Constitution Hill, home of the Land's Highest Court

With the advent of the democratically elected government in 1994,  a new constitution was drafted, widely regarded as one of "the most advanced in the world".  Simultaneously, a Constitutional Court, the highest court in the land, was formed to be the custodian of the constitution. 
Set on the northern ridge overlooking the Central Business District (CBD) in Braamfontien is the historic Old Fort which was selected to be the site of a museum and the new Constitutional Court.  Dubbed Constitution Hill, the precinct lies next to the Civic Centre and is one stop our overseas visitors find particularly interesting because it echoes Jo'burgs history since its inception covering the Boer War, mining strikes and both criminal and political prisoners from the apartheid era.
Built in the late 19th century initially as a high security prison, a fort was added a few years later following the failed Jameson Raid when Dr. L.S. Jameson led a rebellion against the Paul Kruger Government. Other notable prisoners of this time included a young Winston Churchill working as a war correspondent and Mahatma Gandhi who was imprisoned for his passive resistance campaign against the laws of the land. 
During 1913 and 1914, the leaders of two major strikes were held while many Afrikaners were also held there when they rebelled against the Prime Minister, Jan Smuts, who took SA into WW1 on the side of the British. The highly regarded General de Wet was one of them.  In 1922 a Miners Strike was called which deteriorated into an insurrection with the loss of numerous lives which resulted in many prisoners being incarcerated.  
A notorious serial murderess, Daisy de Melker was jailed in the Women's Block prior to her conviction and execution. During World War 2, a right wing grouping with Nazi sympathies, rebelled against the governments siding with Britain resulting in many prominent people being interned in the jail.

From the 1950's until the '80's, many well known personalities who led the resistance against apartheid spent time in the jail amongst whom were Nelson Mandela, Robert Sobukwe, Oliver Tambo, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and Albertina Sisulu.
Much of the court is hugely symbolic starting with the reception area which depicts a tree under which, the traditional "court" or lekgotla would take place when tribal elders would hear and settle disputes.  Some of the walls of the Constitutional Court have been constructed using bricks from part of the jail complex that was demolished to make way for the court. The court is open to the public to enter and observe the cases brought before the 12 constitutional judges.  A magnificent South African art collection is on display in a gallery as part of the court.

Interesting and informative Tours are conducted regularly throughout the day on most days of the year and generally last a couple of hours and refreshments can be had ina coffee shop.  


www.constitutionhill.org.za/

Frogging!

Okay, Chrissiesmeer is not in Johannesburg nor even in Gauteng (it is in Mpumalanga) but it is such a beautiful area and the event quite unique, we just had to include it on the blog. The hamlet lies about 2 1/2 hours east of Johannesburg and is described as "the lake district of South Africa" for the area boasts some 270 lakes of varying sizes. How they were formed remains a matter of dispute as does why some contain fresh water while others are saline, some contain peat and others are considered wetlands. 
History relates that the name Chrissiesmeer is derived from that of Christina, the daughter of the then President Pretorius. Many of the farms bear Scottish names because a Scottish pioneer, reminded of his homeland by the high grasslands, fell in love with the area and persuaded the government to sell him 200 farms as part of an immigration scheme for his fellow countrymen. 
Chrissiesmeer was also the scene of a significant battle in the Anglo-Boer War when the British initiated a pincer movement in early 1901 to entrap the Boer forces under the leadership of General Louis Botha. If successful, the war could have been effectively ended with about half the Boer forces captured but the brilliant general read the situation, infiltrated the British camp and stampeded the cavalry horses.
Several years ago, the residents of the area adopted an approach of raising the public profile of Chrissiesmeer to try and combat the threat of coal mining which would pose a huge danger to the delicate ecology.  Part of that strategy was to hold an annual "Frogging" weekend partly because there are literally millions of frogs and partly because frogs are an early warning indicator and would be in the frontline of the threat.  
Lectures about the ecology and the frogs are held on a Saturday afternoon at the beginning of summer followed by the fun of trying to catch frogs for identification.  At sunset and equipped with torches, wellingtons, a plastic bag and a keen sense of hearing, participants attempt to catch as many frogs as possible. Be warned: the sound bears no relation to the size of the frog and they are ventriloquists.  A competitive edge is introduced by recognising the most number of frogs caught, the greatest variety etc.  A potjie feast at a farm signals the end of a fascinating, fun filled and very worthwhile event.

Such is the success of the frog weekend that similar events are held to highlight other riches of this highly endangered grassland biome area including the identification of butterflies as well as the huge diversity of indigenous flowers. 
Friendly people and accommodation which in our experience is of a high standard and is readily available from camping to B & B's to a hotel, makes for a highly recommended experience.




http://www.chrissiesmeer.co.za/