Smith Township: Fill & Download for Free

Life under Ian Smith was great. The shops were full, no food shortage, even though the country was for 100% under the UN sanctions. There was no problems between white and black, the police force was for the majority Africans and they were unarmed, like in Britain.I worked there as a nurse and the pay was low but than again, I could live on $10,- a week and a beer cost 20 cent. A pint of milk was 6 cent, bread was 12 cent, 1 kg of filet steak was 1,50 dollar. I cycled to work and it was safe on the road for a woman alone.I met Ian Smith 5x and he was a humble man with a dry sense of humor. He refused bodyguards and the government insisted but the bodyguard resigned as Ian was walking through town and suddenly disappeared into the Portuguese hairdresser or an Italian coffee shop. He spoke Italian as he lived during WWII with the Partisans who found him after his Spitfire plane was shot down by the Germans. After retirement, his gate and front door was open all day and anyone could knock on his door. No guards nor guard dogs. He invited many people in, majority were Africans and he served tea. In 1980 he was spotted to walk in Barbours, a big store, and many Africans were gathering at the entrance. The manager said to Ian Smith that he could leave through the back door. Ian’s reaction was that he will never leave by the back door and walked out on First Street. The Africans were cheering him and shake his hand. He was never afraid and he invited Mugabe to walk together without any security through a densely populated township. Mugabe refused.I told you so, his slogan, was correct.

I have lots!Here’s a photo taken in 1895 on the occasion of the opening of the new schoolhouse in Worcester Township, PA. The schoolteacher is my great-grandmother, Mary Cresson.You can see a full-size version of this image here.Mary Cresson went on to marry my great-grandfather, Isaac Cassel, son of Daniel, the well-off proprietor of a dry goods store in eastern PA. Here they are in the back yard of their Philadelphia home, a staid Edwardian family.(From top left: Wm. Wildy Cassel, Annie Cassel, unknown, John Cassel. Seated: Emmanuel Cassel, Mary C. Cassel, Isaac Cassel)Then this happened:We’ll never know why.

It's both.Some of the country is developed and some is not. Heck, it changes based on where you are in every city! For example:Sandton, JohannesburgAlexandra Township, JohannesburgThese two scenes are less than 5km apart. And it's not only like this in Joburg.Downtown, Cape TownKhayalitsha, Cape TownThese pictures show the extreme contrasts within the country. There is incredible wealth and success right on top of miserable poverty and misfortune. One can be in a leafy suburb surrounded by mansions and people driving Bentley’s and Ferrari’s, and within a 10 minute drive be in the middle of a Township where people don't have clean water and live in a crime riddled society. SA is really an amazing, yet sad place.