Attie Heunis's Journey

The ramblings of a Caucasian African American

recent posts

about

Originally from South Africa’s magnificent Eastern Cape, my family and I now reside in Pennsylvania in the United States. To earn my keep I’m an executive for a multinational company in the Healthcare sector. I’m also a serious amateur photographer. Pro-environmental and conservation views.

  • Front page for The Red Apple

    We had a curious incident at our shop a couple of weeks ago: Thandeka Mali, a Ndlambe (our local authority) official, threw a tantrum saying that we employ too many coloured people instead of black people (for overseas readers in South-Africa coloured and black are not the same; “coloureds” come from nomadic tribes who populated the Southern tip of South Africa while “blacks” originate from North of the Sahara). I then told the lady that we have an anti-racism policy and if she continues down that road I’ll have to ask her to leave.

    Anyway we wrote about this to The Talk of the Town, the local newspaper, thinking it might get a mention. When opening today’s edition we were surprised to see it made the front page!!

  • Elke loop (op video)

    Ons het vanoggend Elke se eerste treë op video vasgevang. Met die hulp van tegnologie kan lesers dit ‘n paar uur later sien. Die is ook toevallig my eerste Youtube upload.

  • “Grootste diamant” te goed om waar te wees

    My onmiddelike reaksie toe ek van die ontdekking van die “grootste” diamant hoor was moet dit nou net nie weer vir die Pommies gee nie! Maar nou reken ek dis miskien ‘n liegstorie.

    Van die bestuur van die maatskappy wat die diamant ontdek het was betrokke by Holland Moorehouse, ‘n tyddeel maatskappy wat bankrot geraak het. Hulle was bekend vir hulle aggressiewe bemarking. Die kundiges in die veld reken ook dat alluviale diamante nie so groot raak nie omdat hulle gespoel word en so afgebreek word – wat vir my sin maak.

    Ek weet Siener van Rensberg het vertel van die diamant, maar Siener soos Danie Krugel en Marietta Theunissen was ook maar ‘n bogspul. Tensy Carte Blanche anders dink 🙂 (lees vroeër post).

  • Review: Syriana

    I saw Syriana for the first time last night. An outstanding if disturbing movie. I thought the story was superb, although I think there is more truth than fiction in the movie. I don’t want to give away anything so all I will say is that I unreservedly recommend this movie. 4½ stars.

  • Its official: Elke is walking!

    Excactly 12 weeks after Elke started crawling she has started walking. She has actually taken steps before but they turned out to be flukes. Since yesterday she is taking small steps and often. Now the fun and games commence!

  • My Opel Meriva

    My Opel Meriva
    Opel Meriva Diesel

    I was playing around with my camera when I took this photograph of my car, an Opel Meriva 1.7 CDTi. I love the car – it had some problems in the beginning but Kenrich Delta sorted it out – now it is good on fuel, comfortable, fast, has all the features you need and I think it looks fantastic! I will certainly consider an Opel as my next car as well.

    Update: Turns out they never could fix the Meriva, so I settled for an Astra.

  • Youtube tiger attack

  • South Africa’s Border War by Willem Steenkamp

    I have always been fascinated by the South Africa’s involvement in Angola. Maybe it is because I was the 1st year that missed Diensplig (mandatory National Service), but I remember knowing every piece of military hardware as a kid. I used to win many arguments with adults about arms & weapons.

    Anyway my dad has just returned from another expedition for ImageAfrica to Angola and he has re-awakened my interest.

    In this light I am desperately looking for South Africa’s Border War, 1966-1989 by Willem Steenkamp. If anyone has this book for sale, please let me know.

  • New low for Carte Blanche

    I couldn’t believe my eyes and ears this week when Carte Blanche aired a Gert van Rooyen story that was about as believable as Girvan Lubbe’s malaria watch.

    I was dismayed that Ruda Landman put her name to this nonsense. This is not investigative journalism – there were no cold hard facts whatsoever! Clairvoyancy form Marietta Theunissen and quantum physics from Danie Krugel – wtf?? Absolutely shocking from one of the more respected institutions in South Africa. Danie Krugel is a fake – you can spot him a mile away. Quantum Physics doesn’t work in the way he suggested. It is the old story: Bullshit baffles brains! Hoekom dit altyd Afrikaners is wat so simpel is weet ek ook nie!!

    You’ll always have the Danie Krugel and Girvan Lubbes of this world exploiting people for a quick buck. But organisations like Carte Blanche are supposed to expose these frauds and NOT endorse them. This is not the 1st time this has happened to Carte Blanche (Lubbe being another example). No respected news/journalistic organisation like the BBC, CNN, NBC or any of these would come within a mile of this story. Carte Blanche has very seriously dented its own reputation.

    I’ve been told Derek wasn’t on holiday, but he refused to be associated with this story. Good on you Derek. To Ruda this is a disappointing end to a glittering career. Rumour also has it that this story may have something to do with her departure from Carte Blanche.

    Sadly, with South-Africans being as gullible as they are I’m sure many of the “volk” are sold on this. Thankfully people like Moonflake agrees with me.

  • Robbie Hunter jou doring!!

    Gister het Robbie Hunter die 1ste Suid-Afrikaner en Afrikaan geword om ‘n skof in die Tour de France te wen. Ek is ‘n groot rugby ondersteuner, maar ek admireer ouens soos Robbie Hunter en Roland Schoeman meer omdat hulle baie meer moet opoffer om hulle sport te kan be-oefen. Hierdie wen sal al die moeilike tye (en Robbie het heelwat gehad) vergete maak.

    Maak nie meer saak wat vorentoe met Robbie se loopbaan gebeur nie – hy sal nou altyd kan sO hy het ‘n skof in die grootste fietswedren op aarde gewen. Dis nou as hy nie enige iets snaaks gedrink het nie!