Piet Retief calls me

I come from a small town that’s tucked away in the southeastern corner of Mpumalanga, where the sun rises spectacularly every day: Piet Retief. I think it’s one of the most beautiful areas in our country, but it is often overlooked, probably because the Western Cape and Gauteng are so much more popular.

Because of my studies and work, I’ve been living in Centurion for about seven years, but these days all I can think of is how I’d love to move back to the platteland. People are always amazed: “What on earth are you planning to do there? There’s nothing whatsoever there!” But I’ve always been one for nature and a quiet lifestyle, and I’ve already tried everything the city has to offer. Still I keep longing for my home town.

Piet Retief is surrounded by pine, eucalyptus and wattle plantations, and agriculture and forestry are the main industries. Several neighbouring towns and the border to Swaziland are 50 to 100km away.

The area gets quite a lot of rain, and Christmas 2016 was no exception. My parents and I decided to take a ride out of town – and I realised once again how beautiful and peaceful the area is. Piet Retief will see me again one day.