Sight-Seeing in Historic South Africa

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 413, 23 July 1928, Page 1

Sight-Seeing in Historic South Africa

Diamonds and Desert ALL BLACKS IMPRESSED (THE SUN’S Special Representative) JOHANNESBURG, June 11. It W'ill be three weeks on Wednesday since we arrived in. South Africa, but every day has been so full of interest and activity that it seems very* much longer. For the tired tourist, after many welcomes and much travel, there could be no more peaceful spot in which to rest than Capetown, with its golden days. The broad sweep of Table Bay, the mountain itself, and the delicate lights and colours that move across the rocky peaks to the northward, the marvellous sunsets, all combine to give Capetown its real character.

One day I went for a motor drive ground the base of Table Mountain to Groot Constantia, a magnificent old farm-house with white walls and a thatched roof. The old Dutch kitchen with its quaint and interesting utensils, and oven the size of a pantry, was of special interest.

The old Dutch Governors used to live in this house, and underneath the house are still to be seen the slaves’ dungeons. There is also a large barn with the same spotless white walls and comfortable thatched roof, and here the wine vats of a modern wine company are stored. The first product of the Cape to be sent to Europe was, I am told, some wine made at Wynberg, near Groot Constantia.

On the Sunday following our arrival we were taken for a drive to Somerset West, one of the homes of Rugby football in South Africa. Here we saw the first signs of the diamond industry.

The De Beers Consolidated Company own and operate a plant for manufacturing the explosives used in mining operations. There is a luxurious employees’ club near the factory, the manager of which presided at a luncheon given in our honour. All New Zealand footballers will remember the Morkels, and it is from Somerset West that they come, dozens of them it seems. MYSTERIOUS VALLEY Goodbye to Capetown until the fourth test, and we were off to Kimberley, diamonds and desert. Once again we passed through the mysterious Hex River Valley at night, but it was bright moonlight, and as the train slowly puffed up and around the curves we could see the white rocks far above and the valley below. It was here that the last South African railway disaster occurred.

On the veldt are hundreds of kopjes with their queer flat tops, reminiscent of the Boer War. There are still little heaps of rock which were used as defences, with here and there a large fort-like circular structure, with loopholes. At the Orange River, too, there are many graves, with the white crosses flashing in the sun. At Kimberley we were able to see many of the processes by which the diamonds are won from gravel and rock. Most of us saw hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of precious stones __ -