put in place of the work that’s already been done and the outstanding work and the time frames for the outstanding working for the damn.They said it would be about 6 months. So as soon as we get that, we should be able to put together an analysis process and finalise the investigation.”

The Human Rights Commission was also roped in to investigate the sewage challenges in the province. It said these problems were a violation of human rights.

Human Rights Commission acting Provincial ManagerAnthony Wyngaard says, “we have received complaints from Kimberley, Platfontein and Richie. The complaints have been addressed to the municipality with no response. We are collecting more information to assist in having a public hearing in the Francis Baard district.This will deal with systematic complaints Pampierstad, Hartswater, Jan Kempdorp, Warrenton and Kimberley.”

The Northern Cape government says it is working around the clock to put adequate infrastructure in place.

Northern Cape Premier Dr Zamani Saul says, “It’s historical challengers the bulk infrastructure network in Kimberley was designed only for 12,000 households.You know it’s about the sewer network which was designed in order to provide a flushing toilet to white communities but with the post1994 dispensation, we expanded his services to previously disadvantaged communities. Currently, in Sol Plaatje just in Kimberley alone, we are sitting with more than 60 000 households connected to a bulk infrastructure which has got upgraded.You sit with hydraulic overflows simply because of pressure that cannot be contained by the bulk infrastructure.”

Admitting these challenges, the provincial government said it was hopeful of addressing the problems. It said it would be spending billions of Rands to fix its ailing infrastructure. - SABC News

Detective Sergeant Olebogeng Raphael Khoboko, 49, who is attached to the Delportshoop SAPS detective unit, has been appointed as a match commissioner for the South African FootballAssociation (SAFA).

SergeantTimothy Sam said Detective Khoboko joined the SouthAfrican Police Service (SAPS) as a student Constable in 2008.

“He started playing soccer at a very young age in the dusty streets of his home town in Barkly West,” Sam said.

“His involvement in the sport opened doors for him where he officiated at soccer matches as a referee under SAFAFrances Baard. He was later promoted to officiate at the Vodacom Premier Soccer League.”

Sam added that Khoboko was invited to attend a match commissioner’s workshop in 2016 after which he was appointed to perform the national

match commissioner’s duties for the 2021/22 soccer season.

“Some of his tasks comprises of declaring match cancellations, signing off team selection lists for a particular match and determination of results in the case of match rule breaches.”

Sam stated that Khoboko received many sports accolades in his career, including a trophy for being the best referee at a national SAPS soccer tournament and a qualified referees instructor

“The icing on the cake was when he was appointed as the 2022/23 season’s match commissioner and to develop referees in the Northern Cape.”

The acting district commander for the SAPS Frances Baard region, Brigadier Charlotte Makgari, congratulated Khoboko for this achievement and believed that he would serve as a role model and encourage youths to stay away from crime.

Detective Sergeant Olebogeng Raphael Khoboko (middle) has been appointed as a match commissioner for the South African Football Association (SAFA). Pictures supplied

State agencies in Louisiana and West Virginia on Monday became the latest to ban the use of the popular social media serviceTikTok on governmentmanaged devices over concern that China could use it to track Americans and censor content. State agencies in Louisiana and West Virginia on Monday became the latest to ban the use of the popular social media serviceTikTok on governmentmanaged devices over concern that China could use it to track Americans and censor content.

Some 19 of the 50 US states have now at least partially blocked access on government computers toTikTok, which is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd.

Most of the restrictions came within the past two weeks.

Some members of Congress last week proposed a nationwide ban, which would follow countries such as India that have already prohibited its use.

Jamf Holding Corp, which sells software to organisations to enable filtering and security

measures on iPhones and other Apple devices, said its government customers have increasingly blocked access to TikTok since the middle of this year

About 65% of attempted connections toTikTok have been blocked this month on devices managed by Jamf’s public sector customers worldwide, including school districts and various other agencies, up from 10% of connections being blocked in

June, the company said. TikTok on Monday reiterated a statement, saying the company was “disappointed that so many states are jumping on the political bandwagon to enact policies based on unfounded falsehoods aboutTikTok that will do nothing to advance the national security of the United States.”

In Louisiana, Secretary of State KyleArdoin said he banned TikTok on all devices his agency

owns, citing potential security threats but without identifying any present issues. West Virginia StateAuditor JB McCuskey said he did the same for his agency

US officials andTikTok have been in talks for months about a national security pact that would address the concerns about China’s access to data on TikTok’s more than 100 million US users. - SABC News

Northern Cape Archery Hit Many Bull’s Eyes In 2022

Cape (AGA-NC) was invited along with the Northern Cape Department of Sports,Arts and Culture to attend the Kalahari Sports Festival in November in Askham.

At this event, archery was among the new sports introduced to over 200 learners fromAskham and the adjacent communities.

Some of the San got an opportunity to shoot at a standard 80 cm FITAtarget with their own bows, as well as with a modern Mathews Genesis bow

Schalk van der Merwe,AGA-NC provincial coordinator, says they celebrate the wins they had this year, despite the challenges faced to establish a new sport in the province.

Two of the Northern Cape archers – Dylan O’Connell (8) and Lilly Heuwel (Gr. 4) –received silver medals in their respective categories at the recent national tournament in Paarl, whileTyra and Nurah were selected to represent the Northern Cape as part of the National Junior Development Team 2023.

Two Gr. 11 learners from Kimberley, Nurah Isaacs and TyraAdams, respresented the Northern Cape and the country at the InternationalAfrica GenesisArchery Federation Tournament.

During this event on Saturday, 10 December, archers from five countries – SouthAfrica, Canada, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe – competed virtually.

The SouthAfrican junior, senior and development teams gathered in Witbank,Gauteng, to compete in this archery competition.

Tyra won a gold medal for being the winner amongst 80

participants in the development team’s women’s category. She achieved an overall score of 289/300.

The SouthAfrican Development Team achieved an overall second place, with Namibia first and Canada third.

SouthAfrica came first in the senior and junior team categories, and were also awarded the title of overall tournament champions of 2022.

Nurah had a mechanical breakage whilst shooting.

Looking back on 2022, archery in the Northern Cape hit many bull’s eyes Africa GenesisArchery Northern

“Looking back on 2022, archery in the Northern Cape hit many bull’s eyes,” says Dawid de Greeff, provincial administrator ofAGA-NC.

Following theAGA-NC competition on 30 July, 40 archers qualified to compete at theAGA-SAnational tournament in the Paarl in October, of which 31 members were included in the junior and adult provincial teams.

“I’m particularly excited that we saw Northern Cape females compete throughout the year, and for the amazing growth the sport had seen.

“We started out with only a handful of members in January and ended the year with close to 80 active members, of whom 12 archers received their Northern Cape colors in archery.”

In February, Marvin Ponton (Gr 7) won a gold medal at a virtual, national competition. InApril, archers competed virtually against Canada and Namibia and brought home seven medals (one gold, one silver and five bronze).

AGA-NC also won the bid to host the prestigiousAfrica GenesisArchery Federation Tournament (AGAFT) in July this year

At this event, 48 national team members were welcomed to the Diamond City where they competed virtually against Namibia, Botswana and Namibia.

– Dawid de Greeff, administrative officer,AGA-NCNoord Kaap Bulletin

Nurah Isaacs (left) and Tyra Adam. Both have been selected for the National Development Team and have achieved Northern Cape provincial colours in archery this year. Photo: Supplied

When looking for Christmas presents, it is important that SouthAfrican consumers are aware of potential scams this festive season, saysAamir Lakhani, a strategist and researcher for Global Security

“Given the spike in digital activity predicted over the holidays, cybercriminals, too, will be making their lists and checking them twice this year. It’s a particularly risky time of the year as shoppers of all ages flock to search engines and online channels to place orders before holiday delivery date cut-offs,” said Lakhami.

Opportunistic hackers know just how to create enticing, seasonally-appropriate lures—and even some of the simplest scams can fool adept online shoppers, added Lakhani.

Global Security provided the following list of common scams:

Online holiday gift card scams

At a time when gift card purchases spike, thieves are on the lookout for easy ways to take advantage, says Lakhani.

“Gift cards are a common vector for cybercriminals and scammers since stealing the money loaded onto them is like stealing cash: Once it’s taken, there’s virtually no way for a victim to get it back.”

Some ways scammers use gift cards are:

Fake pins: scammers scratch off the layer of protective coating to write down pin numbers and then “replacing” the coating with a sticker so it looks brand new They then plug those PINs into software that sends an alert once someone has purchased and

activated their gift card—and then proceed to drain all its funds.

Via email: if you’ve ever received a strange email urging you to help a friend or family member with an emergency – and that email led you down the path of providing a gift card as payment – that email was most certainly a scam, said Lakhani.

Account takeover attack (ATO):Acybercriminal first obtains account credentials for a particular e-commerce platform by hacking a victim. The criminal then uses this information to make purchases, often high-value electronic gift cards, which are then sent off.

Video conferencing phishing scams

With more people video calling family and friends, scammers may send victims fake video links that prompt a person to download a ‘new version’of their conferencing software.

The link will direct them to a third-party website where the user can download an installer, said the company. In some cases, the program does install the video conferencing software—but whether it does or doesn’t, it also loads a remote-access program on the host.

“This program gives scammers access to the user’s sensitive data and information, which is either sold on the Black Market or leveraged for identity theft,” said Lakhani.

Phishing

Mobile phishing attempts are especially common for ecommerce shoppers, said Lakhani.

More users than ever rely on their smartphones to make purchases. While these devices may seem less vulnerable to threats, that is actually not the case. “Online shoppers may receive fraudulent text messages that appear to come from retailers they’re familiar with, for instance.”

“These messages typically contain a link that, once clicked, redirects to a fraudulent website that looks like the retailer’s legitimate site but is designed to extract your personally identifiable information (PII),” Lakhani said.

Vishing and Smishing

With regard to vishing, cybercriminals use phone calls to solicit personal information, relying on “social engineering” tactics to trick you into providing information such as login credentials or bank account information.

“Paradoxically, vishers often leverage our innate fear of cyber scams and attacks to pull off these attacks. For example, a voicemail message may state,

“URGENT:Your bank account has been locked due to suspicious activity. Call us

back immediately to restore access.”

Then, when the victim calls back, they are asked to provide sensitive information that is then stolen and used maliciously, said Lakhani.

You can avoid vishing by confirming that the phone number from which you received a call or text message does, in fact, belong to the organisation it is claiming to have sent it.

“Keep in mind banks and government agencies almost never contact customers or individuals to provide sensitive information,” said Lakhani.

The researcher also said that they are starting to see a new scam, where they put QR codes on popular products and, make banners or marketing materials, then leave them in stores.

“If a victim sees a product they like, and a sign telling them they can get the product faster or at a discounted price, they are more than likely to scan the QR code.”

According to Lakhami, this leads to them being taken to a scam website or attempting to download malware.Business Tech

Some of the Cool Pics of 2022

Mario Fazekas photographed this guy resting at one of the human rest places in the Kgalagadi

Kids in Upington benefit from upgraded Early Development Centre

Column | Mr Claude And I

I was born and raised in Kuruman, a small town in the heart of SouthAfrica’s biggest province.The Northern Cape is also the least populated province – there are huge swathes of empty land.

You can drive from one town to the next, and for a hundred kilometres see nothing but veld.

I’ve lived in Pretoria since 2007, but you can never take the dorpsmeisie out of me. I have great memories of my time in Kuruman.

Most people know the town because of the Eye of Kuruman, its famous natural spring delivering up to 30 million litres of water daily This water supplies Kuruman’s domestic needs and also feeds the Kuruman River and two canals used by crop farmers.

The presence of the spring led to the establishment of the Moffat Mission in 1824, where the water was used to irrigate the historic Mary Moffat Garden. Mary was the wife of Scottish missionary Robert Moffat; their daughter was also called Mary – she later married David Livingstone.

When I was in school, visiting the Moffat Mission was top of our list of favourite places to go for an outing. I remember going there for the first time in 1989.

The lush garden, filled with trees and colourful flowers, was like a piece of heaven to someone like me who had grown up in a township.The old church building and the missionary homes were built with grey stone.

Some buildings were plastered in a mixture of cow dung and red Kalahari sand. Being there made me feel like I was in the pages of a travel magazine!

I envied the people who worked there and thought they must be God’s favourite children.

As luck would have it, at the start of my career in the early 2000s, I got a job as a librarian and archivist at the mission.

It’s a special place for Batswana people, because a

complete translation of the Setswana Bible was produced there in 1857.The original printing press has pride of place at the mission to this day

It’s also where my professional writing career began.There were so many hidden places where I could take private moments to write, like under a tree in the garden where Mary Moffat married David Livingstone in 1845.

Livingstone based himself at the mission at the start of his travels north intoAfrica.

I also loved sitting in the Robert Moffat Library, which boasts an enviable collection of firstedition books dating back to the 1800s. I relished the time I got to spend going through the archive boxes and inhaling the smell of all those old documents – it felt like I was being transported back in time.

I’ll never forget when renowned Scottish historian Niall Ferguson visited our library in 2002.

He told me that he’d visited many libraries – big and small –across SouthAfrica, looking for information for a documentary he was working on.Yet it was in our very own Robert Moffat Library where he found what he was looking for

That remains one of my proudest moments.

Life at the mission wasn’t all work and no play The main house had six Jack Russell terriers, and several donkeys and horses roamed the surrounding farmland.

One day, our director at the time, RichardAitken, brought home a white goat with the longest horns to add to the animal family. He named it Mr Claude.

Mr Claude was not interested in being a farm animal. He acted like a dog and followed Richard everywhere. He even waited outside when Richard was in meetings.

I thought since Mr Claude was somewhat domesticated, he would not be a danger to humans.

Wrong! While walking back to the library after my break one morning, I saw Mr Claude approaching. No problem, I thought, he was just a goat with an identity crisis.

I walked past him but immediately sensed something was following me.

As soon as I looked over my shoulder, Mr Claude charged.

I never thought I’d be scared of a goat! I still had the privilege of youth back then and I ran as fast as my young legs could carry me.

Mr Claude’s eyes were red with rage and his horns ready to fling me into the air. I aimed for the library, but I’d locked it when I left earlier and I knew I wouldn’t have time to unlock the door in time.

Luckily, there was a high table on the stoep of the library – we used to make fun of how unusually high that table was.

I was saved by the table. I can’t remember how I managed to outrun

Mr Claude, or how I managed to scramble onto the table.

Also, had Mr Claude been a real farm goat, he would have been able to jump onto the table and gore me with his long horns.

I was saved by his laziness and his identity issues. He looked at me with disappointment in his red eyes, then turned around and left.

In the end, Mr Claude had to be let go after many similar encounters with visitors and tourists.

I still think about him and wonder what happened to him. And I’ve certainly never looked at goats the same way since…

The Moffat Mission was a beacon of hope for many black SouthAfricans during the difficult years of apartheid.The mission ran a brilliant school and produced exceptional leaders.

As a Motswana from Kuruman, and with a career in literature and languages, I now recognise that the mission had a big influence on me. I grew up Catholic, in a township with no library, so my reading was limited to second-hand fiction books and the teachings of the Catholic Church.

But at the Moffat Library, I came across the early teachings of Islam and Judaism. It was the first time I’d read any religious texts not related to Catholicism. For example, it was here that I first read the original Bhagavad Gita, one of the holy scriptures for Hinduism.

These texts opened my eyes to the world, and I vowed to do better for myself in life. I decided to bring forth voices and names not known in the mainstream. In that sense, the Moffat Mission got me out of my comfort

zone.

Every time I go back to Kuruman, I visit the mission to remind myself of my formative years. I still carry it in my heart to this day.

I always will. - Lorato Trok is the author of The Forgotten Scientist – The Story of Saul Sithole (Jacana, 2020) and other books.

Illustration: Nicolene Louw

Jou -deur Andries Scholtz

Geestesgesondheid

Angs kan senuweeagtigheid, bekommernis of selftwyfel beteken. Soms is die oorsaak van angs maklik om raak te sien, terwyl dit ander kere dalk nie is nie.Almal voel af en toe 'n mate van angs. Maar oorweldigende, herhalende of "uit nêrens" vrees kan mense diep beïnvloed. Wanneer angs so inmeng, kan dit help om met 'n terapeut te praat.

Tekens en simptome van angs

Die diagnose van angs hang af van 'n persoon se

gevoelens van bekommernis, so simptome sal verskil. Persoonlikheid, medevoorkomende geestesgesondheidstoestande en ander faktore kan 'n persoon se simptome verklaar.

Angs kan indringende of obsessiewe gedagtes veroorsaak. 'n Persoon met angs kan verward voel of dit moeilik vind om te konsentreer. Om rusteloos of gefrustreerd te voel kan ook 'n teken van angs wees.Ander mense met angs kan

depressief voel.

Simptome van angs kan ook fisies wees.Angs kan te gespanne spiere of hoë bloeddruk veroorsaak. Bewing, sweet, 'n vinnige hartklop, duiseligheid en slapeloosheid kan ook van angs kom.Angs kan selfs hoofpyne, spysverteringsprobleme, moeilike asemhaling en naarheid veroorsaak.

As fisiese simptome van angs ernstig en skielik is, kan dit 'n

paniekaanval wees.

Daar is hulp. Maak afspraak. Jy kan nou al jou geestes gesondheid vrae vra.

Vrae wat Pla ???

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Do Something Different This Holiday – Take The The Karoo Highlands Route

stunning, even during the dry season, and the grounds have neat braai stands and ablution facilities.

The backroad to Calvinia

On Monday, Nakkie’s husband, Merwe, suggests that we take the backroad to Calvinia, and it’s excellent advice.The area is dry, but it’s still lovely, and we’re literally the only people on the road.

vegetables she’s managed to cultivate in the Karoo. “The townsfolk told me that you never plant vegetables before communion in October (because of frost), but my vegetables are thriving.”

When everyone hits the highway to the ocean, do something authentic.Take the backroads in the Karoo for an unforgettable road trip and fall in love with SouthAfrica again Genuine Karoo lamb chops, interesting museums, small talk with locals that make you feel at home and movies in an old art deco theatre … If you’re in the mood to recharge, sidestep the masses on the busy Cape beaches and head to the heart of the Northern Cape.The Karoo Highlands Route will take your breath away

The word Karoo comes from the Khoi-San word “karusa”, which means “land with little water”. Water here is scarce, but the area isn’t lifeless.The Karoo is home to ancient fossils; important archaeological, historical and cultural treasures and over 9 000 succulent – the largest collection in the world. If you travel through the upper Karoo, on the Karoo Highlands Route, you won’t add too many kilometres to the clock, but you’ll see various attractions and get to experience the warmth and hospitality of your fellow South Africans.

You’ll find the first road signs for the Karoo Highlands Route after you turn off the N7 at Van Rhynsdorp. We first stop to buy a few last-minute braai items for the weekend before we continue on the R27 towards Nieuwoudtville.

At Nieuwoudtville, we turn onto Loeriesfontein Road (which goes past the Nieuwoudtville Waterfall) and drive to Gannabos, our home for the weekend. It’s late afternoon, and the surroundings take on soft shades of blue, pink and purple. It’s like driving into a Pierneef painting.

Gannabos has a beautiful quiver

tree forest, and parts of theTV series Nêrens, Noord-Kaap were filmed here recently. Nakkie van Wyk and her fluffy Pomeranian, Gollie (Goliat), hand us the key to the schoolhouse, where we’ll be staying for the weekend.

“Ja, the purple and blue shades are a sad sight for farmers,” Nakkies says. “We call those pink vygies and conebush leaf the death shroud – these wildflowers usually come up towards the end of the rainy season. If we see them and hear the chirr of the bladder grasshopper, we know it’s the end of the rainy season. Our visit to the Northern Cape was at the beginning of October, and at the time, some parts haven’t had proper rainfall in seven years – but later in October and November, the heavens opened up and the area received some much-needed rain.

Years ago, our self-catering unit was a farm school, but it’s now a quaint guesthouse.Across the schoolhouse, you’ll find campervan stands. We’ve chosen to stay at Gannabos specifically because we want to photograph the quiver trees at night – and it doesn’t disappoint.

The next day, we head out: first in the direction of Loeriesfontein to visit the FredTurner Windmill Museum. Here you can view 27 windmills from different eras, and all are still in working condition. However, it’s a Sunday and the town is quiet.

In Nieuwoudtville, we encounter another hiccup – most of the restaurants here are only open during flower season. But at the town’s entrance, we manage to get a few griddle cakes for tonight’s braai. On our way back to Gannabos, we first stop at the Nieuwoudtville Waterfalls, one of the town’s jewels.The waterfall is

With several noteworthy places to see, Calvinia is another a great place to stay overnight, but today we’re only having coffee at Hantamhuis, which is across the road from the large Post Box. We want to push through to Fraserburg, where we have an appointment with Marthinus Kruger, the town’s dinosaur guide.At Hantamhuis, we yield to the temptation of koeksisters and pancakes, and we buy a recipe book with regional recipes.

Dinosaur footprints

To get to Fraserburg from Calvinia, you take the wellmaintained R63 for about 120 km until you reach Williston. From there your turn off on the R353 and drive for about another 90 km until you reach the town.The R353 is a part-tar-part-dirt road.

I didn’t think to book accommodation in Fraserburg –it’s a Monday and out of season – but this was a mistake.A cycling tour is passing through town and the guesthouses are booked up. We have no luck at Kliphuis orTuinhuis, but someone answers the phone when we call the Marigold Guesthouse.Anni Hennep, who was pottering in her garden when we called, comes running across the road. She has a large straw hat on her head and wears a leopard print kaftan. She wasn’t expecting guests, but we’re still welcome.

The Marigold, with its black-andwhite floor tiles and overflowing bookshelves, is a colourful house on one of the town’s quieter streets – andAnni is as colourful as her house. She bought the house years ago because it was “cheaper to do so than rent storage space in the city” while she was exploring the world as a tour guide. She came to live here during the first lockdown in March 2020. She now writes her book, gardens and receives guests in her unusual house until she can once again hit the open road. We’re amazed by the

We pick up Marthinus Kruger at his home on the outskirts of town. His house is the last one before the R356 winds out of town. Marthinus is a retired magistrate who came to Fraserburgh seeking calm. His chickens walk around in the side street. People don’t steal them because they’re afraid of his goat, Betsie, he says.

Aqualified tour guide, Marthinus now takes people on outings to Gansfontein, where you can see, amongst other things, Bradysaurus footprints. He talks passionately about the town’s history, explaining where the Peperbus clocktower, which dates to 1861, comes from and gives insights into the town’s architecture.The Peperbus is a hexagonal building that’s ninemeters high and was initially the magistrate’s private office. Later, it was home to the town’s first library

Marthinus’main hobby, however, is archaeology At Gansfontein Farm, he expertly points out the dinosaur footprints, which were made about 250 million years ago, during the Permian era, over the course of about 11 days. It’s an amazing sight to behold. Afterwards, he unlocks the old rectory building, now a museum, and inside, a life-size model of a Bradysaurus sports a pair of pink glasses on its nose. “Kids were too scared of the model.”The museum also shows you how people lived in bygone eras. Marthinus adds that since the Covid pandemic, several city dwellers have relocated to Fraserburg.

Karoo chops and hospitality

Back at the Marigold Guesthouse,Anni is cooking up a storm, and her house is filled with the aroma of typical Karoo food. Lamb is stewing on the old stove in the kitchen. We first have a drink and chat in the living room, swopping travel stories, before we sit down at the kitchen table for dinner The conversation flows like we’re old friends.The next morning, before we hit the road, she sends us on our way with a jar of pickled citrus peels (“add it to your meat

Lekker in Loxton

We’re in no rush to get to Loxton (it’s less than 100 km on the R356) and drive at a leisurely pace. We pop into Loxton Lekker coffee shop for coffee. Loxton is known as a writer’s town – Ena Murray was born here, and it’s where Deon Meyer wrote many of his best-sellers. Loxton Lekker has a nice collection of fiction books and bric-a-brac.The town is also playing an instrumental role in conservation efforts to save the riverine rabbit from extinction. We’re invited to have a look inside the church at the traffic circle, then we’re off to Victoria West.

The charm of Victoria West

Victoria West, where we’ll be staying for two nights, is about 80 km from Loxton. We make ourselves at home in the Moonlight Manor This guesthouse is at the foot of Moonlight Hill, which has a couple of trails and lookout points. Victoria West was established in 1844 and named after the Queen of England.The town flourished during the diamond rush era, experienced a bit of a dip afterwards, but now, during the Covid era, it’s enjoying a revival.Astrong internet connection means that many work-from-home city dwellers have relocated here.

The Victoria West has several

attractions, like the town’s museum and theAnglican Church (built in 1847), but the crown jewel is theApollo Theatre in Voortrekker Street. Marthinus gave me the contact number of his colleague, Ricardo, but at the time of our visit, Ricardo is in Johannesburg for training. He puts us in contact with Erney Bostander and Roché Speak. We first drink a coffee at Karoo Delhi before we drive down Voortrekker Street.

Built in the 1950s, theApollo is an art deco bioscope that still maintains its original look and feel. Roché greets us warmly when we arrive. She takes us on a tour through the stately theatre, telling us about the old movies on show. Deon Meyer is one of the theatre’s patrons, and the premier of his movie Jagveld was held here. “There were classic cars parked down the whole street.” Before Covid, Roché screened two to three movies a day during the holidays to keep the kids off the streets, but things have slowed down since.The theatre can still be rented for private events, and they hope to resume movie screenings in 2022, Roché says. We’re dying to watch a movie in this beautiful space, and we manage to twist Roché’s arm and book the theatre for the following evening. We buy 10 tickets, and the other guests staying at the guesthouse are welcome to join us at the movies.

The building which previously

housed the Mannetjies Roux antique shop is now a butchery that sells delicious biltong. We also take a peep at NoeX Leather (in the same building as Karoo Organic Meat) lower down the street (on the N12). The shop stocks beautiful, handmade leather goods. For dinner, we dine at Ka’roux, located on the corner of Voortrekker Street and the N12.

Carnarvon’s star status

The next morning, we tuck into a farm-style breakfast at Moonlight Manor and then head to Carnarvon and Vosburg. Carnarvon is about 150 km from Victoria West and deserves its own, separate visit. It was established as a missionary town in 1847 and is one of the oldest towns in the Northern Cape.The SKAtelescope put it on the map, and it’s now a popular destination for stargazers.

And you can stay in traditional corbelled houses on farms like Osfontein and Stuurmansfontein.These corbelled houses, which are scattered throughout the Northern Cape, were built by trekfarmers in the early 1800s. Trees are scarce in the area, and the trekfarmers had to make do with what was available, namely rocks. Instead of using wood for ceiling support, they placed consecutive rows of flat stones on top of each other, each row extending slightly inward, until the walls of the roof met at the top.The remaining

hole was closed with a single flat slab.The stone walls helped insulate these houses from the area’s extreme temperatures. The Carnarvon Museum, which is also worth a visit, is located right next to a corbelled house.

Less than 4 km outside of Carnarvon, you’ll find theAppie van Heerden Nature Reserve (about 860 hectares). Here you’ll not only see Karoo koppies and flora, but also springbok, blesbok, gemsbok, black wildebeest and zebra.Access is free, but the gate is only open on Sundays. On other days, you need to get the key. (See the number below.)

We have another coffee in Vosburg, where after the town and surrounding area finally had some proper rain, a swarm of locusts caused extensive damage, and head back to Victoria West. Later that afternoon, we join about 20 townsfolks in theApolloTheatre. We watchThe Sound of Music, and Roché serves us popcorn and soft drinks in vintage bottles. For a moment, it feels as if time stands still.

The Karoo is a special place –but you need to take the time to explore it properly

Good to know

We drove this route in an Isuzu D-Max double cab bakkie.You can easily do it in a normal sedan, but when on dirt roads, you’ll appreciate extra ground clearance.

Upington Gardener Shares Tips For Coping With The Summer Heat

If you grew up on the Orange River island settlement of Kanoneiland, knowing how to garden in the heat of summer is an acquired skill!

Photographs Maria Botha

WHO LIVES HERE? Johan and Malinda van der Colff and their two FoxTerriers, Nippie and Casby

WHERE Carpe Diem, Upington

SIZE OF GARDEN 1 ha

TYPE OF SOILClay

For Malinda van der Colff, gardening in hot, sunny conditions isn’t a problem.

“I’ve had to cope with the heat for years and fortunately I love the sun. Ever since we moved to the farm, I have worked in the garden every day – I’m always busy doing something somewhere,” she says. Malinda and her husband Johan both grew up on Kanoneiland near Upington and lived there until they moved to Carpe Diem 15 years ago. “We bought this farm about 10km outside Upington 30 years ago,” she says.

“Our son Gog farmed here with raisins and pecan nuts and asked me to create a beautiful garden for him on the farm. I would drive from Kanoneiland two days a week to work in the garden before we moved here.”

Initially, the garden mainly consisted of a lawn and large trees.Tackling it a little at a time, Malinda enlarged the garden quite a bit. She laid out more beds and created rooms with numerous seating areas that invite you to linger in the shade under the trees. Pathways lead from one section of the garden to the other, winding between beds that are planted up with mainly foliage plants in various shades of green.

The garden evolved organically, without a specific plan – one thing simply led to the next. I would stroll through the garden taking stock of what was there and what needed to be changed. I worked around what already existed and created beds around plants that I wanted to keep.

The way she gardens has changed a lot over the years. “There’s no more room for flowers so now I plant them in front of the house or in my cut flower garden.”

My favourite time of the day is early in the morning when everything is still nice and quiet. I love pruning and trimming the topiaries. When I stroll through the garden I always have my secateurs at hand! – Malinda

Topiaries create structure and focal points in the garden. Malinda previously liked to use Australian brush cherry (Syzygium paniculatum) for this purpose but it gets badly damaged by frost so now she plants the conical shaped conifer, Platycladus orientalis ‘Aurea Nana Compacta’, which has a lovely compact growth habit. Other shrubs she uses for hedges and topiaries include tree-forget-me-not (Duranta erecta ‘Sheena’s Gold’), common myrtle (Myrtus communis), salt bush (Rhagodia hastata) and common box (Buxus sempervirens).

Plants that cope with heat Malinda’s biggest challenge is having to constantly irrigate her garden.

“Our water comes from the Orange River; it flows past the house in large cement canals. The sprinklers run at night, but if I see a dry spot here and there during the day, I water those with a hosepipe, no matter how hot it is outside,” she says. “Where there is no irrigation or it is too far to reach with a hosepipe, I’ve planted aloes and quiver trees.”

With time, Malinda has learned which plants cope with their hot climate. “Although there are plenty of trees that provide shade, I still cannot grow plants like ferns.

But there are many other plants that do well here: sacred bamboo (Nandina domestica), which takes on the most beautiful colours in winter, treeforget-me-not with its lime-green foliage, star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) that scrambles up the walls, ‘Iceberg’and ‘Johannesburg Gold’roses that bloom for a long period, glossy abelia (Abelia x grandiflora) and a wide variety of succulents are all such dependable plants.”

She says they also have many cycads that form offsets next to their stems; they cut these off and plant them elsewhere in the garden.

“I also soak their seeds in water and rub off the seed casing

before I plant them; they germinate easily.”

In the cut flower garden, Malinda grows a variety of flowers such as Zinnia elegans, cockscomb (Celosia argentea var cristata), artichoke (Cynara scolymus), sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus), yarrow (Achillea millefolium) and rose-scented pelargonium (Pelargonium graveolens) which she picks for the house and for a venue on the farm that is rented out for weddings and functions.

MALINDA’S GARDENINGTIPS

• Choose plants that will survive in your environment. I soon learned which plants are not as badly affected by our hot climate.

• Keep the soil cool with compost and mulch; we use pecan shells as a mulch.The shells not only keep the soil cool but also look lovely All the beds receive a thick layer of compost once a year in late winter

• Since we farm completely organically, we avoid spraying any poisons in the garden and only use organic sprays that are mixed on the farm.

• InAugust we start applying fertiliser to the lawn so that it looks lush in summer; it gets either 2:3:2 or the farm’s organic

fertiliser

• I planted lots of roses in the garden and by the vineyard. We start pruning them from early winter, otherwise we don’t get to all of them. We regularly cut out dead roses and feed them as needed.Those that grow by the vineyard simply get fertiliser at the same time as the grapevines.

• Frost-sensitive plants are covered with frost cloth.These days you get green frost cloth which I buy from a local nursery or co-op. It looks much better than the white cloth.

• I was given excellent advice about the watering of potted succulents by a nursery expert –don’t water them in winter as the water freezes the leaves. We have even lost aloes due to the cold and the heavy frost. In summer they are watered regularly; we check every day whether the pots are dry and water as needed.

Malinda displays the cement pots that she has collected over the years on two scaffolding planks (below) resting on pillars. This area gets plenty of hot afternoon sun, so she has opted for hardy waterwise succulents for her display