Select Page

Next stop, Durbs

Members of the UNAM Economics Society visited the University of Natal during the university holiday. It seemed almost surreal as the UNAM economics students gathered together in the wee hours of the morning to set off for a tour that had been greatly anticipated by many. 50 students, 2 drivers and a slightly dilapidated bus were on the eve of making an arduous journey across Namibia, and Botswana to visit the lovely province of Kwa-Zulu Natal which is on the eastern seaboard of South Africa. From the onset, it was abundantly clear that the trip was to be eventful; full of riff-raff and drama. This was realised when an exuberant young student who had spent the night before the trip intoxicating himself with all forms of spirits and liquor, didn’t join the students for the bus ride. Rather, in a Hollywood fashion, he appeared 4 hours after the bus’ departure, at the Botswana-Namibia Border. When asked how he managed to get there he simply mumbled “a friend of mine, BMW 3 series, and 180km/h”. Needless to say, the student became the life of the party for the entire trip.
Durban, also called the City of Choice, is a true architectural beauty. These were the sentiments of the students when they arrived on that Monday afternoon after the 33-hour bus trip. The hilly landscape and forest vegetation did not hinder the city planners who simply merged their design with what God had so naturally provided. The students had their first wave of complaints when they arrived at the designated backpackers which was situated at the corner of dodgy and ghetto.
The idea of the tour was to broaden the minds of the students and to expose them to other institutions of higher learning.

About The Author