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PUBLIC WORKS OWN HOME AT LAST “Where there are two political
parties campaigning in the same
area, they must be able to medi-
was found that he had a previous
firearm-related conviction.
It also emerged that Kgo-
ate,” Mothopeng said. ale had a drinking problem.
Police allegedly fired rubber – Sapa
Northern Cape
Kuruman clinic
AfrikaBurn’s the ego
An alternative to consumer culture at a carnival of human expression
runs out of drugs
Ishmael Modiba another case where the “poorest
of our poor people are unable to
THE rural community of Kuru- take advantage of the rights and
Scott Smith
man has been receiving sub- freedoms enshrined in the Con-
standard care in the past three stitution”.
Welcome to AfrikaBurn,
months due to the clinic being “The question is what are the
check in your ego at the gong.
without basic medication. The DA Joe Morolong municipality and
Tucked away in the semi-arid
provincial leader, Andrew Louw, the department of health doing
Karoo, about 100km south of Cal-
said the issue came to light during about it? Sadly, the answer is
vinia, off one of South Africa’s
a campaign visit to the area in the nothing,” Louw stated.
longest dirt and deserted roads,
Joe Morolong municipality. “Poor health robs people of
the R355, lies something just a
Louw said old, sickly residents, opportunity. The DA believes that
little out of the ordinary that hap-
many of whom were pensioners, it is government’s moral duty to
pens just once a year.
were dependent on grants and combat poverty by ensuring that
A collection of temporary struc-
had no access to public transport, everyone, including those who
tures literally just popping out of
were being sent home from the cannot afford to pay for them,
the desert gravel, a gathering of
Laxey community health centre have access to the basic services
people maybe just a little weirder
without necessary treatment. they need to improve their lives.
than you may be comfortable with
The clinic had had only diabetes “To this end, the municipality
and probably the most interesting
and blood pressure medicines for has a crucial role to play, not least
five days you will spend anywhere.
the past three months. of all working with other spheres
AfrikaBurn is primarily an
“It’s ironic that the medical of government to expand access
art festival despite the loose phi-
care being received from this fine to primary healthcare facilities,
losophy guiding this temporary
building is in such a shambles. but also to establish primary
community based on the values
On top of this, the building has healthcare units in municipali-
of radical self-expression and
been maintained by volunteers ties to assess the quality of care
self-reliance in a strictly non-
for at least the past three years,” administered at primary health
commercial environment.
he said. care facilities. The official at Joe
Organisers feel the event rep-
He added that these volunteers Morolong municipality referred
resents such a radical break from
receive no stipend in return for the matter to the department of
the norms of society that if the
helping with the cleaning of the health as they are responsible and
festival continues to grow then the
facility and in assisting the sick. can better explain what is happen-
experiences there will somehow,
He said the government had ing,” said Louw.
in some form and some measure,
shown little interest in helping Spokesperson for the health
spill into mainstream society ARTISTIC FREEDOM: There are plenty of eccentric CLIMAX: The Sun Clan sculpture was burned
them to improve the services department Lulu Mxekezo said
and make desired changes such costumes and characters at AfrikaBurn. spectacularly on the Saturday night. Pictures: SCOTT SMITH
being rendered at “this poor there were no government cars
as more love, less commercialism
excuse for a clinic”. available to take medication to
and more tolerance. Unlikely in from the prison of interpretation, is lost on the uninitiated. Those Suffice to say, there is no single where you can leave your belong-
“It is thus little wonder, given Laxey clinic, due to the termina-
this correspondent’s opinion but explanation, and the insidious net who attend come away with differ- focus of the event, although the ings lying anywhere you want
the fact that people are dying, tion of the transport contract with
it is a noble ideal and those who do of meaning. In other words – it is ent ideas and experiences and so building of an effigy of a man and them to, leave your tent unzipped
that the Laxey community is so the previous service provider.
participate do so properly. what you make it and consider- their thoughts on what it means to its subsequent burning on Satur- and your camera lying in the dust
despondent,” he said. Mxekezo said everything was
AfrikaBurn has attracted an ing the varied individuals at the them. This correspondent would day night is a ritualistic feature, while you dance or go for a walk,
Louw added that the Laxey back to normal as an interim
impressive 4 000 people after event it appears people do just go so far to consider it a kind of a tradition dating back to 1986. where it is safe to walk naked
community health centre was yet arrangement had been made.
just four years. These increasing that – make it up. pilgrimage. A big, exciting party While there are many myths and not have to worry about
numbers may suggest, broadly, a Conformity is simply non-exist- in the desert to be sure, but one surrounding Burning Man’s ori- being abused, harassed, judged
growing displeasure with main- ent. It is a social experiment if one with a somewhat more archaic gins, the festival had a modest or raped. Where guns and knives
stream society. Without getting
too philosophical about it or going
does require an answer.
What it is for the participant
calling to gather.
In a real sense, and this notion
beginning on Baker Beach in
San Francisco, California in 1986
simply don’t exist and the starry
night sky is visible from horizon to
Cop kills wife and himself
so far as to suggest that some- is a carnival-like atmosphere is repeated among revellers, it is with about 20 participants. Larry horizon while the Milky Way was THE Independent Complaints home and then turned the gun
thing is indeed wrong with the – bright lights, plumes of huge a gathering of tribes. People from Harvey and Jerry James burned never so milky – that is a world I Directorate is investigating an on himself. They both died at the
world we live in, an excuse to go flames bursting periodically, all different walks of life, inter- a wooden man on the beach in could live in. incident in which a police officer in scene,” Dlamini said..
wild in the desert and trump con- theme cars ranging from the ests and values gather together honour of the summer solstice. What better place to drop out Kimberley shot his wife and then The ICD was notified on May 11
ventions and even laws is clearly beautiful to the dangerous, lots and sit beside another tribe with Within a couple of years the figure of mainstream society than in the committed suicide, ICD spokes- and the crime scene was attended
on the minds of many revellers. of naked people, buckets of body absolutely no antagonism. was known as the Burning Man middle of a desert with no network person Moses Dlamini has said by ICD investigators who con-
AfrikaBurn is, in a very real paint and eccentric characters, What do you do there? Any- and the followers described them- coverage? Just burn it all. yesterday. ducted a preliminary investiga-
sense, a glorified theme and friends in every tent, and the saf- thing you want. Due to the con- selves as a randomly gathered “It is alleged that on Tuesday tion.
dress-up party. So what is it est environment to express your- cept of loose participation there network of free spirits united in about 11pm, a sergeant who is a “At this stage, no foul play is
exactly? In short, it is indefin- self despite the lack of any health isn’t a strict schedule of activities, the pursuit of experiences beyond detective at Galeshewe police sta- suspected.”
able. Participants and organis- and safety standards. which may frustrate those not the pale of mainstream society. tion in Kimberley, shot his wife The post mortem was con-
ers desire to keep the event free If there is any real meaning it used to this way of doing things. This social experiment is one with his service pistol at their ducted yesterday. – Sapa