NEW MINISTER HAS DEEP ROOTS IN TOURISM

Mr Leon Markovitz has taken over responsibility for tourism in the Government of the Western Cape Province. He replaces Mr Hennie Bester, who has taken over the portfolio of Community Safety. In a recent cabinet reshuffle, Mr Markovitz was appointed Minister of Finance, Business Promotion and Tourism. He is also Minister in the Office of the Premier, and his responsibilities include the Gambling Act. Mr Markovitz’s is a director and shareholder in hotel, restaurant and tourism related companies and has a keen interest in tourism in both the private and public sectors. He served as a city councillor in Cape Town from 1980 to 1998 and was mayor of the Mother City from 1985 to 1987. He served as Minister of Finance and Development Planning (including responsibility for Gambling) in 1998. Mr Markovitz, 63, is married to Anthula and there are six children.

DIS GROOT SKOONMAAK OP MURRAYSBURG

Skoolkinders, sportgroepe en ander belangstellendes het onlangs ingespring om Murraysburg te verfraai, herstel en verbeter vir toeriste. “Die dorp is op ‘n hoofroete na Oos-Kaap oorde en behoort ‘n belangrike rol in Karootoerisme te speel,” sê Alida Vermeulen, een van die organiseerders van hierdie groot gemeenskapsprojek. “ Ons het besluit om die dorp te verfraai deur alle plastiesesakke, papier en rommel te verwyder en die omgewing skoon te hou. Ons maak ook ‘papierblokke’ om die afkap van bome te verminder. Mense wat die vullis in die veld en langs die paaie optel kan dit verruil vir hierdie blokke of vir bondeltjies hout. Heelwat boere help met die projek en voorsien ons van hout. Saad van veld- en lente-blomme is ooral gesaai. Bome en rose is in die middedorp geplant. Die dorpsnaam, wat op die koppie in klippies uitgespel is, is weereens wit geverf. Van die kinders het eko-toerisme-tonele op geboue deur die dorp geskilder. Ons het ‘n gemeenskaptuin begin om inwoners meer te leer oor inheemse plante. Ons publiseer ‘n maadelikse nuusbrief om belangstellendes op hoogte te hou oor die vordering van ons projekte.”

PLEA TO PRESERVE SWARTBERG PASS

A man who has crossed the magnificent Swartberg Pass every week for the past 60 years joined a group of engineers, architects and tourism promoters who met recently to discuss the preservation of the internationally famous pass. In a plea to restore the pass, Pat Marincowitz, a veteran farmer in the area, said: “I was a small boy when I first crossed this pass with my dad. I’ll never forget the excitement of that experience. Since 1946, I have driven my own car across it once or twice a week. I know the pass, its ecology and ‘moods’ very well. In its 117-year life it has seen all kinds of weather, a great variety of vehicles and many kinds of people. Much has been written about it, but in the final analysis, I feel most of the problems are caused by poor drainage in a 3 km section from just below Droë Waterval to the Zig Zags. Four major storms hit this pass every year and tear the road to pieces there.” Pat paid tribute to the Central Karoo District Council in maintaining the pass as a major tourist drawcard

BUSINESS BOOMS IN THE SHADOW OF WAR

At the end of the 1800s the Karoo was brimful with entrepreneurs despite the country being embroiled in the Anglo-Boer War. Businessmen had sufficient confidence in the economy of the hinterland to launch new ventures and carry extensive stocks. Newspapers of the day contained advertisements of seasonal sales and announcements of “huge new stock” arrivals. The local plumber in Beaufort West, C A Heyne, advertised in 1900 that he was extending his business and had imported machinery to “bend iron for 50 to 400-gallon water tanks and to form single and double bend veranda roofs.” Among the bigger entrepreneurs were Bayer and Davidoff, general merchants, who opened a huge new store in Beaufort West in November 1901. They advertised an “enormous stock” which included “2 350 pairs of boots and shoes, 2 800 shirts, 375 pairs of trousers, 150 suits, 300 dozen ties, 100 dresses, corsets from 2/6 to 15/-, 200 pieces of muslin, 50 pieces of silk, 50 different kinds of hats for gentlemen from 3/6 to 35/-, a huge variety of sailor hats for men, women and children, and sunshades and umbrellas from 3/6d.” Bayer and Davidoff also stocked linoleums, carpets, table cloths, curtains and groceries. Among their special opening offers was coffee at sixpence a pound.

PRINS ALBERTTER AS AMAKROKOKROKO GEKIES

Von Zeuner Köhne van Prins Albert is gekies as die eerste skut vir die Suid-Afrikaanse nasionale Amakrokokroko span wat in Oktober vanjaar by die Paralimpiese-spele in Sydney, Australië, gaan deelneem. Hy is tans lid van die WP-span en het al in 1998 sy nasionale kleure in pistoolskyfskiet verwerf. Sy vader, Hansie Köhne, self ‘n Springbokskut, is aangewys as spanbestuurder.

PAT ON THE BACK FOR LAINGSBURG

Tourists who recently visited the public cemetery in Laingsburg praised the neatness of British soldiers’ graves. Several buried there were wounded during a skirmish between British and Boers at Driefontein in the Seweweekspoort area in 1901. The wounded were brought to town by Dr Morris for medical care. A report in the Courier of September 19, 1901, states that one Boer died on the way. The article mentions that Col Crabbe’s column received news of the enemy’s whereabouts late one night. “The ninth column marched until two in the morning while Marshall’s Horse under Col Corbet proceeded towards them along a winding road. Col Crabbe’s column included a squadron of Imperial Yeomanry and some men from the Prince Albert Guard. They came up behind the enemy, completely surprising them and driving them into the hands of Marshall’s Horse. Col. Corbet and his men were holding a kloof and thus completely blocked the enemy’s egress. The Boers fought rather feebly. Two guns of the fifth battery of artillery shelled them as soon as the light permitted. The prisoners in gaol include about ten local rebels.”

WAARDEVOLLE BOEKE AAN MUSEUM GESKENK

Heelwat waardevolle boeke is onlangs aan die Fransie Pienaar Museum op Prins Albert geskenk. Onder hulle is die eerste eksemplaar van die volledige geslagsregister en geskiedenis van die De Beer gesinne in Suid-Afrika. Die spesiale afdruk wat in leer gebind is is aan museumkurator Lydia Barella oorhandig deur mede outeurs David en Jaleen De Beer. Die twee het vir meer as 28 jaar op hierdie register gewerk en vir die eerste 11 jaar was hulle nie eers bewus van mekaar nie. Lydia het ook ‘n afskrif van Oom Koos Vertel van skrywer J J Nel (Oom Koos) gekry. Dit is die storie van sy kinderdae in die Laingsburg en Prins Albert omgewing. Colin Macrae het ‘n eksemplaar van sy boek “Life Etched in Stone” aan die museum geskenk. Heelwat melding is in die teks gemaak van oorlede Roy Oosthuizen en sy versameling. Graham L D Ross het ‘n eksemplaar van sy werk “Mountain Passes, Roads and Transportation in the Cape” aan die museum geskenk. Dit is so te sê ‘n lewenswerk wat handel oor elke pas in die Kaap Provinsie. Graham het die werk begin terwyl hy nog met die padingenieurs gewerk het.

OOPS, WE ERRED (Tel No 02062 ask for 1331)

In Round-up No 79 we published the incorrect name of the owners of the Wilgeboschkloof holiday farm. This farm is owned by Tolie and Alida Victor who look forward to welcoming tourists.

HEIGH-HO, HEIGH-HO, ITS OFF TO WORK WE GO

South Africa’s new Basic Conditions of Employment Act, recently passed by Parliament, has drawn much comment. The main focus has been on overtime and the prescribed 45-hour working week. A glimpse into the past century underscores just how much things have changed. In January 1901, Alf Munton, proprietor of the Queens Hotel in Beaufort West, wrote to the local newspaper, saying: “Employees get very little time for recreation. Many local businesses commence work at 6 a.m. and do not closing before 7.30 or 8 p.m. Granted staff get all day Sunday off and from l o’clock on Wednesdays. The former thanks to the law and the latter to employers. But, I ask, can anyone take sufficient exercise and recreation in their time off to fit them for the arduous duties imposed upon them by the 80 hours working week?” Alf Munton then pleaded for an amiable solution: “We do not want to work every hour that God sends us. So, I propose the establishment of a Union and the payment of fees so that holidays can be advertised for farmers in particular to plan their shopping days. At present a holiday is suggested only a few days previous to the day it is granted.” Six months later, an official notice appeared in the Courier stating that as from June 15, 1901, Beaufort West Municipal offices would close from 1 p.m on Saturdays instead of Wednesdays.

MANIE MARITZ, DIE VURIGE REBEL

Die tweede Boer om oorlog teen Britanje te verklaar en een van die vurige karakters van Suid-Afrikaanse geskiedenis was die onderwerp van ‘n praatjie wat deur Nicla Nortje van die Distrikraad aan Beaufort-Wes Rapportryers gelewer is. Manie Maritz, Boere-oorlog soldaat, generaal en rebel, het omtrent alles in sy lewe aangepak,” sê Nicla. “Van ‘n nederige begin as kapkar of ‘taxi drywer’ het hy deur militêre range tot bekende Boereleier beweeg. Maritz was amper 20-jaar oud toe hy vir die eerste keer ‘n perdekommando gesien het. Die Vrystaatse burgers was op pad na die oorlog in die Transvaal en hulle het ‘n onvergeetlike indruk op hom gemaak. Hy is dadelik terug Johannesburg toe waar hy by die verdedigingshoofkwartiere vir vrywillige diens aangemeld het. Dit was die begin van ‘n lang, interessante militêre loopbaan vol kleurvolle episodes tydens die Boere-oorlog.” Maritz, ‘n direkte afstammeling van Voortrekkerleier Gerrit Maritz, was fisies en geestelik ‘n sterk, onverskrokke man. Hy was ‘n kort, breed geboude man met vol gesig, massiewe kakebeen en opkrul snor. Sy sterk domineerende persoonlikheid en kort geknipte hare het mense laat dink dat hy van Duitse afkoms was. Sy eiewaan, opvlieënde humeur en patalogiese rasse oordeel het hom baie vyande besorg en sy vriende van hom vervreem. “Maritz het alles wat Brits of Joods was gehaat,” het Nicla gesê. “Na die Boere-oorlog wou hy nie as Britse onderdaan leef nie en het in Europa rondgeswerf. ‘n Franse miljoenêr, Jacques le Baudy, het Maritz versoek om hom te help om ‘heerser van die Sahara’ te word en die Russiese Regering het hom ‘n aanstelling in die Russiese leër aangebied. Vir beide het hy nie kans gesien nie. In 1914 het hy het teen Suid-Afrika gerebelleer, na die Duitsers in Suidwes-Afrika oorgestap, homself tot Generaal bevorder en oorlog teen Engeland verklaar Die rebellie was ‘n mislukking. Hy is terug na Europa waar hy ‘n aanhanger van die Nazisme geword het. Manie Maritz is 1940 op slag gedood in ‘n motorongeluk voor die Sentrale Gevangenis in Pretoria.”

ECOLOGISTS HEAD FOR COPENHAGEN

Head of socio-ecology at the Karoo National Park outside Beaufort West, Stephanus Jooste, has been invited to attend a short environmental ecology course in Denmark. He is one of six National Parks Board socio-ecologists invited to Copenhagen by Dansard, a Danish organisation sponsoring community projects in South African parks. They will complete a ten-day course covering environmental education, the establishment and operation of specialist committees, the preparation of funding applications and communications with best practices committees outside South Africa.

BEAUFORT-WES SE HART KLOP NOG STERK (Tel No. 023-415-1488)

Gemeenskapsorganisasies in Beaufort-Wes en die plaaslike toerismeburo gaan vanjaar saamspan om ‘n mini-hartfees te reel. Dit sal vanaf 12 – 14 Oktober gehou word. Die program sluit heelwat plaaslike kunstenaars, dans- en sang-groepe in.