Long Walk To Tribute

With the sad news of Nelson Mandela's passing last night. The roads around his house was cordoned off. Our offices fall within the police cordon, and I had to do a lot of talking to convince the police that I needed to enter the security perimeter just to go to work. Then again maybe our boss should have given us the day off.

At lunch time, I decided to take a walk up to where all the tributes are taking place. The content department also wanted to go with so all six of us started the long walk around two blocks just to get to where everyone was gathering outside the house. It was like my long walk to pay tribute to a man that changed the course of history in South Africa.

They say in Africa, we dance and sing when we are happy, sad, excited and angry. So when we finally arrived at Mandela’s house, there was sadness, there was flowers and there was singing and dancing celebrating the life of Mandela.

My work colleague, Litha, wrote this peace as a tribute on our site.

After such a long walk,
Finally you rest.
Now your soul is as free
As it could ever be.

Imibono yakho mayibonakaliswe zizenzo zethu,
Umoya wakho onoxolo uhlale uphakathi kwethu.

Roam In Paradise xhego elihle,
We celebrate your life.

Guitar Man

Who draws the crowd and plays so loud, baby it's the guitar man.

Never mind the busker playing the blues; I want you to note the blue sky in this photo taken at about 1 pm in the afternoon near my work in Houghton. In less than 3 hours it wasn't blue any more. A most ferocious summer storm broke over Johannesburg. But I on my Vespa somehow managed to outride the large rain drops as lightning threatened around me.

But the guitar man never seems to notice. He's just got to find another place to play.

Jacaranda Avenue

The Jacaranda trees in Johannesburg and Pretoria are in full bloom giving the suburbs a blush purple swathe. Here is a photograph of one of the avenues in Houghton where I work. With the summer afternoon thunderstorms, the purple flowers are knocked to the ground layering the ground like snow, purple snow. Pleasing to the eye.

Houghton Spruit

This morning a spring burst through the Central Road, Houghton Estate. Most likely a burst pipe under the road surface but this is Houghton, one of the upper class suburbs in Johannesburg. So now over six months ago half of a section of Witkoppen Road in Randburg was washed away and it is still barricaded off with no movement by Johannesburg Roads Agency to repair it. Let us see how quickly they will fix Central Road with their preferential treatment and leave Witkoppen for over a year. That is until someone dies by driving into the gapping wash away.

Mandela Vultures

With news coming in that Nelson Mandela's health has turned from serious to critical, the media vultures are starting to circle. Up the road from our offices in Houghton is Nelson's house and although he is in hospital in Pretoria, the sidewalk camping media contingent has doubled.

I am worried that when Nelson finally crosses over, the democratic anchor will no longer keep South Africa secure and we will drift away from what Madiba fought for.