WULF UTIAN’S LETTER FROM CAPE TOWN, APRIL 2024 – SEASON-END EXPERIENCES AND THOUGHTS

WULF UTIAN’S LETTER FROM CAPE TOWN
APRIL 2024
SEASON-END EXPERIENCES AND THOUGHTS

As yet another summer fades in the Southern Hemisphere and our return to Cleveland draws near, we cannot avoid the mixed emotions and thoughts the transition generates. We live two entirely different lives, a situation that cannot be compared to sunbirds going south or west within the continental USA. I will spare you the emotions, describe recent experiences, and conclude my letters for this season with some closing thoughts.

When the world was created, Plettenberg Bay on the Garden Route was surely one of the most perfect spots, another one of my Incredibles. About 600kms from Cape Town, it is set between the Indian Ocean with its warmer waters and the Tsitsikama mountains and forest behind. The perfect spot in Plettenberg Bay is Beacon Island, and the Beacon Island Resort is certainly one of the most perfectly situated hotels in the world.

“A whaling station on Beacon Island closed down in 1916. Parts of the iron slipway are still visible today. A hotel called The Beacon Isle was built on the site of the whaling station. This was replaced by the iconic Beacon Isle Southern Sun Resort which opened for business in December 1972. This building, designed by André Hoffe, has a layered atrium which pays tribute to the Guggenheim Museum of Frank Lloyd Wright.” (Source: Wikipedia).

 

Moira and I were privileged to spend a week here, our first visit in over 5 years. It was one of our favorite vacation destinations before we left South Africa and remains so. To our delight, the hotel had been completely refurbished, beautifully maintained, and our sea-facing suite was superb. How do you describe going to bed at night with the freshest air in the world breezing in through the open windows together with the sounds of the surf crashing on the rocks below, or waking early in the morning and taking a long walk on the soft white sands of Robberg beach?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In short, this is the perfect spot to spend a week and just chill out. Forget the rest of the world for a brief moment; it will still be there when you return home.

Options for day trips out of Cape Town abound. For us, a favorite lunch spot is the verandah restaurant at the Graff Delaire Wine Estate, a beautiful drive between Franschoek and Stellenbosch. Developed from a small estate by Laurence Graff, the international diamond mogul, into a world class vineyard, hotel and spa, the estate is renowned for its wine and art collection, African artists carefully curated by Graff himself out of his private collection. The views from the restaurant are breathtaking, the restaurant worth Michelin 3 stars, and the service perfect. Here one really sits back and relaxes over a long lunch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

No visit to Southern Africa is complete without spending at least a few days in a game park. This year I took my son and two grandsons to Jabulani Safari Lodge, a Relais & Chateaux 5-star luxury lodge in Kapama Private Game Reserve adjacent to the Kruger National Park. In truth I think I overindulged the boys and spoiled them for life. But the highlight of the elephant experience will certainly be what they most remember. Jabulani, an elephant rescued as a calf about 20 years ago at the age of 4, is the reason the lodge came into existence. Over 20 elephants have now been rescued and, quite remarkably, have come together as a herd and family. The story of the HERD is quite fascinating. They are watched over during the day by dedicated overseers who can walk over 20 kms a day with them come rain or come shine. Of course, we saw the big 5 and were especially lucky to even see a rare pangolin. Let the following photos show some of the experience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Indulge me as I end the season with some closing thoughts.

We have had a wonderful summer surrounded by family in one of the most magnificent places on earth. But we are privileged, and all is not perfect, as I have touched on in my recent letters. South Africa is a diamond marred by a huge flaw within, namely, its corrupt, hypocritical, tone deaf, and useless government. In power for thirty years since independence in 1994, instead of wisely spending its vast wealth on human services, education, healthcare, housing, social supports and infrastructure, the ANC government has enriched itself and its close friends by stealing the assets and living high on the hog, bringing the country and the economy to its knees. This is a classic example of reverse Robin Hoodism, robbing the poor and feeding the rich. Now the masses are beginning to rebel. They have an opportunity come May 29 and the General Election to throw out the bums. Will they? I doubt it. Like MAGA Americans in the USA, they have bought into a cult, and will expose their ignorance in the ballot box.

Indeed, there is a fear in the Western Cape that the ANC might even take over from the Democratic Alliance who have run the only functional state in the country. Little wonder that nearly one million educated South Africans have emigrated over the past 20 years, with only a tiny minority returning. As they have hit above their weight contributing internationally with great success in multiple fields of endeavor, South Africa has in turn been deprived of their crucially needed skills. A small country like South Africa simply cannot afford this brain drain. We depart Cape Town April 29, and have no idea what “South Africa” we will return to on our next visit.

Let me also address South African foreign policy. In robbing the country, the ANC even bankrupted itself. Wherever there was a Rand to be stolen, they have found it. To bankroll the upcoming election campaign and continue the pigfest, they needed money and found that outsourcing foreign policy and selling the country’s birthright was another source of funds. Their expanded BRICS partners (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and new members like Iran) have become the willing providers. So, a country traditionally aligned with the West (UK, Europe, and the USA) has now aligned itself with Russia, China, and Iran, and maligns the West in its election rhetoric. Indeed, Iran is believed to have paid millions to the ANC to take Israel before the International Court of Justice. No wonder the USA is debating removing AGOA privileges from South Africa.

Which brings us to the question of why did the ANC become antisemitic? Some will argue it is not, merely anti-Zionist and anti-Israel, based on the historic support for the Nationalist Government by Israel during the Apartheid years. But this no longer feels true, and South African Jews, like everywhere, have become more apprehensive and vigilant. There is no question that Jews can currently walk the streets of the major South African cities with a greater sense of safety than they can, for example, walk the West End of London on a Saturday, or the campuses of Harvard and MIT. Question the average citizen on the street, and they are unlikely to be haters of Jews. But the ANC government is actively changing the narrative and the reason is transparent. Stay in Power. With the May 29 election in sight and the fear that they may lose, they are good vote counters. With nearly 1 million Muslims of whom about 3-400,000 are voters, would you woo them, or South Africa’s decimated Jewish community of around 18,000 potential voters? Simple, a cold-hearted grab for votes, the human damage be damned. Hamas leaders are living with and feted by ANC officials.

Not that we are we looking forward to returning to an ugly election season in the States with potentially an even more catastrophic result. Whoever comes into power in South Africa really only impacts South Africa. The election result in the USA could turn world history on its head.

Mauritius is looking ever more attractive. We plan to check it out in June.

 

Hopefully this discussion can be continued come the end of 2024.

Have a wonderful mid-2024.

As ever
Wulf
Cape Town, April 14, 2024.