by Richard | Jun 27, 2015 | Politics, South Africa, Thinking
I’ve spent the twenty-four hours following the release of the Marikana Report sitting and reading it, making reader’s notes as I go, as a service to those who won’t have the time to spend going through the 600-page document. So having taken a massive nap since, I want to just share a couple of thoughts on it
by Richard | Feb 24, 2013 | Africa, Reflections, South Africa, Travel
Truth be told, I blame Kerouac. Later on, Dana Snyman had a hand in it too, but mostly, originally, it was Kerouac’s fault.
by Richard | Oct 14, 2012 | Africa, Journalism, South Africa, Travel, Uncategorized
The Karoo is hot. Like fucking sun-massacred hot. The land where God hates the trees. She loves only the scrubby, fragrant bushes that refuse to die and the Orange river. The leviathan that cuts its way through the flat line of the horizon like an old boxer – no speed remains, only power.
by Richard | Apr 11, 2011 | Africa, Photography, South Africa
South Africans I have traveled with – and people visiting South Africa from abroad that I have met – often remark on the sheer number of contrasts in the country. On the fact that it really feels like many countries in one. Some of the time, these comments...
by Richard | Oct 20, 2010 | Africa, Journalism, South Africa, Travel
Cradock is an unexceptional town. It was founded around 1818 and has served, for the most part, as a stopping off point for people going to other places ever since. It’s a small town, and like many small towns, has come to invest not inconsiderable effort in...
by Richard | Aug 19, 2010 | Africa, Journalism, South Africa, Travel
South Africa’s oldest Presbyterian church lies silently with its brother in the hills an hour and a half from Grahamstown. They have been sitting in quiet contemplation for a very, very long time; and will likely contemplate a long time still. The Glen Lynden churches...
