An Antarctic Adventure

Interviewing the SA flag at the geographic South Pole

- Devin Oelofsen

It’s a sunny day here at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, only -20°C – a warm day, at least that’s what I’ve been told. I still have to dress like a snowman. It's icy outside and leaving the base for too long is not an option. I definitely want to keep my toes! So, it’s armed with a flask of the hottest hot chocolate, the thickest pair of gloves and more than a cupful of curiosity that I finally head out to the great big white world that is the station’s backyard. Where am I going, you ask? To visit a local resident of the Geographic South Pole, the South African National Flag.

Along with 12 other flags, it lives in a semi-circle around the ceremonial south pole, only a few metres from the station’s entrance. It’s basking in the morning sun that I find our friend the flag, flapping to-and-fro in a gentle but icy breeze.

Talk about a spot with a view! Yours definitely isn’t the average place to set up camp.