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 Poachers- real time |
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Poachers- real time 06:30. Graham held a short church service for us. He is very religious. I went off to Skype my wife again. She was crying because I am missing our 17th wedding anniversary. She accuses me of caring more for animals than for her. By 10:00 I am back at the camp. Parks Board made several more arrests during the night and early morning. I continue to question the Sangoma. By 19:00 I take him to the Police station and charge him. We have to be in court in the morning. Monday 2012-11-12 07:45. I try to speak to the State Prosecutor, but he avoids me and seems very antagonistic. I have all the statements needed for the docket, and want to hand it to him. 09:35. I am called into court, and sworn in. The prosecutor questions me until 11:00, when they break for tea. He instructs the court ordinance (bailiff) to keep me there. I wonder why, and at 11:30 I’m back in the dock. The prosecutor accuses me of being part of a white supremacist plot and vigilante group, attacking innocent black people in the night for no reason. I tell him he is delusional, and the magistrate warns me I am in contempt. I explain who I am, and invoke the Police Act that gives me the right to place myself on duty whenever I feel the need for it, and that I am allowed to investigate any crime I deem relevant to my mandate. I explain that I am assisting a NGO in my free time, with the knowledge and blessing of Head Office, who gave me permission for this work. The prosecutor accuses me of being a right-winger, and threatens to have me arrested. Suddenly I’m not a witness, but an accused! During lunch I call Graham and ask him for help. He arrives by 14:20 with Thys Taljaard of SARS, Stoffel de Jager of Parks Board, and Col Mike Sales, from the Hawks- a specialised investigation team that focuses on high profile cases. Col Sales was a commander of mine in the past. He also brings Capt Heinrich Viljoen, another colleague from the Hawks, with whom I am friends. They arrived this morning after I left camp. Col Sales calls his office, and by 15:00 he approaches the magistrate and tells him the Sangoma and the State Prosecutor are family. The magistrate is outraged, and the prosecutor chased out of court. The docket will now be put on the roll for tomorrow. Dark days for the prosecutor.... Tuesday 2012-11-13 08:00. I speak to the new prosecutor. He takes the statements prepared by me and include it in the docket. By 10:00 the docket is transferred to the regional court in Pietersburg, or by the current name, Pholokwane. We are now four departments taking part in the investigation: SA Police, SARS, National Parks Board and the Department of Justice’s Asset Forfeiture Unit. Col Sales invited them to take part when it became clear how much money the Sangoma has that cannot be explained or declared. The money can only be explained as proceeds of organised crime. We spend the rest of the day at court to see all the dockets through court. The magistrate instructs that all the dockets must be consolidated. We don’t like it, but have to comply. Consolidating the dockets can create loopholes where the accused can wriggle through. We buy hamburgers and Kentucky Fried Chicken for dinner. Thank goodness! Wednesday 2012-11-14 I wake up with a serious bladder infection, and can hardly walk. I’m off to the doctor while the others continue the search for the last two poachers. I get back at the camp by 14:00, and it is deserted. I prepare a lot of vegetables for dinner, and go to bed. The pain pills make me drowsy. 23:00. The other guys return. They have another poacher! Great! I feel better, and while the guys have dinner, I question the poacher as to the whereabouts of the last suspect. Bad news: he alleges that the last cohort is already across the border into Zimbabwe, because they had heard we are looking for them. I take some Parks Board members and have him point out the crossing point. It is quite a long drive, and we return at about 12:30 on Thursday. I charge the poacher and take him to court. The case is postponed until Friday because it is too late to place onto the roll. Friday 2012-11-16 04:00. I am in a hurry. By 06:45 I am at court, and can’t wait to get the suspect processed. By 09:50, Graham and I are on the way home. When I arrive at 15:30, I am in a lot of pain again because of the bladder infection: I didn’t have time to take my medication during the last 36 hours, and then I forgot about it on the drive home. I take the first real bath in two weeks, and take my wife out to dinner to a pasta restaurant: I am heartily sick of protein, and my body craves carbohydrates..... my wife threatens me by pain of death if I go away again soon, or for so long. I need to spoil her a lot this weekend. Col Sales sends me a text message: he has had the last poacher circulated on our official systems. If he gets picked up in South Africa again for any crimes, or even when he tries to enter the country legally, we will be notified about it. A warrant of arrest is in process of being issued. |
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Khorixas, Namibia Being a game farm, and there not being a lot of prohibitions at the time, the family had several tamed animals near the yard, and some caged close by, such as baboons, ratels (honey badgers), ant eaters and other curiosities. I immediately befriended a caged baboon. I remember feeling a bit sad because the animal was caged, but being 10 years old and a guest besides, there was obviously not a lot I could do except spending lot of time in between the cages, and talking to the animals. Even at that time I knew that someday I would somehow be involved in protecting animals- I probably had dreams of becoming a game ranger, but those would disappear as time went by. Well, one of the other animals that I got close to, was a young eland cow. Eland are Africa's biggest antelope, very powerful and strong, and majestic and gracious. There are two kinds, according to the horns, but I'm not sure if they are subspecies or genetically similar but the physical characteristics differ, but the one kind has short, thick horns and the other slender, longer horns. In Namibia most eland are of the latter: long, slender horns and longer on the leg than those we have in South Africa. I got so close to the cow, that eventually she allowed me to feed her: apples, lettuce, cabbage, carrots, maize and feed, even licking salt from my hand! The feeling of her tongue against the palm of my hand was strange: soft, moist, and course. She was a gentle creature, and gave comfort to me when I visited her. Near Khorixas there was also a stone formation that was called The finger of God: a lone monolith, thin and pointing upwards to the sky, just like a huge finger, with a little base at the bottom on which the huge rock balanced. This stone fell over in 1988, long after we left Namibia to return to South Africa. (There is another similar rock in the south of Namibia, with the same name, but it was not as famous as this one). I also beheld one of the wonders of this planet: welwitschia! (Welwitschia Mirabilis) This plant only grows on the arid desert. It has two leaves on a short little stem, that grows at the rate of 1 centimeter a year. Looks can be deceptive, though, because the single root can grow to 60 meters or more in depth, searching for water! We went to a wonderful area called the Plains of the Welwitschia, where literally thousands of little plants were growing, most with leaves less than ten centimeters long, but some with leaves longer than six meters! These plants can live to more than 2 000 years old! Truly a wonder to a young mind. We also visited the petrified forest. Here lies hundreds of tree trunks, perfectly preserved, all petrified into solid stone. It is proof that this arid desert was home to a lush forest aeons ago, and that the climate has changed to become so arid. This was my first encounter with fossils, and my dad had to explain everything about it. Fascinating! I believe I wanted to become a paleontologist or archeologist immediately! We also learned about death during that week. My dad took me along into Etosha, where he did the story on rabies. I saw the deadly sickness first hand and up close. Kudu, Impala, zebra, eland, lions, jackals, hyena, and many more, all infected with rabies, without discrimination. The parks board had no option than to put down infected animals and burn the carcasses. The men who worked with the carcasses were wearing special suits to avoid contact with the virus, and they were disinfected daily and the suits destroyed. The smell of burnt fur, hair and meat lingered with me for many days and weeks. Eventually it was learned that rabies occurs naturally in the area, and is a mechanism for nature to cull animals to preserve the ecosystem. I'm not sure, but I think it has been eradicated since, or left to follow natural rhythms. Well, this is not an adventure as such, but thanks to Chris I remembered a happy week. I can encourage anybody to go there and have a ball of a time. The people are friendly, the sights are something to behold, and you would also see one of the best game parks in the world. The people speak German, Afrikaans, and English, and off course the indigenous languages of Herero, Ovambo and Damara. Be prepared for heat as you have never experienced it before. It is on the edge of a desert, after all, but it is beautiful, wonderful and peaceful. You will love it, I'm sure, and get closer to the Creator. Just listen to the voice of the desert, and the echo in your heart. |
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Reminiscence I was doing the NAUI openwater II, at Sodwana, one of the best diving spots in South Africa. We descended several times during the previous days, and towards the end of the training program we were often visited by a Zambezi shark- you may also know it as a Bull shark- during the dives. Off course we were all terrified, given the fearsome reputation of these animals, and always wanted to get out of the water as fast as possible. During one of the final dives, the divemaster got permission for us to interact with the sharks. We got some bait, and soon were out at Two Mile Reef, where whitetip reef sharks were known to come to rest at cleaning stations, and several other species are also known to occur. It was to be one of the best experiences of my life! With the bait in bags, we descended to the reef, and very soon several smaller sharks were around us, attracted by the smell of the bait. We took turns feeding them under the watchful eye of the divemaster and other experienced help, and soon the big guns pulled in... We had a ball! There were black- and whitetip reef sharks, raggies (ragged tooth sharks- they look fearsome but are essentially harmless), coppers, dusky's and even a tiger shark or two, though we were wary of those and left them to the experienced divers to feed. Both humans and sharks had such a lovely time, enjoying ourselves and interacting peacefully. We fed the sharks, and the scraps also invited other smaller reef fish to come and attend the banquet. I distinctly remember feeding a Moray eel myself, which is a successful predator itself. I also fed some other sharks at times, and it was such an exhilarating experience! We were surrounded by many, many sharks, and not one was aggressive towards the humans in their environment. I will always remember those moments; I think it must have been a similar feeling that people get who swim with dolphins. Thinking back to that day, in stark contrast to the story Jaws by Peter Benchley, I will never allow anyone to harm a shark because of pre- and misconceptions. These animals are graceful, beautiful and we intrude in their environment- we should respect them. I can attest that they are not mindless killing machines out for human blood. They are intelligent enough to leave us alone, for the most part. When they confuse us with prey, they usually don't do more than take one bite to realize that something is wrong, and let go. I know about exceptions to the rule, but those are just that: exceptions. Then, suddenly, there was tension in the water..... The Zambezi that was watching us before was back! In comparison with the other sharks, this beast was a mean mother. It was bigger than most other sharks near us, not excessively huge for a Zambezi, but it reminded me of a powerful and mean person. It even looked like a bully, moving slowly and deliberately through the water, expecting everyone else to get out of the way, because this beast was the king of the reef! It never wavered, never deviated from it's course, and it came straight towards us, then began circling us slowly. This behavior also forced the other less aggressive sharks a little back from us, and it seemed it was just us and this magnificent, fearsome animal. It was eying us all the time, and we were in it's environment. After a time that felt like hours and hours, it became clear that today this Zambezi had other plans than just eying us on this day. It wanted to get closer and get acquainted with us on a one-to-one basis. The behavior was definitely more aggressive and intent (or is the word intensive?) than before. The tension became thick, and affected all the other animals in the vicinity. The friendly and peaceful reef sharks were displaying signs of tension, swimming in erratic patterns and changing speed, even the small fish all disappeared in moments. We stayed on the bottom for a while, but when it became clear that the Zambezi were waiting us out, the divemaster gave the signal to ascend as a group. As we ascended, the divemaster and other experienced help hovered on the edges of the group, and fed the Zambezi pieces of bait by letting it drop as the shark got nearer. This distracted the Zambezi enough for us all to get to the boats and on board safely. Eventually, I did NAUI openwater III, and I 'bumped' into the same Zambezi again from time to time. It always had two personalities: curious and distant, almost aloof, and then the killer: aggressive, with murderous intent in its eyes. One look or a few moments were usually enough to tell us in what mood the animal was. I heard that it was caught by a sport fisherman later, and not returned to the water, but taken as a trophy. I don't agree with that, but then, on the other hand, after one or two more harrowing experiences with the same animal, I can't say I was disappointed that it was taken. Once this particular animal was taken out of the area, the reefs became a much more enjoyable place again, and once more I fed other sharks, and since I stopped diving (because I got married), I am sure that other divers also enjoyed their experiences at Sodwana. Anybody who loves diving, should come and dive the different reefs at Sodwana. There are several. Some fish even become so habituated to humans that they become 'tame', and people name them. I remember Monty the Moray eel, and a potato bass that was a favorite of divers, but I cannot remember that fish's name. I do remember that it became huge over time, because divers fed it so often, and it actively seeked out divers to swim with and beg food from them. That fish was taken by a freediving spear fisherman, but he was charged and fined and all his equipment confiscated because he hunted within the marine reserve. Good. Some animals should not be killed, because they provide pleasure to many other people over a long time, and one should not be so selfish as to take a moment's pleasure for oneself and end the experience for others. And yes, I love sharks. They are apex predators that are misunderstood, because we are not marine creatures, but think we know what is best for them, and many people hunt them recklessly and to extinction. In my book that is a serious, grave and offensive mistake. Sharks are magnificent animals- just get to know them. |
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Dominant preditor That Zambezi definitely showed the signs of a dominant predator I am surprised you were not in a shark cage, I would have been out the water in a bolt. I love reefs but am wary that when it comes down to a hierarchy of who is boss in the water sharks are on top. Killing animals for killing sake is wrong. Remember we do these things when we are young as that is the right time, sometimes being a man in his 40's trying to relive his 20's is a little wrong, each stage in life has a natural evolution and there is much joy and happiness in a settled family life rather than an adrenaline filled mid life. |
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Ntombintob Namaste, Simon |
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Rationalisation |
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An old friend joined us! My wife knows about the name. Maybe I should explain where the name came from. As a young bachelor, it is obvious that I kept an eye open for the girls. I had a lot of girl friends, but no girlfriend. I did what most other young men do, meet a girl at the club or disco, or maybe at the rugby club (I played rugby for the town of Vryheid in the second team, and I was a reserve for the first team), but I never had any luck with the girls. They always were quicker than me, taking things too fast, and then leaving in a hurry. I have never been interested in short, meaningless affairs, and from my schooldays I stuck with a girl for the long run. I just wasn't interested in hopping from one girl to the next. Eventually, the pastor at my church invited me to a youth organization, that met informally once a week. I was new in town, and the only people I knew were the rough rugby players and my colleagues at work. At this organization we would study the Bible, discuss, learn, and debate- with me always playing devil's advocate- and have coffee and tea, or hot chocolate in winter. I was driving a small Ford pick-up truck at the time, and very soon some girls at this organization asked me to pick them up for these meetings. In time, I became friends with these girls, and we formed a circle of friends that began visiting each other, and going out together.... in my untrusty Ford. I bought this old rustbucket pick-up at a bargain, and kept it from falling apart with superglue, wire, a pair of pliers and lots of prayers. The starter motor and bendix didn't work properly anymore, so on wet or cold days it wouldn't start, and the girls had to push. It was my first four wheeled mode of transport- I had a BMW motorbike as well, but in cold or wet weather I didn't want to go out with the bike. Sometimes I would forget to lock up the vehicle, and leave it standing at the barracks, out in the street, with the keys in the ignition for days on end, and it just wouldn't get stolen. In South Africa, that is unheard of! Here, people get killed for less than 2 dollars and a cellular phone!, but that old Ford just wouldn't leave me. Very soon the guys at the office and other policemen noticed me, the only man, and this load of girls, getting out and about. At first there was a chuckle or two, but soon it escalated, because nobody could believe that one man could keep all those girls happy, and before you know it, I was considered a ladies man, and the envy of all the other male policemen in Vryheid. They really thought I was living a man's dream, bedding any or all the girls always seen with me. They didn't know, in the beginning, that all these girls were good, Christan women, and that I was just not interested in hopping from one bed to another. The truth is very far from their perception. I stayed friends with all those girls precisely because I didn't try to bed any of them. In fact, one of those girls turned out to be my wife. She would never have agreed to marry me if the perception of the other policemen were true! However, the reputation was established and taken as fact, and no matter what explanation I offered, it was never believed. When I got married, I sold that Ford pick-up and bought a VW Golf. I could never again fit 12 girls in my vehicle, but even 5 at a time kept the reputation alive and well. Luckily, some of those girls got married as well, and didn't need me to transport them anymore. We still stayed friends, and their husbands were welcomed into the circle as well. I dare to say that we encouraged some affairs, and actively discouraged (even sabotaged) others, when consensus was reached that some man was not good enough for a girl. In the end most of the girls turned out happily married. One or two bad guys slipped through our filters, and sad to say, those marriages didn't last. I am still friends with most of the girls, and we see each other regularly. My wife is not jealous, because the fact is that she introduced me to most of them; my wife was the first to ask me to help her get to the church's young adult meetings every week, and from there the others just hooked up as well. We had a lot of very happy times, me and my girls, but all of it was of such a nature that any father felt comfortable leaving their daughters in my care. Even though there were no cellular phones in Vryheid at the time, I could always be found, and never with... how should we put it... my hand in the cookie jar. Today I am godfather to 5 children from girls in that group, and I feel proud that they trust me enough to bestow such an honor on me. There you have it- the truth of my Zulu name. My commander told King Zwelithini about this when the king needed to give me a Zulu name, and instantly the king liked the name. Remember, the Zulu tribe still condones bigamist marriages (is that the right word?) and to gain such a name in the Impi is obviously a great advantage and brings massive prestige, especially in the ladies department, when one's prowess and endeavors are discussed. Sex, partners, conceiving and children are a matter of great pride in the Zulu culture, and is discussed openly without the inhibitions of western civilization. Their point of view on this is diametrically opposed to western standards, and it is expected that a soldier should brag about his accomplishments. Luckily I have avoided these topics by feigning an inability to understand the beautiful and colorful images they use to describe sex.... but I got to know the culture quite well and actually understood quite clearly. When I introduce myself to my Zulu brothers with my Zulu name, they all immediately gain more respect for me. The name is not ambiguous and can only be interpreted in one way, like it was intended: The Ladies Man! |
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Clarification |
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