Mbeki's ride

ZM: When did you learn how to drive?

TM: I learnt to drive a car in 1961. This was because the then ANC Secretary General, the late Duma Nokwe, and particularly also his late wife, Sis Tiny, insisted that, to assist him to do his work, I had to learn to drive the ANC cars to which he had access – a 1947 Chevrolet, a 1948 Dodge, and a much more modern Zephyr station wagon.

ZM: When did you get your driver’s licence?

TM: I must confess that I have never had a driver’s licence. This was because to get one here at home, I had to get a “pass”, the Reference Book. I was determined not to do this especially in the aftermath of the Anti-Pass Campaign. The best or worst I did was to get a piece of paper which said that I had been to a “pass office” to apply for a “pass”. I used this piece of paper to pass through all police road blocks. I have therefore not driven a car since we returned home in 1990.

 From an interview with Thabo Mbeki by Ziphezinhle Msimang, published in the Sunday Times' lifestyle feature, March 31, 2013. The extract is taken from Mbeki's website, which features the 'full' version of the interview.

the importance of speech giving

wear a grey suit, sit in front of a bland backdrop - situate yourself in the middle of the frame and proceed to communicate an important message to a wide audience. ensure that you start off slow, that you pause often, stutter here and errrr there and look as uncomfortable as you can but do not fidget or fuss at any point. 

keep your hands off screen and do not punctuate any important points with hand gestures or movement of the head. keep a flat tone, whatever you do not employ any inflections in your speech. remember this is a very important message and you want the WORLD to hear and understand it. there will be no ad break in your fifteen minute speech, all tv channels will run your very important message and select snippets for headlines later so do not fear that anyone will miss it.

when done, wait for studio personnel to count you out. you are now off air and can gesture, sweat, curse at will - you are free to express your rage, panic or fear. you have communicated your very important message.

thank you

Rocks (Suikerbosrand)

Rocks (Klipriversberg)

Some rocks from the Klipriversberg, the view of the city skyline and the sewerage pipe that runs through the reserve.

"The lava forming the hills is not uniform but consists of many kinds of volcanic rock. These are ordinary lava flows and are often marked by white inclusions (like pebbles) at the top. They are called Amygdales, and were bubbles caused by the release of gasses in the molten rock which froze into position and were later filled with silica (quartz). Tuffs made up of volcanic ash, fossilised pumice and agglomerates of volcanic cinders can also be seen. At a point near the sewer pipe Collumnar basalts can be seen where the cooling lava shrank to form columns. In places angular crystals in the lava, called Phenocrysts are also visible. These indicate that the lava was cooling and crystallising before reaching the surface" http://www.klipriviersberg.org.za/index.php/geology

Silverfish ii

goldfish forget, this is what they do
silverfish, eat books
they cannot help themselves.

Spotted Eagle Owl

The grey louries or kwêvoëls (Corythaixoides concolor) directed our attention a few mornings ago to a Spotted eagle owl (Bubo africanus) trying to sleep in the tree on Eleanor Street in Troyeville. 

The image below shows three eagle owls roosting in a quarry in Grahamstown.

Garage process

Tunnel tubes

Silverfish i

The fishmoth, or silverfish, Ctenolepisma longicaudata. Text excerpt above (click to enlarge) from Skaife, S.H. African Insect Life (2nd ed.). Cape Town, Struik.

(Photo by Adrian, San Francisco)