Daddy of the Brubeck Brothers (see following Blog). The famous Dave Brubeck who, as far as I know, is still going strong. 

Play with me Bru

I went along on Friday night to listen to the Brubeck Brothers playing at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. I had hoped to get a few good photographs but the place was packed, movement was restricted, and I was glued to a seat in a bad position. Hence no pics.

The music was great. Darius was sweet on piano, brother Chris a master on both bass and trombone and Dan masterful and sometimes even muscular on drums. An added dimension was provided by Barney Rachabane on sax and Burton Naidoo filling in on bass. Well he more than filled in - he was top rate in his own right.

A great opening concert. They will now tour South Africa ending at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown. Catch them if you can.

Oh – and by the way – on the way out the Memorial Tower Building looked stunning against the black night sky; so I managed one photograph. A little camera shake but here it is below in all its late Art Deco, post WW2 heroic monumental glory.

The Memorial Tower Building at the University of KwaZulu-Natal stands against the night sky. 

Ah...so we do have a history that pre-dates 1994. The Mercury carried a multi page supplement commemorating the centenary of Durban becoming an international port. On the 26 June, 1904, the Union-Castle mail ship Armadale Castle steamed into Durban harbour. The day was declared a holiday and people flocked to the docks to view the ship. Special guests had even been brought down from Johannesburg by train for the event.

Why the fuss? Well prior to this only ships of low tonnage and shallow draught had been able to cross the sand bar at the entrance to the bay. Larger vessels had to anchor offshore and have cargoes and passengers shipped via lighters to and from land.

Earlier engineers had grappled with the difficulties of entering the bay. One scheme was to create a harbour off the present Addington Beach. The man behind this, Captain Vetch, had a semi-circular stone pier constructed to form an enclosure. But to no avail, although the pier is still visible at low tide and still bears his name. Other names attached to similar schemes have slipped into history.

Eventually – and to cut a long blog short - it was found that a combination of dredging, alignment of the North and South Piers and tidal scour would provide the required deep water entrance and this is where the Armadale Castle (literally)came in. The port opened to world shipping.

The Port of Durban now handles the most goods in Africa. Being the only thing in SA approaching a natural harbour it makes its sister ports in Southern Africa look like barge and dingy affairs. But I do feel that the authorities have built themselves into a corner by the continual filling in of the once vast bay. It is now only approximately one-third its original size at the high water mark. A second port at Isipingo is being spoken about but this depends on the airport moving and all is still on the drawing board, computer screen or wherever.

Great South Africans

Those of you in SA will probably know this.

The SABC is running a poll to find who we think are great South Africans. This is based on the same thing the BBC did a while ago. Winston Churchill topped their list.

Why not log onto the SABC website and nominate someone of your choice or vote for a person already on the list.

According to one of our local newspapers Chris Barnard is out in front but they did not reveal their source.

Natal Fever noticed a recent funeral notice for Sighard ‘SB’ de Bellelay-Bourquin.

SB was for many years the Director of the Durban Corporation’s Bantu Administration Department. This department was responsible for ‘influx control’ - one of the cornerstones of apartheid. To enforce this policy the Department had its own police force – the infamous ‘Blackjacks’ with powers of arrest for those ‘blacks’ who did not have permanent resident status (in Durban), a permit to seek work or proof of employment. What is interesting here is that these measures had been in place since the 1800’s. Durban was possibly the model on which the Nationalist Government based this aspect of their policy. But no further on this tack without some further research.

Returning to SB. He was also involved with the military as Commanding Officer of one of the local Commando Units. One of his other interests being KwaZulu–Natal history.

It was said that he conducted the affairs of his former department with compassion. Looking back, however, it is unbelievable that such things happened and that such complex administrative machinery existed. What is now even harder to believe is that such things were considered the norm by so many people for so long.

Today is Comrades Day

Today is Youth Day in South Africa.

It is also Comrades day – Comrades Marathon Day - the day on which thousands of athletes attempt to run the 90 or so kilometres between Durban and Pietermaritzburg.

The Comrades Marathon was started in 1921 by Vic Clapham who wanted to preserve the comradeship he found in service during the First World War – thus the name.

There are, however, clouds gathering for the Comrades Marathon. The entries for the race are decreasing with this year drawing a field of 12000. This a far cry from a peak of over 20 000 some years ago. The average age of the field is also increasing – now 39 for men and 40 for women. This means that fewer younger novice runners are entering - an ominous portent.

The race organisers – the Comrades Marathon Association - own their own headquarters building, have full-time staff, have computer and other equipment and employ a CEO at R430 000 annually. Therefore maintaining the required income stream is becoming a vexing headache. To keep numbers (and income) up the organisers have increased the time limit in which to finish from 11 to 12 hours. They’ve also increased sponsorship fees for the five or so major backers.

Comrades was athletics in this province. Athletic clubs sprung up in every neighbourhood and everything running centred on The Marathon. Mainstream track and field athletics became almost extinct during the years of South Africa’s isolation, which lasted from the Rome Olympics to Barcelona in 1992. Road running was all that there was. But the Comrades organisers failed to see the future.

SA track and field has regained its rightful place locally, nationally and internationally and secured sponsorship and public attention. The Comrades Marathon is now being seen for what it is – a unique event outside mainstream athletics. It also does not contribute to the overall pool of athletic talent because of its nature and thus Athletics SA is unlikely to concern itself with its future. It must look to itself.

The Comrades Marathon will not survive another decade in its current form; it has run its own course. A drastic rethink is needed. Its demise must not, however, be contemplated; it has too much history but more importantly - spirit.

Hope for Dyslexics

Smoehting dinog teh E-Mial Cirucit

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdgnieg?

THE PAOMNNEHAL PWEOR OF THE HMUAN MNID

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't
mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the
olny iprmoatnt tihng is that the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit
pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it
wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter
by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

Prtety Amzanig huh?

For those who rely on the local press and SABC the connection to and view of the outside world is somewhat restricted. Therefore that it is the 60th Anniversary of the D-Day landings tomorrow is hardly being mentioned. This type of news filtering and history distorting view is, however, not new in South Africa. An example..........

One of the consequences of the Anglo-Boer war was a deep division in white South African society. You were Pro-Brit (the Botha/Smuts/South African Party camp) or anti-Brit (the Hertzog/Malan/Nationalist Party Camp). You would be asked bluntly ‘Is jy NAT of SAP?’ (are you SA Party or Nat Party) and either were embraced or had to defend yourself.

Whilst in office the old SA Party led South Africa into two World Wars to which we made a large contribution. Those who opposed our involvement rebelled both in 1914 and at the start of WW11. Both uprisings being put down by force by the Botha/Smuts Governments. The result was even deeper division in an already divided house.

When the Nationalists gained power in 1948 they did their best to erase the memory of our involvement in ’Britain’s Wars’. They tinkered with the armed forces; wanted to change all rank names; took away officers’ swords and tried to introduce a fascist looking uniform uniform for all personnel. No Defence Force officers could attend Armistice Day parades and when the SA WW11 fighter ace Sailor Malan died no representative of the Government attended his funeral. Even school bugle bands could not parade in anything where a Union Jack was likely to be waved.

Then came the ‘total onslaught’ period during the 1970’s and 80’s. A new tack was introduced . The Nationalist’s paraded South Africa as the champions of civilisation in darkest Africa. Whilst bearing this torch SA was also the bulwark against creeping Communism. Now the West should help or at least understand ‘because we helped you in two world wars and Korea’

Suddenly PW Botha had something else to waggle his finger about. To drive the point even further home the simple, understated, monument at Delville Wood had to be enlarged. An overstated, over articulated, complex was built that groaned under the weight of heavy handed built-form sentiment.

But all to no avail. History has moved on and not much happened before 1994 except the struggle. The news now consists of murder, scandal and word of a glorious victory – Bfana-Bfana has defeated Cape Verde in a soccer match. I think I’ll go back to watch the BBC and Sky News for coverage of the D-Day commemoration

Cool Jazz

The Centre for Jazz & Popular Music at the University of KwaZulu-Natal continues to be my favourite music spot. Good music, a nominal entrance fee and cash bar combine for a good evening.

Last night is was ‘Chicken and Waffles’ with Marco Casasola (USA) on piano leading a quartet of locals. Really cool sweet music that made the Black Labels taste real good.

On the 25 June a real treat. The Brubeck Brothers from the USA featuring Chris and Dan combine with resident Brubeck brother, Darius, to perform the first of a series of concerts in South Africa.

‘Who’ some may ask ‘are the Brubecks?’ Well their father, Dave, made the number ‘Take Five’ a jazz standard. But whether you know them or not but have an ear for good music buy your seat now – Phone 031-2603385 for info and bookings – it’ll be worth it.

Three piece suits, hats and boots. The delegates to the 'South African National Convention' held during October, 1908, in Durban. The result was the 'Union of South Africa' (See Blog below) 

1902, 1910, 1961 and all that.........

Monday, this week, came and went without notice – after all it was just another start to the working week. Yet the day, 31 May, is a day of significance in South African history.

On this day in 1902 the Boers finally accepted the terms of surrender that brought the bitter and long ‘Boer War’ to an end. They did so at Vereeniging after a protracted debate which had began in mid April.

The immediate and direct result of the surrender was that the two former Boer republics lost their independence and had to submit to British sovereignty. A change in British government 1906, however, saw the new Prime Minister, Campbell-Bannerman, grant self-government to the defeated former enemies.

The settled conditions allowed the Governments of Natal, the Orange River Colony, Transvaal, Rhodesia and the Cape to consider the concept of a South African Union or a South African Confederation. This resulted in the ‘South African National Convention’ meeting in Durban (see photo) to begin the process of producing the ‘Draft South Africa Act’. The National Convention met again in Capetown in early January, 1909. The draft act was then submitted to the four Colonial Parliaments for consideration. Rhodesia decided not to join.

In Natal there was strong support for a Federal type of Union with the matter being resolved by referendum for a unitary form. Then after a few further amendments at a meeting in Bloemfontein, approval by Britain, the Union of South Africa came into being on the 31 May, 1910.

Half a century later the descendents of the defeated Boers controlled, absolutely, not only their former republics but the Cape, Natal and South West Africa (Namibia) as well. The long cherished ideal of living in a Republic once more emerged. South Africa left the Commonwealth and on the 31 May, 1961 the Republic of South Africa came into being to survive until the 1990’s.

To return to the beginning. The Boer War was fought because the two components of the white population in the Transvaal both wanted to dominate. The Boers said it was for liberty. The British said it was for equality. The majority of the inhabitants, who were not white, gained neither.

The question of the ‘native’ vote was part of the peace negotiations in 1902. It was again debated by the National Convention in 1908 but as before was left ‘for a future government to decide.’ The question of a broad democracy lurked at first in the background eventually becoming the deciding issue nearly a century later. The matter should have been resolved sooner but in the early 1900’s even the vote for women was a national joke in Britain. Thus a long view of history and the context of events is needed. The 31st day of May is a good day to ponder such events.