Open Writing

Seven o'clock and our little group had gathered. It was my job to make sure that everybody boarded the bus. Carefully scrutinising my list I made sure that we did not leave anyone behind before we proceeded to Tarentaal and Thornhill Manor to collect our full complement.

Driving south through heavy morning traffic we passed Alberton with its serried ranks of closely packed townhouses then continued through empty countryside towards Loch Vaal. Due to the previous night's downpour there was a lot of mist and I was disappointed not to catch a glimpse of the water with its attendant sailboats, but this was soon forgotten as we entered the Eastern Free State.

A couple of hours later we reached Heilbron with a break for coffee and small refreshments. Then it was on to the thriving town of Bethlehem, a name familiar to most travellers, as, even in the unlikely possibility they had never driven through previously, it is one of the towns mentioned every evening on the television weather forecast, invariably displaying temperatures way below those of the rest of the country.

Here Marti Craig joined the bus while her husband Clive took several passengers to the local offices to organise day visas for those without valid passports - so necessary for the trip into Lesotho the following day. Arriving at the hotel we were soon settled into our comfortable rooms, and in the late afternoon we took a short trip to a local camping place to enjoy the rock formations, the cold clear air and a little saunter to stretch our legs.

We assembled later in the bar for a 'get-together' drink followed by an excellent three-course dinner. After the meal, Clive and Marti had arranged for Mike, a retired Civil Engineer, now living in Clarens and with an engineer's interest in one of the biggest Civils projects in the Southern Hemisphere, to give us a slide talk on the construction of the Katse Dam. Despite the obvious tiredness of his audience and their desire to 'Shuffle off to Buffalo' (bed) after the early start, Mike still managed to hold our attention long enough to impress upon us just what a vast undertaking building the dam had been, and many pertinent questions were asked, all of which he answered with courtesy and patience.

For those not familiar with South African conditions, it is necessary to bear several factors in mind. South Africa is a "water-hungry" land with a low annual rainfall, and rapidly expanding cities. Cities have grown exponentially in the last twenty-five years with the consequent demand for water. In the case of Johannesburg this has been a critical factor, as it is one of the few major cities not built on a major body of water. As such, development is seriously impeded. In the past, Johannesburg's water has come solely from the Vaal Dam, fed by perennial streams and one small river. In the 1960's and '70's it became increasingly obvious that a solution had to be found, and a treaty was signed with Lesotho to buy water, of which they have abundance quantities.

Secondly, Lesotho has historically supplied manpower for the mines, but with their productive life winding down, thousands of men are being laid off. This has drastically affected the financial contribution these men brought back to the country. To build a dam and sell the water to South Africa would solve several problems at once. With the establishment of the Lesotho Highlands Water Scheme (LHWS) a long-term solution was created which benefited both parties. Now, Lesotho sells bulk raw water to South Africa and is paid monthly royalties, which contribute a major part of their GNP.

With this in mind, Mike gave his talk to an attentive audience, and thanks to his extensive knowledge, he brought the forthcoming visit alive. I am sure that everyone enjoyed and appreciated the enormity of the achievement all the more after gaining such a detailed insight into the construction. Many of the technical difficulties were explained through Mike's excellent series of slides, and the importance of the dam was soon apparent. The body of water held back by this enormous wall was emphasised by Mike's frequent reference to it as "a BIG dam," and on our arrival, we saw his point.

An even earlier start the following morning [at 5am in the Eastern Free State it is still black dark and very cold] but within 10 kilometres we were at the Caledonspoort border post. Thanks to Clive's preparation the previous afternoon we went through Customs with little delay. Then began the long climb to the summit, but there was plenty of interest on the way. Terraced fields with a thin covering of soil stepped precariously down the steep hillsides, exhaustedly cradling their impoverished crops of wheat or barley. Here and there, clusters of stonewalled thatched huts grouped warmly together in sociable huddles, the smoke from their early morning fires drifting thinly into the still, cold air. Early risers, warmly wrapped in their colourful blankets, clumped around in gumboots, seeking a warm corner while they waited for the pot to boil and the early morning porridge.

Passing a small settlement, Clive told us it was called "Ha LeJone". A wag chimed in, "Hullo Johnny" and Clive agreed, saying, "Yes, the local word for 'place' is "Ha', and when Basutoland was still a British Protectorate there were British soldiers quartered here. The locals called them "Johnnies", so it became "Place of the Johnnies" or "Ha Lejone." Curious how a name can be conjured out of nothing, isn't it?

And still we climbed higher, always following the west-flowing streams which eventually lead to the steep valley where the dam is situated. Finally we breasted the crest and saw the mountain chain dropping away at the watershed. Stopped at the viewpoint, the sign said "Mafika Lisiu Pass elevation 3090 metres" (nearly 10 000 feet for those who still think Imperial) and we climbed out to enjoy the fabulous view. Looking back the way we had come, we could see the road spiralling down the mountainside, curve after curve away into the hazy distance; hardly more than 20 metres on the straight before another bend hove into sight.

Standing admiring the view, we noticed the long icicles hanging off the cliff face, and the sugar dusting of snow on the higher peaks, and shivered inside our thick insulation as the biting wind whipped around our noses and scribbled at our ears with icy fingers. Later I asked Clive about the gradient on the 11 kilometres stretch from the police control post to the summit. He says it is possibly 1:40 (1:45 is the steepest a non-four wheel drive vehicle can manage) so this pass is really quite something.

Arriving at the dam we were overawed by the size of the 185 metre high wall, [equivalent to a seven storied building] rising sheer from the valley bottom, and the extent of the water stretching behind for possibly 20 - 30 kilometres. The dam is not the shallow circular expanse we had expected, but a narrow winding ribbon of extremely deep water, and is an ideal storage dam, as, with a smaller surface area, there is very little evaporation.

We also appreciated the information Mike had given us the previous night, when he explained the difficulties of the construction process. Five years in the building, working "twenty-four-seven" 365 days a year; a concrete truck carrying 30 tons of dry bulk cement traversed the pass every 40 minutes, night and day. During the winter when snow blocked the roads, the snowploughs worked overtime, keeping access routes clear in appalling conditions; it was imperative to keep the raw materials coming. To amateurs like us, it was difficult to picture the sheer magnitude of the job, but as we began to appreciate the extent of the undertaking, many wondered what the eventual cost must have been.

To give some idea of the size of the transport fleet necessary to meet these challenging logistics, the auction disposing of the trucks and associated materials on completion of the dam took three years. This gives some idea of the enormous back-up operation necessary to create a dam which is now officially recognised as being one of the three biggest concrete walled constructions in the southern hemisphere.

A quick comfort stop at the Katse Lodge where we were to lunch, and then back to the bus, heading for the dam wall. There we were met by one of the excellently trained and informative black guides who gave us a description of the technical aspects of the workings inside the dam, the enormous turbines, the computerised detection and safety systems, and the operation of the pump/storage scheme, together with the achievements of the skilled team of engineers who worked on the tunnel. Three tunnel boring machines (TBMs) were used to cut the tunnel, an intricate and complicated task. The rocks inside the mountain were stabilised with a concrete liner as work proceeded, and every stage of the construction called for the highest degree of accuracy and professionalism.

Back at the lodge, a good lunch fuelled us for the return journey which was accomplished with much companionable chatter. This gradually faded as sleep overtook us, although we revived on our arrival at 6:30 pm. A day of many new impressions and much interest; a brief glimpse into a local culture very different from our own, requiring a degree of fortitude and strength which I venture to say, many of us are very glad we are not called upon to emulate.

Another excellent dinner and a warm bed prepared us for our visit Ficksburg, to see the interesting, and possibly unique collection of original paintings at the Pellisier High School. The School Hall has a 'San' mural by Pierneef painted in 1926, and appended to this, many original paintings by South African artists. These paintings were gifts from Matric students to their Headmaster over a number of years. Forming an unusual example of the art of that period, the collection includes Pierneef, Maud Sumner, Terence McCaw, Mel Briggs, Coetzer, Claerhoud and many others. An interesting and different way of expressing thanks to a valued member of the community.

A short visit to the small Anglican church to view the pretty coloured-glass pictures of local wild flowers was next, then we drove through Clocolan (passing "Clocolan Flies" on the way) en route to 'Ben Nevis' one of the many cherry farms in the district. The area is famous for the quality of its cherries; the secret lies in the ultra low temperatures on the east facing slopes of the mountains. Our host at Ben Nevis explained that he and his family had suffered a bad set-back one year when a late hailstorm wiped every cherry off the trees, stripping them bare of fruit, and the year's projected income in ruins. Rallying to the challenge, the farmer raked up the fruit, determined to salvage what he could and, (the story is vague on the outcome of that year's endeavours) today, after much research, trial and error, he is making a substantial quantity of fruit wines and cherry liquors, which are really yummy!

Mentioning "Clocolan Flies", I was interested to learn that this small industry is part of several job-creation projects in the area. A similar project is "Clarens Flies." These specialised industries are fast becoming well-known amongst 'afficondos' of the sport of trout fishing. Local women are taught to design and tie trout flies, and with their excellent manual dexterity, these are very sort after. The blank rods are imported from Korea and the eyes and lines are threaded in the workshop and the flies are all for sale. The area is well watered with a number of fast flowing shallow streams and the cold mountain water makes an ideal home for the trout which are thriving on many farms.

Moving on, we visited the Angora Rabbit Farm where we were given a demonstration of plucking the rabbits, spinning the wool and knitting up the garments. This is another job-creation project which is showing great promise and has created work for over 40 women. It also supplies export markets with much sort-after hand-knitted garments.

On Thursday a visit to the Ash River outfall gave us the opportunity to view the impressive flow of water emerging from the tunnel. This eventually joins the Vaal River, the chief source of fresh water for the Witwatersrand. As we had seen, water is drawn off at the intake tower in Katse Dam, and flows by gravity 80 kms through the mountains to burst into the sunlight at this channelled millrace. It then joins the small Ash River en route to the Vaal Dam. 80 cu.secs/hr 24 hours a day for 365 days a year - it is a very impressive sight to see this icy, pristine water come rushing out of the tunnel and to read the following inscription.

"Delivery Tunnel North.
The most outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement in
the International category in 1998.
Awarded by The South African Institute of Civil Engineers."

We then paid a quick visit to beautiful golden Clarens with its many tourist shops and restaurants, to sample its quiet charm. Sadly, many residents are complaining that this charm is rapidly disappearing, due to injudicious over-building and the greed of property developers.

Then on to the Golden Gate National Park with its beautiful expanses of open grasslands and fabulous rock formations. The mountains of the Eastern Free State are magnificent, coloured in a lovely palette of ochre, salmon pinks, terracotta, rust-red, buttercup and gold. Here the Lombardy poplars stand sentinel, watching quietly over the sandstone farmhouses and villages. Their yellow frost-touched leaves shiver in the early winter breezes and the great cusp of the blue sky arches above, while far in the distance blue haze distorts the mountain shapes, turning them into mysterious islands of promise.

Returning to Fouriesburg we later enjoyed an informative talk on asparagus cultivation and its preparation. This crop is widely grown in the area, mostly for export. This was followed by a tasty tea. Then, in the evening, came the grand finale. The lamb-on-the-spit-braai and light-as-air vetkoeks were devoured with gusto; there was much good fellowship and laughter; a fitting end to a most enjoyable five days, full of fun and new impressions. We all gave our thanks to Marti and Clive whose love and care had made our brief tour one of new impressions, wonderful fellowship and great enjoyment.

Early Friday morning we said our heartfelt goodbyes and thanks to our hosts, climbed into the bus for the last time, and chattering happily and in great comradeship together, made the return journey to Gauteng, passing on our way the innovative hail-netted apple growing project started by a black consortium, and the smaller, though no less profitable berry project, which has contracts to supply Marks & Spencer and Waitrose in the UK with out-of-season raspberries.

It had been a wonderful, instructive, and immensely worthwhile visit to a beautiful part of the country, and I think I can speak for all by saying "Thank you for everything, and we really loved this glimpse of the Eastern Free State and our stay at Fouriesburg Country Inn!"