Liberation movements: decline and fall
R.W. Johnson traces the post-colonial degradation and governance failures of the southern African liberation movements, and suggests that in South Africa too the ANC’s politicial tenure is ‘nearing the end of the line’. Read more >>
Matrics out, Grade Rs in the house
Phakamisa Mayaba visits the S.S. Madikane Primary School in Kuyasa on the first day of school. Read more >>
Desperate problem, desperate remedies
In a bid to avoid taxing the rich, US president-elect Donald Trump has roped in billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to cut government expenses — but this will not, argues R.W. Johnson, resolve the country’s debt crisis. Read more >>
Die Stellenbosch-bestuur en die Wet van Transvaal
Buig of betaal … Jannie Gagiano plaas die Stellenbosch Universiteitsbestuur se self-opgelegde uitdaging om die historiese Wilgenhof-koshuis te ‘herverbeel’ in ‘n breër konteks van eise vir transformasie post apartheid. Lees hier >>
The strange, unhappy world of Julius Malema
R.W. Johnson dissects the EFF commander-in-chief’s marathon address at the party’s ‘national people’s assembly’ in December, and discerns a toxic example of African nationalism bent on ‘destroying the country’s economy and inflicting misery on its people’. Read more >>
Blue light woes, and partying for nothing
Who says it’s too early in the year to make a fool of yourself? Phakamisa Mayaba hoovers up the first political bloopers of 2025. Read more >>
Towards a brighter future
Destine Nde, our intrepid reporter in the Klein Karoo, witnesses the installation of solar power on a game reserve in the Groot River Valley. Read more >>
Gearing up for the new year
Phakamisa Mayaba surveys the notoriously treacherous terrain of New Year’s resolutions, and lifts the lid on his own. Read more >>
A terrible reckoning in Syria
The discovery of mass graves in Syria has raised uncomfortable questions about the South African government’s support for the toppled Assad regime, writes R.W. Johnson. Read more >>
A gem of the Klein Karoo
Destine Nde sets out to discover what makes Oudtshoorn special — and winds up at an establisment that defies description. Read more >>
2024 part 2: The no-shows and the GNU
Phakamisa Mayaba concludes his survey of the winners and losers in a momentous year in SA politics. Read more >>
2024 part 1: winners and losers
It’s been an eventful year in South African politics, with some players winning and some losing. Phakamisa Mayaba compiles a scorecard. Read more >>
Crime and punishment in Willowmore
Destine Nde writes about a novel form of discipline adopted at a secondary school in the Karoo town of Willowmore, as well as a radiant mini matric farewell. Read more >>
'Sybil Visagie’s story of loss, community and hope'
Sybil Visagie, a sheep farmer between Sutherland and Calvinia, speaks to Kristen Engel of Daily Maverick about the far-reaching impacts of drought on the Tankwa Karoo. Read more >>
Thoughts on a man called Ndi
Phakamisa Mayaba writes about Mbulelo Kafi, local tourism dynamo, Toverview associate, and much else besides. Read more >>
Wilgenhof: nou sit ons met die gebakte pere
Quo vadis, Wilgenhof, and Stellenbosch University? Jannie Gagiano – himself an old Wilgenhoffer — brings his formidable analytical arsenal to bear on the decisions of the beleaguered university council. Read more >>
On the streets of a Karoo town in a welfare state
Phakamisa Mayaba ventures out into Colesberg’s streets during social grants week, and finds dignified people who are struggling to survive. Read more >>
The mother tongue education Issue – again
As the conflict over the Bela Act heads towards a climax, R.W. Johnson argues that President Cyril Ramaphosa has failed to heed the lesson that interfering with established language rights is a political no-go area. Read more >>
Empowerment in action
Destine Nde writes about an inspiring visit to Willowmore by a team from the SUFF Academy, a youth development programme with international linkages. Read more >>
Launch of Colesberg Heritage Dialogue
The Colesberg Heritage Dialogue will be formally launched on Saturday 14 December. The event is open to all. Read more >>
French lessons for Pretoria
Direct presidential elections is helping Emmanuel Macron to survive, and to stabilise French politics and governance. R.W. Johnson argues that such a system would be beneficial in South Africa as well. Read more >>
Thoughts on a man called JP
Pakamisa Mayaba writes about Janco Piek, the inimitable, multitalented techno wizard behind the Toverview and eParkeni websites. Read more >>
Dear Breyten ... by Antony Osler
Antony Osler pays tribute to Breyten Breytenbach, who explained Zen Buddhism to him in Paris many years ago, and stayed in touch with him thereafter. Read more >>
Disaster is about caring' - a tale from the Tankwa Karoo
The leading British newspaper The Guardian has published a long interview with Isabella Visagie, a farmer in the Tankwa Karoo, in which she talks about the persistent drought in the region and its far-reaching consequences. Read more >>
The voice that will ring beyond the grave
Phakamisa Mayaba writes about Breyten Breytenbach – the Afrikaner artist and poet who refused to accept the unjust status quote in the country of his birth, or that artists and writers were somehow exempt from trying to change it. Read more >>
The hidden life beneath our feet
Wild bee researcher Karin Sternberg turns a seemingly barren patch of ground in the Wolwekraal Nature Reserve into a riveting story. Read more >>
Of Boerbokke and the Boerbok Rally
Destine Nde witnesses a motorbike rally named after an Eastern Cape livestock product that – unbeknownst to most South Africans, and even many people in its region of origin — has achieved global stardom. Read more >>
For Madiba, it was human rights first
Following the International Criminal Court’s decision to issue warrants of arrest in respect of the Israel-Gaza war, Phakamisa Mayaba asks what Madiba would have said today about this catastrophic conflict. Read more >>
Comrade Solly and his race problem
R.W. Johnson dissects a speech by SACP Secretary General Solly Mapaila in which, according to the writer, he gets into even more of a muddle about race and class. Read more >>
Sweet, sour and savory: reading the veld in the southern Free State
Harking back to the pioneering work of John Acocks and Allan Savory, Dennis McDonald illustrates some of the key principles of veld management with a fascinating series of images from the Tussen-Die-Riviere Game Reserve in the southern Free State. Read more >>
Thoughts on a man called Mr Oz
Phakamisa Mayaba writes about Maeder Osler, Toverview founder and funder, and his enduring imprint on the Colesberg community. Read more >>
Malthus, the chiefs, and productive land reform
R.W. Johnson argues that the stranglehold of traditional chiefs over potentially productive agricultural land needs to be broken, or more and more people will go hungry. Read more >>
A history of impossible promises
Surveying the threatening growth of populism, R.W. Johnson argues that a long history of ‘impossible promises’ is at last catching up with the ANC. Read more >>
The Donald, the Last Hope and the Buffalo
Phakamisa Mayaba reflects on Donald Trump’s stunning election victory, and concludes that — as in our elections of 29 May — voters sometimes abandon lofty principles and traditional loyalties and simply vote for those whom they believe will advance their material interests. Read more >>
On cultural migration: Halloween in the Klein Karoo
Weird at this may seem, Halloween has found a distant home in the Klein Karoo town of Willowmore, where Destine Nde attends an exuberant celebration. Read more >>
FROM A ROOM WITH A VIEW
Riffs and links by Maeder Osler from the Old Waenhuis on Hanglip Farm. Latest:
J.P. LANDMAN
J.P. Landman is one of the most astute and accessible public commentators on current South African political and economic issues. For more info, and links to his newsletters and podcast, read here >>
R.W. JOHNSON
Columns by the renowned commentator R.W. (Bill) Johnson appear on Toverview. For his latest views on South African and global affairs, click here.
JAZZTRAINS
JAZZTRAINS is a new YouTube channel featuring conversations with Jasper Cook about working as a fireman on steam engines, his international travels with the African Jazz Pioneers, ‘and everything in between’. It is rapidly gaining viewers and subscribers. For the first three episodes, click on the links above.
TOVER ART
Artwork made up of ‘dubbeltjies’ (devil thorns), found in a gallery in the town of Richmond in the Central Karoo. Read more >>
HIGHWAYS & BYWAYS
Welcome to a new series aimed at exploring maps of the fascinating (and elusive) region known as the Karoo. We start with a colourful map on the KNK website. Read more >>
Whose Colesberg?: an inclusive history in the making
Like those of many other South African regions and towns, current histories of Colesberg are biased and incomplete. However, reports Maeder Osler, a significant attempt is under way to rectify this imbalance. Read more >>
TOVER PORTALS
TOVERVIEW acts as a portal for the websites of two enterprising Colesberg people, namely the journalist and writer Phakamisa Mayaba, and the entrepreneur and developmental activist Mbulelo Kafi. Read more about them below, and click through to their websites.
Phakamisa Mayaba
Phakamisa Mayaba is a freelance journalist and creative writer who is building impressive content on his own website, eParkeni. To connect with this exciting site, click here.
Mbulelo Kafi
MBULELO KAFI is a former town councillor, a development enthusiast, and an entrepreneur. He has a deep understanding of the issues facing his community, and is committed to finding solutions that benefit all members, whether through Sakhisizwe Travel and Tours, a company he founded to promote tourism and economic growth in the region, or his role as an inspirational speaker. He is seen here with the minister of tourism, Patricia de Lille. To connect with Sakhisizwe Travel and Tours, click here.
GUEST WRITERS / GASSKRYWERS
ANTONY OSLER is a former folksinger, school teacher, Zen monk, human rights advocate and arbitrator. He is also the author of three books on Zen in South Africa. At present he lives on Poplar Grove farm in the Great Karoo with his wife, Margie, where they raise wool sheep and lead Zen retreats.
JANNIE (ROCKY) GAGIANO is ‘n politieke wetenskaplike, politikus, akteur en satiris. Hy was lank ‘n lektor in Politieke Wetenskap aan Stellenbosch Universiteit, en ‘n verkose lid van die Stellenbosse Stadsraad. Hy het in vroeër jare vir die Libertas Teaterklub opgetree, en ná sy aftrede vir die teatergroep Vleis, Rys en Aartappels. Hy is deesdae ook bekend vir sy vlymskerp satiriese pen.
Toverview is proud to welcome R.W. (BILL) JOHNSON as guest writer. A distinguished historian, political scientist and journalist, he is one of South Africa’s most prominent and most perceptive political analysts. In recent years, Bill and his wife, the Russian-born historian Irina Filatova, have become friends of Maeder and Les Osler, and have visited them on Hanglip Farm. Bill’s articles normally appear behind paywalls, but he has kindly agreed to make them available to Toverview. We particularly intend to publish his articles on the politics surrounding South Africa’s date with political destiny in the form of Elections 2024, thereby adding to the series launched by our local writer, Phakamisa Mayaba. To go to Bill’s posts, click here.
JASPER COOK: jazz musician, composer, Karoo-lover, raconteur and friend. He currently lives in Johannesburg, but has spent a lot of time on Hanglip Farm, and is dreaming of returning to the platteland. Read more about him here >>. Jasper has started his own website, AndThisIsJaz. Wonderful content, and technologically unique. (In his Other Life, he was a computer wizard.) It also contains his Hanglip Farm blog, again with important material about the farm, its ecology and sustainable future, and current efforts to revitalise cultivation, based on traditional farming methods in Zimbabwe.
USEFUL LINKS
Hantam Community Education Trust
Karoo Space: At the heart of South Africa
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