Wakkerstroom was besieged during the Anglo-Boer Wars (1880-1881 and 1899-1902), which pitted the British against Afrikaner farmers (Boers), who were descended from Dutch and Germans settlers and French Huguenot refugees. British troops introduced the wildflower above (called "Cosmos") to the region through horse fodder imported from South America. Shortly after the wars, you could trace the encampments of the British soldiers through the
proliferation of these beautiful wildflowers.
|
Elna Kotze is spearheading a drive to save South Africa's last remaining upland grassland, which once covered 60 percent of the African continent.
Her vision is simple
but ambitious: promote tolerance of the grassland environment and its needs through a Grassland Biosphere Reserve so that
it is nurtured, and
its many unique species survive. A healthy grassland
environment will, in turn, nurture its inhabitants, ensuring a decent standard of living
for all. Kotze's task is complicated by social tensions that are a legacy of
more than 50 years of institutionalized racial apartheid. Her vision necessarily embraces the challenge
of improving race relations, cultivating an atmosphere of tolerance so
that black and white residents can develop a mutually supportive relationship.
Sunrise in the grassland
|
