Dompas

Monday 12th September

Kosmos, Hartbeespoort Dam, North West Province

Hartbeespoort Dam

The light slowly fades over the dam, the meat sizzles on the braai, the air is filled with the chorus of birdsong - a relaxing end to a relaxing day.  We haven't ventured out of the lodge today, taking the opportunity to enjoy the sunshine, the hibiscus gardens, the hot tub and the shower with possibly the finest view in the world.

The setting here is magnificent, but is at the same time a bit uncomfortable.  We are in a gated village, where a giant security gate and a slip of paper bearing your credentials decide if you are in or out.  A squatter camp has sprung up outside the gate and supplies the domestic labour to meet the needs of the pass-protected plush residences.

It all feels a little too similar to the pass system under apartheid - only this time I is wealth and social status that defines who is in and who is out.  Having to carry the "pass" at all times gives just a flavour of how degrading that system must have been... but more on that tomorrow.