Into the South African Heartland

By K. M. Ariff

This is a travelogue. The author makes an extraordinary journey with friends to the Western Cape, South Africa. As he probes into the countrys tinted history. What impresses him are not just its friendly people, natural beauty, safari animals and marine life, but also the spirit of national reconciliation by the great Nelson Mandela, who endured twenty-seven years of imprisonment. The writer realises there is another person who played a significant role in ending the white-minority democracy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing Singapore
• Release date: Jun 9, 2016
• ISBN: 9781482866254

K. M. Ariff

He served in the central bank of Malaysia and later in a financial services group. In the aftermath of the east Asian financial crisis, he joined the national asset management company that handled nonperforming loans to help bring the nation out of the deepening financial crisis. After retirement, he took up writing fiction as a hobby.

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Copyright © 2016 K. M. Ariff. All rights reserved.

ISBN

978-1-4828-6625-4 (e)

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

www.partridgepublishing.com/singapore

06/07/2016

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Contents

Acknowledgement

Chapter 1 The Proposal

Chapter 2 Cape Town

Chapter 3 Cape Peninsula

Chapter 4 Stony Point and Hermanus

Chapter 5 Oudtshoorn

Chapter 6 Knysna and Tsitiskamma National Park

Chapter 7 Plettenberg Bay

Chapter 8 Game Reserves

Chapter 9 Nelson Mandela

Chapter 10 Noble Peace Laureates

To Tan Sri Raja Aman and Puan Sri Amaal;

Ahmad and Zakiyyah;

Dato’ Shamsudin and Datin Salmah;

Azizi and Rohani;

Syed Jamil and Nooraiyasah;

Wan Kamal and Zaharah;

Azahari and Atiyyah;

Zulkifly and Normah;

Norlin and Aziah.

June and Imran.

Acknowledgement

Reminiscent of our wonderful trip to South Africa, we thought it would be meaningful if we could document our beautiful memories and experiences into a travelogue so that we can share with others the country’s beauty, its rich animal and marine reserves, its diverse culture and its unique history.

I am indebted to Norlin, who reviewed the synopsis and gave invaluable suggestions to improve the plot. My sincere thanks also go to Amaal who persuaded Norlin to organise and lead the tour.

I am indebted to Dato’ Shamsuddin who enlightened me of the major tourist and annual events that take place in the towns and places we travelled. I wish to extend my sincere thanks to Azizi for sharing his travel diary. To Syed Jamil and again to Norlin, I would like to thank them for their photo contributions. My sincere thanks also go to Ahmad and Zakiyyah whom I often referred to in the course of writing this travelogue.

I am grateful to the members of the tour group. The bond of friendship arising from this trip grew stronger as we travelled. Returning home, we establish our South African WhatsApp in which we chat with one another everyday and meet together regularly.

I must thank my beloved wife, Aziah, whom I discussed regularly as I wrote this travelogue and whose opinion and help I am addicted. And also my sincere appreciation for editing the manuscript and for working studiously to come up with the cover designs. You have always been very patient and understanding making my life so meaningful. I will always love you.

I would like also to thank Kin, Shazly, Feroz, Rosie, Airyl and Aslyn for their love, understanding and support.

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Poster of model of Mandela Prison Cell at

Cape Town International Airport

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A Mosque at Simon’s Town

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Cape of Good Hope

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In Stony Point Penguin Colony

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In Botlierskop Game Reserve

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Gondwana Game Reserve Huts

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In Gondwana Game Reserve

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The witches of Macbeth

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From Slavery Tree In Cape Town:

Nelson Mandela once said that it always seems impossible, until it’s done.

Chapter 1

The Proposal

O N A CLEAR, starry Saturday evening, at the invitation of our good friends, Amaal and her husband, Raja Aman –we called him Engku - Aziah and I dined at their lovely home. Also at the dinner were Ahmad and his wife, Zakiyyah who is Amaal’s cousin. The food included my favourite dishes, a salad that Amaal named it kerabu manga or mango salad and grilled salmon sprinkled with special herbs. They were very appetising and I couldn’t help taking an extra helping.

After dinner, they brought us to an exquisite conservatory with antique wooden furniture and handicrafts. It was partly surrounded by a manicured garden adorned with tall frangipanis, big lilies, jasmines, birds-of-paradise, and a variety of tall green leafy trees. We were served with good coffee blended to perfection with an aroma that even Starbucks could not compete.

Our conversation moved on from weddings to hobbies, to health tips, and finally to travels. We reminisced the good times we all had on the boat house in Kashmir. The following year we travelled to Kazakhstan, the next year to Morocco and the next to Turkey. The core group, including our spouses, comprised of twelve. We were mainly a retired lot who looked forward to travelling while still in good health.

I was trying to propose that we travelled to a far place that someone had suggested to me last year.

Then I said to Amaal, I once had a white South African neighbour, by the name of Charles William, who was a professor in digital engineering at our nearby university. His wife was from Johannesburg. They have a daughter who was studying in MIT Cambridge town, Massachusetts. He brought his mother, Margaret then 78, to my house a few times when she came to visit him.

Where did they live in South Africa?

In Cape Town. When Charles retired, he became an Australian citizen. And his mother joined him.

He did not settle in Cape Town?

I don’t know why.

That city is named as one of the best places in the world to visit by two New York newspapers. Amaal inquired further. You think there is a good reason why he chose not to settle in his beautiful homeland?

He never spoke about his country.

It is worthwhile visiting, said Engku.

Really?

If Engku says so, we all should travel there next, Zakiyyah suggested.

Engku’s suggestion gave me a reason