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www.thevillagenews.co.za
FROM THE EDITOR
24 February 2021
Fernkloof gets what it deserves
While Covid-19 has wreaked havoc on tourism industries all over the world, it is good news indeed that one of our most precious tourist attractions is getting the recognition and protection it deserves. The Fernkloof Nature Reserve is internationally renowned for its unique indigenous biodiversity and is visited daily by tourists and residents alike. For this reason, the protection of the FNR is of the utmost importance and the completion of the Protected Area Management Plan is an important milestone for conservation in our area.
The FNR is not only the mountain reserve behind Hermanus but also includes, amongst others, the Cliff Paths and Hoy’s Koppie. A total of 78% of the reserve consists of critically endangered Sandstone Fynbos and 7.4% of vulnerable Agulhas Limestone Fynbos. The reserve constitutes 0.02% of the Cape Floral Region (CFR), a UNESCO World Heritage Site, yet it contains 18% of plant species found in the CFR. To enjoy this natural beauty it offers more than 60 km of hiking, walking, and cycling trails and a world-renowned herbarium.
Fernkloof, and much more to be expected in future, we must understand that it is only through the medium of talking to each other and negotiation that real progress is made. For the future, let us also keep in mind that while the FNR must be protected at all costs, sustainable development in some form or the other will be necessary to cover the ever-growing costs of maintaining the reserve.
agement authority for the reserve, residents and interested parties have made it abundantly clear over the last few years that the ownership of this land lies with the people. In 2017 a public meeting to oppose the then proposed management plan was one of the largest public meetings held in Hermanus to date. It also led to the creation of the conservation advocacy group Hands Off Fernkloof, which has become a well-known voice locally and internationally.
A reassuring aspect is that all potential development will be in line with not only the management plan but also environmental legislation. The new
While there has been robust debate over the last years about the future of
While the municipality is the man-
plan makes provision for a Concept Development Plan and a Sensitivity Analysis that will guide any development, reserve planning, access to and management priorities of the reserve. And while the FNR is set to flourish, we also need to extend a warm word of gratitude to all those who have worked tirelessly over the last few years on mapping the future of the reserve. There are countless individuals and organisations that all work together to preserve this piece of heaven on earth for us, and for that we need to thank them. This is the good NEWS – Ed
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apparently. Anyway, he obviously enjoyed these foreigners’ ‘intellectual’ company, because he loved hearing tales of their exploits and adventures abroad, and soon an unspoken bond developed between them.
De Waal Steyn
PUBLISHING EDITOR T: 083 700 3319
E: dewaal@thevillagenews.co.za
Marco recounted his sighting of the Flying Dutchman near the Cape of Storms, and his stay-over in Nice Nè with forest-dwellers who smoked exotic herbs and had pet elephants. He also mentioned his encounter with King Shaka, who’d presented him with a vuvuzela. But he obviously kept mum about the Kruger Millions, wallowing in the shallows of the Lawrence O’Marks harbour.
Hedda Mittner
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Raphael da Silva ONLINE EDITOR T: 074 125 5854
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Elaine Davie
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E: elaine@thevillagenews.co.za Taylum Meyer PRODUCTION MANAGER, PHOTOGRAPHY & DESIGN T: 084 564 0779
By Murray Stewart murray.stewart49@gmail.com
W
ith Marco imprisoned in Zanzibar’s ancient slave port of Stone Town, events over the next few months are difficult to authenticate due to linguistic hurdles and virtually no documentation at all. However, fragments of anecdotes and snippets of skinner have been strung together to make some sense of it all. But we do know that Marco, Captain Phillips, and the eyepatched interpreter Napoleon were moved into the Palace’s staff quarters – next to the harem of sultry seductresses and teenage boys. The Sultan swung both ways
To the Sultan, and all who handled it, the vuvuzela remained an enigma. You couldn’t play it like a flute, and it was useless as a drinking straw, so they decided it was probably part of a hookah pipe, and the Sultan lost no time in experimenting with his own exotic herbs. One day, Captain Phillips somehow convinced the Sultan that if he was released, he’d be able to locate the Ark of the Covenant and bring it to Zanzibar. Apparently an Italian bloke called Dan da Vinci had decoded cryptic clues that indicated where the Knights Templar had
hidden it. A stone’s throw away, he claimed, in the St Mary of Zion Church near Aksum, a town in Ethiopia. Well, succumbing to his own narcissistic angels and demons, the Sultan had visions of parading through Jerusalem to cheering crowds and blaring bugles, as he returned the Ark to its rightful place in Solomon’s Temple. History books would immortalise him, he thought, so he allowed Captain Phillips – with a few bodyguards – to sail to Mogadishu en route to the Ethiopian highlands. Records of this expedition reveal that Captain Phillips never found the Ark, but managed to escape and went on to greater things, like landing a plane on a river and saving some private called Ryan – but that’s another story. Anyway, Sultan Suleiman ( You can call me Sul), turned out to be a highly educated bloke, and Marco was surprised at how much he, too, had travelled. As a devout Muslim, he’d visited the Holy Land many times, usually to join up with Saladin, fighting against the Crusaders who claimed the real estate around the Temple Mount – in fact all of Jerusalem – belonged to a church in Rome.
He’d also been east to India with its sugar-cane plantations, flamboyant religious ceremonies and endless cricket matches. They too had elephants as pets, he claimed, and Marco secretly wished he could take one home for Mom in Venice. She’d be so proud… But back to his immediate predicament – locating Pa somewhere in a country much further east. Marco knew the Sultan was curious, so through the interpreter, he would regularly recount Pa’s tales about this land of bamboo and silk behind a wall made entirely of china – and it worked. The Sultan’s enthusiasm grew with each story, and within a few weeks he instructed his Navy Admiral to prepare a small fleet for the journey. Mid-year monsoons blow from Africa towards Indonesia, and being June, they’d have strong tail-winds all the way there. He was delighted that Marco, a strapping young teenager, appeared so keen to accompany him, but we’ll leave it at that. Let’s just say that Marco, grateful for the free ride, happily knuckled down and high-tailed it eastward (via Sumatra apparently) to find Pa and Kubla Cohen in Xanadu. Stay tuned...
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