After weeks of good rainfall in the catchment and in the town, Makhanda was in a flurry on Monday October 16 as speculation grew that Settlers Dam could soon overflow for the first time in about eight years. It did – but the town’s traditional way of celebrating when a drought breaks, ringing the bells of the Cathedral of St Michael and St George, wasn’t an option. While there are bellringers keen to learn, there’s been a dearth of the kind of expertise needed to coach and manage the kind of team needed for the formidable ring of bells housed in the High Street landmark’s tower.
When confirmation arrived in the form of videos and photographs that the dam was indeed overflowing, it was the NG Kerk, on the opposite hill, that stepped into the breach.
At 5pm sharp on Monday, congregant Nico Barnardt rang the bell for a good 10 minutes.
Minister Strauss de Jager videoed the occasion and shared it for those who weren’t able to hear the bell. “I think they closed up the louvres some time ago to prevent rain damage – but it means the sound doesn’t travel very far,” De Jager told Talk of the Town.
And then he shared a very special story.
When Strauss and his late wife, Augusta, arrived in Makhanda (then Grahamstown) in 1983, the region was in the midst of a severe drought. During that time, the wall of Settlers Dam had been raised.
In September 1985, Strauss and Augusta’s first child, Jans, was born.
“On that day, it started raining. It went on and on raining – a bit like it has been these past few weeks – and eventually in December, the dam overflowed,” Strauss said.
A dry period followed and in August 1989, their second son was born.
“We couldn’t believe it,” Strauss said. “It started raining again, and eventually the dam overflowed again.”
Again, a long, dry period followed. The story doing the rounds that a group of farmers had then approached the couple to consider having a third child could not be confirmed.
