Deckle Edge Media_Maluti_Issue 1 Winter 2017

Maluti
From the hearts & homes in the Eastern Free State
Berg & Dal
Issue 1 • Winter 2017
Harrismith
Hidrobreking
joBurg2c
Winter Gardening
Die Steyn familie
Livestock on the JSE
Huldeblyk aan Racheltjie de Beer

Welcome
to the launch issue of
Maluti Berg & Dal
Editor’s Letter
Tonight, I am humbled while I sit in front of my notebook and think of what I
should put into words; of what I have been through in my life that led up to this
point. I am excited, nervous and positive that this is again a highlight that would
connect people in a positive way. We want to make it YOUR magazine and make
YOU very much a part of the journey we are about to take.
I realise that I have always wanted to create and my passion and unrelenting
determination to make a difference have been part of my life since I can remember.
So, this magazine is just another vehicle of those creations that show that I am
in the business of filling a need and helping people connect. This magazine has
been born out of a love for the Eastern Free State that manifests in that feeling
that I have come back home after a long trip away. This is home, and what better
way to proclaim it than to write about its people, the culture, the towns and life
as it is in our Eastern Free State gem.
A new chapter starts and no matter who you are, where you live, YOU matter and
have a story to tell. This is a formal invitation to send us your beautiful photos
of the Eastern Free State, any historical facts of your home or area, especially if
your family has deep roots here. We would love to make YOU part of something
beautiful.
There is so much history here that my love for the Eastern Free State just exploded
whilst doing the research for the first issue of Maluti Berg & Dal Magazine. You
can read about HARRISMITH this month – our obvious first choice because it is
our hometown. We will be visiting a different town for every issue, so watch this
space for more and more about our State and its interesting people and places.
From our next issue, we will introduce Basie and his neighbour Sechaba, and
their interesting shenanigans. Our calendar with upcoming events in the area
will also be printed as from the next issue. This will appear in the centrefold for
you to conveniently remove and place somewhere where you can see it clearly in
order to be part of the feasts and festivities in the surrounding areas. If you have
anything to add, please contact us via email so that we can make your event part
of the calendar.
I want to thank the team that made this first issue a reality: Jaco van Deventer,
Tessa Dreyer and Andri Bekker. A special thanks to my family that has always
believed in me and prayed for us through the challenging times. They helped us
keep our dreams alive and never doubted that we can grow roots and establish
ourselves somewhere new again. This magazine is not just a publication. It is our
hearts on paper because we love it here; it has become our home. What better
way for us to express the beauty through a looking glass onto paper for all to see!
Lastly, my sincerest thanks to my amazing husband who has always stood by my
side, encouraged me and loved me. He is my friend, my confidant and partner.
Together we will work to make this magazine a success for the advertisers and
strive to make Maluti Berg & Dal Magazine interesting for all our readers
Till next time
Totsiens
Sala hantle
Hamba kahle
Silma Badenhorst
EDITOR
deckleedgemedia@gmail.com
On the Cover
Eastern Free State winter landscape by
renouned photograher Neville Bailey.
www.facebook.com/nevillebaileyphotos
Contents
Harrismith ........................................................................ 5
Huldeblyk aan Rachetjie de Beer ...................... 8
Hidrobreking in die Oos-Vrystaat ...................... 9
joBurg2c Cycle Race through Harrismith ....... 10
Disease of Kings & the King
of Diseases ...................................................................... 12
Winter Gardening ........................................................ 14
Packing for Success .................................................... 16
Hoe leer kinders speel-speel so ......................... 17
Die Steyn Familie ........................................................ 18
Are you exposed to Beef, Lamb & Wool
Price volatility? ............................................................. 20
Bergburgers: Book Release .................................... 22
In the Next Issue .......................................................... 22
Published by: Deckle Edge Media
Editor: Silma Badenhorst
081 556 3050
deckledgemedia@gmail.com
Advertising Sales: Wessel Badenhorst
081 444 8597
deckleedgemedia@gmail.com
Editing: Andri Bekker
aabekker@icloud.com
Design & Layout: LilyHouse Design Studio
Art Director: Tessa Dreyer
tdreyer@global.co.za
The opinions expressed used in this publication
are not those of the publisher. No responsibility
will be taken for any decision made by the
reader as a result of such opinions.
Maluti Berg & Dal • Winter 2017 • 3

Crossroads
Harrismith
Blankets & Timber
By SILMA BADENHORST
Harrismith was founded in 1849 after the town has been initially laid out by Robert Moffat about 25 kilometres
from the current location, in present-day Aberfeldy on the Elands River. That site, however, proved to be
deficient in water and Harrismith was shifted to its present site twenty-four years later during the diamond
rush at Kimberley. British Governor, Harry Smith, requested Paul Michiel Bester to choose a better site that
would be well suited for a town in the North Eastern Free State. It was therefore named after Sir Harry Smith.
Bester chose well when he decided the best site would be at the
foot of the towering Platberg (i.e. “flat/flat-topped mountain”
when translated from Afrikaans), which is 9 kilometres long, 2 394
metres high and on the banks of the Wilge River. The town became
a busy staging post on the Natal transport route. As a direct result
of this, hotels, stores and public buildings shot up. Few towns are
situated in such beautiful surroundings. By the 1880s the town
was the second largest in the Orange Free State.
In those days, the town stood on the frontier of civilization: to the
North was the unexplored Transvaal and to the east Natal, largely
undeveloped with several tribes of Zulus that were very dangerous
and farming operations were impossible. Because of this, the town
was involved in most of the “Bantu Wars” (nine wars or flare-ups
from 1779 to 1879) and the site of the present high school held
the town fort. The town was surrounded by stone ramparts that
were removed only recently, despite the protests of those who
realized the historical value.
“In those days, the town stood on the frontier of
civilization: to the North was the unexplored
Transvaal and to the east Natal ...”
Harrismith developed slowly and at the outbreak of the Anglo Boer
War (1899 to 1902) it was little more than a village, with English
speaking residents. The first town council, except for Thys Wessels,
were all from British descent. During this time, the Harrismith
Commando was the first in the battlefield. It was also the first to be
engaged in a skirmish with the British forces at Bester’s Station and
lost the first civilian, who could hardly speak a word of Afrikaans
– a man named Fred Johnson. The remnants of the Harrismith
Commando were with General De Wet until the end and were
part of those civilians that were nicknamed the “Bitter-enders”,
because some of them only surrendered after the signing of the
Treaty of Vereeniging.
[Above] Late afternoon view of Harrismith, seen from north of town along the N3 freeway, looking south. The outline of the Maluti range (on the Lesotho
border) can be seen. A large part of town is out of view to the right / [Page 7] Platberg (By JMK (2013) Wikimedia.org).
Maluti Berg & Dal • Winter 2017 • 5

Crossroads
After the signing of peace, many of the British Imperial Forces of
Occupation were stationed at Harrismith on Kings Hill and Queens
Hill and introduced to the town its greatest period of prosperity.
With their numbers varying from 5000 to 15 000 men with a
spending power of 25 000 to 30 000 pounds per month, the town
enjoyed a period of unrivalled prosperity with the military playing
a very prominent part in its domestic and social life. The two dams
in the former wildflower gardens are part of a series of aqueducts,
flowing from the Gibson Dam on the mountain summit, that were
built as a water supply to support the town and the British troops.
It was with apprehension then that the troops heard in 1912 that
they will be evacuated back to Britain. This resulted in 95% of the
town’s population signing petitions in which the Government was
requested to reverse its decision. The request was unfortunately
denied and the troops returned home to England in 1913. All the
cantonments were broken down and sold. Within a few years the
loss was so severe that Harrismith slipped from being the second
largest town in the Free State down to fourth. To make things
worse, the Government treated Harrismith as the Cinderella of the
Free State.
The circumstances started to change when a Woollens Factory
opened its doors in the middle 1920s. This factory brought new
life to Harrismith, which was the centre of five wool producing
districts in Southern Africa. Another event that proved Harrismith
was on the road to recovery was a Royal visit of the Queen and
King of England with the two princesses, Margaret and Elizabeth,
during their leisurely three-month journey from February to April
1947. This trip included South Africa itself, Southern Rhodesia,
Swaziland, Basutoland and the Bechuanaland Protectorate. The
trip involved 10 000 miles of travel, including 4 920 miles by rail
(though the family flew to Rhodesia). The journey to South Africa
was by battle cruiser.
When the mayor of Harrismith got the news of the royal visit, he
realised there was a massive problem for the ninety minute stopover
for tea. This was finding a carpet big enough to use in the
town hall, because the red runner carpet they had was damaged,
dirty and moth eaten, and it was impossible to obtain a new one.
The local Woollen Mill had at the time just completed an order of
blankets in scarlet and royal purple for Basutoland, then a British
Colony. Mr. Longbottom in an instance arranged these blankets and
made them into long lengths to be used as a carpet, on condition
that they were not damaged in anyway. After use as a carpet the
blankets were returned to the Mill to be washed, cut and bound
as blankets again. It was also particularly fitting that the popular
mayoress, Mrs. Philip D. Wright, who was the great-granddaughter
of Harry Smith, acted as hostess to the Royal visitors.
The increased infrastructure and traffic in the region made fording
of the Wilge river impractical. After heavy rains the swollen river
prevented communication, interrupted transport and claimed
lives. Around the 1890s in November, after a particularly hot and
dry month, when the heat rose from the parched ground as though
there was a furnace below, a heavy downpour of rain for about
a week flooded most of the normal trading routes. Three men
decided to float their timber down the river as far as Vereeniging.
They sent a wire to Hunt, Leuchars and Hepburn in Durban in which
they lay out the proposition with a map of the river as it wounds its
way through the Free State and joins the Vaal River near Villiers.
Anything that went by road and now seemingly water had to be
given a permit by the authorities as rinderpest, a disease which
attacked livestock, was easily carried from one part of the country
to another. Having secured the permit to Vereeniging, they built
five enormous rafts of four tonnes each. An excited crowd gathered
on the banks of the Wilge in Harrismith the day they were to leave.
The whole town turned out to watch the embarkation of the rafts.
Theo, James, Albert and fifteen natives made up the crew. From the
main raft flew the Union Jack and Mr. Warden, the magistrate, was
a passenger for the first hundred yards of the journey. Seventeen
miles down from Harrismith they stopped for the night. At dawn,
they started to hit unexpected currents and they continuously
Maluti Berg & Dal • Winter 2017 • 6
had to push themselves off the muddy banks with poles. By that
afternoon they reached the crossing of the wagon road that came
from Bethlehem and as there was no bridge at this point, there was
a punt in operation. The heavy rafts were too heavy to manipulate
at a moment’s notice, so the inevitable happened. Suddenly one
of the natives shouted, “Baas, baas, Joseph is gone! We cannot find
him!” With one casualty, a waterfall, two-day delay at Frankfort
on the banks, a flash wave, and three months later they finally
arrived in Johannesburg. When the station master asked whether,
by spending a little money, it would be possible to use the rivers
in future Theo laughed and answered, “No, a 1000 times no!”
Certainly, he would never attempt that again!
Presently, Harrismith is well known as an overnight or refreshment
stop along the N3 route, but it has much more to offer. Beyond
the highway is a tidy town with many elegant late nineteenth
century buildings made of hewn sandstone. The beautiful tourist
attractions include the Harrismith Town Hall, built in 1907; the
former Drakensberg Botanical Garden (founded as a national
botanical garden in 1967 but unfortunately now defunct);
numerous trails and the Donkey Pass road to the Platberg summit
and Platberg Reserve. Sterkfontein Dam, the third largest dam in
South Africa, is located just outside of the town. Built before the
Lesotho Highlands Water Project was developed, this was a vital
source of water for Gauteng. It is ideal for water sport enthusiasts
and anglers. The scenic 18-hole Harrismith Golf Course, which
is arguably the third oldest in South Africa (after the Royal Cape
and George Golf Clubs), was founded in 1887. Kerkenberg is
the historical place where the Voortrekkers camped while their
leader, Piet Retief, descended into KwaZulu-Natal to negotiate for
land with the Zulu chief Dingane. Retief’s daughter painted her
father’s name and recorded the date, which was also his birthday,
on the rock where they held a church service. Beautiful Bushmen
Rock Art can be found at Tandjiesberg, only five kilometres out
of town. Harrismith is the best access point to the northernmost
Drakensberg, including the Tugela Falls and Mont-Aux Sources
“Today we are proud to have companies
like Nouwens Carpets that opened its doors
during the early fifties, Nestlé, Nampak and
Highway Junction ...”
Photos on this spread: Opposite page top left to right: H.M. The King, H.M. The Queen, Royal Princesses, Mrs Wright, daugther of Sir Harry Smith,
Newspaper climping about the “Royal” Blanket, (bottom left) image of the “Royal” Blanket. Above: Platberg - by JMK (Wikimedia.org) / Harrismith
Town Hall (Souvenir Programme – Royal visit to Harrismith).
Maluti Berg & Dal • Winter 2017 • 7
south of Harrismith on the R57, the Drakensberg World Heritage
Site (66 kilometre southeast via Oliviershoek Pass beyond
Sterkfontein Dam) and the spectacular Golden Gate Highlands
National Park (50 kilometres south of the town on the R712).
Today we are proud to have companies like Nouwens Carpets
that opened its doors during the early fifties, Nestlé, Nampak and
Highway Junction – which is home to the largest truck stop in the
Southern Hemisphere. Harrismith also boasts its own local airstrip.
During our annual Berg Bohaai Festival (literally translated from
Afrikaans it means “mountain mania”) we have two very popular
races: the Dirty Harry and the Platberg Mountain Race. The latter
is a 15 kilometre foot race, described as the “toughest marathon
in the world” by Wally Hayward. It originated in 1922 when a
British soldier, Major A. E. Belcher, returned to Harrismith from
where he had been stationed near 42nd Hill during the Second
Anglo Boer War. He referred to Platberg as “that small hill of
yours” when he would talk to the locals, and one of the locals
immediately bet him that he could not reach the top in less than
60 minutes. Belcher accepted the challenge and covered the
distance with eight minutes to spare. Afterwards Major Belcher
presented a floating trophy to be awarded as a prize for the first
athlete to reach the top of the mountain. The record time today is
22 minutes and 9 seconds.
Three other places in the world bear the same name: Harrismith
Beach and Harrismith House near Bottom Bay in Barbados, and
Harrismith in the Wheat belt region of Western Australia.
...........................................................................................................................................
Sources
And not to yield – Penelope Matthews
Souvenir Programme – Royal visit to Harrismith
Harrismith News – March 15th 1947, Issue No. 2246
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrismith

Op die Stoep
Boere-Unies
Deur WESSEL BADENHORST
Huldeblyk aan
Racheltjie de Beer
Op ʼn koue dag, op ʼn koue plaas, op ʼn yskoue Van Reenen
Daar het Racheltjie, haar broertjie en familie gebly
Pappa het met skape geboer, net so wit soos sneeu het hulle geword.
Skapie wit en sag
Hoekom moes jy verdwyn daardie dag
Die kinders het jou so liefgehad
Hulle sou alles doen om jou terug te bring
Die selle kleur as die sneeu het jy geword
Die hele plaas was nou in rep en roer om jou te vind
Want almal het geweet jy was alles vir die kind
Stoute skapie, hoe sou jy nou weet die gevaar wat kom
Saam-saam het die kindertjies begin dwaal
‘Nie te vêr,’ het pappa gesê moet julle dwaal
Soek agter die huis, soek by die trekker
Hy kon nie te vêr gegaan het nie
Die sneeu val meer nou
Die res van die plaas is oral op die werf
Van hulle loop vêr sonder ʼn tou
Die kindertjies is in ʼn oogwink weg
Dikker die sneeu, minder sien hulle nou
Skapie is weg, kinders is nou weg
Pappa se hart sink
My kinders, my kinders, nee my kinders!
Die aand het gekom en boetie is koud
Boetie huil van die koue, hy is nie stout
‘Moenie huil nie, boetie, ek gaan jou warm hou
Pappa sal ons kry ek belowe jou nou.’
ʼn Miershoop in die verte
‘Kom, boetie, ons is amper daar.’
Grawe, grawe ʼn gaaitjie vir jou om te lê
Daar is nie plek vir my nie maar boetie lê
Jy het nie gekies om ʼn heldin te word nie
Sussie het net vir boetie warm gehou
Met haar kleertjies om hom
Met haar naakte lyfie teen hom
‘Boetie, Boetie!’ ‘Pappa, Pappa!’
‘Racheltjie, Racheltjie! Ag nee my kind, ag nee my liefste kind!’
Pappa lê in die sneeu en huil en snik
Omhelsend met vreugde, seer, glimlag, rou soos koud en warm
Racheltjie, ek staan op aandag vandag vir jou
ʼn Heldin sonder keuse, die huldeblyk aan jou
ʼn Liefde vir jou boetie het jou ʼn heldin gemaak
Mag jy vir altyd deur ons Hemelse Vader in die hemel geëer word.
Deur SUNETTE GOUWS
In Suid-Afrika het ons bewus geword van die kontroversiële
onderwerp toe die Karoo aanvanklik geteiken is. Hul het ’n
suksesvolle weerstandspoging gedryf, waaruit ons hier in ons eie
omgewing nou kan leer. Dit het gou duidelik geword dat groot
myn-, olie-, en gasmaatskappye nie sal skroom om hulself te
verryk ten spyte van die grootskaalse skade aan die omliggende
omgewing nie. Die impak van die skade kring wyer uit en benadeel
op die ou einde die hele land, mensdom en planeet. Die eerste
aansoek om skaliegasontginning in ons omgewing deur die
internasionale maatskappy Sungu Sungu is vinnig opgevolg deur
Rhino Gas and Oil, en intussen het nog vyf ander internasionale
ontginningsmaatskappye aansoek gedoen. Suid-Afrika is nou fel in
hul visier en ons direkte omgewing ook.
Ná die aanvanklike kennisgewing uitgestuur is, is gou besef dat ons
as publiek heeltemal te min tyd gegun is om volskaalse weerstand
WAT IS
SKALIEGASONTGINNING?
Aanvanklik is skaliegasontginning voorgehou as ‘n
alternatiewe energiebron om steenkool te spaar
en sodoende die mensdom se koolstofvoetspoor
te verlaag. Skaliegasontginning word daarom in
dieselfde asem as wind- en sonkrag genoem. Dit
is egter in 90 lande reeds beperk (onder andere
die VSA, Australië en Kanada ) en in Bulgarye en
Frankryk – waar dit deur middel van die proses
hidrobreking ontgin is – reeds verban. Die nadele
van die hidrobrekingmetode het die voordele
totaal oorskadu.
“...Dit het gou duidelik geword
dat groot myn-, olie-, en
gasmaatskappye nie sal skroom
om hulself te verryk ten spyte van
die grootskaalse skade aan die
omliggende omgewing nie...”
Hidrobreking
in die Oos-Vrystaat
Suid-Afrika is baie ryk aan skaliegas wat deur middel van hidrobreking (“fracking”) ontgin kan word.
te bied. Die regspan wat begin ondersoek instel het, kan dit juis
gebruik om ons saak te versterk, aangesien daar talle regsaspekte
is waaraan EIMS en Sungu Sungu nie voldoen het nie. Die
kennisgewing is ook nie deur al die regte kanale bekend gemaak
nie. Vergaderings in onder andere Ladysmith en Harrismith het
spoedig gevolg, en forums is deur boereverenigings gestig om die
weerstandsproses te versterk en te bespoedig. Met die hulp van
“Frack Free SA” kon dit voorlopig beveg word. U kan hul webtuiste
gerus besoek by www.frackfreesa.org.za.
Aanvanklik is die weerstand begin deur die kommersiële boere op
wie se plase die proefgate geboor gaan word. Gou is egter besef
dat sekondêre en tersiêre bedrywe ook ernstig onder die gevolge
van hidrobreking kan ly. Dit sluit in die toerismebedryf, dorpe
se waterbronne vir huishoudelike en nywerheidsgebruik, asook
besighede wat direk en indirek afhanklik is van die landbousektor.
Lees ons artikel in die volgende uitgawe oor die Wettige Oorwinning in die geveg om hidrobreking en skaliegasontginning in ons
omgewing te stop.
Maluti Berg & Dal • Winter 2017 • 8
Maluti Berg & Dal • Winter 2017 • 9

Sport Cave
The joBurg2c Cycle Race
By MRS MARY-ANN PULLINGER
on route through Harrismith
The joBerg2c off-road cycle race is a nine day event, held in late April. It starts in Heidelberg in Gauteng and
ends in Scottburgh in KwaZulu-Natal. The first race was held in 2010 and was organised by Glen Haw, Gary
Green and Craig Wapnick. The inaugural race featured fewer than 500 participants. It has grown to close to a
thousand cyclists in 2017.
The race is based on community organisation as all the overnight
stops and water points are run by local schools or charities.
The organisers believe in giving back to the communities and
distribute approximately R4,000,000.00 to schools and charitable
communities along the route.
Harriston School has hosted the third overnight stop at Sterkfontein
Dam since the inception of the race. As there are no permanent
facilities at the dam, 650 two-man tents are pitched to provide
sleeping quarters while a huge marquee serves as a kitchen
and dining hall for 1150 people. Water, electricity and all other
amenities are also built in. The school provides lunch, supper and
breakfast to the entire racing community – which includes athletes,
medics, mechanics, organisers and exhibitors. The Tea Table is
famous, and provides all manners of tasty snacks between meals!
820 bikes are also washed by the school after this particular stage.
Harriston School is a small private school of approximately 320
pupils situated in Harrismith. The school caters for pupils from
grade 0000 to Grade 12 and is an IEB school with weekly boarding.
With such a small networking community to rely upon the whole
school participates in making the race village as comfortable and
enjoyable as possible. The parents do a sterling job at cooking,
serving and cleaning as well as providing the infrastructure.
Planning starts months before the event. The pupils work in the
kitchen preparing, serving, cleaning, and run the tuckshop. They
also greet each cyclist as they complete the stage and take their
bikes to be washed. Before the cyclists arrive, tents are fitted
with mattresses and a kit bag is practically and conveniently
placed in front of each tent. The race weekend is a time of hard
work, camaraderie and fun. Harriston raises a substantial amount
of money over the race weekend which it invests in capital
development projects.
Please visit the Joberg2c website for more information and entry forms for 2018: https://joberg2c.co.za/
Maluti Berg & Dal • Winter 2017 • 10

Apple a Day
Disease of Kings
& the King of Diseases
the risk of hyperuricemia. Increased production of uric acid is the
result of interference by a product of fructose metabolism in purine
metabolism. This interference has a dual action, both increasing
uric acid and increasing the synthesis of purine. Fructose also
inhibits the excretion of uric acid, apparently by competing with
uric acid for access to the transport protein SLC2A9. The effect of
fructose in reducing excretion of uric acid is increased in people
with a hereditary (genetic) predisposition toward hyperuricemia
and/or gout.
Starvation causes the body to metabolize its own (purine-rich)
tissues for energy. Thus, like a high purine diet, starvation increases
the amount of purine converted to uric acid. A very low calorie
diet without carbohydrate can induce extreme hyperuricemia;
including some carbohydrate (and reducing the protein) reduces
the level of hyperuricemia. Starvation also impairs the ability of
the kidney to excrete uric acid, due to competition for transport
between uric acid and ketones.
By DR. FRANCOIS VAN WYK • 058 622 1691
Gouty arthritis was among the earliest diseases to be recognized as a clinical entity. First identified by the
Egyptians in 2640 BC, podagra (acute gout occurring in the first metatarsophalangeal joint) was later recognized
by Hippocrates in the fifth century BC, who referred to it as “the unwalkable disease”. Some of Hippocrates’s
remarkable clinical perceptions in relation to gout are preserved in aphorisms, which are as true today as
they were 2500 years ago. Hippocrates also noted the link between the disease and an intemperate lifestyle,
referring to podagra as an “arthritis of the rich”, as opposed to rheumatism, an “arthritis of the poor”. It was
called the Disease of Kings and in some eras gout was perceived as socially desirable because of its prevalence
among the politically and socially powerful.
The common cold is well named – but the gout seems instantly to
raise the patient’s social status, comment from the London Times in
1900.
As a GP in Harrismith I have found that gout is synonymous with
pain in single joints. In a significant percentage of cases I have
found that gout is misdiagnosed and therefore the wrong treatment
is given. The so-called “gout mix” is sold over the counter and
although it suppresses pain in the short term it does not provide
a long-term solution. Let’s make the right diagnosis for a lasting
cure.
What is gout?
Gout is caused by the build-up of uric acid in your system. High uric
acid levels can form needle like crystals. The deposited sodium
urate crystals can be regarded as the cause of gouty inflammation,
which is characterized by a warm, red, swollen and painful joint.
What causes high uric acid levels?
Many factors contribute to hyperuricemia (high uric acid levels in
the blood), including genetics, insulin resistance, hypertension,
hypothyroidism, renal insufficiency, obesity, diet, use of certain
medications, and consumption of alcoholic beverages. Of these,
alcohol consumption is the most significant.
Causes of hyperuricemia can be classified into three functional
types: increased production of uric acid, decreased excretion of
uric acid, and mixed type. Causes of increased production include
high levels of purine (found in high concentrations in meat and
meat products) in the diet and increased purine metabolism.
Causes of decreased excretion include kidney disease, certain
drugs, and competition for excretion between uric acid and other
molecules. Mixed causes include high levels of alcohol and/or
fructose in the diet, and starvation.
Increased production of uric acid
A purine-rich diet is a common but minor cause of hyperuricemia.
Diet alone generally is not sufficient to cause hyperuricemia.
Maluti Berg & Dal • Winter 2017 • 12
Purine content of foods varies. Foods high in certain purines may
be more potent in exacerbating hyperuricemia.
Hyperuricemia of this type is a common complication of solid
organ transplant. Apart from normal variation (with a genetic
component), tumor lysis syndrome produces extreme levels of uric
acid, mainly leading to renal failure. The Lesch-Nyhan syndrome (a
rare genetic disorder) is also associated with extremely high levels
of uric acid.
Decreased excretion of uric acid
The principal medications that contribute to hyperuricemia by
decreased excretion are the primary antiuricosurics (medication
that decrease uric acid excretion). Other medication and agents
include diuretics, salicylates, nicotinic acid and diclofenac
(Voltaren).
A ketogenic diet impairs the ability of the kidney to excrete uric
acid, due to competition for transport between uric acid and
ketones.
Mixed type
Causes of hyperuricemia that are of mixed type have a dual action,
both increasing production and decreasing excretion of uric acid.
High intake of alcohol (ethanol), a significant cause of hyperuricemia,
has a dual action that is compounded by multiple mechanisms.
Ethanol increases production of uric acid by increasing production
of lactic acid, hence lactic acidosis. Ethanol also increases the
plasma concentrations of hypoxanthine and xanthine (potent
purines) via the acceleration of adenine nucleotide degradation,
and is a possible weak inhibitor of xanthine dehydrogenase.
As a by-product of its fermentation process, beer additionally
contributes purines. Ethanol decreases excretion of uric acid by
promoting dehydration and (rarely) clinical ketoacidosis.
High dietary intake of fructose/sugar contributes significantly to
hyperuricemia. In a large study in the United States, consumption
of four or more sugar-sweetened soft drinks per day increased
Diagnosis of gout
To diagnose gout, the doctor will take a patient’s medical
history, examine the affected joint and do a blood test. He
or she will also ask about:
• Other symptoms
• What medications the patient is taking
• The patient’s diet
• How quickly and intensely the gout attack came on
Details of the attack the doctor is looking for: severity of
pain, length of attack, and joints affected.
The doctor will need to rule out other potential causes of
joint pain and inflammation such as infection, injury or
another type of arthritis. He or she will take a blood test
to measure the level of uric acid in your blood. A high level
of uric acid in your blood doesn’t necessarily mean you
have gout, just as a normal level doesn’t mean you don’t
have it. Your doctor may take an X-ray, ultrasound, CT or
MRI to examine soft tissue and bone. The doctor might also
remove fluid from the affected joint and examine it under a
microscope for uric acid crystals. Finding uric acid crystals
in the joint fluid is the surest way to make a gout diagnosis.
Treatment of an acute attack
Here are the steps for getting the pain and swelling of a
gout attack under control:
• Take an anti-inflammatory medication as soon as possible
– preferably Naproxen/Esomeprazole (Vimovo®), as it
has the lowest cardiovascular risk of all NSAIDS.
• Ice and elevate the joint.
• Drink plenty of fluids (no alcohol or sweet sodas).
• Call your doctor and make an appointment.
• Relax; stress can aggravate gout.
• Ask friends and family to help you with daily tasks.
Despite the sudden onset and intense pain, gout attacks
usually peak and resolve within a week or 10 days and then
disappear completely. The first 36 hours are typically the
worst. However, it’s important that once you have an attack,
you begin working with your doctor to control uric acid
levels and prevent future gout attacks.
Maluti Berg & Dal • Winter 2017 • 13

What does your Crop say?
Winter
Gardening
By DAN TRÜMPELMANN • 073 724 3705
Winter time has arrived and frosty mornings will be a
sight for the next few months.
For the avid winter gardener it really is a wonderful
time to be out and about in your garden. With the
cooler weather it is more comfortable to be in the
garden without the intense heat of summer.
Mulch your garden beds
Mulching your garden beds is essential for a healthy garden. It
provides insulation from heat and cold temperatures. Mulching
with organic matter such as bark chips, compost, leaves or nut
shells helps to enrich the soil and improves the structure of the
soil, which enhances water holding capacity when the soil breaks
down.
Apply mulch generously, but not too thick. About 5cm would
suffice. Be sure not to have mulch right up against the stem of your
plants, as this may cause rot and invite pests and diseases.
Protect your tender plants
Now is the time to protect your tender plants with a material called
frost cloth. It protects against temperatures of about -2° Celsius, so
it is recommended to double it up.
You can also use hessian to keep your plants protected. Make sure
though that the material is lifted off your plants.
Water tanks
With the severe drought we recently experienced, it might be an
excellent idea to install a water tank or a system that uses grey
water to ensure your garden has sufficient water for the growing
season.
Move deciduous shrubs
Winter is the perfect time to transplant deciduous shrubs as this
reduces transplant shock.
When moving your shrubs, be sure to prepare the new hole in
advance. Add an extra 30 to 60cm to the estimated spread of roots.
Add a generous amount of compost and bone meal into the hole.
Use the old soil-mark on the stem as a guide as to how deep to
replant. Firm the soil around the shrub to eliminate any air pockets.
Give it a good watering and add mulch. In spring feed your shrub
with a general fertilizer.
Move roses
For best results, winter is an ideal time to move rose bushes. It is
best when they are dormant as they will suffer less from transplant
shock and settle better. Be sure to keep them well watered until
they have taken root.
Winter is also a good time to plant new rose bushes. It will give
them a head start without having to deal with the extreme heat of
summer.
Plan a vegetable garden
Not only will a vegetable garden save you money, but you will also
get great satisfaction when you finally harvest your own homegrown
fresh vegetables.
Use winter time to start planning where you would like to have
your vegetable garden, as well as what you would like to grow. If
you don’t have enough space for a vegetable garden, then why not
try growing some in containers?
There is just something remarkable about going out your back door
and picking fresh veggies!
Maluti Berg & Dal • Winter 2017 • 14
Add colour to your garden
We are so lucky with the range of colourful winter annuals
that are available for our cold winters.
Winter needn’t be dull and depressing. Just by planting up
a pot or hanging a basket or two can bring a lot of joy and
colour. Why not try planting a border of pansies or planting
some Iceland poppies to fill a gap?
Have you tried planting stocks? They are sweetly scented
with a quite addictive fragrance. Stocks are hardy to frost
and enjoy full sun.
Maybe add a splash of ranunculus (the Mache hybrid). With
their large heads and vigorous growth ability they are a
stunner in the garden or in containers.
Got a shady spot? No problem. There are primula malacoides
with their dainty flowers that will soften an area with their
delightful pink, white, lavender or wine red colours. If you
are looking for something more bold, try some primroses.
They are short, compact little plants with bright flowers and
are available in a range of colours.
Remember, winter is a good time to prepare your garden for
a spectacular spring and summer show. With the few warm
hours during our winter days, retreat to your bright garden.
Enjoy your garden this winter.
Maluti Berg & Dal • Winter 2017 • 15

Vir die Kroos
Packing
for Success
By KERRY PILDITCH - REGISTERED DIETICIAN
In between checking the hockey kit is packed,
homework is complete and teeth are brushed before
whisking the kids off for another busy school day,
parents also have to constantly prepare school lunches.
Planning and packing school lunches is often an afterthought but
it’s important to remember the role food plays in the development
of healthy brains, immune systems and eating habits, which
all leave their mark long into adulthood. How do we make sure
we’re providing a nutritious lunch that also leaves kids’ taste buds
satisfied?
Pack with a plan Each lunch box should contain at least 1 choice
from the following groups: a grain (think bread, pasta, pitas,
potatoes and wraps), a protein (a boiled egg, chicken, ham, cottage
cheese, peanut butter or beans), dairy (milk, cheese or yoghurt)
and a fruit and vegetables. When possible pick a wholegrain food
like brown or wholegrain breads, wholegrain biscuits (like Provitas)
or wraps as the fibre in these foods helps keep tummies fuller for
longer. Combine these foods by including one main lunch item, a
nutritious snack and a piece of fresh or dried fruit.
Pack the main event. A main meal could look like a pasta salad
with tuna and mixed vegetables, the classic sandwich with cold
chicken and cucumber or even a boiled potato with a side of
chicken. Fish, eggs or cottage cheese with some vegetables added
are also great ideas for sandwich fillings. Swapping wraps or pitas
for sandwiches adds some variety and they can be filled with some
of last night’s leftovers, mince or even beans.
Pack a fruit. This can be any seasonal fruit or even dried fruit. In
order to determine the serving of dried fruit think of how many
pieces would make a whole fruit. So for example, pack 2 peach
halves as they make up a whole peach. Be wary of including fruit
juice more than once or twice a week. Fruit juice, even when there
is no sugar added, contains all the sugar and little of the fiber of
fruits. Whole fruits are always the better choice.
Pack a snack. Every lunch should be accompanied by a healthy
snack. If your child is going to be staying after school for an
Maluti Berg & Dal • Winter 2017 • 16
extramural activity then pack two snacks per day. Try to stay away
from the convenience or tuck shop foods by including cheese
wedges, low-fat unsweetened yoghurt, peanuts and raisins,
cheese and whole wheat crackers, a boiled egg or even a chicken
drumstick. Veggie sticks (cut carrots, cucumber, baby tomatoes
etc.) are a great snack to include and can be eaten with hummus or
cottage cheese to add some extra protein to a meal.
Snack bars are a better choice than chocolates and chips but can
still be high in fat and sugar. If you buy them choose the bars with
nuts and yoghurt instead of chocolate. Buy popcorn instead of
chips or caramelised popcorn.
Pack less sugar. Nutritious snacks are always the better choice but
every once and a while we want to treat our kids to something
sweet. When packing chocolates and sweets try including smaller
size treats such as the two finger Kit Kat or the smaller lunch bar.
This significantly reduces the amount of sugar consumed.
Pack in a drink. It’s important to teach kids the importance of
drinking water from a young age. This means packing a bottle of
water every day. Milk is an excellent source of calcium for growing
teeth and bones but flavoured milks have added sugar so be
wary of including them on a daily basis. Rather chose the smaller
volume drinks (200ml instead of 350ml) to reduce the amount of
sugar. Milo and Super M are good choices as they have slightly
lower sugar contents than other flavoured milks.
Pack them separately. Packing fruit, sandwiches and snacks separately
in bags or foil helps to prevent the flavours and smells from
mixing and can help to make lunch more appetizing.
Pack as a team. Include your kids in the decision making process
about what their lunch is going to look like. Not only does this
increase the chances you’re including food that they actually eat;
you’re also teaching them healthy eating habits that are going to
last long past second break.
Hoe leer die
kinders
speel-speel so
Deur MARIETTE HALGRYN – ARBEIDSTERAPEUT
1. Handspierontwikkeling
Klei Trek en Soek
Maak ʼn lekker taai deeg of klei aan. Steek verskeie klein voorwerpe
daarin weg, byvoorbeeld muntstukke, albasters of plastiekdiertjies.
Laat u kind dit dan soek deur die klei/deeg oop te trek en die
versteekte voorwerp met hul vingers uit te haal.
Resiesbaan / Reënboogbaan
Neem twee gebreekte dun stukkies vetkryt/pastel (die vetkryt/
pastel stukkies moet nie langer as 3 cm wees nie, en verskillende
kleure wees) en gee albei vir u kind om vas te hou. Trek “bane”
op papier met ʼn potlood. In elke baan kan u ʼn paar lyne trek om
die baan op te deel in “blokke”. U kind moet dan vir elke blok die
verskillende kleure gebruik om ʼn lyn te trek tot by die volgende
blok deur die pastel/vetkryt in sy/haar hand te manipuleer en te
roteer sonder om dit te laat val.
Maluti Berg & Dal • Winter 2017 • 17
Regop Skryfstyl
Laat u kind teen ʼn vertikale oppervlak soos ʼn muur of yskas
skrifpatrone oefen.
Drukker Prent
Laat u kind duimspykers in ʼn polistireen struktuur druk.
U kan selfs ʼn prentjie bo-op die stuk polistireen teken. U kind kan
dan al op die lyne die duimspykers indruk.
2. Vir verbetering van posisie in die
ruimte, rigtingsin en lateraliteit
Begin altyd op driedimensionele vlak (dit wil sê die kind se lyfie
moet direk betrokke wees by die aktiwiteit).
- Rigtingspeletjies soos byvoorbeeld “wie staan regs/links/voor/
agter jou?”
- Maak ʼn hindernisbaan waarin u duidelik aan u kind instruksies
soos die volgende gee: “Draai nou regs.” “Spring bo-oor die
bal.” “Kruip onderdeur die stoel.” “Gee vyf tree links.”
Hierdie speletjie kan eers met oop oë en later met toe oë
gespeel word.
- Laat u kind ʼn hindernisbaan maak waarin hy vir u as ouers/
ander gesin-/familielede moet verduidelik hoe om presies
deur die hindernisbaan te beweeg. Variasie van oop en toe
oë kan ook hier gebruik word. Hierdie aktiwiteit help ook met
motoriese beplanning.
Laat u kind ʼn ‘L’ met albei hande se duime en wysvingers maak.
Die linkerhand se ‘L’ sal ʼn regte ‘L’ wees. Hy/sy kan dus hul
linkerkant so onthou.
- Kol-tot-kol verbindingsaktiwiteite. U kan self die kolle teken
(gekleurde kolle werk goed). Sê byvoorbeeld aan u kind,
“begin by die eerste geel kol in die tweede ry. Trek dan ʼn lyn
na jou regterkant deur drie kolle tot by die groen kol; trek die
volgende lyn deur vier kolle af tot by die rooi kol. Gaan dan
weer drie kolle links en een af tot by die blou kol.”
- Kopiëring van kol-tot-kol verbindings. U kind kry ʼn patroon (ʼn
kol-tot-kol verbinding) wat hy moet kopieer deur die kolle te
verbind sodat dit soos die gegewe patroon lyk.

Whose Who
Deur SILMA BADENHORST
Gerrit & Nelie Steyn
Betsie Steyn, Ansie Steyn (oorlede in 1980) & Frik Steyn
Die Steyn Familie
As redakteur van die Maluti Berg & Dal is dit
my voorreg om heelparty interessante mense
te ontmoet en hul wonderlike stories met die
lesers te deel. Hierdie artikel is saamgestel uit
ʼn onderhoud met Frik Steyn.
Die geskiedenis van die Steyn familie loop al die pad terug na
die twintiger jare toe Gerrit Steyn (Frik Steyn se oupagrootjie) van
Bloemfontein na die Oos-Vrystaat verhuis het. Hy het die plasie
“Santiago” van 400 hektaar gekoop wat op die Drakensberge teen
Collins Pas geleë is. Die plaas val in die sogenaamde misgordel en
het ʼn hoë reënval. Daar het Grootjie Gerrit met appels begin boer
en hy is later gekroon as die Appel Koning van die geweste.
Niks het hierdie man baas geraak nie. Daar was altyd ʼn geleentheid
om te ontsnap, te oorleef of om geld te maak. Gerrit Steyn was
ʼn onverskrokke man. Hy is op 9 Augustus 1883 in Bloemfontein
op ʼn plaas (wat aan die familie onbekend is) gebore. Hy was ʼn
aantreklike man met ʼn digte bos donker hare wat hy behou het tot
en met sy dood.
Gedurende die Anglo-Boereoorlog is Gerrit baie sleg gewond
en verloor toe sy een nier. Hy is daarna in die Presidentswag by
Paul Kruger se huis gestasioneer en dit is hier waar Gerrit vir
Lenie (niggie van Paul Kruger se vrou) ontmoet het. Haar volle
name was Helena Elizabeth Pretorius (nooiensvan). Sy het by die
Presidentswag as ʼn diensmeisie begin werk net na die dood van
haar familie, haar man (ook ʼn Pretorius) en haar drie kinders, wat
almal in die oorlog omgekom het.
Gerrit is daarvan verdink dat hy geweet het waar die Krugermiljoene
begrawe is – iets waarvan hy geensins bewus was nie.
Ongeag sy pleidooi van onskuld is hy egter gevange geneem en
na St. Helena gedeporteer. Hy was nie van plan om te verrot in ʼn
tronk nie en besluit toe om saam met ʼn maat oorboord te spring en
terug land toe te swem. Gerrit kon nie gevind word nie en is kort
daarna dood verklaar.
In 1903 is hy en Lenie egter getroud. Hulle het vier kinders
saam gehad: Koos Steyn, Petrus Steyn, Joe Steyn en een dogter,
Gertruida Steyn. Hulle is later jare ook met elf kleinkinders geseën.
Gerrit was bekend vir sy strengheid en was maar ongeduldig met
tye. Hy was ʼn stoere Afrikaner wat vir niks gestuit het nie. Hy het so
ʼn hekel in die Engelse gehad dat hy besluit het om nooit weer in sy
lewe kakieklere aan te trek nie en het toe sy lewe lank flanel gedra.
Die seuns het hard gewerk op die plaas. Skool was nie vir Gerrit
belangrik nie, want hy het gemeen die seuns gaan tog net boer.
Maluti Berg & Dal • Winter 2017 • 18
Piet & Nellie Steyn
Gerrit & Nelie Steyn
Plaas Santiago
Frik Steyn, Anet Steyn, Suzaan Steyn en Reinette Steyn
Petrus en Joe was soms vir tot drie dae uit die skool uitgehou om te
werk. Die twee het menigmaal in die veld hulle huiswerk probeer
opvang om nie in die moeilikheid te kom by die onderwysers nie.
Gelukkig was die drie broers heeltemal tevrede met die keuse wat
vir hulle gemaak is vir hulle toekoms, want hulle was lief vir boer –
al moes hulle baie hard werk vir pa Gerrit.
Gerrit het ʼn skatryk boer in Bloemfontein geword. Hy besluit op ʼn
dag om borg te teken vir sy buurman wat ook baie wel af was op
daardie tydstip. Hy het natuurlik nie gedink dat daar ooit iets sal
verkeerd gaan nie, maar toe die mat onder die buurman se voete
uitgeruk word en hy is bankrot verklaar, het die bank ook Gerrit se
goed loop vat. Na hierdie ondervinding het hy dadelik besluit om
Oos-Vrystaat toe te trek en oor te begin, waar hy gekies het om
met appels te boer.
Die plaashuis op Santiago is ʼn pragtige sandsteengebou met
ʼn stoep aan twee kante, mooi klippilare en twee stoepkamers.
Aan die agterkant van die huis is ʼn appelstoor waar die geplukte
appels op strooi op die rakke lê, en dan verpak is om ryp te word
vir verkoop. ʼn Groot skuur en krale vir sy melkbeeste en skape
is uit dieselfde sandsteen gebou. Die skuur was toegerus met ʼn
melkkamer en ʼn kleiner kamer waar die twee oudste seuns geslaap
het. Aan die regterkant van die huis was ʼn lang, geboude muur om
die opstal te beskerm.
Gerrit was baie slim toe hy die plasie gekoop het. Met die koel
klimaat was sy ligging ideaal vir die appel- en peerboorde wat hy
aangeplant het. Die appels is deur die seuns met ʼn wa aangery
na Harrismith om op die mark verkoop te word. Appels is ook
privaat verkoop vanaf ander provinsies. Buiten die voorspoedige
vrugteboerdery het Gerrit ook ʼn redelik groot wolskaapboerdery
vir homself opgebou. Soos die ander boere het Gerrit ook begin
om in Natal veld te huur vir sy winterweiding.
Gerrit was ouderling van die N.G. Kerk op Harrismith en kon nie
altyd by die kerk wees nie as gevolg van die afstand. Later jare kon
hulle ʼn groen Chevrolet motor bekostig waarmee hulle dorp toe
kon kom vir kerk, aankope en om by die kinders te kuier.
Gerrit Steyn is op 23 Desember 1947 oorlede te Santiago en op
Kersdag begrawe. Hy het skielik gesterf aan ʼn koronêre trombose.
Hy was maar net 64 jaar oud. Na sy dood is hy op die plaas begrawe,
en so ook Lenie nadat sy baie jare later op 23 November 1964 op
haar 87ste verjaarsdag oorlede is. Sy seun Joe Steyn het toe die
plaas kom bestuur en die klein familiekerkhof omhein. Daar is ook
ʼn klein seuntjie, Ludie (een jaar en ʼn paar maande), net ʼn rukkie na
Gerrit se dood begrawe.
Dit het ʼn hele generasie gevat om die familie se finansies te herbou
na die terugslag in Bloemfontein. Die drie seuns het besef daar is
in werklikheid geen erfporsie vir later jare nie en moes hard saam
met hulle pa werk om aan die lewe te bly. Joe was die jongste en
nog op skool toe die familie hulle wortels lig. Koos (Frik se oupa)
was nog jonk en moes inspring en begin werk. Gedurende die
groot Kapok in 1912, toe duisende beeste gesterf het, was Koos
die ene wat ʼn plan gemaak het om geld te verdien deur die boere
te vra of hy die beeste kan afslag om die velle te verkoop. Van al
die harde werk in die sneeu raak Oupa Koos toe tydelik blind en
moes in ʼn donker kamer gehou word om te herstel.
Joe trou later jare met ʼn gegoede plaasmeisie en gaan boer in
Vrede, maar Koos en Petrus het gesukkel en het as “bywoners” op
ander boere se plase gewerk. Oupa Koos kon in 1945 sy eie plaas
koop met geldjies wat hy deur die jare bymekaar gemaak. Frik se
pa, Piet, was toe in matriek. Oupa Koos se drie seuns het intussen
ook baie sukses as boere behaal en nadat oupa Koos in 1975 ʼn
beroerte gehad het, was hyself ʼn welaf man toe sy kinders die
boerdery kon oorneem. Oupa Koos is in 1980 oorlede.
Na ʼn ongelukkige erfpag testament wat Gerrit Steyn bepaal het,
het Joe die plaas geërf. Albei sy seuns is op ʼn baie vroeë ouderdom
oorlede, maar sy dogter kon volgens die testament nie die grond
erf nie. Gerrit se kleinseun, Oupa Koos se oudste seun, het toe die
plaas gekry wat baie verwaarloos was. Die plaas Santiago behoort
vandag aan die staat na ʼn grondeis.
Frik se pa en ma, Piet Steyn en Nellie Steyn (nooiensvan van
Rensburg), het ontmoet toe Piet saam met sy broer, Koos Steyn,
by Nellie se pa, Tienie van Rensburg, ʼn plaas in Natal net onder
die Drakensberge gehuur het. Sy het saam met haar pa geboer en
het haar eie beesboerdery gehad. Die plaas het in die mark gekom
omdat Oupa Tienie sy skoonpa se boerdery moes gaan oorneem
tussen Dannhauser en Dundee. Piet en Nellie het as ʼn span saam
geboer en vooruit gegaan en plase bygekoop. Later jare is die
Natal plaas hoofsaaklik in die winter gebruik wanneer die Vrystaat
se bergplase nie geskik was vir die diere tydens die winter nie.
Daardie jare het die meeste Vrystaatse boere wat hoëveldplase
besit het ook grond in Natal gehad. In 1977 het Frik na afloop van
sy weermagopleiding hom ook by die boerdery aangesluit. Frik
het aanvanklik meestal op die woonplaas geboer en die melkery
bestuur, asook die saaiery en die voermakery vir die winter. Frik is
die oudste van drie kinders; hy het twee jonger susters, Betsie en
Ansie. Die Steyn familie het vir Ansie in 1980 in ʼn motorongeluk
verloor.
Frik is in 1988 getroud met Anet (nooiensvan Meintjes) van Lindley
wat toe ʼn onderwyseres op Harrismith was.
Frik het die boerdery in 1994 oorgeneem toe sy ouers op
Harrismith gaan aftree. Pa Piet is oorlede op 31 Augustus 2007
oorlede, maar Ma Nellie woon nog in Bethlehem.
Vandag boer Frik en Anet steeds op die woonplaas, Venus. Hulle
het twee dogters, Suzaan en Reinette, wat ook albei onderwysers
is.
Betsie is in 1983 met Derick Biggs getroud en hulle boer ook in die
Harrismith-distrik. Hulle het drie kinders; twee seuns en een dogter.
Luister gerus na die volledige onderhoud op ons Facebook blad, Maluti Berg & Dal.
Maluti Berg & Dal • Winter 2017 • 19

Stock & Change
By CHRIS STURGESS
Are you Exposed
to Beef, Lamb & Wool Price Volatility?
The Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) through its commodity derivatives area has recently diversified its
product range to include a series of products in the livestock sector. For many grain producers in the market,
SAFEX is a household name. It is the same platform that will be used to provide derivative instruments that the
JSE has extended to introduce a beef carcass, lamb carcass and merino wool futures contract.
It is important to note that SAFEX was bought by the JSE back
in 2001 and today operates within the structure of the JSE with
a dedicated and specialised set of JSE Commodity Derivative
members spread across the country.
You may have heard a number of good or bad stories about SAFEX,
especially around the braai or at the local boeredag, of clients
either making or losing money trading derivatives. Some of these
stories may have been dramatized but whatever the case, it is
important to understand whether the position taken was done as a
hedge or for a speculative reason.
Let’s first understand the difference between these two strategies.
Hedging means trading (either buying or selling) a position with
the aim of reducing your price risk. Practically this would mean
that as a farmer, you sell a futures contract equal to or less than
your total production and in this way fix your price for a future
date.
When speculating, it means you have no exposure or reference
back to the underlying commodity and you are taking out a position
with the single aim of benefiting from a price move. If you expect
prices to increase then you buy a contract; if you expect prices
to decrease then you sell a contract. There is nothing wrong with
speculating. You should just be aware that if the market trades in
the opposite direction to your position, for every Rand the market
changes that is a real financial loss to you. That is why derivatives
often get a bad name and you hear of clients losing money. This is
due to speculative positions and not hedge positions. A practical
example of speculation would be a farmer who sells futures
contracts for more than he is able to produce.
The new livestock products are a innovative and exciting way for
clients to use them either for hedging or speculating, although
I suggest we first build up some core liquidity before clients
consider taking out speculative positions. This means we are
reliant of those clients, be it livestock farmers, feedlots, abattoirs,
wholesalers or wool buyers and traders to consider the new
contracts as an initial hedge. All the new futures contracts are cash
settled, which means the existing relationship with the physical/
spot market will continue as before. However, for the first time
clients now have another instrument to consider in which they can
manage their price risk.
Let’s take a quick look at each of the cash-settled JSE products.
First is the BEEF futures contract. This is a standardised contract
of 1000 kg that references A2 and A3 beef purchased at abattoirs.
There are a number of main hedging months, but the four key
ones are March, June, September and December. The final cash
settlement price is provided via the Red Meat Abattoir Association
(RMAA), after collecting the information from a considerable
number of abattoir contributors over a two-week period.
The LAMB carcass contract came about after a request from
industry participants who had seen what we had done with the
beef contracts. It is therefore largely a replica of the beef contract,
also standardised to reference 1000 kg of A2 and A3 lamb prices
trading the same expiry months as the previous contract. We also
rely on RMAA for the final cash settlement on the same basis,
taking two weeks of actual transactional data to ensure the prices
are representative of the spot market.
Then finally, the recently listed Merino WOOL futures contract is
standardised to represent 1000 kg of clean wool (1500 kg greasy
weight), with the futures expiry months of March, June, September
and December. This contract is also cash settled and here the
JSE works closely with Cape Wools SA based in Port Elizabeth to
secure the Merino Wool Indicator values. This index is made up
of a basket of 80 wool types, thereby capturing the better quality
wools into a single value. By doing this it becomes easier to
implement a futures contract with which participants in the merino
wool industry have a way to manage their price risk. It is important
to take not that they will continue to sell their physical wool either
through the weekly auctions in PE or in the cash market and then
use the new JSE contract to manage any price movements leading
up to the delivery period.
To reiterate: all three new products are cash settled and so will
complement your existing marketing strategy. As an example, if
you know you will be selling LAMB, BEEF or WOOL sometime in the
future, consider selling a futures contract at an agreed price for a
specific future expiry date, like December 2017 – this then assures
you have a fixed price for your commodity by December 2017.
Should you be interested in trading these new products on the JSE, please reach out to a JSE approved commodities member.
The full list is available via commodities@jse.co.za or on our web page www.jse.co.za/commodities.
Please also feel free to reach out to us should you be interested in more extensive training sessions regarding the JSE’s commodity
derivatives market.
Author: Chris Sturgess (Director: Commodities & Key Client Management, JSE)
Maluti Berg & Dal • Winter 2017 • 20

Boekwurm
Bergburgers
Deur LEON STRACHAN
Dit is die skrywer se vierde en laaste bundel, na
Blafboom, Blinkoog en Botterbek wat handel oor
karakters en stories van Harrismith.
Ons grootste karakter, Platberg, kom aan die beurt - waarna
nooit weer met dieselfde oë na hom gekyk sal word nie. Ook
die Bergwedloop se stories én mense verstom.
Dan ʼn totale teenstrydigheid: ʼn skraal grofsmid met min
skoling wat argeologiese fondse in die berg (en distrik) vind
wat internasionale aandag getrek het.
Harrismith se bekendste en mees invloedryke persoon, by
verre, is ʼn jong vrou wie se buitengewone lewe na twee eeue
steeds onlosmaaklik deel is van die karakter van die Vrystaat.
ʼn Onuitwisbare nalatenskap is ook deur maestro Isaac Bloch
gelaat; sy lewensverhaal gryp aan en inspireer.
Die monumentale onreg wat kwaadpraters die families van
die Verlore Vallei aangedoen het, word ontmasker en aan die
groot klok gehang.
Die heel onwaarskynlike storie van die Homeward Bound
word ontrafel dat ʼn skip 130 jaar gelede in ons distrik gebou
en daarmee Engeland toe gevaar is. Dit kon tog nie?
Die dorp se afsaalplek, Eliza Liddell, en haar volhoudende
weldoener se stories móét gehoor word. So ook dié van die
dorp se grootste bate.
Harrismith se stories verbaas en vermaak weer.
In the
Next
issue ...
• Basie and his neighbour Sechaba, and their
interesting shenanigans,
• Normandienspass and other,
• Calendar with upcoming events in the area,
• Fun with Mom
and much more!! Out end September 2017.
Maluti Berg & Dal • Winter 2017 • 22

Maluti Berg & Dal • Winter 2017 • 24