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Daily Maverick
09-05-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Maverick
Hallelujah and praise be, give thanks for the humble N2 and our national highways
Gather round, people and join me in celebration. I wish to sing a paean of praise for… the N2. The nation's coastal artery runs from Cape Town to Hluhluwe through divergent and often glorious landscape before twisting north past Eswatini and (who knew?) ending its 2,214km life deep inland on the eastern highveld at Ermelo. I have no knowledge of anything on the N2 north of King Shaka Airport, but much of the rest in KZN, the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape I have travelled on in recent times and can report very positively. Sanral – the government organisation responsible for our national roads – gets a bad rap, largely because of its poorly thought-through and costly idea to toll the commuter motorways around Johannesburg. But, to my eyes, they are a functional bunch who do a pretty good job. Our major road infrastructure is generally solid and a source of wonder to visitors from the US, Italy, the UK and even Australia, where their equivalent routes are either crumbling or permanently under laborious repair. Sanral's R100-billion budget seems to represent good value by parastatal standards. And before you scream 'what about the potholes?', those tend to be on municipal roads, which are not within Sanral's remit. On the 870km from Cape Town to Makhanda last week, I did not encounter a single piece of unsafe surface. There is work to be done on the patchwork quilt of bitumen east of Swellendam, and some of the markings are perilously scant, but that's not a bad report card, especially given the pressure that the collapse of the rail freight system has put on the roads. There were three sets of road works under way – which is a good thing. Stop/Goes may irritate, but they demonstrate that maintenance is being done. And on that subject, I spotted five verge clearing crews mowing and trimming diligently. And, while I am in a positive mood, allow me to reflect on a few other N2 things. In 20 hours of easy driving, I did not encounter a single piece of the insane overtaking-on-a-blind-rise kind of driving that used to be routine. Are we becoming safer drivers? The polite yellow line passing dance with flashing lights in thanks is done by pretty much everyone. The route was well policed with a regular presence of flashing blue lights, which generate a Pavlovian response of good behaviour, and a couple of roadblocks. And I saw not a single rust bucket, held-together-by-wire-and-duct-tape taxi. They also used to be commonplace. I appreciate that the Taxi Recapitalisation Programme, begun in 2006, was deeply flawed and has many critics. But the government claims 84,000 old taxis have been scrapped at a cost of R6-billion, and I suspect that the overall outcome is positive, given that almost every taxi I see now is in decent condition. The vibrant health of our agriculture was in abundant and constant evidence all along the N2. The extraordinary orchards of Elgin; shiny new seeding machinery in action near Bot Rivier; the immaculate vineyards of Gabrielskloof; vast oceans of pristine netting covering fruit trees in the Overberg; healthy herds of ostriches, cattle and sheep everywhere; barns, fences and warehouses in good condition. And, where traditional farming has proved burdensome, the owners have reinvented themselves into thriving game farm destinations like Amakhala in the Eastern Cape. Or they farm the wind. The massive sets of metal sails at Caledon and Humansdorp represent huge investments. Thinking of investments, there's new housing in abundance beside the N2 in Mossel Bay and Plett, and even whizzing past much-maligned Gqeberha, some serious evidence of fresh economic activity can be spotted. And who remembers a time, not so long ago, when a journey on the N2 was a culinary desert in which a Wimpy coffee was your best option? Not any more. The route is littered with magnificent offerings: the astonishing Peregrine Farm Stall, Houw Hoek, the Ou Meul at Riviersonderend (which was running full throttle at 7am last Friday), Tredici at Swellendam, Ikigai at Riversdale, the venerable Blue Crane at Heidelberg, 'Thyme and Again' at Keurbooms – just some of the superb roadside outlets, along with countless other splendid padstals, all of which seem to have excellent, friendly staff. Please don't take this for granted. My international guests marvel at these places, saying they have nothing remotely like them on their primary routes for the quality of what they offer. Yes, questions abound and the true picture of the journey is complicated. How much are the farmworkers paid? Will Trump, the ANC and Portnet between them shaft our successful farmers? What is life like in the ever-sprawling townships outside Grabouw and Mossel Bay, and in the backstreets of those country towns? What on earth is going on with the forestry land at Knoflokskraal? That 60kmh speed limit on the downhill to Kaaimans before Wilderness is a straight revenue gouger. The sulking, hulking, mothballed Mossgas refinery near Mossel Bay is a monument to the incompetence and corruption of PetroSA. Makhanda is still a mighty municipal mess. And every river you cross raises an alarm on water quality. All valid and true. Our land is both beautiful and ugly. But can we, just for once, don the rose-tinted glasses and celebrate something that works remarkably well? Please give me a hallelujah for the N2. Thank you, brothers and sisters. Amen. DM
IOL News
01-05-2025
- General
- IOL News
The rewards of planting indigenous gardens
A new book, South African Indigenous Garden Plants: the gardeners guide features 530 pages of colour photographs and information on what can be grown. Seen here is the blue Spurflowers (Plectanthrus) in the book. Image: Supplied ALTHOUGH South Africa's indigenous plants have been grown round the world since the 1600s , many are barely known in their home country. When the first South African bulbs, such as the Blood Lily were first seen in Europe, they caused a sensation. Plant collectors wondered what else the Cape had to offer. Plenty it turned out. With over 2 500 species, it was the richest collection of bulbs on Earth. Over time, collectors discovered that the rest of the country also contained a treasure trove of fascinating and unusual plants and trees. In a new book, South African Indigenous Garden Plants: the gardeners guide, the authors encourage the use of local plants which no longer represent a niche market but an international industry. Nurseries continue to introduce new species and hybrids onto the market while designers are incorporating an ever -widening range of indigenous plants into gardens. These two photos show the sculptural form of Candelabra Aloes transformed into a splash of colour in winter. Image: Supplied Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Apart from the obvious beauty of these plants, there are the environmental reasons for adopting this approach. With a hotter, increasingly water- restricted world, indigenous plants are better able to thrive. And then there is the benefit to wildlife struggling to survive the continued impact of the loss of their natural habitat. A boardwalk snakes around a pond fringed with wetland species. Image: Supplied There are some encouraging signs. The SA National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) has been proactive in promoting the use of appropriate indigenous species in public spaces including around shopping centres and state buildings. One good example is the landscaping around King Shaka Airport. 'Rehabilitation' of degraded areas, 'rewilding' and 'waterwise' have become buzzwords . Increasingly, it just makes good sense. An avenue of Paperbark Thorn trees planted in 2009 at King Shaka Airport. Image: Supplied To help you take your first steps - if you have not yet begun -to create your natural paradise, the authors have chosen over 2300 plant species which can be planted in different parts of the country. Careful planning and preparation must be done, but the authors have laid out a guide for you. There are examples of all types of gardens from formal and townhouse to eco-pools, arid and fynbos gardens. They offer suggestions to attract birds, pollinators, butterflies and mammals as well as how to harvest storm water to create a wetland. This Durban garden uses the foliage of trees and shrubs to create a peaceful sanctuary. Image: Supplied Too many gardeners persist in raking up every leaf around their plants, then using leaf blowers for maximum efficiency, thus depriving the soil of crucial ingredients which only mulching can provide. Do you really need to 'rake the soul out of the soil?' The authors offer much valuable advice, but the joy of the book is the plant catalogue - 530 pages of colour photographs and information on what can be grown. It is an Aladdin's cave of treasures. Kniphofia Tyson's Poker is found in gardens around the world. Image: Supplied Each of the authors, Elsa Pooley, Geoff Nichols and Andrew Hankey, is an authority and all have devoted most of their lives to the wonders of our floral kingdom. The book has taken over a decade to produce, but is actually based on a lifetime of research. Their devotion and enthusiasm is infectious: their crusade is one you willingly join. Sedges and grasses compliment the yellow spikes of the bloodroot found on stream banks. Image: Supplied The book has relied on significant sponsorship before publication could be realised and with the usual high production standards the publisher, Struik Nature, bring to their books, this is a volume well - worth acquiring. South African Indigenous Garden Plants: the gardeners guide is available at all good bookstores. A derelict hill just 100m from Bazley beach, KZN South coast, was transformed when steep banks were planted with indigenous plants. Image: Supplied Mixed grasses around a formal pool at Brahman Hills, KZN Midlands. Image: Supplied
