by Gaynor Paynter

G21 Africa Columnist

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Gaynor Paynter & her sons

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - Hello from your South African correspondent. I hope that this letter finds you all in good health and spirit, and that the New Year is being kind to you! I write to you from my lounge, which is quite nice and cool at the moment - quite a far cry from what it was a few days ago when we were in the throes of a heatwave and temperatures in Johannesburg soared to 33 degrees Celsius - a good three degrees hotter than it has ever been in any summer that I can remember! Weather aside, South Africans are back at work in full force after the Christmas / New Year break and rush hour traffic is back to it's normal (very busy) volume - I find myself having to leave work at least half an hour earlier than I had to over the December period!

Not deterred by the heat, we packed up a picnic basket, donned hats and sun protection cream, and my family, some friends and I ventured out yesterday, which was Sunday, to Hartebeespoort Dam. Every time we go out on the road which leads us there, it's along the same road that eventually leads to Sun City, one of South Africa's most famous resorts, to Buffelspoort (one of our favourite picnic haunts) and to the Pilanesberg Nature Reserve, which is - in my opinion - the most beautiful game reserve that the country has to offer. .

Today, however, our destination was Hartebeespoort Dam, and it was to there that we set forth at about midday. I always enjoy the journey, which I find in and of itself to be a transition from corporate dullness to the glory of God's beautiful planet.

Yesterday I was not disappointed. To get there we take the highway, which to me as a regular commuter to and from work, is the soul of Johannesburg, it's pulse. If the highway comes to a standstill, people simply do not get to work and the city's efficiency is undermined. The road is dull, grey and smoky - the visual representation of its purpose (to get commuters to work) and the essence of an industrial city. But it does not take long until we get into Midrand, which is a commercial mecca, and we are surrounded by highrise buildings - affluence at it's most visible.

The change in scenery from skyscrapers to country plots is remarkably sudden and very refreshing once it has taken place. The land becomes lush, green, and every hue in the spectrum of colours is visible in the deep green shades of grass, brown ochre shades of trees, baby blue of the sky, stark white of the clouds and earthy brown of the surrounding sand. In the morning the sun picks out these colours with startling clarity. (Seeing this I always picture that someone has come down and washed the world.) In the evening, the same scene is calmed by the soft tones of the setting sun, it's peaceful pinks playing gently on rooftops, trees and windows.

The drive provides a kaleidoscope of colour of which I shall never, ever tire and, watching people moving about their dwellings as we drive past, I cannot help but think that this is what South Africa is all about - the people, the beauty, the country and the sun. We are about how to go about enjoying it all, seeing of much of it as we can in the limited time that we have available. To me this is the most beautiful of the many faces of South Africa.

The dam itself is about an hour and a half to two hours drive from Johannesburg and is situated in the town of Hartebeespoort. Hartebeespoort is an exclusive town featuring the most beautiful country properties from town houses through to plots and farms. (The town has the most formidable looking driveways I have ever seen. I don't think steeper driveways could exist in any other part of the world).

Hartebeespoort also has a booming flea market wherein the locals manufacture and sell items such as wooden giraffes, lions, and other wild life. Hartebeespoort Dam has a diameter (at an estimate) of about two kilometres. At the moment the dam is brilliant blue in colour and affords visitors the luxury of being able to sail, ski or picnic in the area. None of these, however, was the purpose of our visit - the reason we went was to go up to the top of the mountain next to the dam in a cable car - the first time that my husband, myself or my children had ever been in one of these metal, brightly painted creatures which propelled us gently to the top of one of God's beautiful creations. (To be perfectly honest, I was rather nervous about going in it since I am not so keen on heights and things like roller coasters just are not my scene, and I was wondering how my two children, aged two and four, would react to it, but I need not have worried. I myself immensely enjoyed the ride, and once the first bumpy part was over, so did the children).

There are no words I can use to adequately describe the feeling of ascending that mountain in the manner in which I did except to say that it was simply breathtaking. I had the cool mountain wind in my hair, the lush mountain flora and fauna beneath my feet, and I felt for all the world that nothing or no-one had it in their power to destroy it for me. For a moment in time, I was being all that I could be.

The ride came to an end, and we clambered out, now on top of the mountain. It took me a while to find my land legs, but once I did, I made the most of the opportunity to explore the territory I had found. (This after we tucked into the picnic lunch we had packed. I think it tasted even better up there in the clean air than it would have down in my kitchen at home!).

Well, discovering new territory is enough of an adventure when you are in the company of adults. With a two year old and a four year old you feel like you are the first person ever to have been there - you are the Christopher Columbus of Hartebeespoort, the head of a maiden ship of discovery.

So many treasures presented themselves to us all at once that we did not know in which direction to turn first. Should we go over and drink in the exquisite view of the dam afforded to us from 500 metres above it? The grey of the mist above it and the shimmering blue of the water seemed to merge in places so that we were left with one stunning vision of swirling water and silvery spray. Or should we walk over to the other side of the mountain top and admire the skilful work being done by the skydivers who were running and jumping off the mountain under our very noses, their parachutes giving colourful highlights to the cobalt atmosphere?

Or should we marvel at the strength of a red ant, who, on top of that mountain, was dragging a piece of bread at least five times his own size back to his nest, fighting off contestants all the while never losing hold of his treasure?

(For a four year old boy, each of these amazing events is as exciting as the other, and we were fortunate in being able to watch each of them in detail for some time.)

As with all such afternoons, this particular one drew to close all too soon and we found ourselves making the exciting trip back down the mountain. The descent was just as fantastical as the first and for me one of the most rewarding parts was seeing the wonder on the faces of my children.

Of course, the children (mine, and all the others like them) are the operative subject in all of this . Will this planet still be in an enjoyable condition by the time they want to show it to their children? Are we taking adequate care of it? Questions to which I fear that the answer might be No.

Concerns have been raised in South Africa in the wake of the recent heatwave - people want to know whether the heatwave was caused by global warming or the El Nino weather phenomenon. My personal plea to all is to take the best possible care of the planet that you possibly can. Do not litter. Recycle paper. Do not waste resources such as water. Do not treat animals or other humans badly. Stop and think before doing anything you might want to do. Think about its' effect on the planet. We owe the adequate conservation of our planet to our children, the innocents, who take such great pleasure in its' simple beauty.