Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Chris Marais
Published on 2024-04-03 05:40:14
A Karoo winter is not for everyone: It’s for hardy people who like dressing in thermal layers, building snowmen on mountainsides, and snuggling deep into their Pep store blankets in the lounge to ponder the patterns in the logs that burn through the night. They harbor an intense love for hot water bottles.
It’s suddenly extremely difficult to escape the clutches of the down duvet on chilly mornings, the dogs grow werewolf pelts, the hunters drive into town in their camouflaged bakkies, and every neighbor seems to have a chunk of kudu simmering away in a cast-iron pot.
The firewood floggers and their chainsaw teams are hard at it, cutting down enough right-size logs for every hearth in town. A winter Karoo home becomes a warm haven, with no shortage of red wine, roaring fires, and hearty food.
The local shelter is working hard, trying to feed the poorest of us as much as it can during this time when it’s no fun living rough.
Out on the farms, the Aga stove is the warm heart of the homestead. A Karoo farm kitchen in the cold season is a popular place to be, for cooks and kids and collies alike.
In the morning when the sun rises and lights up the snowfalls, the rivers sparkle, the frost makes patterns on the trees, the roofs of the sheds glisten, and the hills take on a silky texture, resembling large icing sugar outcrops. And you suddenly realize: who would want to be anywhere else in the world?
The Richmond Horse Museum is mostly about equestrian matters, but there is also a resident ghost on the precinct. Curator Johan Tolken is not a man who scares easily. In 2003, a Richmond relative called him at his home in Lambert’s Bay and asked him to come up and help out on a guesthouse project. “That was supposed to last only two years — it’s been nearly 15,” he says cheerfully.
Tolken’s job allows him to indulge his passion for historical research. With little or no provocation, he will haul out an ancient 8mm projector and show you film clips of South Africa circa the old days. He’ll also give you the skinny on famous folk like Josephine Cornelia Brink, a Richmond girl who married into Randlord money and became José Dale Lace.
Near Beaufort West, a man killed his wife in a dry riverbed, and since then travelers report seeing a swift-moving light sweeping backward and forwards along the river course. It is said to be the ghost of the murder victim, furiously searching for her husband.
Things were rolling along just fine down at the Tankwa Padstal until one fateful night in September 2014. There had been a disturbance at the bar during the day, involving a local somebody. It was later revealed that he returned after closing time, with matches and a can of petrol. He broke in, stole some knives and sweets from the shop, and set the place alight. What follows next is priceless. By the time the owners phoned the insurance company, an entire network of aid had sprung up to rebuild the Tankwa Padstal. The biker community raised a ton of money. Overlanders who know and love the tricksy R355 and its eccentric roadside oasis made contributions. The AfrikaBurn people set up a temporary Werkswinkel Bar in a Bedouin tent. Trucks began arriving with free loads of building sand and stone. Even the ironically named Barbie-Q of griddle and dolls had been overcooked in the blaze and was soon replaced by a well-wisher. By the end of December that year, the new and improved Tankwa Padstal was back in business.
These are just a few examples of the quirky and magical experiences one can discover in the heartland of South Africa. Whether it’s the ghost stories, the warmth of a Karoo winter, or the resilience of a community coming together to rebuild, the Karoo never fails to surprise and enchant those who venture into its unique landscape. Embrace the oddities and tales that make the Karoo a place like no other.
Read the original article on Daily Maverick
