Oom Paul's link with Clarens now cut!

I was wondering if there would be repercussions after my post about Clarens, I didn't quite expect to wake up to the news that Paul Kruger's street in Clarins (Switzerland) was no longer a tribute to this famed character of SA History!

Evidently, as a stand against the horrors of apartheid (blah,blah,blah), Paul Kruger Street in Clarins is now named after a Swiss author and no longer our own SA hero. Therefore, Clarens (SA) and Clarins (Switzerland) are no longer 'twin towns'. No longer will local Claranites be able to boast this fact.

This also lays the field open for the name changes that the local municipality have been threatening for the last few years (oh deary deary me).

I don't know how much longer I will be able to claim that I work in Clarens, soon I could be working in Kekana, Kgubatswana or bongo-bongoville. I will keep you posted!

I must admit that Paul Kruger has always been amongst my favourite characters in SA history. Below is a brief outline of his life taken from www.tokencoins.com

Until Soon.... Andrew

Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger was born on 10 October 1825 at Bulhoek, his grandfather's farm in the Steynsburg district . He grew up on the farm Vaalbank. His school was the veld and he had only three months' formal education, his master being one Tielman Roos. His father, Casper Kruger, joined the trek party of Hendrik Potgieter when the Great Trek started in 1836.

The trekkers crossed the Vaal River in 1838 and at first stayed in the area that is known today as Potchefstroom. Kruger's father later decided to settle in the district now known as Rustenburg. At the age of 16, Paul Kruger was entitled to choose a farm for himself at the foot of the Magaliesberg where he settled in 1841.

The following year he married Maria du Plessis and the young couple accompanied Casper Kruger to live in the Eastern Transvaal for a while. After the family had returned to Rustenburg, Kruger's wife and infant son died, probably from malaria. He then married Gezina du Plessis, who was his constant and devoted companion until her death in 1901. Seven daughters and nine sons were born of the marriage, some dying in infancy. (GO OOM PAUL, GO!!)

Kruger started as a fieldcornet in the commandos and eventually became Commandant-General of the South African Republic (Transvaal). He was appointed member of a commission of the Volksraad (Republican Parliament) that was to draw up a constitution. People began to take notice of the young man and he played a prominent part in ending the quarrel between the Transvaal leader, Stephanus Schoeman, and M W Pretorius. The latter afterwards became the first President of the South African Republic and was the founder of Pretoria. He named it after his father, Andries Pretorius.

Vice-President 1874
In 1873 Kruger resigned as Commandant-General, and for a time he held no office and retired to his farm, Boekenhoutfontein. In 1874, however, he was elected to the Executive Council and shortly after that became Vice-President of the Transvaal.

Resistance movement 1877
After the annexation of the Transvaal by Britain in 1877, Kruger became the leader of the resistance movement. During the same year, he visited England for the first time as leader of a deputation. In 1878 he was part of a second deputation. A highlight of his visit to Europe was when he ascended in a balloon and saw Paris from the air.

The first War of Independence started in 1880 and the British forces were defeated in the decisive battle at Majuba in 1881. Once again, Paul Kruger played an important role in the negotiations with the British, which led to the restoration of the Transvaal's independence under British sovereignty.

First Presidency 1882
At the age of 57, Kruger was elected President of the Transvaal. One of his first aims was the revision of the Pretoria Convention of 1881. Therefore, he again left for England in 1883, empowered to negotiate with Lord Derby. Kruger and his companions also visited the Continent and this visit became a triumph in countries such as Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Spain. In Germany, he attended an imperial banquet at which he was presented to the Emperor, Wilhelm I, and spoke at length with the renowned Bismarck.

In the Transvaal, things changed rapidly after the discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand. This momentous discovery was to have far-reaching political repercussions and to give rise to the uitlander (foreigner) problem, which was eventually lead to the fall of the Republic.

The Jameson raid
At the end of 1895, the so called Jameson raid took place - the attack being launched from Mafeking - one of the first towns to be put under siege when the boer war broke out in 1899. The force was largely made up of the little known Bechuanaland Border Police which numbered about 500 men. Once more Kruger's calm and determination was put to the test. Jameson was forced to surrender, taken to Pretoria and handed over to his British countrymen for punishment.

Cecil Rhodes' British South African Company was clearly behind the attack although Rhodes escaped conviction. The raid did draw attention to the manner in which the "Outlanders" (mainly British citizens running the gold mines on the Witwatersrand) were treated. The Outlanders had no voting rights, were heavily taxed and were treated with scorn by the Volksraad. (Dit lyk asof die Engelsmanne en die Kaffirs het die selfde probleem gehad)

The Anglo-Boer War broke out and on 7 May 1900, Kruger attended the last session of the Volksraad and on 29 May, he left Pretoria as Lord Roberts advanced on the boer's capital. For weeks he either stayed in a house at Waterval-Onder or in his railway carriage at Machadodorp near Pilgrim's Rest in the Eastern Transvaal.

Eventually, it was decided that he should go to Europe on behalf of the Republic, while the war continued (see image below). He left from Lourenco Marques in October 1900. Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands sent the battleship De Gelderland to fetch him and his entourage. His wife was much too sick to accompany him and Gezina Kruger died on 20 July 1901.

They landed in Marseilles, where an overwhelming ovation awaited the President. He travelled through Europe to Holland where he stayed for the duration of the war, his last home being Oranjelust in Utrecht. Here he received the news that the treaty (the Peace of Vereeniging) had been signed. The Boer generals - Botha, De Wet and De la Rey - also paid him a visit when they were in Europe in 1902 after the war.

The President moved to Clarens in Switzerland where he stayed for the last six months of his life. He died on 14 July 1904 and his remains were temporarily interred at the Hague and were brought to Cape Town from Rotterdam in the Dutch ship De Batavier VI. His body was then taken to Pretoria by train and he was buried on 16 December 1904 in the Church Street cemetery.

Daar het ons dit!

Until Soon.... Andrew

Clarens....Rising Above It All...

Rising above it all…..

Working in a small tourist town gives insights into human nature that those in larger towns and cities don’t get to see. (Generalisation, but you know what I mean).

Clarens is wonderful. You couldn’t ask for a prettier location with its stunning views, mountains and relaxed ambiance. It is therefore rather sad to see how the village has changed over the last 5 years.

I initially ‘found’ the Eastern Free State in 1988 after leaving Sun City to take up a contract in Lesotho. At that stage Clarens was little more than a few buildings around the village square and some general dealers and shops to look after the needs of the locals. After the contract had finished I moved to Johannesburg and didn’t visit for nearly 5 years.

My affair with the area, and Clarens in particular, was rekindled in 1996. The village was then the ‘the real thing’ in fun country getaways, with its amazingly eclectic collection of bohemians, artists & farmers, and only a few tourists who were ‘in the know’ about the area.

Life happens, and I got caught up in 101 different things that kept me away from visiting the area until November 2002, when my housemate (Warren) and a friend, Ron, spent 5 days visiting good friends Lynda – and at that stage, Paul Martin, in Clarens. By this time I was living on the KZN south coast and not having a particularly happy time. By Easter of 2003 I had packed what few belongings I still had left and ‘headed for the hills’, this time to stay!

Clarens had become busier. There were now fun and interesting shops and art galleries, some really worthwhile restaurants and an overwhelming friendliness that permeated everything and everyone. You could not walk around the square without being greeted or waved to by locals and visitors. It didn’t matter if they knew who you were or not, you were included in the community no matter how long you were planning on being in town.

I think that the rot set in when the amount of businesses (especially restaurants) that were opening started to exceed the tourist and local demand; a typical case of jumping on the band-wagon and overextending the ‘pie’. Suddenly there was an undercurrent of negativity, sniping and downright nastiness amongst business owners. Fights for exclusivity on gift lines in shops and even dishes that appeared on menus started, and you could not have a drink in one of the ‘locals’ without overhearing grips and complaints about this person or that business.

Clarens had been featured in various travel mags and newspapers, and the residents had, unfortunately, started to believe their own press. Prices of property sky-rocketed and there were suddenly over 90 B&B’s and self-catering venues to choose from in the area. The fact that some of them were no more than an outside room or converted garage didn’t stop them from charging exorbitant rates.

There was also a constantly changing and self-appointed ‘big 5’. A group of business owners, developers and wannabes, some clever, some not, some kind, and some conniving, who met every evening to decide which way the village should head, what should be allowed or prevented, and who was going to side with who. None of them had been appointed by anyone but they had the money and contacts to change things.

A major downfall in village status and morale happened when a large tract of land in town was sold to the Protea Hotel chain. This went against everything that Clarens had stood for. It had been locally agreed that no franchise groups or neon signs would be allowed in the village – especially on the ‘square’, but this was somewhat over-ridden as the development went ahead. Clarens would never be the same.

This became screamingly aparent when, whereas four years ago local publications would not publish anything remotely negative about the village, all of a sudden, our local ‘free’ newspaper was openly slagging-off locals, bad service practices (read – personal gripes) and businesses in general. I knew that things had gone too far when I had a tourist from JHB tell me that he used to think of Clarens as the ideal destination until he read the local paper.

But actual events and suppositions of what actually transpired to destroy the village are not important. Clarens has now officially gone the same route of many country villages. It is still popular, but with a different tourist demographic. Today’s tourist cannot afford to pay top rates for indifferent goods and services. Businesses are closing down, and many of the out-of-towners with holiday homes have slapped them on the market in the vain hope that they will get their money back. The economic downturn and global recession is only partly to blame for this. The fall of Clarens has been caused by greed, ego and a remarkable inability to see further than one’s own turned-up nose.

Clarens, you are still beautiful, but you need to re-evaluate yourselves if you hope to re-establish the magic that you once exuded.

I am so glad that I only work in Clarens and live 40km away in Fouriesburg. I can rise above it all. If I had to live in Clarens I might just be convicted for GBH.


Until soon……Andrew

Welcome to my Page

View from Mara Farm - Fouriesburg - South Africa

Here you are...

Welcome to my blog site. I have no idea where this is going to go, what I am going to discuss and what format the whole thing is going to take - let's just wait and see. I suppose I would like to keep a record of my life's events for friends and family, but readers will have to put up with my rantings and ravings as they happen. Enjoy, or ignore..... its up to you!

So, who am I?

My name is Andrew Knapp and I presently (and hopefully permanently) live in the small village of Fouriesburg in the Eastern Free State province of South Africa. I wont be surprised, or hurt if you haven't heard of it, It has a population of just under 2000 and apart from being declared the Capital of the Free State during the Boer War, has very few other claims to fame.

I have been involved in the restaurant and hospitality industry most of my life (apart for some stints in sales) and presently work in Clarens, a tourist-trap village 40km away from where I live. I am extremely fortunate in that I work 7 days on - 7 days off. This gives me a small, but regular income and plenty of time to immerse myself in various projects of my own - but more of that in future posts.

My first comment has to be about our recent elections. There is panic among a certain mindset in our country around about every election time. Every time the ANC goes on the campaign trail, the word (in certain drinking establishments) is that there will be civil unrest, mayhem and bloodshed. Well, it didn't happen...again. When will these people learn?

I am no fan of the ANC. I am definitely no fan of our new president, Jacob Zuma. I just feel sorry for the 'poorest of the poor' in rural areas who get given a T-shirt, a quart of beer and a lot of empty promisses in return for their vote. Poorest of the poor is a term often used by the political elite in rhetoric and small talk during the ongoing rounds of dinners, functions and Imbizos (meetings) that keeps the political social circles moving. This being said, the new ANC term in office will be a testing ground for empty promisses. There are already demands and strike threats facing the new government ministers - of which there are many. We already (and suddenly) have the biggest cabinet in the history of SA politics, costing the tax payer an extra R1 bn per. Expensive 'promise paybacks' for alliances and affiliations within the circle of cronies maybe? Let us wait and see what this multitude of freeloaders deliver. I doubt if it will be much...

On a lighter note, Jacob Zuma has promised to set up a call centre to report corruption in government. That should go a long way to solving the unemployment situation. It is going to be a very busy centre!

Until soon..... Andrew