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Like Heksie, I was born in Bothaville (maar sy vrou wil nie) Grew up on a farm called Mooifontein, on the banks of the Vals river. This is where my love for nature started. Weekends I woke up at about 06h00, raided the freezer for something to braai. Then it was me, the .22 rifle and the dog called Oupa. We would stroll along the river and look for a Guinea fowl or two to shoot which my mother used to make the most delicious pies. I only came back to the farm house when it started getting dark.

I remember 'stealing' a packet of meat to braai, but at about 13h00, much to my dismay, I discovered that it was a bag of soup bones.

After school, it was my time to join 'Korporaal Magnus and Sons' (army) Spent 1 year at Voortrekkerhoogte and 1 year in Potch, at a base called 'Klipdrift' (I liked this name) I did a survival course at the Letaba Ranch, just north of Phalaborwa but were kept so occupied that I did not have the time to enjoy nature. During this time, I visited Duits Wes Afrika
a couple of times, free of charge, with the compliments of Korporaal Magnus. Oshakati, Ondangwa, Oshivelo (Oshiterrible) and all those places.

The University of the Orange Free State and eventually to Welkom.

I was born a short bus ride from Old Trafford, the centre of the earth.

My dad worked for a woodworking machine manufacturer in Rochdale near Manchester. Being very good at his job, he was asked if he would like to represent the company on Joburg. He came to SA for 6 months to 'test drive' and came back to Rochdale to fetch my mum brother and me.

He had found out about Kruger from his Afrikaans customers (now there is a match made in heaven ) speaking in his broad Lancashire accent as he did until he died. They seemed to like him, because many of our early family friends were Afrikaans.

We visited Kruger a number of times in my junior school years before mum & dad parted ways and we went with mum to the Cape.

I have been here ever since, married, raised 3 children.

Hey Rooies et al, it is NOT in the blood, it gets into the shoes.....

Was born in Potgietersrus and grew up there and in Pietersburg. My roots are in North Transvaal in the heart of the Bosveld...nothing beats that for me!

I'm staying in Pretoria for too long now, but will go back to the Bosveld in a flash.

For you who don't know, the Bush-field is where the hardekool (hardwood) is found!

I grew up on a fruit farm in the Little Karroo. Our village was Barrydale, famous for being on the R62

Went to a small farm school - barefoot, carefree days - loved roaming the farm with pellet gun in hand - only allowed to shoot birds that ate the fruit, never doves or swallows.

Boarding school in Cape Town, Stellenbosch University, lived in Cape Town, Johannessburg for 4 years, and the last 30+ years here in the Helderberg.

Where would I like to be right now - parked at Kwang waterhole- 30ks north of Nossob in the KTP

BB I would never have guessed you were British born.

Born in Vanderbijlpark
My dad was a dutch immigrant working at Yskor, the steel factory
Grew up with fishing and swimming in the Vaal river
Kleilat and flying home made kites in the winter in the park behind our house.
Grew up playing rugger at school and soccer for the company team.
And we always went on holiday in april
Visited Kruger from the age of 8
And the south coast (Amanzimtoti) and we even made the trek to the Cape once

Finishing matric and because my mum was terminal we moved back to her roots
Ended up in Dordrecht, The Netherlands, which is my favourite city for the last odd 35 yrs now.

About the roots.
One of the main reasons i must make it back to SA every year
The other is Kruger

Yer wot? I still like jam butties!

I guess the transformation to local jokel is just about complete then?

Absolutely right...........I had you down as a real bosman!!

My grandparents, both sets, moved to South Africa from a little village called Kholvad in Gujarat State, India.
In South Africa they, together with other people from Kholvad found the going tough and realized that the only way to a better life was education and a qualification. So many of them clubbed in and had a block of flats built in Market Street, Johannesburg and called it Kholvad House. The rental income was used to educate children back in Kholvad and in South Africa.


Kholvad House has a rich history


My father ended up in Vereeniging and I was born there. We lived in an area called the “Asiatic Bazaar” which sounds very nice but was not. Dirt roads, no street lights or water borne sewage but it was a good childhood with many happy memories. We were about 100 families in the area and everybody knew everybody else.

I, like many other children whose forbears hailed from Kholvad, was educated courtesy of a scholarship from Kholvad House. Only requirement is you have to repay the full amount of the scholarship when you qualify – no interest or time limit to repay. So I was fortunate to be educated in the UK where I did “O” levels and “A” Levels and the first year of my degree. I completed my degree at University of Durban Westville. If it was not for this system many of us would not have had the opportunity to get an education as my parents would never have been able to afford it.

Anyway I qualified as a pharmacist and went the manufacturing route working in the Pharmaceutical Industry.
Sharifa and I decided early in our marriage that we going to see as much of South Africa as we can and so each time a job opportunity in another city came up I took it. We started off in Lenasia (Jhb) and have lived in Reservoir Hills and Westville (both in Durban), Brakenhurst in Alberton, Mulbarton in JHB, Elandshaven in Germiston. Durbanville and Brackenfell (Hi Orange ) in Cape Town and for the last 4 and half years in Centurion.

I have been to India and to Kholvad and love it. I have wonderful memories of England. In my present job I go to many countries but my roots are firmly in South Africa – all of it.

So vast, so different, so beautiful, so much diversity, so many cultures that make up this wonderful land and faces it’s challenges daily.

Born in Nelpsruit, although my father was mine manager at Havelock Mine so they had to schlep on that dreadful road to Nelspruit when I was about to arrive. First 3 years spent at Havelock and Barberton before parents moved to the then Rhodesia. Had the most wonderful childhood in Bulawayo and Salisbury. Returned to S.A. in 1966 to live in Jo'burg till 1991 when returned to the love of my life, the lowveld and have lived in White River ever since.

Safari Gal I know that awful road you mean between Havelock Mine and Nelspruit. (That road is quite good now, I believe its actually tarred all the way!!! - although I have not tried it, it does have wonderful scenery though)

I was born in Johannesburg, and my parents moved to Swaziland when I was 10. I have lived here ever since besides a year at school in America and a year working in England.

Three in a row who have roots close to Swaziland.
I lived there the first 8 years of my life in amongst the pine plantations around Mhlambanyatsi in the western highlands - the area around Sabie is very similar.
In the "CBD" area there was a butcher,supermarket,Barclays bank,church,a golf club,a school,filling station,Forresters arms Hotel and the "old village" about 5 km away which had a clinic,police station,post office & recreation club with little else to serve the paperpulp factory & forestry employees
SABC Springbok radio was an evenings entertainment.This is mountainous area where a bicycle was of little use,and a days entertainment involved much walking and exploring the plantations and wide open spaces.

Born in the Northern Transvaal (PTA), grew up on a farm between Middelburg and Cradock which meant boarding school in Grahamstown (the city of many seasons in one day), after that worked in PE for about 10 yrs and met my hubby there too, been up in Pretoria for the last 30 yrs but holiday down on the Eastern Cape where we plan to retire.

Born in Pietermaritzburg, went to school in pietermaritzburg, now studying in....Pietermaritzburg
My roots lie here in the rolling hills of KZN, where the north is the bush, east is the beach and west is the berg

Born in Tzaneen one winter’s afternoon. Grew up in Phalaborwa. Had a dream of a childhood, barefoot days, bicycle riding in the bush while your hairs stood on edge as you could bump into any type of Kruger escapees at any time!

Us kids that grew up together are very close to each other even today and stayed in contact through the years, a special bond and link with our beloved Phallies.
Studied in Pretoria and settled in Zululand where I met SO. I also befriended Rooies’ sister and brother in law when they were still living there, small world!!

If not in one of our lovely parks (Non-Sanparks as well) we love to do the Midlands Meander, (Piggly-Wiggly and Rawdons on top of our list) or the Western Cape, Stellenbosch, Greyton and Stanford. Greyton has special memories, played piano one night into the wee hours of the morning with fine Scottish whisky as payment from the owner of the Greyton Lodge. Its tough but someone had to do it!
Travelling from Zululand to the Cape, we always stay over in Clarens in the Eatern Free State and Graaff Reinette in the Eastern Cape. Wonderful towns.
So I can say that my roots are all over South Africa