Cape Town, South Africa

We arrived in Cape Town, Republic of South Africa on April 22, 1970 at 0800 hours

Cape Town is located in the southern end of Africa and because of that location, seasons are reversed from Americans in North America.  Our summer is their winter and vice versa.  .Each of the groups have their own distinctive language.

  • Afrikaans have a distinctive language that’s a mix from Dutch and English

  • English-speaking South Africans speak English.

  • Colored is a mix of native tribe tongue and English.

  • Black is primarily based on the specific tribes to which they belong.

These categories represent the distinctive four groups of people separated by language, rights, and power in South Africa. In 1970, South Africa was an independent republic, separate from the Commonwealth because of the apartheid situation.  Nelson Mandela was in prison yet.


The government was primarily controlled by the Afrikaans white population with a little bit of input from English-speaking South Africans, who came from Germany, Asia, and other European countries.  They are the only ones who can vote.  Both groups are white.  Coloreds and Blacks are not empowered to vote.  Transportation, newspapers, telephone and telegraph services, post offices, etc. are all owned and operated by the government.  It must be remembered….in 1970, 5% of the population (white – Afrikaans and English-speaking South Africans) was controlling 95% of the population (Colored and Black).  

When we disembarked from the S S Ryndam, we explored Cape Town itself.  I was met by people with beliefs that one could determine ethnicity and therefore where you fit in society by looking at you.  When questioning a shop keeper about it, he said he could tell that I was Irish and English.  😊  I told him that was incorrect.  I was German and French.  He seemed put out by my telling him that he was wrong.  

We learned that white families live much like people do in North America and Europe.  The Coloreds and Cape Malays have adopted the whites’ way of life, but their houses, food, and clothing are poor.  The Asiatic families still observe many of the customs of India.  The Blacks in the city have very little family life because many of them are men.  They work in the nearby mines (diamonds!) until they have earned enough money to return to their tribes and buy wives.  In the farming areas, the native tribes lived like they did before the white man came.  Their family centers on the “Krall” a cluster of huts.  Cattle are their most prized possessions.

Colored ae basically “mulattos.  They are allowed no civil rights whatsoever.  They cannot vote, must live on government reserves.  Sometimes they are allowed to go to school, but usually not.  They must not hold certain jobs, and they may not speak to a white person unless spoken to.  These were their LAWS!!!!!!

The native tribes live on tracts of land set aside for them by the government.  Whenever the city needs more space, they tell the Black people to leave and go to another place that they’ve set aside.  They have less than a week to pack up, take their cattle, and go.  They are not reimburses for their homes or land.  This was happening to a tribe right outside of Capetown when we were there!  I thought it was a terrible injustice!!!!  Not fair!  Not fair!  They were being sent to a desert with no homes on it or anything.  They have to live in the open until they can afford to buy lumber for a new home.  They are not paid for their old home.  They just have to leave it.  The government is going to move some poor whites into their old houses.  Colored and Blacks are not allowed to be seen with a white person.  They would be beaten and thrown in prison and usually they are just killed.  

On the eastern coast of South Africa, not far from Capetown, is Table Mountain – about 7 miles outside the city.  It’s awesome to look at, but I didn’t have any desire to try climbing its straight up face.  Others from the ship took it on.

Table Mountain behind Capetown

We went over to the University of South Africa It overlooks Capetown.

The view from U of SA…It overlooks the city.  

Men’s dorm!  CHECK OUT THE CARS!!!  😊

A group of us went to the beach.  It was uncomfortable following some of the rules in South Africa!  IT WAS AGAINST THE LAW FOR 3 OR MORE BLACK PEOPLE TO WALK TOGETHER ON THE STREET!  More people than three, and it was determined that it might be an uprising, so they were arrested.  Our fellow students were from many, many ethnicities.  We were friends bonded tightly by our experiences. Black kids were not allowed in many places, but they couldn’t travel together.  We never saw black people walking with white people!    At the beach, we saw signs separating the beach.  Remember, there is the Ocean and sand on its edge.  The sand on one side of a sign looked the same as the sand on the other side.  

The signs separated the beach into 4 areas.  Guess what they were?

  • Afrikaans

  • English-speaking South Africans

  • Colored

  • Black

The students from World Campus Afloat were getting outraged at the discrimination.  So, of course, we waded into the water in the Colored and Black sections of the beach.  We were trying to make a point, but we were simply stared at.  We were frustrated at the insanity!!  

We stayed on the S S Ryndam at night to stay safe from the discrimination that we could do nothing about.  

TWO DAYS LATER, on April 24,1970…TRAGEDY STRUCK!!!

Carl Moore, a white student from California, was killed in a fall while climbing Table Mountain.  He was a religious man, and he wanted to become a teacher.

Paul Mayfield, a black student from California, was killed when an earth mover backed up over the car he was in with other black men, outside of Capetown.  His goal was to gain a better understanding of himself and to become a useful and product member of society and humanity. 

The authorities investigated the circumstances of Carl’s death and reported on them to his parents and the WCA family.  The authorities would NOT INVESTIGATE the circumstances, which were fishy to begin with, of Paul’s death.  WHY?????  Because he was black. One of the reasons for the suspicions for Paul’s death is that he was dating a white girl and had been seen on the street walking with her. He actually walked down the gang plank exiting the ship with her. 

 In 1970 South Africa kept track of the birth and death rates of their COWS, but NOT Black people.  They were not considered people!!!!  It is deemed they are not worth the paperwork!!!  The circumstances weren’t very clear.  I didn’t think it was an accident at all.  Frustration doesn’t even come close to describing my feelings at the time.  It put a thousand years on everyone.  There’s so much hatred and ignorance in South Africa!! 

South Africa has the largest police force per population in the world and the second highest suicide rate.  If you disagree with the government, you are labeled a Communist, and that is punishable by death.  They have the most people put to death by the government in the world.  If you address more than 10 people at a time, it’s against the law and punishable by death!  You can’t possible imagine how bad it is (in 1970)!!!

We are flying our flag at half mast and having a memorial service.

We did do something to totally flaunt the rules.  We had 50 Black students on the Ryndam.  We had 500 students in total, 100 staff.  We put the 50 Black students in the center of the rest of the student body and staff, and walked together (against the law) into Soweto to buy flowers to accompany the bodies back to the United States of America.  

All of us learned a huge lesson in human rights these past days.  Typically, the folks on the ship spend a quarter of a million dollars per port toward their economy.  We decided not to spend anything at all!!!  A mini-protest!

We departed Capetown on April 25, 1970 at 1700 hours.