South African Independence Day

Today was a big day towards our own independence. A Smith independence day if you wish. For the last three months we were fortunate to drive with our parents’ car. It was a huge blessing. My mother sacrificed and inconvenienced herself big time, giving us her vehicle.

The last eight weeks we looked for a car. It was a long and hard process. Yet, we thank God for the privilege to be able to buy a car. In South Africa having a dependable car is a big deal. Hijackings or Carjackings are a daily occurrence. Everyone’s touched by it.

Two weeks ago one of Melodi’s (Lollie’s sister) friends ran into some car trouble on a major highway. She phoned her parents to ask them to send someone. While she was on the phone, she was apprehended by thugs and raped.

As a husband, stories like these translate into a weird mixture of fear and accepting responsibility. May something like this never happen to my wife. Responsibility in ensuring she drives a decent; dependable vehicle.

Well today we bought our own vehicle. We call him “Vlam” it’s Afrikaans for “Flame”. The color made the name pretty obvious.

In order to insure the vehicle we had to install an anti-hijack device. The device has to be activated by pressing a secret button. If any of the doors are opened, the button has to be pressed again. Failure to comply will result in the cutting off of the gasoline supple (called fuel in SA).