SOUTH AFRICA

Friends Anne and Kevin called in for morning tea on a sunny day to tell us about their two months sojourn in southern Africa, in countries such as Tanzania, Botswana and South Africa. It was fascinating hearing their stories of the people, the landscape, the history, the animals, the corruption, the lodges, the politics, of these countries. As we listened, I suddenly realised that it is 30 years since I was last on that continent.

I had two visits to South Africa as part of Australia's aid package for the post-apartheid government, making recommendations about changing the national English language radio station to better reflect the new country in 1994 and returning to check implementation of the changes in 1995. Both journeys were utterly fascinating, from attending the National Thanksgiving service in Soweto days after the election with people like Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu on stage to exploring the wild and beautiful landscape of the southern cape. I was honoured to meet returning ANC exiles, see anti-apartheid theatre, and experience violent but fascinating cities such as Johannesburg. 

Orlando Stadium, Soweto, Sunday 8 May 1994



Capetown, 1994

It was a world full of guns. I had to change hotels even before I'd arrived because it had been shot up just before the election.The men at the South African Broadcasting Corporation checked their guns in as they arrived at work. My drivers had guns in their glove boxes. You could hear gun shots when in the townships. And from what I can gather from Anne and Kevin, that level of violence still continues in a country that hasn't yet recovered economically or socially from apartheid.

There were plenty of folk who weren't impressed by the new radio station SAfm. One commentator, critiquing my role said that "SAfm must have been modelled on a station in the Outback where kangaroos are counted into the listernship figures." Another critcizing the new head of Radio, Govin Reddy, said "I present the gentleman who importanted an Australian (!) to advise him on how English Radio should sound. That expert, accustomed to the likes of Crocodile Dundee as an example of proper diction, promptly pronounced the English Service to be a relic of the BBC from the Fifties." Which is was. My 'favourite' program was called "Music before 7pm", a collection of bland muzak-style tunes. When I asked what it's purpose was, I was told it was relaxing music for the husband when he got home from work and had a scotch before dinner. You won't be suprised to know that that show didn't continue on the new station.

Johannseburg, 1995

The most powerful piece of music I heard while in the country was a choir singing Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrica at the Thanksgiving service. If only we had a national anthem that was quite as uplifting.


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