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WPC Ambience: Sweet as Sugar

Sugarcane fields on the hills of KwaZulu-Natal

#kznsouthcoast sugarcane fields

WPC Ambience

South Africa’s province of KwaZulu-Natal is well-known for the lush growth of sugar cane on the hills. Driving along the Southcoast freeway (N2), especially in the rainy season, provides a pleasurable sensory experience with the various shades of bright green fields, darker green indigenous coastal flora, and occasional glimpses of the Indian Ocean in the background.

Sugar cane is harvested over the period April to December of each year when the sweet smell of burning sugarcane hangs in the air. The opportunity for mechanization of the harvesting process is greatly hampered by the hilly topography and inaccessibility of the area in which the cane is grown, which necessitates the burning of the cane.

Cutting sugar cane without burning is very difficult and time-consuming, as it requires workers to cut the stalk in specific places and manually remove the leaves. Burning makes harvesting easier and the flames drive away cane rats and snakes posing a threat to workers’ safety. It also reduces the weight of the harvested crop which reduces transport costs. As an added bonus, the heat increases the quality of the sucrose within the sugarcane stalk.

Harvesting sugar cane is hard work. The stalk is cut just above the ground with a cane knife, then bundled and loaded onto a tractor-trailer, as shown in a previous blog entry, to be further transported to the mills by heavy road vehicles. Therefore, we were pleasantly surprised this week by the sight of bright orange Canna flowers in a cane field next to the freeway. After putting in long hours of hard labor, the workers still found the time to beautify their environment, thereby enhancing the driving experience for tourists in the holiday season.

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27 Comments

  1. Wonderful place!

  2. Lovely! We both grew up in Louisiana, so we’re familiar with sugar cane. But we’ve never seen a planting of Canna flowers.

  3. It’s truly beautiful place..

  4. Groener as groen … mooi foto’s soos gewoonlik

  5. Jy neem my baie jare terug, Hester. Ek het vir ń ruk op Pinetown skool gegaan, en die ‘Natal’ se suikerrietlande was deel van ons allerdaagse speelplase.

  6. Die suikerriet plantasies het my altyd gefasineer. In 1969 het ek met my eerste skooltoer Umdloti toe gegaan en al die geskiedkundige plekke besoek. Ons het toe ook n suikerriet/suiker fabriek besoek. Dit was baie insiggewend en bly my steeds by.

    • Comment by post author

      Daar’s nou ‘n gedagte – ek was nog nooit in ‘n suikerfabriek nie. Dalk moet ek gaan kyk. Die ander geheim is dat ek glad nie verwerkte suiker kan verdra nie. Ek drink nie koeldrank, koffie of tee nie en eet nie soetgebak nie (net ‘n niekerbôl) so nou en dan. Tog fassineer die plantasies en prosesse my eindeloos.

      • Dis wat ek ook sê, selfs die manier waarop hul dit aanplant is interessant. Daardie jare was die proses om suiker te maak meer primatief as mens in gedagte hou hoe die wêreld vooruit gegaan het. Ek dink alles is sekerlik baie meer meganies as toentertyd.

        • Comment by post author

          Ja, hoewel dit hier in ons streke nag baie arbeidsintensief is. Te veel meganisering sal ook beteken dat baie van die tans 77,000 werkers sonder werk sal bly sit en die werkloosheidsyfer nog meer sal opstoot. Suiker is klaar nie meer so ‘n winsgewende boerdery soos wat dit voorheen was nie en die opbrengste raak al hoe minder.

  7. Blog Andrew

    🙂 Fascinating, and such bright lighting, a lovely Country to live in.

    • Comment by post author

      The Africa sun. Hot and glaring even in winter. Love it.

      • Blog Andrew

        I’m curious if you read my post written with you in mind, plus lol i talk about myself which im good at!!!! Last paragraph explains all.

    • Comment by post author

      Yes I read it and replied to your question re my previous job, but my wise words have disappeared (into you spam bin maybe?). I also declined two blog awards (and I was very polite), which comments have also disappeared. Is WordPresss trying to tell me something?

      • Blog Andrew

        🙂 not to worry I’ll have a search. Im pleased you read.

  8. Hoe vorder jy met die pakkery? Watter dag trek julle oor?

    • Comment by post author

      Ons trek word Vrydag gelaai. Die elektrisiëns, loodgieters, verwers, teëllaars en kasbouers hardloop kringe om mekaar in die woonstel om klaar te kry – dis ‘n nuwe gebou en ons is die eerste inwoners (en enigste behalwe die sekuriteitswagte) vir die volgende paar maande. Hierdie kant is alles in ‘n warboel van bokse en tasse, met alles wat jy nodig het reeds ingepak of net weg. Telkom sleep hulle voete met die installasie van die telefoonlyne en ons mag dalk sonder internet wees vir ‘n paar dae – ons kliënte gaan baie gelukkig voel. Andersins … nie te sleg nie, dankie. Haha – die gewone ou trekstorie. Is jy nou al mooi ingesetel daar aan jou kant?

      • Ek sleep bietjie voete. Basies het als hul plek in die huis, maar die afronding, die regte beddegoed en linne en gordyne vir die regte kamers, dit maak dat ek in die middag by die huis aankom, wyn gryp, en op die stoep gaan stilsit en dink. Oor wanneer ek wat gaan doen.

        • Comment by post author

          😀 Dit klink tog so bekend. Toe ons hier aangekom het van Gauteng af twee jaar gelede, het ons maande lank so uit tasse en bokse geleef, mekaar se klere geleen net om iets te hê om aan te trek, want daar was nie tyd om uit te pak nie – dit was somer en die strand net 500 meter ver. Mens moet jou prioriteite reg hê, so ‘n glas wyn klink na net die ding.

      • Sterkte met die trek, maar dit klink of julle als onder beheer het. Moet net nie ophou blok nie, onder geen omstandighede nie. Stap dan maar tot by ń “free wi-fi” area. 🤗

        • Comment by post author

          Bwahaha, sorrie my ding, ek is lief vir loop, maar hel, nie sò erg nie. Ek sal moet tone klap met die N2 langs. Nee wat, ons sal net weer lekker lus wees vir gesels wanneer ons hier klaar is. Dink net hoeveel ek sal moet lees om in te haal op al die gesels wat ek gemis het!