Late morning departure from Victoria Falls; a 5 hour layover in Johannesburg, then a 15 hour flight back to JFK. Another 5 hour layover in New York, then continuing on the SFO. Tomorrow we end up in Eugene, Oregon for Greg’s wedding.
I am writing this 3 hours out of JFK. Amazingly, Gloria and I have slept for most of the last 9 hours! We must be exhausted from the last 2 weeks. One interesting incident to note; on both of our flights in and out of Johannesburg, they sprayed the cabin with insecticide! The flight attendants with cans in hand ran down the isles with everyone murmuring. Not very pleasant for anyone with a few people quite angry.
Final thoughts on South Africa: A country in transition with a deep history. So little in this part of the continent had changed for so long until the Age of Exploration. Then, with colonialism, and the resultant need to conquer and control the people and natural resources by Europeans; stability has given way to a grab for power. From the Dutch to the British to the Afrikaners/neo Nazis, the tribal people have been exploited, the natural resources plundered.
Hope for stability does continue to grow, maybe with a light at the end of the tunnel. Just looking at the bookstores in Johannesburg airport, the shelves are loaded with books concerning conservation and business, (and Nelson Mandela). One hopes the future for South Africa is bright. Money and ideas are flowing as never before. Apartheid is dead, but the results will take a couple more generations to sort out. They spend 20% of their GDP compared to 7% for the US. They want a bright future, getting there will be a continual challenge.
Natural resources are abundant. Now, with the recognition that conservation and management of wildlife is essential, not only as a resource but to attract tourists, we saw groups of trackers in the National Parks, outfitted to deal with poachers. Indeed, there is a “shoot to kill” order. If poachers are found, trackers shoot first, and ask no questions.
In all four countries we visited, South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, and Botswana, politics and politicians are corrupt. Whether it is a democratically elected prime minister or president or a despostic king, power corrupts, absolute power, corrupts absolutely. I have no answers for that. We have found that military intervention/invasion doesn’t work. Perhaps the Peace and Reconciliation route does. South Africa is a good model for all of Africa if others care to watch.
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