23 September 2006
Postcard from Grootbos
The temptation with Africa is to dismiss it as a failed continent, where nothing works nor ever will. On arrival in Johannesburg, the BA lounge reinforces this view, with leaking shower head, pipes that are not firmly fixed to the wall, chipped plates and a faulty coffee machine. 25 years have passed since I was last in South Africa and, on the face of it, not much seems to have changed. There is already a lot of excitement about the World Cup in 2010, but will that new terminal really be ready on time? Will all the stadiums be built?
South Africa has, of course, always been the richest and most developed country in Black Africa, with its natural resources, extensive infrastructure and developed businesses. But since I was last here, Apartheid has gone without bloodshed, Zimbabwe has collapsed into famine from being the farming capital of the continent, Mozambique is no longer at war with itself, and astronomic rates of population growth have been slowed as AIDS takes its toll throughout the region, with Botswana for example having 1/3 of its population supposedly HIV positive. The continent has not stood still, but progress has not all been positive.
Having collected the keys to my hire car at Cape Town airport, I hesitate in front of the Ford Focus, then dash back into the Avis office. “Just two questions”, I say. “Kilometres or miles?”, “kilometres” is the answer. “Drive on the left, or on the right?”, “left”. They look bemused, but I feel relieved that I know the basics.
Grootbos is a Nature Reserve on the sea about 40km east of Hermanus, itself about 100km east of Cape Town. “Grootbos” means “Big Bush” in Afrikaans, the name of the scrubland that surrounds the area. The owner, an energetic German, has spent a small fortune developing the resort. The centre is a farmhouse with thatched roof, impressive internal timbers, and wavy external walls. It might be called over-designed, but it works. The food is good and the service faultless. The accommodation is in 16 bungalows spread out over the garden, with private terraces and spectacular views over the sea. Ours has two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a sitting room, and a wood fire that we still need as the nights are cold and the days are wet. Michael assumes that his bathroom cannot be finished, in that there are two taps on the shower, one of which sprays water all over the floor. But on closer investigation the part of the shower that he thought was not connected turns out to be a tap for washing feet, and the bathroom if fine; it just has more equipment than he is used to. The views from the room out to the sea are spectacular, and with the changeable weather, we are able to observe rain storms and sunshine at the same time, out at sea.
There is a resident botanist called Nzuzo to show us round the gardens, where anything not indigenous has been removed, and he shows us how the different plants are pollinated, which ones smell, and why. The surrounding Fynbos (“fine bush” or heath) has been left to develop naturally, part of the natural cycle being fire. The most recent one was particularly fierce, but regeneration has been swift and strong. However, the resort lost its conference centre and a couple of other buildings. The damage would have been worse had the fire’s progress not been checked by a large Milkwood forest – one of the largest remaining in Africa apparently – whose sap is so liquid that the trees do not burn, so they act as a natural firebreak. The new conference centre, which is about to open, is very impressive and unashamedly modern (although I’m not sure about the need for a pool right next to the seminar rooms). It’s just the sort of place for someone with a large budget to take a group of 20-30 for an unforgettable getaway.
There is also an entomologist / zoologist, who brings Michael lizards, snakes and spiders for him to admire. Like Michael, he seems quite impervious to the danger. “This is a Baboon spider”, he tells us as he shows us a spider with a body about the size of a bar of soap. I blanch and back off. “Don’t worry, it’s only the 4th most poisonous spider in South Africa”, he says, stroking its back. He reminds me of the character Hagrid in Harry Potter and his collection of venomous and aggressive creatures. I wonder whether he has a pet called Fang.
The resort has a number of community projects, including a horticultural school and a kitchen garden. The school teaches 12 under-privileged local teenagers each year the basics of botany, how to identify plants, as well as how to look after them. Afterwards they find jobs as gardeners, farmers or nature guides and the thoughtful and knowledgeable Nzuzo who shows us round the Fynbos and the gardens was one of the first graduates. The scheme is a great success with 10 times more applicants than places. So now a football pitch to improve the skills of local children and to encourage teamwork, as well as a life-skills college for women, are planned. Each of these is sustainable, in that the revenue from running the projects offsets the outgoings, although the setup is paid for by sponsorship. So the school sells plants and earns a finder’s fee for placing its graduates, and the football club will let out the grounds to other teams and for tournaments.
The whole resort has a positive, ecologically aware, environmentally and community enhancing approach, all within the framework of making money. It’s enough to make one proud of being a capitalist.
Talking of capitalism, the next stop is the wine district of Stellenbosch, one of South Africa’s main wine growing regions, and a short drive from Cape Town.
South Africa has, of course, always been the richest and most developed country in Black Africa, with its natural resources, extensive infrastructure and developed businesses. But since I was last here, Apartheid has gone without bloodshed, Zimbabwe has collapsed into famine from being the farming capital of the continent, Mozambique is no longer at war with itself, and astronomic rates of population growth have been slowed as AIDS takes its toll throughout the region, with Botswana for example having 1/3 of its population supposedly HIV positive. The continent has not stood still, but progress has not all been positive.
Having collected the keys to my hire car at Cape Town airport, I hesitate in front of the Ford Focus, then dash back into the Avis office. “Just two questions”, I say. “Kilometres or miles?”, “kilometres” is the answer. “Drive on the left, or on the right?”, “left”. They look bemused, but I feel relieved that I know the basics.
Grootbos is a Nature Reserve on the sea about 40km east of Hermanus, itself about 100km east of Cape Town. “Grootbos” means “Big Bush” in Afrikaans, the name of the scrubland that surrounds the area. The owner, an energetic German, has spent a small fortune developing the resort. The centre is a farmhouse with thatched roof, impressive internal timbers, and wavy external walls. It might be called over-designed, but it works. The food is good and the service faultless. The accommodation is in 16 bungalows spread out over the garden, with private terraces and spectacular views over the sea. Ours has two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a sitting room, and a wood fire that we still need as the nights are cold and the days are wet. Michael assumes that his bathroom cannot be finished, in that there are two taps on the shower, one of which sprays water all over the floor. But on closer investigation the part of the shower that he thought was not connected turns out to be a tap for washing feet, and the bathroom if fine; it just has more equipment than he is used to. The views from the room out to the sea are spectacular, and with the changeable weather, we are able to observe rain storms and sunshine at the same time, out at sea.
There is a resident botanist called Nzuzo to show us round the gardens, where anything not indigenous has been removed, and he shows us how the different plants are pollinated, which ones smell, and why. The surrounding Fynbos (“fine bush” or heath) has been left to develop naturally, part of the natural cycle being fire. The most recent one was particularly fierce, but regeneration has been swift and strong. However, the resort lost its conference centre and a couple of other buildings. The damage would have been worse had the fire’s progress not been checked by a large Milkwood forest – one of the largest remaining in Africa apparently – whose sap is so liquid that the trees do not burn, so they act as a natural firebreak. The new conference centre, which is about to open, is very impressive and unashamedly modern (although I’m not sure about the need for a pool right next to the seminar rooms). It’s just the sort of place for someone with a large budget to take a group of 20-30 for an unforgettable getaway.
There is also an entomologist / zoologist, who brings Michael lizards, snakes and spiders for him to admire. Like Michael, he seems quite impervious to the danger. “This is a Baboon spider”, he tells us as he shows us a spider with a body about the size of a bar of soap. I blanch and back off. “Don’t worry, it’s only the 4th most poisonous spider in South Africa”, he says, stroking its back. He reminds me of the character Hagrid in Harry Potter and his collection of venomous and aggressive creatures. I wonder whether he has a pet called Fang.
The resort has a number of community projects, including a horticultural school and a kitchen garden. The school teaches 12 under-privileged local teenagers each year the basics of botany, how to identify plants, as well as how to look after them. Afterwards they find jobs as gardeners, farmers or nature guides and the thoughtful and knowledgeable Nzuzo who shows us round the Fynbos and the gardens was one of the first graduates. The scheme is a great success with 10 times more applicants than places. So now a football pitch to improve the skills of local children and to encourage teamwork, as well as a life-skills college for women, are planned. Each of these is sustainable, in that the revenue from running the projects offsets the outgoings, although the setup is paid for by sponsorship. So the school sells plants and earns a finder’s fee for placing its graduates, and the football club will let out the grounds to other teams and for tournaments.
The whole resort has a positive, ecologically aware, environmentally and community enhancing approach, all within the framework of making money. It’s enough to make one proud of being a capitalist.
Talking of capitalism, the next stop is the wine district of Stellenbosch, one of South Africa’s main wine growing regions, and a short drive from Cape Town.
# posted by DavidF @ 16:48 
