I ’ve always loved the isiZulu saying immortalised during the 1956 Women’s March on the Union Buildings “Wathint’ abafazi, wathint’ imbokodo” (You strike a woman, you strike a rock). What happens though, when you kick a rock? The chances are that a KES (King Edward VII High School) old boy will come scuttling out from underneath. A lot has happened in my travels of the past months to remind me of this popular contention.
Most recently, it was the sad news that Tintswalo Safari Lodge manager Emily Leuner was fighting for her life after being shot, allegedly by a disgruntled ex-employee. I was sitting at dinner at the lodge about two years ago – on my own as is often the case when I’m roadtripping – when two couples of a similar age invited me to join them. It transpired in conversation that the two men were brothers who had been through the King Edward Preparatory School system.
One went on to Jeppe High School and the other went to KES, matriculating some years before I did. We told this improbable story to Emily’s husband Alistair, who also serves on Tintswalo’s management team. “So did I,” he said.
ALSO READ: Leafy luxury in the Tsitsikamma forest A brotherhood in unexpected places A fortnight ago, at Longhill Nature Reserve outside Addo in the Eastern Cape, my partner and I were assigned field guide and wannabe marine biologist Marco de Nobrega. When asked about his background, he said he was from Johannesburg where he’d been educated at King Ed.
