Detecting in South Africa

Here is local treasure(ish) story that I find quite interesting.

The great cleft in Table Mountain is known as Platteklip Gorge, or Platteklip Kloof. At the foot of the gorge is the suburb of Oranjezicht. This was the estate of the Van Breda family, worked by hundreds of slaves. The double-storied house was haunted, and the ghost photographed in 1900. The building was demolished in the nineteen-fifties, but the ruined bandstand, and the oak trees, may still be be seen. A shadowy ghost has been seen among the trees. Another ghost, a member of the Van Breda family, rides about on a white horse. Oranjezicht is one of the places where a loyal slave is said to have hidden her master's children in a oven, to protect them from rampaging slaves.

On the higher part of the Oranjezicht estate is an area called Verlatenbosch ("forsaken bush"). A leper is said to have lived here, waited on by servants. According to one version of the story, a disgruntled burgher obtained a flute infected with leprosy, and left it where the governor's son would find it. His plan worked, and the boy became a leper. Whatever the reason, as night approaches, ghostly flute music may still be heard in Verlatenbosch and Platteklip Gorge.

Above Verlatenbosch, the Platteklip or Fresh River flows around granite boulders. Here, after carrying their loads from as far away as Bo-Kaap, Malay women washed their families' clothes. And here, one of these women lost a magic ring.

This woman was the wife of Abdol Malack, a respected Islamic scholar. As a matter of fact he was a Hafiz, a man who had memorised the entire Koran. He had studied in Mecca, and before he came home, his late teacher had bequeathed to him the ring. Though plain except for a stone the colour of milk, Abdol found that when he wore it, no blade could cut him. He even had to remove the ring to allow a barber to cut his hair.

When he returned to the Cape, the power of the ring was witnessed by many people. However, when he married, Abdol gave the ring to his beloved wife. To her surprise, she found that while wearing it, she could not even slice a loaf of bread. One day, while she was doing the laundry, the soap loosened the ring, and it was lost. Abdol Malack was still living in the middle of the twentieth century, in his house on Dorp Street, on the border of Bo-Kaap. As for the ring, observant hikers may still find a small treasure


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http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,19144.msg164977.html#msg164977

Hi guys I hope that you all realize that you are putting me in a bit of a spot here I don't have any enemies on this forum that I know of and by the same token I'm not going to pick sides either. I know GD better than any of you and and I also happen to know that he's one hell of a guy you should all get to know one another better you may just be surprised at how similar you really are. At first I was not going to say anything and just let the water flow under the bridge but now I feel that you have all made your point so please lets leave it at that.

In the hope that I did not offend any one
Best regards Xavier

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http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,19144.msg164987.html#msg164987

Xavier

Thank you Peter, Viking and Silki and everyone for your support and Kindness and your wise words,
you Truely are a Special crowd of people,

AU

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http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,19144.msg165066.html#msg165066

  Hey Peter stop swinging that Knobkierie would you ( for all of you outside SA a Knobkierie it a piece of wood with a natural ball at the end it has been an African weapon for centuries)  and come back in here and tell us about your pull tab you may find this funny but I have never found one only bottle tops loads of bottle tops LOL

All the best Xavier

Posted on: April 22, 2011, 08:00:55 AM

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I'm waiting Peter Knobkierie  LOL

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http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,19144.msg165131.html#msg165131

Xavier

  I knew I'd get your sense of humour back LOL

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http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,19144.msg165148.html#msg165148

Xavier