Thread: Employment Opportunities

Right you lot...was up in Pretoria for the front end of this week and, by chance (NO...I was not looking), came across solutions for all those Landy owners that might be feeling a little inadequate:




Don't forget....it is a +27 in front of those numbers.

Originally Posted by BBC

Don't forget....it is a +27 in front of those numbers.

Um! noted that, +27 , I'll keep that for future reference.
.

I don't know what you're talking about. I don't need any machinery training.

Originally Posted by Davo

I don't know what you're talking about. I don't need any machinery training.

Eggzackly Davo!!

Though....if there is anyone who would want to take advantage of any other option....I'd be suggesting that they first check to ensure that it will have coverage under Medicare.

That was a good weekend. Sun AM I drove from Maputo to attend the annual Umhlanga (Reed) Dance Festival over in Swaziland. A very significant annual cultural event.

Sunrise over Swaziland, not a bad way to start the day.

The conduct of the Reed Dance is thus explained by an excerpt from the publication we were provided with:

Nestled between South Africa and Mozambique lies the beautiful Kingdom of Swaziland. This is a richly cultural nation, peaceful and ready to offer visitors a memorable experience, especially at the end of August each year when Uhmlanga (The Reed Dance) is celebrated by the young unmarried maidens.
These Swazi girls come from all over the country and gather together for the ceremony which lasts for about 8 days. The Umhlanga Reed Dance occurs toward the end of the month of August, when the season starts changing and the reed is matured and ready for harvest. This event presents the maidens with an opportunity to pay honour to the Queen Mother. Only childless, unwed girls are permitted to take part in the event.
The dates of the Umhlanga Reed Dance are set according to the cycle of the moon and are never determined on the calendar.
The precise dates of the event are made public via the maiden’s Captain, or Indvuna Yetintfombi, who is chosen by Royal appointment. She is nominated on the basis of being an expert dancer and knowing the ins and outs of the national Royal protocol. She is expected to lead the girls with one of the Princesses as her counterpart when they set off to cut the reed on the first day.
The main objectives of the ceremony are to firstly preserve maiden’s virginity. This tradition is focused on encouraging young Swazi women to abstain from intimate relations and keep their virginity intac until they are considered old enough to be married.
The second main objective is to provide tribute labour to honour the Queen Mother. The reeds cut by the maidens are taken back to the main Royal Residence, and are used as wind breaks for the Lodzidzini Royal Residence.
The final aim of the ceremony is to promote a sense of unity and solidarity among the girls by having them work and dance together.


What I saw was the final day. Getting underway:





Yes! DPCU skirts:

































Two new Swazi’s:











Now….this bloke (the bearded one)….I was sitting beside a couple from South Africa and when this chap walked in, they pointed him out to me and told me that he is Kingsley Holgate.

Kingsley Holgate is THE South African Land Rover legend:
Kinglsey Holgate | Social Support Programme |

I went down to him, sat beside him and then started a conversation on the basis that we are both Landy Tragics by showing him the photo of my S2A on my phone. Then, because he could tell I was Ausssie, he asked me if I knew Tony Park. To which I admitted and related with him that the lead character in Tony’s first book ‘Far Horizon’, was a Royal Australian Engineer Major who cleared the landmines in Mozambique….no one I’d know! Kingsley and Tony know each other well. A small world.

Then, the King, Mswati III, arrived and trooped around the assembled mass. Note the King’s Guard…a bit different from H.M. QE2’s:






Some young’uns:


Then, departing from the festival I was walking down the road and this very traditionally attired man was walking in front of me…..I just had to get a shot of the fact he was carrying an I-Phone. He laughed with me when he noted me taking the photo….tradition and technology.



It was estimated that there were 50,000 young maidens that participated.

It was a fantastic event to attend. So human.

I cannot believe that you are supporting the continuation of a pedophiliac monarchy that suppresses democratic freedom and who has bankrupted his nation.

Originally Posted by jakeslouw

I cannot believe that you are supporting the continuation of a pedophiliac monarchy that suppresses democratic freedom and who has bankrupted his nation.

No call for political prejudice here on this forum...please leave it out.

Originally Posted by jakeslouw

I cannot believe that you are supporting the continuation of a pedophiliac monarchy that suppresses democratic freedom and who has bankrupted his nation.

Jakeslouw mate, I don't mind your input.

Yes, there is a lot of criticism aimed at the King of Swazi, and for a lot of due cause.

But for me, the Reed Dance is a function for the strengthening of the female community within Swaziland. Yes, the King does attend, and he has previously used it for selecting/announcing his latest Princess.

From talking with Swazi locals though, the emphasis on the Reed Dance has become more and more, about the female identity in Swaziland. The King attends, but it is more and more about forming the female identity.

Let us hope.....anyway.

For me, it was a very colourful event. Where so many young maidens seemed to be enjoying their collective participation. As it is across so much of Africa, there is strength in unity.