Exploring rural Transkei & South Africa
Learnthings Africa
Diary & photo highlights
10 January – 3 February 2010
For nearly a month I traveled more than 7000 km through the Eastern Cape of South Africa (including the area previously known as the Transkei) to install Learnthings and Microsoft software content at poor rural schools. Below a diary, followed by picture highlights.
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| Small shop - near Bizana (Transkei) |
About Transkei
The Transkei (meaning the area beyond [the river] Kei), officially the Republic of Transkei, was a Bantustan—an area set aside for members of a specific ethnicity—and nominal parliamentary democracy in the south-eastern region of South Africa. Its capital was Umtata, which was renamed Mthatha in 2004.
Transkei represented a significant precedent and historic turning point in South Africa's policy of apartheid and "separate development"; it was the first of four territories to be declared independent of South Africa. Throughout its existence, it remained an internationally unrecognized, diplomatically isolated, politically unstable de facto one-party state, which at one point broke relations with South Africa, the only country that acknowledged it as a legal entity. In 1994, it was reintegrated into its larger neighbor and became part of the Eastern Cape Province.
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| Graaff Reinet - Eastern Cape |
About the Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are Port Elizabeth and East London. It was formed in 1994 out of the Xhosa homelands of Transkei and Ciskei, together with the eastern portion of the Cape Province. Landing place and home of the 1820 settlers, the central and eastern part of the province is the traditional home of the Xhosa people. This region is the birthplace of many prominent South African politicians, such as Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu, Govan Mbeki, Raymond Mhlaba, Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe, Chris Hani, Thabo Mbeki, Steve Biko, Bantu Holomisa and Charles Coghlan (Wikipedia).
Day 1 - Sunday 10 January, 2010
Drive down from Pretoria to Bizana (862km). Rented Renault Logan (YSH372GP) from Tempest car Hire in Schoeman Street (Cnr. Eastwood) on 9 Jan 2010. Received car with full tank, so must return with full tank upon my return. Susan lent me her GPS which made things so much easier. The guy at the guest house said there is a shorter route via Durban and Port Edward. I refueled once at the Bergview One Stop plaza and paid R 193.00. I forgot to get a receipt at the first toll gate. At the second toll gate, I was distracted by the GPS and did not pay attention at my speed as I approached the second toll gate and consequently got a flash from a speeding camera. I arrived in Bizana at 5 pm after leaving Pretoria at 6:30 am. I booked in at Daphs B & B located at 49 Lewis Street, Bizana and I was given the ‘Lion’ room. They have a beautiful garden filled with African craft and lights. I was served an excellent dinner which I was unable to finish since the plate was filled with Traditional African cooked food. I had to take a cold shower though later on, because they forget to switch on the geyser. There is no air-con or fan and I was told to close all the windows for the mosquitoes, so it’s a bit hot in the room. The staff is very friendly and helpful. Tomorrow I start to install at the Bizana District ICT center. Dad recharged my MTN account with R 110.00 yesterday and Susan recharged it today with R 180. My family gave me R 900 for petrol and food on top of the R1000 Learnthings gave as an upfront payment.
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| Near Bizana, Transkei |
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| Near Bizana, Transkei |
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| Near Bizana, Transkei |
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| Near Bizana, Transkei |
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| Near Bizana, Transkei |
About Bizana
Bizana is a rural village in the Trans-Kei River region of Eastern Cape Province, and the birthplace of Oliver Tambo and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela (SA History online).
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| Bizana, Transkei |
Day 2 - Monday 11 January, 2010
After breakfast at Daphs B & B, I drove to the Bizana ICT Centre about 1.5 km from here. I met with Ms. Bomoyi who took me with a bakkie to Luna JSS in Nyaka location. Upon arrival, I met with the principal, Mr. N.J. Magidela. Ms. Bomoyi and Nthisana Faro, a science teacher at the school helped me to install, both primary and secondary content on 15 out of 30 pc’s in the computer lab. I also installed both contents on 6 PCs in the library. Ms. Bomoyi went back to Bizana and fetched Chumane the IT man responsible for the district. He sorted out another 7 PC’s in the lab onto which we could install content. The computers are riddled with viruses and none of the schools seem to have any anti-virus software available. It furthermore seems that the junior secondary schools in the Eastern Cape go up to grade 9.
The primary content only goes up to grade 7. The schools then request for the secondary content as well which creates time management problems for the installer, since double installations take twice longer. Ms. Bomoyi and Chumane then took me to Mpondombeni SSS also in Nyaka location, where we arrived around 2 pm. After I met with the principal, Mr. Gabada, we went to the PC lab where Ms. Bomoyi and Chumane assisted me with installing secondary content on 14 PC’s out of 28 who were working. Again the PC’s were riddled with viruses. Chumane did his best to get 14 PC’s at least in order to install upon. Mr. Gabada did not sign off as he left before completion of the installation, but Ms. Bomoyi signed off on the installation. We drove back to Bizana and were back around 5 pm. Ms. Bomoyi and Chumane were of great help.
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| Kids playing on the street near my Guesthouse - Bizana, Transkei |
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| Bizana, Transkei |
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| Bizana, Transkei |
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| Nyaka location, near Bizana, Transkei |
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| Nyaka location, near Bizana, Transkei |
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| Lukholo location, near Bizana, Transkei |
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| Mpondombeni school, Nyaka location, near Bizana, Transkei |
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| Lukholo location, near Bizana, Transkei |
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| Lukholo location, near Bizana, Transkei |
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| Lukholo location, near Bizana, Transkei |
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| Lukholo location, near Bizana, Transkei |
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| Traditional Transkei living, near Bizana, Transkei |
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| Grazing cows near Bizana, Transkei |
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| Traditional huts near Bizana, Transkei |
Day 3 - Tuesday 12 January, 2010
Left Daphs B & B after breakfast and booking out. On my way to Bizana ICT centre, Ms. Bomoyi called and asked me to meet her at Lukholo location, about 8km further than Nyaka Location. Upon my arrival, I was introduced to the principal Mrs. N.R. Lukhozi. Ms. Bomoyi and I were assisted by several teachers and school kids to set up and to install. Abegail Dufana, the accounts teacher, was especially helpful. We installed secondary content on 19 lab PCs and one laptop. There were fewer viruses than the previous schools and all but 4 PCs were installed. There seems to be an anti-virus called Symantec on the PC’s, but since there is no internet connection, no updates have been done, which still creates risks. We drove back to Bizana where we began the big task at the District resource center to set up the computers and to install both contents on 20 lab PCs and 4 staff laptops.
Again the staff was very helpful and we were done around 4 pm. I then hit the road for the drive down to Lusikisiki, about 100 km from Bizana via the R 61. It was very misty and it took me more than 2 hours to reach Lusikisiki due to the slow drive. I booked in at SIPS B & B in Bubu Avenue where I will spend the next 3 nights. I’m pleasantly surprised by the fact that they have wireless internet and a swimming pool. Again, I had a fabulous dinner after a long hard day and DSTV in the rooms, has enabled me to be a couch potato for the remainder of the evening. I feel utterly exhausted after today, so I will sleep like a baby tonight (or is it like a rock?).
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| Dam near Bizana, Transkei |
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| On the road between Bizana and Lusikisiki |
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| The scenery on the road between Bizana and Lusikisiki |
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| The scenery on the road between Bizana and Lusikisiki |
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| Shop on the road between Bizana and Lusikisiki |
About Lusikisiki
Lusikisiki is a town in Ingquza Hill Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. This village is 45 km north of Port St Johns in East Pondoland. It developed from a military camp established in 1894, was surveyed in 1902 and administered by a village management board since 1932 (Wikipedia).
Lusikisiki is wild. The countryside is rugged, remote and untamed, and time has virtually stood still in a part of the world known as ‘God’s country’ or Pondoland. The little town gets its name from the sound of the wind moving through the grass. Here the countryside - a series of rolling hills, lush tropical forests, wide open spaces, untouched beaches, and an untamed mystery - supports the local people’s lifestyle that has changed little over the years. The AmaMpondo are a welcoming people who traditionally live in huts; old-style and beehive-shaped (SA venues.com).
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| Lusikisiki, Transkei |
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| Lusikisiki, Transkei |
Day 4 – Wednesday 13 January
After breakfast, I phoned Mrs. Gcinga-Ndolo, but she said that due to power cuts and the rain she was unable to assist me. She did, however, give me Mrs. Nomaza, her supervisor’s number and I called her, and she made arrangements for me to be met by Mrs. Mathembu at the Lusikisiki resource center. Upon my arrival, I was shown the PC lab and I requested assistance. Ms. Pam Zimella came later to assist me with the installation. We managed to install both primary and secondary content on 28 lab PCs and one laptop. Only 3 PCs were out of order and I must commend the resource centre for a clean and well-maintained lab. Later, Mrs. Gcinga-Ndolo and Pam, the IT specialist, accompanied me to our next installation, Siwali JCC, about 10 km from the resource center. The principal, Mrs. Lindi met with us and seemed interested in the software. We installed both secondary and primary content on 29 lab PCs. Pam and Mrs. Gcinga-Ndolo helped me a lot and we managed to finish at 4 pm.
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| Content installation |
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| Siwali JCC - Lusikisiki |
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| Siwali JCC - Lusikisiki |
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| Siwali JCC - Lusikisiki |
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| Siwali JCC - Lusikisiki |
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| Rural scenery, Lusikisiki, Transkei |
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| Lusikisiki street scenery, Transkei |
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| Lusikisiki street scenery, Transkei |
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| Lusikisiki street scenery, Transkei |
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| A caravan spaza, Lusikisiki, Transkei |
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| SIPS B&B in Lusikisiki where I stayed |
Day 5 – Thursday 14 January, 2010
I met Mrs. Gcinga-Ndolo and Ms. Pam Zimella at the Lusikisiki ICT at 8 am. They accompanied me to our first installation, Bakuba JSS in Tabankulu, about 160 km from Lusikisiki and only 30 km from Mt Frere. The question remains why Bakuba JSS is not serviced by Mt. Frere district instead of Lusikisiki district. Upon our arrival, we were met by the IT teacher and taken to the lab. We could not, however, install content on a single computer out of 30 lab PCs, due to viruses. We were told that the problem was reported to the head office in December. That problem, however, was never reported to Lusikisiki ICT center, so it was news for Ms. Pam Zimella the IT specialist at Lusiksiki ICT district center. We drove all the way to be met with this problem and we could do nothing about it. We left and drove all the way back towards Flagstaff, turning left from the R 61, just before Flagstaff onto Mhlanga JSS. We arrived at 1 pm and were met by the Deputy –principal, Mr. Kamana. We were shown to the lab and managed to install both primary and secondary content on 12 lab PCs out of 17. I could not activate the content on one pc since the activation page did not provide me with a project code to generate an activation key. So effectively 11 PCs were installed correctly. I had to use my own transportation to and from installation sights over the last 2 days in Lusikisiki.
The roads are not good enough for a small car. There was a lot of off-roading on dirt roads and even the main roads are riddled with potholes. I am not sure why the department could not provide us with a proper off-road vehicle. Again, viruses seem to plague all PCs at installation sites. The provided Symantec anti-virus software doesn't seem to successfully protect PCs. Since most schools have no internet connection, they cannot update the anti-virus software. This could cause serious problems in the future leaving PCs unprotected and rendering our software useless if it cannot be accessed. We traveled nearly 400 km today and together with the heat left us all pretty exhausted at the end of the day. Upon my arrival back at SIPS B&B, I appreciated the splash pool to cool off and the excellent dinner refueled my strength. Tomorrow, I’m leaving for Libode district where I have to do 3 installations. Ms. Pam Zimella was of great help in the last 2 days and she even arranged with Mrs. Pama and Bonga the IT girl at Libode to help me tomorrow. Another day, another dollar. Last but not least, I miss my wife.
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| Bakuba Junior Secondary school, Tabankulu, Eastern Cape |
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| Bakuba Junior Secondary school, Tabankulu, Eastern Cape |
About Flagstaff
Flagstaff is a town in the OR Tambo District Municipality of the Eastern Cape province of South Africa located some 80 km south-east of Kokstad and 45 km north of Lusikisiki. It is the seat of the Ingquza Hill Local Municipality. The town developed from a trading station established in 1877 and derives its name from the practice by the owners of hoisting a white flag on Sundays to indicate that the store was closed. For many years it served as a post of the Cape Mounted Rifles (Wikipedia).
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| Rural area near Flagstaff, Eastern Cape |
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| Mhlanga Junior Secondary school, near Flagstaff, Eastern Cape |
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| Feeding scheme for schoolkids, Mhlanga Junior Secondary school, near Flagstaff, Eastern Cape |
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| Rural area near Flagstaff, Eastern Cape |
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One of the teacher's kids
Mhlanga Junior Secondary school, near Flagstaff, Eastern Cape
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| Nature & rural scenery - near Flagstaff, EC |
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| Nature & rural scenery - near Flagstaff, EC |
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| Nature & rural scenery - near Flagstaff, EC |
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| Nature & rural scenery - near Flagstaff, EC |
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| Lusikisiki, Transkei |
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| Lusikisiki, Transkei |
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| Rural Lusikisiki, Transkei |
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| Rural Lusikisiki, Transkei |
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| Tire repair 'shop' - Lusikisiki |
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| Rural Lusikisiki, Transkei |
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| Rural Lusikisiki, Transkei |
Day 6 – Friday 15 January, 2010
I left Lusikisiki after breakfast and drove approximately 100 km to Libode, via Port St. Johns. I met with Mrs. Pama and Bonga from the Libode ICT district center. I followed behind them as we took a dirt road to Chizela JSS about 7 km from Libode town. At Chizela, we installed both primary and secondary content on 27 lab pc’s out of 31. Windows were not activated on the other 4, so we could not install the content. I gave the principal, Mr. Mjali a demonstration on how the software works. The lab is in very good condition. I then followed Mrs. Pama and Bonga to our next installation at Dimanda SSS about 30 km on another dirt road, which was not in a good condition. The principal and some teachers waited for us and we arrived around 1 pm.
We installed secondary content on 20 out of 26 brand new PCs. Bonga had set them up the previous day. Some of the PCs had Windows activation problems and could not be started up to install content. We then went back to the Libode Resource center for the third installation, which never took place. Upon our arrival, we were told the building has no electricity. The power trips all the time and it will take electricians some time to solve the problem. I called Susan, who spoke to Mrs. Pama and it was decided that the installation was possible. I then followed Mrs. Pama to Mtatha, who was kind enough to show me where the Country Lodge was situated just outside Mtatha.
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| Rural scenery - Libode district, Transkei |
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| Chizela JSS about 7 km from Libode town |
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| Chizela JSS - Donkeys mowing the lawn |
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| Rural scenery - Libode district, Transkei |
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| Chizela JSS - sanitation at rural schools are questionable |
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| Dimanda Senior Secondary school - With the principal |
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| Rural scenery - Libode district, Transkei |
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| The road to Dimanda Senior Secondary school |
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| The road to Dimanda Senior Secondary school |
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| Dimanda Senior Secondary school |
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| Rural scenery - Libode district, Transkei |
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| Saying goodbye to Bonga, my guide to the schools in Libode district, Transkei |
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| Bus stop spaza - Libode district, Transkei |
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| Near Mtatha, Transkei |
I stayed at a country lodge just outside Mtatha, the Friday night, and drove to Port Elizabeth the next day, where I spent the weekend and most of the following week. I used PE as a base for all the surrounding rural areas.
Day 7 – Saturday 16 January
After a sleep in and a breakfast, I began my journey towards PE. I arrived at around 7 pm and booked in at the Road Lodge in Marine Drive. Tomorrow is a rest day.
About Port Elizabeth
Port Elizabeth or The Bay (Afrikaans: Die Baai) is one of the largest cities in South Africa, situated in the Eastern Cape Province, 770 km east of Cape Town. The city, often shortened to PE and nicknamed "The Friendly City" or "The Windy City", stretches for 16 km along Algoa Bay, and is one of the major seaports in South Africa. Port Elizabeth is the southernmost large city on the African continent, just farther south than Cape Town. Port Elizabeth was founded as a town in 1820 to house British settlers as a way of strengthening the border region between the Cape Colony and the Xhosa. It now forms part of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, which has a population of over 1.3 million (Wikipedia).
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| Sharks rock, Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape |
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| Port Elizabeth sunset, Eastern Cape |
Day 8 – Sunday 17 January, 2010
I slept until 9 am. Took my clothes to the laundry and bought a new pair of sunglasses. Went for a walk on the beach and took many pics. I went back to the hotel for lunch. Picked up my clean clothes and resupplied on water. Came back for a nap and took a sunset walk on the boardwalk and took more pics. I then had dinner at a Chinese restaurant and went back to the hotel to edit my pics and watch TV.
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| Exploring the tidal pools, Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape |
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| Seagulls - Tidal Pools |
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| Port Elizabeth beach house, Eastern Cape |
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| Port Elizabeth at sunset, Eastern Cape |
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| Port Elizabeth boardwalk, Eastern Cape |
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| Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape |
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| Port Elizabeth street scenery, Eastern Cape |
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| Train restaurant - Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape |
Day 9 – Monday 18 January, 2010
I left PE at around 8 am and arrived in Uitenhage around 9 am. Mrs. Hlangani, the e-learning adviser for Uitenhage district and our contact was not available to assist me. She arranged with Mrs. Brenda Subramanien, the DCES for the district to help me. She took me to Nomathamsanqa Township about 56 km from Uitenhage to AV Bukani Primary School, where I met with the principal, Mr. Z.J. Thambo and installed primary content on 21 lab PCs. The school has 9 outdated PCs which made it difficult to install the content on and I only managed to do 3 of them, mainly CD-roms not even opening up. The IT teacher, Mr. Tanato assisted me to switch computers, since not all the plugs were working and we had to switch PCs to have the power to install.
We drove back to Uitenhage and went to Caritas Primary school where I installed primary content on 20 out of 21 available PCs. The PC lab is the best I've seen so far, clean and well maintained and the school obviously places a high value on e-learning. I managed a quick installation and we had time to install both primary and secondary content on 18 of the 36 PCs at the Uitenhage Resource center. I will go back on Wednesday to finish the rest.
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| Housing - Poor settlement on the outskirts of Port Elizabeth |
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| Housing - Poor settlement on the outskirts of Port Elizabeth |
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| Shop - Poor settlement on the outskirts of Port Elizabeth |
About Uitenhage
Uitenhage is a South African town in the Eastern Cape Province. It is well known for the Volkswagen factory located there, which is the biggest car factory on the African continent. The city of Port Elizabeth and the small town of Despatch are located near Uitenhage, to the east. Uitenhage was founded on 25 April 1804 by landdrost (district magistrate) Jacob Glen Cuyler and named in honour of the Cape's Commissioner-General Jacob Abraham Uitenhage de Mist by the Dutch Cape Colony governor, Jan Willem Janssens (Wikipedia).
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| Cows grazing on the sports field, Caritas Primary school, Uitenhage, Eastern Cape |
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| 'Forties scenery' - Uitenhage |
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| Uitenhage architecture |
I often took my camera and just walked around PE for hours on end to snap these pics. I also drove around on other occasions to take photographs of one of my favorite places in South Africa.
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| Dutch Reformed Church, Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape |
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| View of the boardwalk from my hotel room, Port Elizabeth |
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| Port Elizabeth house |
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| Downtown PE |
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| View of Harbor & bay area from a hill - Port Elizabeth |
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| View of Harbor & bay area from a hill - Port Elizabeth |
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| PE houses |
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| Colorful homes, Port Elizabeth street scenery |
Day 10 – Tuesday 19 January, 2010
As arranged with Mr. Bouwers earlier, he could only meet after 08:30 am. I called him and he gave me directions to the Teachers center as it is known, where the district has its offices. The building is in downtown PE on a hill overlooking the harbor in Lutman street. He was having other installations the same day as well as an inspector from Bisho. I installed both primary and secondary content on 17 lab PCs. There were network problems on 13 PCs and we could not gain access to them so as to install the content. He could not accompany me to my next installation and the inspector who was on his way to Uitenhage agreed to show me the school. We arrived around 11 am at Cedarberg primary school, situated in Booysenspark outside PE, about 25 km from the district center, where I installed primary content on 23 out of 26 PCs. I also installed the content on the server for them. The PCs were quite slow and struggled to open the installation menu. The school installed Norton anti-virus on their PCs and according to the IT teacher Mr. Velkers, sometimes create problems.
It took me until around 3 pm, because nobody helped me. I gave a short demonstration to Mrs. Appolis, another IT teacher, how to use the software and what the Primary content contains. I was too late to do another school. The Siyapahambili primary school was another 50 km in another direction from Cedarberg and it seems that I caught Mr. Bouwers at a bad time, so he could not assist me in any matter or even make arrangements for me to go the third school. There is a big communication gap between the head office of the Department of Education and the different ICT district centers as to what and when things are happening in the districts which the department decide but does not bother to inform the districts centers. This means that we arrive unannounced or with very short notice and the ICT centers then don’t have time to prepare for our visit. If they are notified within ample time they can then prepare and make sure that all the PCs in their district where we are going to do the installations are prepped, virus free and in working order so that we can install.
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| Fishing community - near Port Elizabeth |
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| Colorful home - fishing community, near Port Elizabeth |
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| Colorful home - fishing community, near Port Elizabeth |
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| Fishing community, near Port Elizabeth |
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| Port Elizabeth harbor |
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| Train tracks - Port Elizabeth |
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| Windy beach scenery - Port Elizabeth |
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| The Red Windmill - Summerstrand, Port Elizabeth |
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| Boardwalk - Port Elizabeth |
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| Boardwalk - Port Elizabeth |
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| Boardwalk scenery - Port Elizabeth |
Day 11 – Wednesday 20 January
I booked out at the Road lodge around 7 am this morning and departed for Uitenhage to be at the Resource center PC lab at 8 am as I arranged. I eventually got access at around 8:30am. I installed primary and secondary content on another 9 lab PCs and 2 staff laptops. On Monday, I installed the other 18 PCs. Mrs. Subramanien and I then left for Bluelilliesbush primary school, approximately 175km from Uitenhage. We arrived and met the principal Mr. Nyati, who took us to the PC lab and called for Mr. Koopman who came to help. The lab is in mint condition and all the PCs except one were working and in very good working order. I managed a fast installation and activation of both primary and secondary content. I installed the secondary content, because the school teaches up to grade 9. We drove the 175 km back to Uitenhage and I then drove to PE where I arrived just after 6 pm. I phoned Mr. Bouwers to arrange for installation at Siyaphambile PM tomorrow, but could not reach him and left a voice mail.
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| Bluelilliesbush, Eastern Cape |
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| Bluelilliesbush, Eastern Cape |
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| Bluelilliesbush, Eastern Cape |
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| Bluelilliesbush, Eastern Cape |
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| Boardwalk - Port Elizabeth |
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| Port Elizabeth street scenery, Eastern Cape |
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| Port Elizabeth street scenery, Eastern Cape |
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| Street wall paintings - Port Elizabeth |
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| Port Elizabeth houses |
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| Port Elizabeth houses |
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| Aloe tree near King Edward hotel - PE |
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| Sunday Times Newspaper headline/advertisement - PE |
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| King Edward hotel, Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape |
Day 12 – Thursday 21 January
I checked out of the Road lodge at around 8 am and called Mr. Bouwers to see if he could accompany me to Siyaphambile PM in Motherwell. He told me he was in a meeting until 11 am, so I drove up to Motherwell about 20 km from PE central and found the school. I met with the IT Teacher, Mrs. Siphokazi Monokali and with the principal Mr. Robert Nqweni. I introduced the product and they sounded very excited. I installed both primary and secondary content on 18 lab PCs out of 25 and 2 servers. The PCs were rife with viruses and were very slow. I also experienced problems with the activation. The school was very hospitable and brought me sodas and fruit. I gave Mrs. Monokali, an extensive demonstration on how to use the software and explained how the teachers can utilize the software. I drove back to P.E. to fetch my laundry at Fresh the clean and then drove to Graaff-Reinet, about 250 km from P.E. taking the R 75. I booked in at Odette’s B & B, situated at 27 West Street.
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| The scenery on the road between Port Elizabeth and Graaff-Reinet |
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| The scenery on the road between Port Elizabeth and Graaff-Reinet |
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| Village - the road between Port Elizabeth and Graaff-Reinet |
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| Windpump - the road between Port Elizabeth and Graaff-Reinet |
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| The rainbow nation - near Graaff-Reinet |
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| Mountain range near Graaff-Reinet |
About Graaff-Reinet
Graaff-Reinet is a town in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It is the fourth oldest town in South Africa, after Cape Town, Stellenbosch, and Swellendam.
The town was founded by the VOC (Dutch East India Company) in 1786, being named after the then governor of Cape Colony, Cornelis Jacob van de Graaff, and his wife, whose maiden name was "Reinet" (Wikipedia).
Day 13 – Friday 22 January, 2010
A day I do not want to relive again. I realized this morning that I don’t have my documents or installation Cd with me. I looked everywhere but could not find it, so I called Mr. Bouwers in P.E. who promised me that he will phone the last school I was at in P.E. He called me back later and said that they found it in the Siyaphambile PC lab. I drove all the way to P.E. and back from Graaff-Reinet, about 500 km to fetch everything. Upon my arrival back in Graaff-Reinet, I called Gandhi at the District resource center, because I could not get hold of Mr. Henry Thompson. He said that I can go to the Resource Center in Plasket street to install and that there will be people there to assist me. I arrived at around 3 pm and started to install. I installed both contents on 30 working PCs out of 31. Mr. Henry Thompson later joined me and assisted me. He arranged for me to go and install at Spandau SSS in Graaff-Reinet. The school had an evening function and the staff gave me access to install secondary content on 30 out of 31 lab PCs. I finished at around 11 pm and was grateful for my bed at Odette’s B&B.
Day 14 - 15 – Sat. & Sunday 23 - 24 January, 2010
I mostly remained at Odette’s B&B, resting and swimming. I took some walks around Graaff-Reinet taking pictures.
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| Graaff-Reinet architecture |
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| Monument - The Dutch Reformed Church |
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| Graaff-Reinet architecture |
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| Graaff-Reinet architecture |
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| Shop ads and public telephone - Graaff Reinet |
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| Graaff-Reinet architecture |
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| Graaff-Reinet architecture |
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| Church - Graaff-Reinet architecture |
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| Street scenery - Graaff-Reinet |
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| Street scenery - Graaff-Reinet |
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| Street scenery - Graaff-Reinet |
Day 16 – Monday 25 January, 2010
I woke up early and after an early breakfast, I met with Mr. Henry Thompson at the Graaff-Reinet district office, where he gave me directions to Johnson Nqonqoza SSS in Somerset-East. I traveled to Somerset East on the R 63 via Pearston and arrived at 09:30 am about 125 km from Graaff-Reinet. I was supposed to meet Gandhi there, but he already left to tend to issues at another school. I met with the principal, Mr. Henry Syce and he showed me to the lab, where a German volunteer, Florian Hunker, was in charge of the PC lab. I then installed secondary content on 36 working out of 37 PCs, as well as 2 staff laptops.
It took some time, since I did not get a lot of assistance and some of the PCs were really slow. I gave a short demonstration on how to use the content. I finished around 1:30 pm and followed Gandhi to Cookhouse, approximately 23 km from Somerset East, where we installed at Msobomvu Primary school. Gandhi assisted me to install primary content on 30 out of 32 PCs, including one staff laptop. I gave the principal, Mr. Jeyi a short demonstration regarding content layout and how to use the content. I finished around 3:30 pm and took the R 63 back to Graaf-Reinet, where I arrived at 5:30 pm after travelling 140 km in stormy weather.
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| Somerset East - Eastern Cape |
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| African hair salon - Cookhouse, Eastern Cape |
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| Rural house - Cookhouse, Eastern Cape |
Day 17 – Tuesday 26 January, 2010
As arranged with Gandhi the previous day, I was waiting for him at the Graaff-Reinet District centre. The plan was that he would get a government car to take me to Klipplaat early in the morning so that I could have an early move on to Cradock. I arrived at the center before 8 am and while I was waiting, installed all the ICT laptops at the centre (5 laptops) for the IT section. Gandhi arrived only at 10 and we only got a move on at 11 am. On the way to Klipplaat, we stopped at Jansenville High where he said he would be 10 minutes, but it took 40 minutes. When we arrived at Klipplaat, it was already 12:30 and my patience was on a short stick. Gandhi left me there to go to another school. I soon discovered that I could not log on. None of the staff at the school knew the password. It seems that Head-Office IT technicians installed on the computers last week and that they changed all the usernames of the administrator, not bothering to tell the school or informing them what the passwords were.
I called Gandhi, who came back and tried to log on as well, without success. I installed one staff laptop. I explained the problem to Susan. Gandhi then suggested we install at another school instead, namely Jansenville primary in Jansenville. The school was extremely grateful. They don’t have government-sponsored computers like other schools, but sponsored their own lab from school fees. Mr. Henry Wevers assisted me with the installation. We finished at 5 and still had to drive 82 km to Graaff- Reinet. We arrived at 6 pm and I then collected my stuff from Odette’s B&B, had some dinner and hit the road to Cradock 145 km from Graaff-Reinet to only arrive about 20:30 at Victoria Manor Hotel in 36 Mark Street.
About Klipplaat
Klipplaat is a town in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is a 185 km north-west of Port Elizabeth. It is named after the large slabs of rock (in Afrikaans Klip or rock and plaat or sheet) on the surface (Wikipedia).
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| Klipplaat, Eastern Cape |
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| Broken school window - Klipplaat, Eastern Cape |
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| Playground - Klipplaat, Eastern Cape |
About Jansenville
Jansenville is a town in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province. It is about 87 km south of Graaff-Reinet on the Sundays River. It was laid out on the farm Vergenoegd in 1854, and proclaimed in 1855 and later became a municipality in 1881. It was named after General Jan Willem Janssens (1762-1838), the last Batavian Governor of the Cape (Wikipedia).
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| Jansenville, Eastern Cape |
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| Schoolkids - Jansenville, Eastern Cape |
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| Jansenville, Eastern Cape |
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| Church - Jansenville |
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| Monument to Andries Pretorius |
Monument to Andries Pretorius near Graaff Reinette, Eastern Cape (Born Andries Wilhelmus Jacobus Pretorius - 27 November 1798 – 23 July 1853 - Great Trek Leader after whom Pretoria was named. He farmed in the district before the Great Trek. He was instrumental in the creation of the Transvaal Republic).
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| Nature scenery near Graaff-Reinet |
About Cradock
Cradock, a town in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, is located in the upper valley of the Great Fish River, about 250 kilometres north-east of Port Elizabeth (Wikipedia).
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| Cradock - Eastern Cape |
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| Dining room of the Victoria Manor hotel - Cradock |
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| Victoria Manor hotel - Cradock |
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| Cradock street scene - taken from the Victoria Manor hotel |
Day 19 – Thursday 28 January
As arranged with Mr. Zizi and Bulelani yesterday, we met at my hotel this morning at 7:30 am and we drove to Nxuba Senior primary in Lingelihle Township in Cradock. We arrived around 8 am and met with the IT teacher. We installed primary content on all 19 lab pc’s. We then departed for Amavundle Senior primary near Queenstown in Thornhill Township, about 110 km from Cradock. We passed through Tarkastad and stopped at the Tarkastad High school to arrange with the principal an installation at his school later in the afternoon. At Amavundle SPM we installed 18 out of 19 lab pc’s. We then headed to Phumlani Senior Primary in Kwezi village about 40 km by a very bad dirt road.
We arrived an hour later and together with the IT teacher Mr. Liwane, we installed primary content on 21 out of 24 lab pc’s. We then went back to Tarkastad to install at Tarkastad High School. We met with the principal, Mr. Booysen who was in a meeting and he could only briefly see us. I explained what we were going to install and gave him the documentation. We installed secondary content on 24 out of 34 lab pc’s. We finished around 5 pm and drove back to Cradock. We did 4 installations today. However, I would not have been able to do it all by myself and I’m indebted to Mr. Zizi and Bulelani who gave their time, energy and organizational skills to help me.
About Tarkastad
Tarkastad is a small Karoo town in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is located on a plain to the north of the Winterberg mountain range. The name Tarkastad comes from the Khoi-Khoi word Traka (meaning women) and the Afrikaans word stad (meaning city). It was established in 1862 as a church center and became a municipality in 1864 (Wikipedia).
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| Bakery - Tarkastad |
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| Sheep galore - near Tarkastad |
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| Old farmhouse - near Tarkastad |
Day 20 – Friday 29 January, 2010
I had breakfast at the Victoria Manor Hotel in Cradock and Mr. Zizi brought his laptop afterward for me to install content on. I then departed for Grahamstown approximately 120 km from Cradock and arrived around 12 noon. I got a voice-mail from Susan that there was no accommodation available in Grahamstown and that she would book a room for me in King Williamstown. I was already in Grahamstown and wanted to do as much as possible. I tried to call Mrs. Sotashe from the district ICT office, but could not reach her. I went by myself to Nombulelo SSS in Grahamstown and met with the principal Mr. Koliti, who gave me permission to install.
I installed secondary content on all 32 available lab PCs and when Mr. Koliti brought Mrs. Roxo, the IT teacher, I gave them a demonstration on how to use the content. I was later joined by Grant, the district IT technician who helped me to install. I later also got hold of Mrs. Sotashe, who was attending a workshop in another town, and who advised me to stay the weekend in Port Alfred since the next school I had to do, Nompucuko SSS, was situated near Port Alfred. I arranged with Susan to book a room in Port Alfred instead of King Williams town and she booked a room at the Ferndale B & B in 13 Ferndale Road, where I spent the weekend.
About Grahamstown
Grahamstown is a city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa of about 70,000 people. It is about 110 kilometres north-east of Port Elizabeth. It hosts Rhodes University, the Eastern Cape Division of the High Court, and 6 South African Infantry Battalion.
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| Grahamstown - Eastern Cape |
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| Grahamstown - Eastern Cape |
Day 21-22: Saturday & Sunday 30 - 31 January, 2010
Thus far the best place I have stayed on my trip, the Ferndale B & B was a great choice. The owner Kevin made me feel welcome and they were very hospitable. He even lent me his bicycle to explore Port Alfred and take pictures. I had great conversations with him and his wife. I also caught up on much-needed sleep.
About Port Alfred
Port Alfred is a small town in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It has a population of just under 26,000 and is situated on the eastern seaboard of the country at the mouth of the Kowie River, almost exactly halfway between the larger cities of Port Elizabeth and East London. It was established in the early 1820’s by British settlers who were moved into the area by Lord Charles Somerset as a buffer between the Cape Colony and the Xhosa people. Originally it was two separate towns (settlers arriving on the west bank in 1820 named their settlement Port Kowie, and those arriving on the east bank named theirs Port Frances. When Queen Victoria’s son Prince Alfred visited, the place in 1860, the name was changed (Wikipedia).
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| Port Alfred marina - Eastern Cape |
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| Port Alfred marina - Eastern Cape |
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| Port Alfred marina - Eastern Cape |
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| Port Alfred marina - Eastern Cape |
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| Port Alfred marina - Eastern Cape |
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| Marina - the photo was taken from the Nico Malan bridge, in Port Alfred |
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| Nico Malan bridge at night - Port Alfred |
Day 23 – Monday 1 February, 2010
After I checked out of the Ferndale B & B in Port Alfred, I drove the 30 km on the R 63 to Nompucuko School near Kent on Sea. I arrived at around 8:30 am and met the principal who was on his way out, but he asked Mr. Yankwa to assist me. He showed me the lab and when I realized the school was from grade 1 to 12, I phoned Susan to inform her. I then installed both primary and secondary content on 30 out of 31 lab PCs. Mr. Sotashe from district never contacted me. I did ask Grant the IT specialist to come and help me, but he said he couldn't. After installation and giving Mr. Yankwa a demonstration how the software works, I left for Grahamstown about 60 km from Kent on Sea and arrived at 13:30 at the district center on the corner of Milner & St. Aidan streets. Grant fetched me at the car park and took me to the resource center where my nightmare began. He said he had something to do and left saying he would be back in 15 minutes. He never came back to help.
Only the PCs on the side were connected, but all those in the middle had no power plugs nearby. I installed those in the side and then had to use the one lead there was and a multi-plug to install on a group of PCs at a time, activate them and shut them down and only then moving on towards a next group. The curriculum lady, Mrs. Elna Barnard, was just sitting there ignoring me and my requests for leads and multi-plugs. I found out that she sent Ms. Sotashe home since she was sick. They never really offered any help and I was not assisted in this district. The center was a disorganized mess and there were computer mice missing, making my task even more difficult. On my whole Eastern Cape trip, I have not encountered an unhelpful bunch like this. Then they were later rushing me on, but it was their duty to provide a center which was already set up for installation. I was happy to leave and had time to calm down on the 120 km drive to King Williams town where I booked in at the Amatola Mountain View B & B in 14 Gerhardi Street.
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| The scenery on the road between Grahamstown and King Williams Town, Eastern Cape |
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| The scenery on the road between Grahamstown and King Williams Town, Eastern Cape |
Day 24 –Tuesday 2 February, 2010
After Breakfast and my telephone conversation with Mrs. Bokweni of the Fort Beaufort district centre, I drove the 45 km to Ntabenkonyana High School near Middledrift. I was met by the deputy principal and was shown to the lab. We initially could not log-in since the district changed all the usernames to that of the administrator during a previous installation. After a long struggle, we got the new password from Mrs. Bokweni and I then managed to install secondary content on 30 out of 32 available lab PCs. The principal later came to see me and I gave him a demonstration on how to use the software. He was really excited about it and he seems to really appreciate any resources especially e-learning. His lab is in an excellent condition and he takes a personal interest in it.
Nobody from district again could assist me, but said they were waiting for me at the District center to come and install there. I arrived at the center at 13:30 pm after driving another 40 km to Fort Beaufort on the R 63. Mr. Vijayakurup from the Center gave me directions and welcomed me personally at the center. He even bought me lunch and I had renewed strength to install. I installed primary and secondary content on 31 out of 32 available PCs as well as 2 staff laptops. The IT specialist Mr. Monga repaired some PCs so I could install on them. I finished around 5 pm and then drove the 80 km back to King Williams Town.
About Fort Beaufort
Fort Beaufort is a town in Eastern Cape Province, and has a population of about 26 000 (2011). The town was established in 1837 and became a municipality in 1883. The town lies at the confluence of the Kat River and Brak River between the Keiskamma and Great Fish Rivers. It serves as a mini-dormitory' for academic staff and students of Fort Hare University, based in the nearby town of Alice, and is also close to sulphur springs (Wikipedia).
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| Fort Beaufort, Eastern Cape |
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| Fort Beaufort, Eastern Cape |
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| Near Alice - Eastern Cape |
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| Nature scenery, near King Williams Town, Eastern Cape |
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| Nature scenery, near King Williams Town, Eastern Cape |
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| Nature scenery, near King Williams Town, Eastern Cape |
Day 25 – Wednesday 3 February, 2010
After breakfast, I contacted the KWT District contact, Mrs. Masabalala who asked me to meet her at the District office at 19 Buffalo Street, King Williams Town. I met her and she agreed to go with me to all my installations in her district. We decided to start with Isihoboti Combined School, located in Toise location, approximately 25 km from Stutterheim. We arrived around 09:30 am and met with the principal, Mr. Gayoyo. After I explained what we were about to do, he gave us access to the lab. I installed both primary and secondary content on 26 out of 31 PCs. I gave the principal and Mrs. Masabalala a demonstration on how to use the software and they seemed very excited about the possibilities.
The lab is in an excellent condition and everybody seemed committed to e-learning. Mrs. Masabalala and I left around 13:30 pm and drove the 60 km back to KWT. We arrived at 14:30 at the E-learning Resource Center located at the De Vos Malan High School in KWT. They were busy with a workshop and we could only gain access to the PC lab at 3 pm. We installed both primary and secondary content on all 32 available PCs. I also showed some district officials how the software works and they seemed excited about it. I managed to, with the help of Mrs. Masabalala to finish around 6 pm and fortunately only had to drive, according to my GPS, 400 m to my B&B.
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Mrs. Masabalala, my guide from the Eastern Cape Department of Education
at Isihoboti Combined school - Toise, near Stutterheim |
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| Isihoboti Combined school - Toise, near Stutterheim |
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| Toise, near Stutterheim |
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| Toise, near Stutterheim |
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| Toise, near Stutterheim |
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| Toise, near Stutterheim |
Day 26– Thursday 4 February, 2010
I only had one installation left for the Eastern Cape namely Dumalisile SSS near KWT. I arranged with Mrs. Masabalala that I would pick her up 8 am at the District office. We drove around 20 km to Dumalisile SSS in Nomgwadla village on the road towards Middledrift where we were received very enthusiastically by the principal, Mr. Mvandaba. He gave us access to the lab and assisted us in setting up some PCs who were not near working electrical plugs. Mrs. Masabalala and I then installed secondary content on 27 out of 31 available PCs as well as one school laptop. I gave the principal a demonstration of how the software works. It was my last installation and after 26 days on the road and 37 installations. I’m glad to be able to return to Pretoria and see my wife and rest. I will commence my trip back home tomorrow at 2 am.
Day 27– Friday 5 February, 2010
Drove back from KWT to Pretoria.
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