An Emerging Farmer by Stephane Meintjes
A Story of Hope by Stephane Meintjes
“Being blind is not the end of the road, you can do everything...”. For Richard Nzwana this is not only his motto, but also his life experience. “I must not undermine myself because I am a woman, saying that men have more power than women. I can do that. I do every job that a man can do here”. In a male dominated profession: young, capable and eager to learn, Bonelwa Frankie Sibi is proving that women can make the grade in a man's world.
Frankie, as she is affectionately known, is currently studying agriculture at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) in Pretoria. Born in Umtata in the Eastern Cape, Frankie has always been interested in agriculture and in particular in animals. At present she is doing the practical component of her studies at Oakleaf Dairy farm owned by Walter and Jane Biggs near Alexandria in the Eastern Cape.
Walter and Jane Biggs believe that the future lies in the youth and therefore they take in student learners in the hopes of providing a starting point for their future career in farming, and more specifically. in dairy farming. Walter Biggs firmly believes in the intelligence and the abilities of previously disadvantaged farmers and regards their entry into the farming industry as correct, attainable and urgent. However, as a large scale commercial farmer he believes that there are verifiable economic grounds for insisting that the emerging farmer should not be relagated to certain failure in subsistence farming. Walter and Jane Biggs make it their business to provide opportunities for emerging farmers to be equipped to function in the rigorously competitive international field of commercial farming.
Being the youngest member of the dairy farm workers, and also only one of three women in the farm workforce, Frankie has a great deal to prove not only to herself but also to her community, commercial farming and ultimately to her fellow sisters who aspire to be farmers.
Frankie is allocated the job of rearing the calves which requires patience, determination, physical strength and kindness, amongst her other jobs. Allocating a nurturing function to her as a female farm worker emphasizes the fact that, in addition to other skills, the female ability to nurture can be enormously beneficial in animal husbandry.
Bonelwa Frankie Sibi grasped the opportunity given to her by Walter and Jane Biggs to prove herself in a male dominated and white controlled farming environment. She is proving that she is up to the challenge. Frankie is highly likely to be a future farming “black diamond”.
A Story of Hope by Stephane Meintjes
Richard started going blind at the age of 12 and has been legally for 24 years. For many people their world comes crashing down after going blind, especially since they were once sighted and now have to re-learn everything they took for granted before.
For Richard, his blindness has not stopped him from living, and from seizing every opportunity available to him. People think that being blind means that there are certain things that you can and cannot do. Richard is proof that whatever you set your mind to, you can achieve.
Richard works at the Grahamstown Area Distress Relief Association (GADRA) as a Braille instructor, bee-keeper and as a musician, teaching other blind people how to play the marimbas. This project for the visually impaired has provided a lifeline for those who otherwise would be destitute.
The bee-keeping project was started to provide the visually impaired with skills to help to boost their self-esteem, their independence and provide a source of income to help to improve the quality of life for these individuals and those who are dependent on them.
Richard loves working with bees and his visual impairment means that his other senses like his sense of hearing and sense of touch are highly developed. This makes the interaction between these small creatures and him unusual and intriguing.
As a Braille instructor Richard helps his students to learn how to read and write in Braille. Providing them with these skills, he is able to take back that which was taken away by their loss of sight. He enjoys teaching and interacting with other people and likes the fact that he is able to pass on his knowledge and skills to them.
It is clear that the musical instinct transcends blindness and overcomes limitations. Richard has a passion for music and is a trained piano player as well as self-taught marimba player. He says that with the marimba he is able to move with the music, to feel it, to create it.
The marimba band which is made up of six members are currently practising for a national competition to be held in Johannesburg in July. During these practices the room is alive with music, laughter and an undeniable happiness. Here no one is blind, but rather a part of something bigger – the creation of music.
For Richard the mere possibility of changing his life for the better even though he is blind, has altered his experience of the world and his positive mindset has enabled him to make the best of his situation despite his handicap.
Teacher. Bee-keeper. Musician. A force to be reckoned with. That is Richard Nzwana.
For those individuals who accept that their circumstances are a guarantee for destitution: Do not ever let somebody tell you that you can't do something. If you want something, you can do it. Richard is living proof that the indomitable nature of the human spirit can overcome seemingly impossible constraints and that living positively under difficult circumstances is possible.
Quest Africa: Kaba by Stephane Meintjes
“Young people finding purpose”. This is the motto of Quest Africa: Kaba, a place where young men find a sense of individuality, confidence, direction and purpose in the beautiful space in which the Kaba Campus is situated, a stone's throw away from the sea, near the small town of Alexandria in the Eastern Cape.
Quest Africa, is a Zimbabwaen concept which was developed by Harvey Leared who wanted to invest something in young people. Leared developed the programme, trying to bridge the gap between the school curriculum which emphasized academics, and the need for more life skills, practical skills and character building. Quest Africa consists of a campus in Matabeleland in Zimbabwe and one in the Kaba Coservancy located in the Eastern Cape.
Imagine a place of immense natural beauty: rolling hills covered in lush, green African Kikuyu interspersed with vleis resembling English lakes surrounded by larger hills covered in thick Eastern Cape bushveld populated by an abundance of wildlife including game, birds and exuberant, healthy, intelligent and rapidly developing, young men.
Quest Africa: Kaba is owned and managed by Jim Musto and his wife Sheila. Their good friend Harvey Leared, encouraged them to begin a local Quest in the beautiful surrounds of their farm. This is the first year that Quest Africa: Kaba has been offered to students, and currently eight young men are completing their seven month course there.
The foundation of this course rests on the development of acumen in five skills areas including natural acumen; technical acumen; business acumen; social skills and physical training and sports. However, this programme offers far more than they advertise. The environment as well as the tutoring management, guide the students towards emotional, physical, intellectual and moral development. This is a place where confused young boys become purposeful, confident, goal oriented young men with a firm moral and ethical foundation.
In addition to all the psychological, emotional, intellectual and practical avenues for personal growth which this programme offers, Quest Africa: Kaba is a place of fun facilitated by horse-riding; kayaking; hiking; moutain-biking; hunting, acquiring 4x4 driving skills; farming; acquiring mechanical skills; learning to get to relate to a variety of very different people and above all a place which eight young men happily call home. They leave this home as confident, mature and inspired young men equipped to face the complex world awaiting them.
Into the Wild by Stephane Meintjes
The heavy rain from the night before is still tangible in the air as we set off from the Game Ranger’s house at Kwandwe Game Reserve for the day ahead. Kwandwe Game Reserve is situated just outside Grahamstown and boasts over 22 000 hectares of landscape alive with thousands of animals including the Big Five.
Lying covered in darkness, this mysterious landscape begins to take form as the morning light takes its place over the darkness of the night. For a game ranger this transformation from night to day and day into night is part of their daily regime. Whilst their guests are still fast asleep, their day has already begun as they prepare for their morning game drives.
As the guests assemble, the rangers are met with varied faces; those still struggling to shake off their sleepiness and those who are rearing to set off on an adventure into the landscape which has now become bathed in the tentative rays of the early morning sun.
Gathered at the car park, the ranger and his tracker make sure that everything is in order as the guests take their preferred seat for the game drive. Like an interactive movie, the guests position themselves so as to have the best view and it is the ranger’s goal to make their experience an unforgettable one. For Alastair Lamont, a ranger at Kwandwe, the best part of his day is “leaving the car park on a game drive as who knows what is going to be found and seen that day”.
The engine jumps to life, gears change, departure is called in on the radio and so the ranger and his guests begin to explore the landscape before them.
Having found a group of buffalo crossing the road, the guests watch in amazement as they cross the road, close to the Range Rover almost as if they want to see what this big green, unknown object is in the middle of their crossing.
As the early morning cold changes into a light, but brisk breeze, ranger Alastair Lamont goes in search of two lionesses spotted by a fellow ranger. Having reached the viewing point, before them, as if on an enormous screen, the members of the group watch as the two lionesses retreat into the distance and out of sight.
For the more adventurous of safari goers there are Grade 2 Walks which allow you to view potentially dangerous game on foot. Head Ranger at Kwandwe Private Game Reserve, Graeme Mann, has been at Kwandwe for almost six years. He does guided safaris for Grade 2 Walks as well as specialist birding safaris and specialist carnivore safaris which involve using radio telemetry to find collared predators like the cheetah and leopard, as well as sharing specific in-depth knowledge about the particular animals’ habitats, life history and family tree.
On foot, armed, binoculars on the ready, the rangers set out in search of the white rhino. Graeme Mann and fellow ranger Murray Tindall begin to follow the tracks of the white rhino they are hoping to see on their walk in the rugged sun-drenched land. Part of a ranger’s training includes learning how to track animals. Their intensive training also includes animal and bird identification, guiding techniques, awareness, rifle-handling and shooting, amongst others. However, a game reserve is all about conservation and hunting is unthinkable. As a precaution rangers have to be armed to protect viewers in the exceptional case of an emergency. The rifles in the reserve have never been fired at animals.
Deadly silence reigns as the rangers attempt to become one with the landscape, invisible so as to not disturb the natural order with human interference. Having spotted the white rhino mother and calf in the distance, the task becomes more challenging.
Patiently the rangers wait for the perfect moment to try and get closer to the animals. As Mann stalks the mother and calf to get a closer look at these animals, the knowledge and instinct of someone who has done this before becomes apparent. The hint of danger only adds to the exhilaration of the moment.
As Mann and Tindall watch the animals feeding, it is clear that each encounter with an animal is distinctive and extraordinary. Mann describes the best part of his day as “spending time with interesting people out in the bush watching the magnificent animals of Africa. Each day is unique in terms of people and what the animals are up to. Following the story of these animals’ lives is what makes us tick as guides”.
The sun-drenched land shifts into a soft focus in the afternoon light signalling the beginning of another adventure into a landscape, never static, as it continually morphs into different configurations depending on the time of day.
Ready to go: ranger, tracker and guests set off in search of the diversity of the animal life in the reserve. The reserve is home to animals including lion, buffalo, elephant, white and black rhino and cheetahs amongst others which roam the 22 000 hectare landscape. Kwandwe is also home to endangered species including the cape grysbok, black wildebeest, the black-footed cat, the crowned eagle, the Knysna woodpecker and the blue crane. The word “Kwandwe” in isiXhosa means the “place of the blue crane” and is home to a population of these highly endangered birds.
A ranger has an extremely challenging job trying to locate the animals that his/her guests wish to see and as highly trained as the ranger might be, animals tend to play hide and seek with them.
Patiently, determinedly and resolutely ranger Alfie Curling, who has been at Kwandwe for four years, begins a game of hide and seek with the biggest of all land mammals, the elephant. Curling has grown up with the South African bush being part of his life since the age of two in the Kruger National Park.
Once Curling has located the elephants, he leads his guests up a cliff and onto a natural stadium from where a breathtaking view awaits.
An air of peaceful quiet falls upon the guests as the engine shuts down and they are met by the majestic, yet graceful, herd of elephants feeding by the river down below. From this unique angle, Curling gave guests an irreplaceable sighting of these animals undisturbed by human presence. As the soft afternoon sun starts to set, the illumination down below turns the landscape with the elephants into a transient picture.
The peaceful quiet and awe which sets in over the group, signify a successful game drive. The ranger can sense gratitude and satisfaction among his guests who are looking forward to a sundowner and a scrumptious meal. For him, however, this is not the end of anything because tomorrow morning before the crack of dawn there will be a new beginning and new adventures. Once more he will play his part as the creator and director of yet another unforgettable film-like experience.
As Free As the Wind by Stephane Meintjes
As they go around the room, the nervous and slightly apprehensive individuals introduce themselves to their future comrades. One by one these individuals start to realize that, in the morning, they will have conquered their fears, satisfied their need for adrenaline or fulfilled a long time dream – to fly. Welcome to EP Skydivers in Grahamstown where you can spread your wings and learn to fly or be taken under the wing of an accomplished diver to have an experience of a lifetime.
EP Skydivers is owned by Joos Vos who has been skydiving for 12 years and has over 3000 jumps to his name. For Vos, the “freedom of freefall and the peacefulness of a parachute flight” is what keeps him returning to the sky. The Dropzone on average sees over 4500 to 5000 jumps taking place per year. Vos and his team are dedicated to safety and proper training and are there to ensure that you have the flight of your life.
Parachutes have been used by people for hundreds of years dating as far back as the 1100’s in China. However, it was in the 1800’s, when Jacques Garnerin from France started performing display jumps across Europe, that the modern history of the sport began. During First World War parachutes were given to observation balloon pilots as rescue devices and in 1925 people started to experiment with extended free fall. Due to a surplus of unused parachutes after the Second World War, bold and daring former soldiers started to jump for sporting purposes. Raymond Young, a key figure in American skydiving coined the term “skydiver” in the 1950’s when the first commercial skydiving dropzones opened to the public.
The anticipation and excitement is palpable in the air as the new students undergo their theoretical training with instructor, Gera Phielix and jumpmaster Francois Kros. Kros says what draws him to the sport is “the rush of jumping from a plane [which] cannot be explained. Cheating death, to jump another day” and that the “people that hang out at drop zones are generally positive and fun loving”. A Forensic Human Behaviorist, Kros is currently training towards becoming an instructor which is the next level in skydiving. He has successfully helped to train 120 students.
EP Skydivers offers a Static Line course on a weekly basis. A static line jump is for the more adventurous as one jumps solo. As you exit the plane, the static line automatically extracts and deploys the parachute. The course has a theoretical and practical component and you will learn all you need to know to make your first jump. They also offer Tandem jumps for the not so adventurous where one is attached to, and make the descent with a senior jumper. For those individuals who wish to fast track their training, EP Skydivers also has an Accelerated Free Fall (AFF) program which is a more in-depth and intensive approach to learn the sport.
D-Day has arrived. The students, well-rested, await their harness training which will complete the practical component of the course. As they prepare mentally for the day ahead, they watch in awe and amazement as load after load are taken up and set free.
During the week of the story over 90 first time students underwent the static line course at the Dropzone and successfully spread their wings for the first time. Some returned for more, but all were awakened to the exhilaration of falling from the sky.
The students, having completed their harness training, meet the jumpmaster for their flight, John Williamson. Williamson once again goes over safety and exit drills, gets them suited up and ready for takeoff. Williamson has had a fascination with skydiving since he first saw the sport on TV as a six year old. He has been jumping for fourteen years and has done 485 jumps to date. Williamson is a keen skydiver and says “I don’t see myself giving up skydiving anytime in the next 40 years”.
Ready to go, the excitement and anticipation of their first dive give way to calm determination and focus. Having done their final checks before takeoff, they make their way to the Cessna 206 airplane which is also sometimes referred to as a Super Skywagon. Once their static lines have been hooked to the plane, the experience can begin.
Slowly the plane takes off. Inside the cabin the contained excitement is almost tangible. The participants are slightly scared but confident and calm as they have undergone intensive training. Once up in the air, the moment has come and a deadly silence reigns. The door is opened and the rush of wind is almost frightening. The jumping order has been prearranged and is no secret. The jumpers are assisted by the jumpmaster on their exit. Adrenaline pumping, emotions suppressed, fear conquered, one by one they take to the air and suddenly they are free.
As they descend, their dream of flight has become a reality. Grandiosely and gracefully the divers make their way back down. The actuality of what they have just done sets in as they touch the ground. Having successfully completed their first jump there is a suggestion that it will not be their last.
The only downside to this experience? Well, there is a very strong possibility that you might just get addicted to the feeling of the wind and the freedom of the sky because “for once you have tasted flight, you will walk with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return”.
