WHY I LOVE SOUTH AFRICA

I came to South Africa accidentally. I was en-route to London from West Africa and I was to be in South Africa for a few weeks. The few weeks had turn to years, I am still here and the rest is history.

My first encounter with South Africa was that it is a European country located in Africa.  I had travelled many places before, but I had never seen a beautiful African country like South Africa from the landing side, meaning the airport. At that time, all I had ever seen of South Africa was the airport, a few immigration officers, airport attendants and a small number of taxi drivers and chauffeurs who were beckoning for those they were waiting for.



Flag of the rainbow nation

That was my first encounter, the airport. I then moved around to drive to my destination, at that time I thought, where are the slums I am accustomed to by the airports from the other countries?  There was none in South Africa, then I drove towards the big cities and it was amazing!  I made it my mission from that day that I will learn as much as I can about this country and its people to know what makes them a bit different from most African countries I have visited before. 

During my first year in South Africa, things were not very easy for me as things did not go according to the plan I had when I relocated from my country. My plan was to stay for few  weeks in South Africa and then I would move to my glorious destination London! But God had a better plan for me than to be in London for the rest of my life.

  I met what people refer to as “true South Africans”.  I started interacting with different kinds of people from this country and I learnt how ‘humane’, ‘loving’, ‘caring’ and ‘willing to help’ they can be.  My first help came from an old white Afrikaaner who taught me the value of hard work and hard play.  He taught me that blood and sweat produced by working hard will never kill me, but it will make me stronger.  At the same time he also taught me that if I want to play hard I must explore the beauty of South Africa.

If I thought what I had seen in the cities was beautiful, I had not seen a tip of what South Africa had to offer.  My first holiday in South Africa I went to the Kruger National Park, that was heaven on earth, I thought I was really in an “African Haven”.  The beauty of nature in Mpumalanga, the animals in their natural habitat was great.



The big five animals in South Africa

I then went to Ezulwini, another tourist attraction in Mpumalanga, it was like the holidays should never end and they must stay forever, but unfortunately I had to go back to ‘hard work’ in the city.

I had to go to Durban the next holiday, my drive to Durban was a holiday in itself.  I enjoyed the road, the mountains, the valleys and the stories behind the cliffs and the hills of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).  I then arrived at my destination and there it was, the Indian Ocean with its beauty.  The beach was packed but the experience was imaginable.

 I loved the beach and the humanity of the people from KZN, they were the most humble people I had seen. When they narrated their stories to me, they also warned me that I should not mistake their humbleness for cowardice; they are the warriors in this country.

 I enjoyed every story I learnt about that part of the country as well from the Anglo Boer War to Bambatha War.  I said to myself, this country has a very rich history.

Then I explored the Western Cape and parts of Northern Cape, and then I thought to myself, ‘what more is there to see in this country that will blow my mind?’ . I saw the beauty and the rich history of Kuruman, the far and dry places of Uppington, and then it was a glorious drive from Northern Cape to Western Cape where I saw cliffs, valleys and hills.

 I took a ‘sho’t left’ to Knysna – what a beautiful place with beautiful views and golf estates; the place is rich in heritage.  As I approached Cape Town and I thought to myself ‘am I sure I am not in Britain or somewhere in Europe?’



Table mountain in Cape Town

 I saw the old history of the British settlers all around Cape Town, I loved the view, and the Table Mountain was one of the best attractions I had ever been to.  Then I drove around the neigbouring suburbs like Cape Flats, Ilanga, Inyanga and surrounding areas and I was fascinated with the universities in that area, and once again I did not want the holiday to finish. 

I believe, I still have a lot to explore in this country but so far, what I have seen has blown my mind. I love South Africa so much to the extent that I decided to stay for as long as it takes. 

Well, it's time to go back to work and study in the city...read my next blog titled "Reviewing the Reviewer".