So you thought that mathematics and bureaucracy have nothing to do with each other. Well, that is not exactly so. Mix them up together and you get an omelette that is often inedible, but sometimes unavoidable. Many, many years ago, decades ago in fact, I was employed by the engineering
“Do you believe in life after death?” I was asked recently by a friend. “Certainly,” I said. “Not only do I believe in it. I have proof.” “Oh, really?” he said, an eyebrow raised sceptically. So I told him the story of my mother’s ashes. “And you imagine that proves
He came from the city. Right away we could all see that. And he came with a mission. He was going to change Bultfontein, turning it into an industrial hub. He was going to be the van der Bijl or the Motsepe of our area, maybe even the Elon Musk.
When you live on a small holding outside of town, Tshwane in this case, life is a bit different to that experienced by city folk. For instance, the thoroughfares connecting us to the world are all old-fashioned dirt roads. They are uneven, rocky, severely corrugated and ignored by the city.
It came as a big surprise when for the first time I saw Jolyon’s new signage. ANSWERS TO LOAD SHEDDING, it said. I just had to go in to see for myself. He looked very happy and confident. “I am going to make fortune out of loan shedding,” he told
Last time I told you about Tramp. I found his free spirit both endearing and frustrating. He had learnt to survive in a hostile environment of farmers with firearms and big, aggressive dogs. They do not take kindly to a free spirit like Tramp running off with a chicken or
You cannot live out of town and out of sight of your neighbours unless you have dogs, at least not in our neighbourhood. Our closest neighbours each have five or six. Two older ladies who live some distance away have twenty-four and a man whose place is quite close has
Along the edge of the plots, the Wildsplaas provides a barrier of sorts between the plots and a large township. The erection of shack dwellings by people for whom no space in the township can be found is also a growing reality. In this case, the reason is desperation of
Most male plot owners go armed. Hand guns are carried on the hip, either tucked into the wearer’s belt or in a holster. While the bushveld that surrounds us is a home to some creatures who could be injurious to your health, primarily the guns are carried for protection against
We have a meal occasionally at a place that often seems to have too many waiters and waitresses. You get served very fast, staff members almost bumping each other out of the way to get to your table. This situation is good for patrons, but it results in some unhappiness