OUT TO LUNCH
There are those who believe that the total eclipse of the sun visible over much of America on 8th April presages Armageddon and they will refer you to the highly entertaining (and potentially Oscar award winning if directed by Ridley Scott) Revelation of St John the Divine which comes at the back of the King James version of The Bible.
In a nutshell, trumpets will sound, okes on horses will fill the sky, there will be a rushing of wind and Israel won’t need to worry about armaments supplies from the US if Donald Trump gets elected because the supply will have dried up and, anyway, it will be the end of days.
But in this age of AI and fake news should we believe a word of it? Probably not. My fellow winelands readers have experienced horrific gales over the past weekend. On the estate where I live a large blue gum has been blown over and collapsed onto the electric perimeter fence that protects us from those out there who want to take back the land and eat our beating hearts. ___STEADY_PAYWALL___
The historic Blaauwklippen wine estate (dating from 1682) lost three historic buildings to a raging fire, trees were down throughout Stellenbosch, roofs were ripped off buildings and Somerset Mall evacuated on Sunday morning after a large portion of the metal sheeting was ripped off the roof. This is before the 60mm of rain with accompanying gale force winds we have been promised is on the way.
The weird thing about such a natural disaster is that there will be those who dance with glee at the fact that wine farms and the properties of the well off can so easily be destroyed. The reality though is that it is the less well-off who suffer most. If you live, like many do after 30 years of the ANC’s tender, loving care, in a zinc shack in a crowded informal settlement then you constantly have fire, flooding and wind to worry about in addition to crime and gang warfare.