The Rep 10 November 2017

8
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THE REPRESENTATIVE 10 November 2017
ROUND&ABOUT
Great trip for
rally visitors
Guests saw four countries and
the best sights in four weeks
CHUX FOURIE
THIRTY classic cars passed through
Komani last week on the sixth edition of
the Classic Safari Challenge and what a
trip it proved to be for the participants,
while at the same time offering South
Africans the most amazing opportunity
to impress visitors from many countries
who are probably influential in their
own spheres back home.
Glancing at the entrants, many are
somewhat upmarket makes including
Bentleys, Jaguars, a Morgan, Porsches,
Mercedes and a Ferrari, ranging in age
from a 1929 model to much “newer”
ones from the 1970s that are “only”
40-something years old. Many of the
competitors came from the UK, but
there were also people from all over
Europe, Australia and the United States.
They had to ship their cars to Cape
Town before the time and were
accompanied along the way by a mobile
mechanical support vehicle with skilled
mechanics.
Starting from Cape Town with its
iconic mountain, they travelled the
coastal road to Clanwilliam past quaint
fishing villages and could view dolphins
and whales as they passed.
From there they travelled along the
West Coast, taking in the magnificent
wild flowers, via the Fish River Canyon
and into Namibia to Sossusvlei through
the Namib Desert and passing the
ROBUST RALLYIST: Although this 1948 Bentley Speed 8 from Belgium dates back
almost 70 years, it was not nearly the oldest vehicle in the running. That honour
went to a 1927 Bentley 4.5 Le Mans
Picture: JAN MOLEMA
well-known Dune 45. From there it was
on to the old German colonial town of
Swakopmund and the Naukluft National
Pa r k .
Having traversed tar and gravel
roads, the rallyists next had a chance to
experience a salt road on their way to
the Etosha National Park by way of the
Skeleton Coast and Henties Bay to
spend the night at Etosha Safari Lodge.
Considering that it was a safari
challenge, it was only fitting that they
should have a free day where this is
described as ‘the best place in Africa to
view black rhino’, plus elephant, lion
and black-faced impala.
Travelling east to Popa Falls and
dodging the many elephant on the road,
the visitors were able to enjoy the many
craft stalls along the route and the
massive baobabs before they had lunch
at a lodge on the Okavango River and
spent the evening there, overlooking the
fa l l s .
In the Chobe National Park in
Botswana which is described as ‘a big
game parkland’ there were plenty of
oryx (gemsbok) and elephants in their
hundreds. They had lunch on the
Zambezi and spent the night at a lodge
Urgent appeal for blood
A THING OF BEAUTY: Despite her age of 50 years, this 1967 E-type Jaguar from Great Britain was still in pristine condition
after many kilometers through some quite inhospitable terrain
Picture: JAN MOLEMA
on the riverbank where those who
wanted to could take boat rides to get
closer to the crocodiles and elephants.
In the Okavango Delta they left their
vehicles and were taken by light aircraft
into the actual delta where they spent
the night and the next day. The delta
comprises 15 000sq km and they could
see African wild dogs, one of the rarest
carnivores in the world, lion leopard,
buffalo and many species of antelope.
Then it was back to the lodge to
collect their cars and spend a relaxing
day at the spa, the pool or just chilling
out while gazing at the waterfall.
The Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe was
their next destination and there again
they had a free day in which to explore
this phenomenon, where the water falls
at one million litres a second!
Back on the road, via Francistown in
Botswana through the glorious stillness
and quiet of open bushveld to the
Palace of the Lost City and the
Pilanesberg National Park in the crater
of an extinct volcano, where they could
see the big five, brown hyena, cheetah,
hippos and the majestic sable.
Going east, the visitors avoided the
cities on the Rand, travelling instead to
Cathedral Peak in the Drakensberg via
the Golden Gate Highlands National
Park and its beautiful sandstone
formations, then on to historic
Ladysmith where they could visit the
sites where the Zulus and the Brits
fought at Rorke’s Drift and Isandlwana.
Then it was down the beautiful Wild
Coast to Port St Johns before turning
inland through Komani where they had
a pit stop en route to Cradock where
they spent the night in the lovingly
restored old Karoo-styled houses and
continued via the Great Karoo to
Plettenberg Bay and Hermanus along
the Garden Route.
While in that area they visited
Oudtshoorn and traversed the amazing
Swartberg Pass while also enjoying the
many sightings of southern right whales
at the most advantageous time of the
y e a r.
Then it was on to Franschhoek in the
Cape winelands, founded in 1688 by the
French Huguenots, through the
fruit-growing areas of Grabouw to Cape
Town, where the farewell gala dinner
and challenge trophies awaited.
Truly a unique opportunity for visitors
to take in so much of the best of what
southern Africa has to offer in the space
of just a month.
IT seems November will be a testing
month, not just for students writing
exams, but also for the South African
National Blood Service (SANBS), which
is experiencing a critical shortage
because it cannot hold blood drives at
schools and universities.
There is a critical shortage of blood
across the country, with blood stocks at
just 1.5 days of group O stock, equating
to 1 473 units as of November 1.
The situation in KwaZulu-Natal is
particularly acute, the Northern Zone
only has 1.2 days of stock available and
Gauteng only about 1.5 days. Blood
stocks in the Free State and Northern
Cape are currently at 1.7 days.
It is considered a crisis when blood
stocks dip below two days of stock
ava i l a b l e .
“The blood stock in the country is
dangerously low,” SANBS national
marketing manager Silungile Mlambo
said.
“The situation has, in fact, reached a
critical level and we appeal to all South
Africans – active donors, lapsed donors
and potential donors – to go to their
local donor centre and donate blood to
bolster the national blood stock.”
Mlambo says blood is critical for
cancer patients and women in
childbirth – who constitute by far the
greatest groups of people requiring
blood transfusions.
“So many people in life-threatening
situations require blood. It’s what saves
a haemorrhaging mother’s life, so that
she can raise and love the baby she
has just brought into the world. It’s
what saves someone suffering
complications during major surgery. It’s
what helps cancer patients endure and
survive treatment.
“And that’s the point: it’s not just
blood; it’s saving people’s lives,
through a simple, easy donation,”
Mlambo said.
“The SANBS appeals to people to
donate blood immediately and to
become regular donors. By donating
blood only four times a year, we can
avoid situations such as the one we are
in,” Mlambo said.
In Komani, the SANBS clinic is at 26
Robinson Road and normal hours are
Mondays and Thursdays from 10am to
6pm and Round Table will host their
annual Big Bleed early in December, so
watch this space.
COUNTRY STYLE: Riana Bezuidenhout and Kyle Lobb were married at Maweni
Lodge
Picture: PIXEL PERFECT PHOTOGRAPHY
The Notice Board is intended to
help people advertise events and
avoid clashes. The date, event and
venue may appear free of charge
for three months, but these details
must reach The Rep by noon on
Mondays, to appear in that Friday’s
edition. E-mail
chuxf@timesmedia.co.za or call
045-839-4040.
Today, November 10: QCJ
Fo u n d e r ’s Day; Balmoral
Pre-Primary graduation, 9am.
Saturday, November 11: QCJ
cricket vs Alice; Breast cancer
awareness bus ride, from
Sasol garage, 3.30pm.
Monday, November 13:
QCJ exams start; Border
Agricultural Society
AGM, showgrounds,
6pm.
Tu e s d a y- Fr i d a y,
November 14-24:
Stepping Stone summative
assessments.
Friday, November 17: Mass
carols service, Recreation Ground,
6.30-7.30pm.
Saturday, November 18:
ON THE
NOTICE BOARD
Southbourne golf day, Queenstown
Golf Club.
Saturday, Sunday, November 18,
19: African Pioneer rugby
tournament, Mlungisi Stadium.
Tuesday, November 21: Balmoral
hula hoopathon
(foundation phase).
Wednesday, November
22: Total dispersal sale,
Heimat, Indwe, 10.30am.
Friday, November 24:
QCOBA tie and badge
ceremony, Queen’s Hall, 12
noon; QCJ final assembly,
school closes for pupils.
Monday, November 27: Grade 12
exams end.
Thursday, November 30: GHS
general knowledge quiz team to
Johannesburg for regional
tournament.
Saturday, December 2: Balmoral
Christmas craft market, school
grounds, 9am; SPCA golf day,
Queenstown Golf Club.
Wednesday, December 6:
Schools close.
Saturday, December 16: Day of
R e c o n c i l i at i o n .
Monday, December 25:
Christmas Day.
Tuesday, December 26: Day of
Goodwill.
Sunday, January 1: New Year.