karoo

Hydraulic fracturing via Shutterstock

Karoo, South Africa: The Earth is a colossal bio-geo-heritage entity worth protecting beyond measure. The Earth formed 4.6 billion (4 600 million) years ago, forming the inner layers of the planet, over slow-measured geological time, the upper layers, the atmosphere and water vapour formed making life on Earth possible. The Karoo, a semi-desert biome, is a site of ancient geological processes, from the layers of natural ground profile from the surface to deep within the earth’s crust, to the underground water supply.

One would be none the wiser about the pristine liquid flowing beneath one’s feet as one stands on this desert terrain. But indeed there is a supply of freshwater, the only drinking water source, in this arid landscape where hardy beautiful flora survive in co-habitation with the passionate rural-dwellers. The landscape is sparsely populated with farms, small-holdings and towns steeped in rich cultural and political history; it’s a place once escapes to when the superficiality of the urban centres rankles your spirit. So, when the most distressing news was wired across the landscape that one of the biggest oil companies in the country was looking at cracking open the Karoo and extracting its gas resources and decimating its natural and socially-dependent life-giving resources, soil and water, all hell-broke loose and the quiet, tranquillity was transformed into a location of social-environmental mobilisation. The communities in the Karoo were adamant that they would not be steam-rolled by a unilateral heavy industry in economic collaboration with the state.

Sasol, the main contender, in a joint venture with Royal Dutch Shell, multinationals Statoil and Chesapeake Energy, Falcon Oil Gas, and Bundu Oil Gas; applied to the South African Department of Mineral and Energy for exploration permits. The state issued a moratorium last year on fracking due to the rising contention, and has yet to rule on its final decision. While the state deliberates, civil society has been lobbying and advocating international, generating massive support, and have exerted their ‘Right to Know’ in demanding through court procedures for full disclosure of all documentation on the project’s. In the meanwhile the moratorium deadline ends this February. Sasol did withdraw from further exploration early December 2011, a brief respite for the Karoo residents, but uncertainty looms.

Deep within the earth archaic processes led to rock formations trapped with gas and oil. The Karoo, is underlain by the Karoo Supergroup, representing many different rock types formed under different accumulation conditions, with the oldest forming the base layers. Shale is one of these rock layers. Shale a distinguishable rock, smooth, fine grey, red, brown, black, it breaks easily due to the layered profile. Black shales have a high organic content, acted upon by high temperatures within the Earth creates conditions for the production of shale gas and shale oil. What happens is that gases no matter where they are above or below ground will rise due to lower density; however underground free movement is restricted and the gases are trapped between rock layers. The oil giants profiteering off natural resources, using polluting technologies to acquire wealth, are running out of conventional oil reserves and have found a panacea for new wealth, its shale gas. This way they continue with fossil-fuel energy unabated, with no regard to their existing environmental destruction, that is more a thorn in their side. They have no intention of redeeming themselves and becoming climate protection proponents moving to a green economy.

So the oil merchants want to embark on a deeply intrusive process, of drilling straight down into the earth’s layers up to 6000m and then making a sharp left or right angle turn to access the horizontal layers wherein the gas lies trapped in the shale profiles. So besides the intrusive drills that alter the tectonic stability, immense quantities of water are required for the concoction of chemicals (toxicological impacts to the ecosystem and humans), the water is used at high pressure to break-down the rock, fracturing it for gas extraction. This is hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking. In water scarce region like the Karoo, this seems absurd.

Biophysical Impacts of Fracking

The biodiversity of the Karoo on the surface and below will forever be altered, from surface and groundwater contamination, to geological instability and potential seismic activity caused by fracking into unstable zones or fault lines, floral and fauna habitat destruction. A consideration of high impact but never considered in macro impact assessments, the microlife decimation, the deep layers of the earth are home to some of our most archaic species that are older than humankind surviving in extreme environmental under extreme temperature and conditions. The list of impacts is endless yet specific.

Social Impacts of Fracking

The most critical social impact in a water-stressed, groundwater dependent semi-desert region is water. The livelihood and survival of the Karoo dwellers is intrinsically tied to their water supply from the aquifers. The industrialists never saw for fit to invade the Karoo landscape as it’s been associated with barren resources, but their desperation to colonise new unconventional fossil-fuels is driving them beyond the traditional economic hubs. While the Karoo reeks of the inequities of apartheid with extreme poverty in black communities and more affluent white communities, the latter the farm owners who serve to lose land space due to the legality of mineral rights and land rights being held two divergent allotments. If one owns the land surface one does not necessarily own the mining rights. The reality of racial poverty dynamics is being preyed upon by big business that is well aware that its 17 years gone and the black communities are in dire straits, jobless, foodless and homeless. This target is age-old and has forever been used by industrialists in creating greater divides from the red (workers and labour unions) and green (environmentalists) to the desperate poverty divide versus white conservation concerns. While those imbalances need to be rectified, promoting an increase in the carbon economy is not the way to go. Promoting further environmental ruin and profits before health and environment, will not benefit the long-term sustainable of the poorest of the poor, but will line the pockets of the polluters.

If the arguments on the technicality and potential impacts of the process and trust in these industrialists and their spin doctors don’t shake your indecision on this debate, then surely the track record of heavy industry and petrochemical complex should, all of whom have revealed unforgivable human health and biophysical lethal contamination to communities, workers and nature.

We need to unequivocally promote and fight for cleaner technologies that promote skills development, job creation and poverty alleviation and ensure that the very blue liquid that gives us life, is regarded as a national conservation heritage.

Any views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author

Sustainable development and the prospects of fracking for shale gas in the Karoo: can we have it both ways?

Since the turn of the 20^th century we have seen how human endeavour to achieve economic growth has caused irreparable damage to the environment. The environment crises have led to irreparable damage to the environment and the suffering of billions of people in the least developed countries. Amongst the environmental crises, the depletion of the ozone layer, climate change and climate variability have caused economic loss and social despair on an unprecedented scale.  The consequences of economic march of progress have resulted in environmental anomalies such as cyclones, droughts, desertification, flooding; and the poorest people of sub-Saharan Africa have been the hardest hit.

The environmental crisis compelled the need to “reconcile� the concepts of development and the environment. Development is about meeting the material needs (jobs, income, shelter, food, education, health etc.) of our people. While environmental protection is our moral obligation to future generation and other species with which we share the Earth’s environment. This is particularly true of sub-Saharan Africa which is touted as the cradle of mankind and nature. Sustainable development seems to be the reconciler of competing interests and views.

What promise does sustainable development hold for the inhabitants of the Karoo and South Africa in general?

Perhaps let me start by drawing your attention to the normative and operational definitions of sustainable development.

 â€œSustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present generations without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needsâ€?

·          â€œthe concept of ‘needs’, in particular, puts an emphasis on the essential needs of the world’s poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and

·         the idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organisation on the environment’s ability to meet present and future needsâ€?

The operations definition of sustainable development makes it unequivocally clear that, in essence, sustainable development is a process of change in which the exploitation of resources, the direction of investment, the orientation of technological development, and institutional change are all in harmony and enhance both current and future potential to meet human needs and aspirations.�

Operational principles of sustainable development include: 1) reviving growth; 2) changing the quality of growth;3) meeting essential needs for jobs, food, energy, water, and sanitation; ensuring a sustainable level of population; 4) conserving and enhancing the resource base; 5) re-orientating technology and managing risk; 6) and merging environment and economics in decision-making; 7) and re-orientating international economic relations.

The core principles of sustainable development are 1) normative principle, 2) equity, 3) integration and 4) dynamism principle.

A step towards the answer to the challenge in the Karoo dwells within the definitions and principles of sustainable development. Before going further, it is worthy to mention that post-apartheid South Africa is party to the global agreements on sustainable development and climate change. This is evident from the hosting, in 2002, of the United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg and the recent UNFCCC COP17/CMP7 in Durban. So, the world is watching our decisions with keen interest.

Under each principle of sustainable development we can ask or answer some of the questions about the value of the environment (Karoo) and development (jobs, schools, food, water etc.). I do not present these concepts as polar opposite or “alternativesâ€?; rather, I present them so we can find a “common groundâ€?. 

Under the normative principle, we have to ask ourselves about the aesthetic, heritage and cultural value of the Karoo, and what that means to the landscape of South Africa and its inhabitants. Our values are abstract ideals which evoke emotional reactions and are typically expressed in terms of good or bad, better or worse, desirability or avoidance. They define or direct our goals, frame our attitudes and views, and provide standards which human behaviour can be judged.

Within the equity principle, we have to remember that sustainable development is about development, and that we have to deploy technology to the full exploitation of the natural resources to develop our present people without compromising the people of the future. We also have to consider the species of the Karoo as part of a complex social-ecological system that might not be understood immediately especially when there is a rush to cash-in on the spoils of exploration. Systems thinking (holism) is important in the decision making processes of the key role players. Do the inhabitants of the Karoo have a voice? Perhaps, they do, through Treasure the Karoo Action Group (TKAG), but their power of influence is also limited by technical knowledge on fracking and other resources.

Perhaps it is this principle of dynamism that captures the fear of concerned South African about the uncertainty of the technology to be deployed. The dynamism principle is shaped by the interaction between society and the environment which is in constant state of change and dynamism. Dynamism brings about uncertainties and (potential) risks due to unpredictable evolutions and unanticipated effects, underlying the need for precaution. Precaution requires respecting uncertainty, avoiding even poorly understood risks of serious or irreversible damage to the foundations for sustainability of the environment. Therefore designing for surprise and managing risk is important. Allow me to draw your attention to this example:

The Medupi power station in Lephalale in the Limpopo Province, once completed, will meet 10% of the country’s electricity demand increasing the atmospheric concentration of greenhouses, thus aggravating climate change. 

We, South Africans, allowed it to continue because of the value it will add to our economy. But it is also poses a dilemma for environmentalist who rather we opted for alternative sources of energy.   

Lastly, development (meeting needs for jobs, food, water etc.) is the primary objective of sustainable development and environmental protection is a secondary objective. Finding the balance between development and the environment is a delicate process and requires extensive consultation with experts, locals and concerned groups about the viability of the proposed project. Impact assessment on the environment and the economy are equally important, and none outweighs the other.

Personally, I applaud the minister for taking time to consult on this tricky but promising issue. Promising in the sense that no matter how it ends, it would have added value to our society either through better consideration for our environment or energy self-sufficiency (in an energy insecure world) or both. I would prefer sustainable development, which realises both goals (environmental protection and energy self-sufficiency) in South Africa.

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The group’s chairman, Jonathan Deal, said on Friday that the group, which opposes plans by oil companies to search for shale gas in the ecologically sensitive Karoo, had applied for information in October but either the minister or the Department of Mineral Resources had missed all the deadlines for the release of the information.

“We expect a legal representative for the department to appear before the court [today] to ask for an extension, considering they have missed all the deadlines so far – or just ignored them,” he said.

Deal said the group wanted to know:

• Who was on Shabangu’s team;
• If it included oil company representatives;
• What documents it was looking at;
• What information it had gathered so far;
• Whether it had visited fracking sites in other countries; and
• What its terms of reference were.

Zingaphi Jakuja, a spokesman for the Department of Mineral Resources, said she was not aware of today’s court application.

“As far as I am aware, our legal department has not informed us about it,” she said.

Jakuja said the minister and the department had met the Treasure the Karoo Action Group to discuss all the listed issues. In her opinion, the court action was designed to embarrass Shabangu.

The formation of the department’s team was announced in May, shortly after the moratorium on fracking in the Karoo was imposed. The moratorium was extended in August and is due to expire next month.

In reply to a parliamentary question by DA mineral resources spokesman Gareth Morgan, Shabangu said the names of team members could not be revealed because this might interfere with their mandate.

Morgan said keeping names and the terms of reference secret risked discrediting the process . – I-Net Bridge

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While there is more than one journey in Broadway’s “The Road to Mecca,” Athol Fugard’s moving play set in 1974 in the small Karoo village of New Bethesda, South Africa, the focus of the story is on a 70-something artist who began sculpting after her husband died 15 years ago.

Miss Helen (Rosemary Harris), however, does not give a good first impression: She appears to not have bathed in days, with unkempt hair and no makeup. She also seems to be out of sorts as she attempts to tidy the place up a bit.

Soon, her friend Elsa Barlow (Carla Gugino), a young teacher from Cape Town, arrives. After driving about 800 miles, Elsa is not happy. She talks to Helen angrily, full of frustration. But after a few moments, the two are on good terms. Elsa energizes Helen, and the artist is so happy to see her.

It takes most of the first act to set up why Elsa has come so far. Basically, Helen’s friend, Marius (Jim Dale), a local pastor, is worried about Helen and wants her to move into a senior living facility. Helen, a recluse, does not want to, but does not have the strength to say no. Elsa attempts to show her that she is fine, that she does not have to be taken away from her home and her art (Helen calls it her “mecca”).

This is a good play featuring a trio of fine actors; all give strong performances. But the first act will be challenging for those who fall asleep easily. Fugard’s dialogue is far from dull, but there is so much of it that it does cause the mind to wander. It’s not until about 45 minutes into the show that the audience has a grasp about why Elsa is here.

The second act, however, is wonderfully intriguing. As passionate and energetic as Elsa is, Marius is calm, cool and collected. In the end, Helen has a choice to make.

What is most remarkable about Harris, aside from the fact that she is 84 and never misses a beat, is how she manages to convey such a range of emotions. We see Helen’s happiness, her fear, her uncertainty. More than that though, we see inside her mind. In the most memorable scene, Helen explains to Elsa how she creates her art: She sees a picture of the finished piece in her mind, and then creates it. Without those pictures, there is no art, only darkness. And Helen is worried that the pictures have stopped for good — that she has nothing left. That her life, her journey, is over.

This nest is apparently more than 100 million years older than previously known nesting sites.

The site belonged to an early pro-sauropod dinosaur of the early Jurassic called Massospondylus, and reveals significant clues about how complex reproductive behaviours evolved in early dinosaurs.

The six metre mother appeared to have maintained an organised nest, suggesting she arranged the eggs carefully after laying them.

The clutches of eggs, many with embryos and tiny dinosaur footprint, are the oldest known evidence of hatchlings staying in their nests long enough to at least double in size.

“The eggs, embryos, and nests come from the rocks of a nearly vertical road cut only 25 metres long,” said Prof. Robert Reisz of the the University of Toronto at Mississauga, who led the study.

“Even so, we found ten nests, suggesting that there are a lot more nests in the cliff, still covered by tons of rock. We predict that many more nests will be eroded out in time, as natural weathering processes continue,” Reisz said.

The study was co-authored by Doctors Hans-Dieter Sues (Smithsonian Institute, USA), Eric Roberts (James Cook University, Australia), and Adam Yates (Bernard Price Institute (BPI) for Palaeontological Research at Wits).

It was published in the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and the full study can be read on Wits’ website.

Monday, January 09, 2012 by Angela Kean

Peninsula Energy chairman Gus Simpson told Proactive Investors today Sites 29 and 45 at Karoo are shaping up in line with expectations, while Site 22 has exceeded expectations. The company expects to define an initial JORC uranium Resource for the three sites in the first half of this year.

Peninsula Energy (ASX: PEN) is continuing its high grade run at the Karoo Project in South Africa, with further drilling continuing to demonstrate the widespread distribution of near surface high grade uranium in broad paleochannels.

High grade results returned from Site 29 include 10.7 feet (3.3 metres) at 1,755 parts per million equivalent uranium from 29.2 feet (8.9 metres), 3.6 feet (1.1 metres) at 2,560 parts per million from 31.2 feet (9.5 metres) and 20.5 feet (6.2 metres) at 300 parts per million from 23.8ft (7.3 metres).

The depth of mineralisation is shallow, averaging 13.1 metres within a range of 7.2-20.2 metres, which is very encouraging from a potential development perspective.

Importantly, exploration activity to date has been concentrated on a very limited part of Site 29.

Peninsula Energy also began initial exploration at the highly prospective Site 45 with the re-logging of 15 open historic drillholes, 13 of which recorded intersections greater than 200 parts per million.

Highlight intersections include 9.2 feet (2.8 metres) at 1,095 parts per million equivalent uranium from 45.4 feet (13.8 metres) and 7.7 feet (2.3 metres) at 592 parts per million from 47.4 feet (14.4 metres).

Site 29

Since the start of exploration at Site 29 in January last year Peninsula has completed 210 reverse circulation drillholes for 5,381 metres. Drilling has returned a total of 95 intersections in excess of 200 parts per million equivalent uranium.

A further 167 historic holes have also been probed returning 82 intersections in excess of 200 parts per million equivalent uranium.

Since July a total of 113 reverse circulation and diamond exploration and historic-hole-confirmation drillholes have been completed returning a total of 47 intersections in excess of 200 parts per million equivalent uranium.

These drill results continue to confirm strong high grade mineralisation in paleochannels averaging a thickness of 3.05 feet (0.9 metres). The thickness is consistent with the historic results for the project site and is typical of the thickness of mineralised zones at Karoo.

During the 1970’s Union Carbide calculated the presence of about 600,000 pounds of equivalent uranium  in a small part of Site 29 which in total covers 128 square kilometres.

Union Carbide reported an average grade exceeding 1,000 parts per million equivalent uranium and the mineralisation being hosted by the Poortjie formation. This sedimentary sandstone formation is the main target for uranium mineralisation at Karoo.

Peninsula is planning further exploration drilling for during 2012 for Site 29 to determine the subsurface extent of the host sandstone unit and to target further mineralisation.

This will be done by drilling 200 metre spaced stratigraphic holes in both east-west and north-south fences across the property.

Peninsula Energy chairman Gus Simpson said the next round of drilling would be done across and along the project to look for continuations or repetitions of the ore zone at Karoo.

Site 45

Site 45 is located 120 kilometres northwest of Beaufort West and comprises a contiguous area of 489 square kilometres.

During the late-1970’s JCI completed a total of 431 exploration holes in a central portion of the project area. Based on this data JCI calculated the presence of about 4.8 million pounds equivalent uranium in the Davidskolk formation.

Post JCI drilling, rock chip sampling by the South African Geological Survey returned maximum values of 4,210 parts per million equivalent uranium and 1,372 parts per million molybdenum within the project area, indicating an associated high grade molybdenum occurrence.

Peninsula is planning a reverse circulation drilling program at Site 45 following the final approval of drill permits.

Following drilling, Peninsula anticipates the definition of an initial JORC Resource for Karoo Project Sites 22, 29 and 45.

“We are hoping to do that in the first half of this year,” Simpson told Proactive Investors today.

Karoo Potential

A defining factor of the potential of Karoo is evidenced in previous assays returned from Site 22 of 1.5 metres at 4,022 parts per million equivalent uranium and 1,313 parts per million molybdenum from 62 metres, as well as 0.5 metres at 6,170 parts per million equivalent uranium and 6,160 parts per million molybdenum from 70 metres.

In addition to existing resource drilling, 10 high ranking drill targets distributed across all six of Peninsula’s project areas have been prioritised from the 392 uranium occurrences generated by the 2008 helicopter-borne radiometric and magnetic surveys.

Simpson said Karoo is similar in mineralisation to other nearby deposits including ground held by Uramin.

“The ground that was held by Uramin has the same sorts of deposits as Karoo, they’re not very thick but they are big and tabular. They tend to repeat themselves multiple times across a property,” he said.

Preliminary geological studies estimate a combined exploration potential at Karoo of 30-60 million tonnes at 700-1,400 parts per million equivalent uranium for 90-150 million pounds.

Peninsula’s target over the next 12 months is to delineate 30 million pounds of equivalent uranium.

“The question […] is the direction of the proposed railway,” Grynberg says. “Should it be to the Atlantic Ocean, that is, the Trans-Kalahari route to Walvis Bay in Namibia, or through Zimbabwe to the Indian Ocean in southern Mozambique?”

There are four known multibillion-tonne coal deposits on the eastern edge of the Central Kalahari Karoo Basin. Botswana government officials believe that these deposits could result in exporting as much as 90 megatonnes a year, more than South Africa’s 2010 export of 70 megatonnes. The price of coal, which has risen dramatically on world markets over the past decade, means that exporting coal from Botswana to India or even China would prove profitable with a new and efficient railroad. At present there are two competing projects for a railroad across Southern Africa. While the Trans-Kalahari to Walvis Bay project avoids South Africa, because shipping coal downhill along the Limpopo is simply cheaper, the Ponta Techobanine route plans to ships coal across the shorter, more direct route to Richards Bay or Durban – which means, however, crossing the Waterberg and Drakensberg mountains.

“Both routes are problematic and whatever decision the Botswana government takes will mean someone will end up unhappy,” Grynberg says in his Mail and Guardian Online article. Supporting Walvis Bay as destination means that coal will end on the “wrong ocean”, the Atlantic, whereas the entire coal market is in India and China. The Ponta Techobanine, on the other hand, has environmental issues- the railway crosses the Lubombo Conservation Area and the Maputo Elephant Reserve, and while South Africa has considerable interests in coal delivery to or from Durban and Richards Bay, it is nevertheless concerned about the environmental impacts of the proposal. “If Botswana and its neighbours do not decide soon on the railway, they will literally miss the boat to China and their huge coal reserves may well become white elephants of no commercial value,” Grynberg concludes.

Read the full article on http://mg.co.za.

In a desolate Karoo village, three characters — two Afrikaners and one English South African — play out a timeless battle: small-minded fears versus artistic flights of freedom. Anthol Fugard’s powerful examination of destiny, love and race, set against the backdrop of 1974 South Africa, is a potent reminder that the dramas of daily life can fuel exhilarating theater.

Now at the American Airlines Theater, the Roundabout’s revival of The Road To Mecca is a beautifully staged and acted drama. It opens in Miss Helen’s (Rosemary Harris) home — awash in red paint and glitter. This warm abode houses a sweet, understated elderly woman, known for her massive cement lawn sculptures of owls, camels and people, all pointing east. Miss Helen is passionate about her work, which began, tellingly, on the death of her husband.

But art is isolating; the village children mock her “monsters,” as does Marius Byleveld (spot-on Jim Dale), the reactionary minister who worries about Miss Helen’s fragile health. He tries to persuade her to enter an old age home, a prospect bitterly contested by Elsa (a wonderful Carla Gugino), a fiery young teacher and Miss Helen’s closest friend. Yet Elsa is frustrated by Helen’s presumed passivity; her anger is that curious blend of affection and irritation.

The battle for Miss Helen’s future is really a provocative discussion of power and paralysis. Elsa champions racial equality and individual determination, which pits her against the establishment. Miss Helen, rendered with extraordinary restraint and grace by Harris, celebrates creativity — even if she is radically misunderstood. She, to the consternation of Marius and the respect of Elsa, has found her mecca — an exotic, colorful, solitary oasis of hope.

Fugard has written a story of love, in various permeations. (He based Miss Helen on the real Helen Martins, whose Owl House is now a museum.) The loneliness of the dispossessed is juxtaposed with the frustrations of the well intentioned. Life is complicated; emotions are fraught with contradictions. The first act is a bit slow, but the second pulsates with meaning. Aided by an excellent cast, Peter Kaczorowski’s sensitive lighting and Michael Yeargan’s set, which replicates Martins’ home, the journey to Mecca is a moving one.

On a lighter note, the Pearl Theater takes on the vagaries of romance.

As a young man, George Bernard Shaw, the charming socialist, was known to strike up flirtations with various women. Jenny Patterson once broke in on Shaw while he was with actress Florence Farr, insisting he return to her. The scene is replicated in his early play The Philanderer, at City Center, in which Charteris (Bradford Cover) tries to extricate himself from his entanglement with the volatile Julia (Karron Graves), while proposing to the savvier Grace (Rachel Botchan).

All three are members of the Ibsen Club, which supports progressive ideals, including sexual equality. The club dislikes a “womanly woman” and “manly man,” preferring truth and free love supplant feminine wiles and masculine posturing.

This being Shaw, he manages to lampoon convention, modernity, medicine and marriage. The women adore Charteris, a self-proclaimed philanderer. Yet only Grace understands how to cope with the predicament, which is played out before her father (Dominic Cuskern) and Julia’s (Dan Daily). Both men, along with Dr. Paramone (Chris Mixon), who claims to have invented a disease, profess confusion at the New Woman and New Man.

The romantic entanglements give Shaw, in the guise of Charteris, a chance to pontificate on various issues, such as vegetarianism and women’s rights. By using comedy to push his agenda, he makes it both palatable and entertaining. Plus, the Pearl Theater is adept at Shaw; two seasons ago, it staged a remarkably good Misalliance.

There isn’t a misstep in The Philanderer, save Charteris’ wig. As Shaw himself might have said: “Frightful.” However, the ensemble is uniformly terrific; Cover cuts a fine figure as the justifying philanderer, while Graves exploits her wiles for all they are worth. The company does justice to a minor Shaw work. As Charteris puts it: “If you take people seriously off the stage, why shouldn’t you take them seriously on it, where they’re under some sort of decent restraint?”

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The real attraction of this Klein Karoo hideaway is your getting to do a lot of not much at all, writes Richard Holmes

Although Robert Frost would not agree, they say good fences make good neighbours. And if that’s true, you’ll want to be on extremely good terms with your fellow weekend escape artists when staying on Vredendal farm.

That’s because the low-key boltholes that make up Keisie Cottages like to rub shoulders with one another. These three converted farm cottages are the sort of place where you can lean out the kitchen window and (almost) borrow a cup of sugar from next door. That’s perhaps not ideal if you’re looking for privacy, but perfect for road-tripping groups of friends and family.

Happily – despite the three kids under the age of one – our merry party of six (or nine, if you count the ankle-biters) were more than good neighbours. Close friends who’ve been through good times and bad, we found the farm’s quaint cottages the ideal spot to kick back and catch up.

Conversation flowed, braai fires blazed and lazy days passed in a haze of relaxation: for Vredendal is a place that’s positively soporific in its splendid out-of-the-wayness.

The farm’s name may translate as “peace in the valley”, and peaceful it certainly is, but it could just as easily be called “Sloth” or perhaps “Lethargy”. Or even “Glorious Idleness”, for the real attraction of this Klein Karoo hideaway is your doing a large amount of not much at all.

That said, the winelands town of Montagu is a short drive away. There’s an old museum where Paul Kruger slept after a long day in the saddle, a quaint weekend market and a coffee shop or two.

If you stay put, there are walks across the farm and up into fynbos, a dam to fish in and gooseberry fields to explore. But really, what’s the rush?

WHERE IT IS: Between the N1 and Montagu, in the gorgeous Koo valley.

WHY GO THERE: Turn up (with a boot-load of good wine and braai meat), turn off (those cellphones) and drop out (for the weekend). This is the kind of place where you roll out of bed and onto the porch, only breaking your day of inactivity for a dip in the pool. A sunset walk into the hills is permissible if you need to work up a thirst for that first GT, or an appetite for local lamb chops on the braai.

WHAT IT’S LIKE: A laid-back escape that’s far enough off the Route 62 tourist trail that you’re justified in doing not much at all, yet close enough to go exploring if the mood takes you.

About the only thing in a hurry on this farm is the resident sheepdog, Aqua. The farm welcomes well-behaved pooches, but if you don’t have your own, Aqua is happy to be adopted for the weekend. Just about the only downside is the R318 winding up Burger’s Pass, which is just a touch too close for comfort. But at this price, you can’t be too picky.

WHAT IT OFFERS: Three quaint cottages set right alongside each other on the edge of a small vineyard. Two cottages sleep two in one bedroom, while the third sleeps four in two rooms. Each cottage is well equipped with the usual necessities, and owner Toni van Hoey Smith is only too happy to assist with extra microwaves or kitchen goodies as required.

A concrete reservoir has been converted into a fantastic swimming pool, where kids (OK, we did it too) can while away the hours making whirlpools. The pool is also where Aqua (get the name?) keeps her favourite stick.

AND THE FOOD: Self-catering all the way, with well-equipped braai areas to help you make the most of the balmy summer nights.

To supplement your supplies, ask Toni what fresh goodies she has for sale: the farm produces gooseberries, apricots, quinces and pecan nuts. The ever-energetic owner also cooks up her own range of (mostly organic) jams and preserves. The farm’s free-range chickens chip in with fresh eggs.

RATES: Cottages from R400/R600 per night (sleeping two/four), making this one of the most affordable weekend getaways in the Cape. Dogs pay R50 per dog per stay. and need to bring their own bedding.

GETTING THERE: 55km north of Worcester, turn off the N1 onto the R318. Follow this for 50km until it descends the Burger’s Pass. Two kilometres from the bottom of the pass, turn right onto the marked gravel road to Keisie Cottages.

CONTACT: Visit www.keisiecottages.co.za, call 0236142336 or e-mail info@keisiecottages.co.za.

After a few months of trials, the full product launch for the fibre products
by Karoo has taken place, though roll-out across the Hull and East Yorkshire
area continues, so if you live in the area do check availability before getting
too excited.

Karoo is launching a mixture of fibre to the premises (FTTP) and fibre to
the cabinet (FTTC) under the collective name of Lightstream. The FTTP
products will run at 100 Mbps initially, but are easily upgradeable to support
1 Gbps in the future, the FTTC product will connect at a maximum of 80 Mbps
with the exact speed varying according to the distance from the home to the
street cabinet.

Lightstream Lighstream Home Xtra is the premium product that offers 100 Mbps
downstream and 10 Mbps upload for £48 per month, current offer gives free
connection and the first month free on an 18 month contract. Usage allowance is
600GB a month and includes free calls to UK telephones and 180 minutes of calls
to mobile phones as part of the bundle. KC Lightstream Home is their basic
bundle, and offers 45 Mbps download speed with a 2 Mbps upload speed, the usage
allowance is smaller at 50GB. The basic package is £35 a month, and the same
free connection, first free month and 18 month contract.

The product comparisons with BT Infinity are interesting, as is the claim
‘no slow down no matter how many of you are online’. The comparisons are a
little selective as it only compares Lightstream with BT Infinity 40 Mbps
services, when they have a similar 100 Mbps available in some areas too. There
is no explanation for the no slow down comments, many will read that line and
take it to mean that they will get line speed for downloads always while within
their usage allowance. A tough challenge, a tough challenge for any provider to
make at this sort of price point.

Compared to the pricing that BT Retail is using for its Infinity products,
Karoo Lightstream is more expensive, but their ADSL2+ products are not as cheap
as the rest of the UK. ADSL2+ with 50GB allowance is £25.54 per month. The
premium for switching to a fibre solution is around £10 a month, the same as
TalkTalk charges for its fibre boost.

One thing we are sure of is that while the products are clearly using light
via fibre optic cable as a transmission medium, it is that light does not
travel down a fibre optic cable at 186,000 miles per second, the refractive
index of the medium needs to be taken into account, only in a vacuum does light
hit the stated speed.

This is the opinion of Treasure Karoo Action Group chairman Jonathan Deal, who said yesterday: “This incident demonstrates precisely why we have raised serious concerns about fracking in South Africa.

“We simply cannot allow any threat to South Africa’s water resources, never mind the other very real dangers this process creates.”

Fracking is currently banned or under moratoriums and restrictions in more than 90 locations in five countries, Deal said.

“Here we have a situation where people in North America and Canada are, on a daily basis, forced to live with polluting incidents and accidents. There can be no possible justification for the South African government to invest any more time on even considering fracking in this country until issues such as these have been settled by scientific consensus and an inclusive national debate.

“If the government lifts the moratorium and issues any form of exploration licence for fracking under the current circumstances, the only recourse open to TKAG will be to seek the protection of our courts.”

TKAG is opposed to fracking in South Africa before independent comprehensive scientific research has been conducted, showing what the impact of fracking could be.

Deal’s comments relate to a widely reported well blow-out on January 13 in Calgary, Canada. The blow-out is being investigated by the provincial energy regulator in Canada.

In this incident, fracking fluid, under pressure from a well belonging to another company, appears to have travelled through fault lines and fissures until it breached an older well hundreds of metres away, causing the fluid, under pressure, to blow out of that well.

ERCB spokesperson Cara Tobin has been quoted as saying: “(My) understanding is that it appears the fracking process affected the other well.”

The ERCB further admitted to the press that “(the ERCB) is aware of similar incidents of ‘communication’ between wells as a result of fracking.”

“Communication” is an event in which the fracking process creates pressure, which escapes into an underground fault system, Deal said.

“The fluids used to achieve the fracking process travel along natural fissures and weaknesses in surrounding rock until they migrate into an area where the pressure is absorbed.

“In this case, the path was to a well hundreds of metres away and, according to reports, the different pressure caused that well to blow out.”

In relation to the same incident, Deal said, Don Bester, a retired Canadian mining engineer who chairs the Alberta Surface Rights Group, has been quoted as saying: “We’re concerned that these things are going to start damaging aquifers. If they hit another well, like this one here, what if they (communicate) and put all that frack fluid into an aquifer and destroy it?”

Bester said he was concerned that “fracking propagates out so far that if they hit one of these natural fracture systems, they will just follow the natural channel straight up from a high pressure zone to a low pressure zone”.

His view has been supported by Matt Horne, a director of the Pembina Institute, a Canadian Environmental think-tank, Deal said. Horne has been quoted as saying that “incidents like this and the recent Environmental Protection Agency study about the pollution of aquifers in Wyoming, US, all add weight to concerns being raised about hydraulic fracturing”.

INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS

Hiking trails are marked with pictures of the reclusive antbear. Picture Myrtle Ryan

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• Pics: Rooiheuwel Holiday Farm       
  

“Bring your own horse,” read the advert. With visions of a holiday home for horses, I set off for Rooiheuwel Holiday Farm, in the foothills of the Nuweveld Mountains in the Karoo. The nearest towns are Beaufort West and Prince Albert.

I pictured fond equine owners enquiring of their mounts whether they fancied a break from their monotonous riding routine. This would be a destination with a difference, I thought.

It turns out Rooiheuwel is sometimes used as a training ground by participants in the annual Endurance Horse Ride which takes place at Smithfield in the Free State.

The terrain is certainly rugged enough. For those not born to the saddle, but rather with boots strapped to their feet, Rooiheuwel also offers some splendid hiking.

What is more, I had been told, the odds against stumbling across an antbear were not too shabby. So maybe some forays into the veld were in order.

On arriving at Rooiheuwel, we found owners Flip and Marge Vivier are proud proponents of ecotourism. “We want visitors to go home with more knowledge and insight into the Karoo,” said Flip, so they provide articles on history, farming, plants and nature. He handed me a leaflet on the most southerly recorded corbelled hut in SA, located on the farm Vlieefontein, which was built by the Kruger family in 1850 in the Beaufort West district. This told how the Krugers were part of a group of nine families that migrated from the Cape, via Ceres, to settle in the Karoo.

This isolated shepherd’s cottage is much sought after by those seeking tranquility. Picture Myrtle Ryan

INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS

The hut, now a national monument, was built as overnight accommodation for when they trekked with their herds. An entire family was wiped out by Bushmen at this hut – apparently the result of confrontation between the trekkers and the Bushmen, because the farmers would not allow the latter access to water resources. There was also the question of stock theft.

Rooiheuwel has various accommodation options on offer: Boplaas, Kliphuis and Middelplaas.

Kliphuis, once a stone cottage for shepherds, set deep in the veld, is the most unusual of them all. Set high in the hills, with silence its only companion, Kliphuis is not for those seeking creature comforts.

You enter it via a low door, then access the sleeping quarters through an even lower lintel and a narrow passage. The shutters over the window can be left open, allowing you to really feel a part of nature. Simply furnished, Kliphuis is the one romantics from around the world want to check into. The views are special.

We stayed at Middelplaas, which entailed a half-hour drive to an adjoining farm, set deep in the mountains. Once the residence of a family, it is a typical, enormous, comfortable farmhouse, at the end of a farmroad. Water is heated in the “donkey”… typical of the heating facilities of yesteryear.

Early in the morning, I set off along some of the hiking trails, all clearly marked with antbears painted on a rock. I expected to find one of these shy creatures snuffling around, but my only sighting was the trail markers. Still, it was wonderful to breathe in the fresh Karoo air, and watch the sun slip from its bedcovers.

According to Flip, theirs was the first Green Flag-accredited hiking trail in the Karoo. There is also about 60km of 4×4 trails. Two of these trails go along river beds, three into the mountains. Flip said off-road proponents love riding in the dry river beds, using their winches to pull big rocks out of the way or jacking up their vehicles.

Mountain bikers are catered for, as are birders. He also pointed out that there is no problem with water in the Karoo at present. When Beaufort West’s dam ran dry it brought a lot of negative publicity, but good rains have changed that.

During our visit, the Koekemoer River was flowing strongly. Black springbok (darker than the normal one) bounded, wild flowers bloomed. It was a beautiful time of the year.

• Contact: 023 412 1669, 083 387 6699; e-mail pmvivier@telkomsa.net – Sunday Tribune

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Weather

WARNINGS: A heat wave with persistently high temperatures continue over West Coast District, Cape Winelands, Cape Metropole, Overberg, Breede River Valley and Karoo areas of the Western Cape and the western and southern parts of the Eastern Cape until Thursday.
Extremely uncomfortable, humid conditions will be experienced in the West Coast District, Cape Winelands, Karoo areas of the Western Cape, the western and southern interior of the Eastern Cape and the western parts of the Northern Cape.

18 January 2012
| Sapa

GAUTENG

Cloudy becoming partly cloudy and warm with isolated showers and thundershowers.
Expected UVB Index: Dangerous.
 
MPUMALANGA

Cloudy at first in the east with morning fog on the escaprment, otherwise partly cloudy and cool to warm with isolated showers and thudershowers but scattered in places in the lowveld.
 
LIMPOPO

Cloudy at first in the east with morning fog on the escaprment, otherwise partly cloudy and warm with isolated showers and thudershowers but scattered in places in the lowveld.
 
NORTHWEST

Partly cloudy and hot with isolated thundershowers.
 
FREE STATE

Partly cloudy and warm to hot with isolated thundershowers.

NORTHERN CAPE

Warm along the coast, otherwise partly cloudy and hot to very hot with isolated thundershowers.

The wind along the coast will be light south westerly.
 
WESTERN CAPE

Partly cloudy and hoe but very hot in places. Isolated thundershowers are expected over the central and eastern areas. It will become cloudy along the south coast during afternoon.

The wind along the coast will be moderate southerly.
Expected UVB Index: Very Dangerous.
 
 
EASTERN CAPE

Partly cloudy and warm to hot but very hot in places over the interior.
Isolated showers and thundershowers are expected in places over the northen and western parts.

The wind along the coast will be fresh to strong north easterly.
 
KWAZULU-NATAL

Morning fog over the interior, otherwise fine to partly cloudy and warm with isolated showers and thundershowers in the west and the north.

The wind along the coast will be moderate  north-easterly.

Expected UVB index: High.
 
NAMIBIA

Partly cloudy and warm to hot with isolated showers and thundershowers in the interior but scattered in the north where heavy rain is possible. It will be cool along the coast with moderate south westerly.
 
BOTSWANA

Partly cloudy and hot but warm in the east with isolated showers and thundershowers but scattered in the north and east.
 
LESOTHO

Partly cloudy and warm with isolated thundershowers.
 
SWAZILAND

Morning fog patches, otherwise cloudy and cool with scattered showers and thundershowers.

Heavy rain is possible in the north.

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A PRETORIA judge yesterday ordered Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu to supply anti-fracking lobby group Treasure the Karoo Action Group with an affidavit stating why the Department of Mineral Resources did not want to reveal details about a task team investigating the gas-extraction technique.

Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, would be used to extract gas from SA’s large untapped shale gas resources, the world’s fifth-largest — estimated by the International Energy Agency at 485-trillion cubic feet — under the ecologically sensitive Karoo.

The reserves became the subject of intense debate last year after it was revealed that petrochemical companies were keen to exploit them, in what is a global growth industry.

“We are greatly encouraged by our achievement,” Treasure the Karoo chairman Jonathan Deal said yesterday.

Ms Shabangu has placed a moratorium on shale gas prospecting, due to last at least until the end of next month, in part to give the task force time to investigate fracking.

SA’s resource plan for electricity has proposed that gas contribute up to 6% of SA’s total electricity mix.

Treasure the Karoo’s lawyer, Luke Havemann, said costs were awarded against Ms Shabangu and her department.

The hearing, before Judge Ben du Plessis, took place in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act application rules.

The group wants, among other things, access to the terms of reference relating to research to be conducted by a task team Ms Shabangu established to investigate fracking, and the identities of those on the “working group” assisting the task team.

The team consists of the directors-general of the departments of mineral resources, science and technology, and trade and industry, and the CEO of the Petroleum Agency of SA, but no representatives of the departments of water affairs, environmental affairs or agriculture.

Department of Mineral Resources spokeswoman Zingaphi Jakuja said: “It is confirmed that the court application by Treasure the Karoo Action Group … was postponed until month-end to allow the department to file its opposing affidavit.”

Treasure the Karoo also wants to know the qualifications of those on the working group, the entities they represent, and to see all correspondence relating to the working group and the task team.

Further court applications would be made if the information received was unsatisfactory, or if the information was not received, Mr Havemann said.

blaines@bdfm.co.za

INLSA

Farmer Gerhardus du Plessis says he remembers every detail about the French couple who lived on his farm before they killed a policeman and went on the run. Picture: Henk Kruger

Related Stories

• Police honour young constable

Saturday marked a year since a French couple shattered the calm of a Karoo town when they killed a policeman and went on the run.

A manhunt followed and, six days later, Philippe Menière, 60, and Agnes Jardel, 55, were dead.

They were reputed to be members of the Ramtha School of Enlightenment cult.

They committed suicide after being cornered in a farmhouse outside Sutherland.

Menière and Jardel were on the run for shooting Constable Jacob Boleme on January 14 at the farmhouse they occupied near Sutherland.

Gerhardus du Plessis, who owned the farm where the couple had lived for 12 years, asked them to leave because family members wanted to use the farmhouse. He had apparently asked them to move out in July 2010, but they had still not yet done so by December of that year.

Philippe Meniere and Agnes Jardel.

INLSA

Du Plessis knew the French couple possessed firearms, for which the licences had expired. He lodged a complaint with the Sutherland police.

On January 14, Du Plessis’s sons, Jaen and Cobus, went with four police officers to the couple’s house with a search warrant.

Menière handed over the weapons, then pulled out a handgun from his clothing and shot Boleme. As the others fled, he shot and wounded police officer Glenwall du Toit. Jardel was firing from the house.

The couple fled in Du Plessis’s bakkie, shooting at the officers as they went.

When the vehicle got stuck, the couple fled into the veld.

Police launched a manhunt on foot and by air, with more than 70 police officers with trackers and dogs searching the 3 000ha farm.

On January 20, police cornered them at a vacant farmhouse 400m from the house where they had lived after a member of the public had tipped them off. A shoot-out ensued and police later found several guns and ammunition with the bodies.

They were given a pauper’s burial in Kimberley last February. Last May, the Independent Complaints Directorate found they had committed suicide.

French consul Antoine Michon said last January that Menière had been 30 and Jardel 25 when they arrived in South Africa from Paris. He said Jardel had a half-brother and two sisters in France.

Menière had no living relatives, but had friends in France.

On Saturday, Sutherland resident commemorated the death of Boleme.

While many in the town seldom think of the week-long manhunt for the couple, Du Plessis says he remembers every detail.

“For the public it’s something they would forget, but not for me,” he said.

Du Plessis pointed out where Boleme’s body had lain and where Du Toit had fallen.

The farmer drew in the sand outlines of where the police vans and his son’s bakkie had been parked when the shooting took place.

The couple’s furniture and other possessions remain stacked up in the farmhouse.

Du Plessis said he had received a letter via the embassy from Jardel’s brother apologising for all the trouble. The farmer is waiting for someone to claim their possessions.

Du Plessis said he was heartbroken by the tragedy.

A resident, who works in the town’s gift shop, said she did not think much had changed.

“The people who were curious about the couple came and went. They got what they wanted, but this is a peaceful town,” she said.