Furthermore extracts from some other media-exposures.

Bijzonder Nederlands initiatief bekroond met internationaal keurmerk
Fair Trade erkenning 'Soekershof Walkabout' Zuid-Afrika
Tijdens de reisbeurs Reise Pavilion in Hannover (2-4 februari) wordt officieel bekend gemaakt dat een bijzonder Nederlands initiatief in Zuidafrika het Fair Trade label is toegekend. Na een stringente veelomvattende procedure van bijna 2 jaar is Soekershof Walkabout geaccrediteerd voor het Keurmerk van Fair Trade in Tourism in South Africa (http://fairtourismsa.org.za).
Dit impliceert dat het gigantische doolhoven- en tuinencomplex niet alleen voldoet aan alle wettelijke eisen maar vooral daadwerkelijk investeert in de opwaardering van lokale gemeenschappen; scholing van eigen personeel; werkomstandigheden; goede lonen; hoogstaande ethische bedrijfspraktijk en respect voor mensenrechten, milieu and cultuur. 
(...................) Volgens beide initiatiefnemers is de toekenning van het keurmerk (als 17e Zuidafrikaanse bedrijf) een erkenning. 'Regelmatig vragen toeristen uit vooral Engeland en Nederland naar ons personeelsbeleid want zij ervaren dat veel werkgevers in Zuidafrika bepaald niet zuinig zijn op hun medewerkers behalve als het om lonen gaat. Zo'n houding roept een weerstand op maar zeggen we altijd; je kunt niet de recente geschiedenis in een paar jaar uitwissen. We hebben ook absoluut niet de intentie om de wereld te veranderen maar hier doen we het op onze manier'. 
Een toenemend aantal, vooral in Zuidafrika gespecialiseerde, reisorganisaties wordt steeds kritischer en let bij het samenstellen van reizen in dat land vooral op de wijze waarop een toeristische bestemming zich manifesteert op het gebied van de omgang met eigen personeel; mensenrechten; milieu en cultuur; etc.
'Het kan heel gezond zijn als bij het boeken van een reis zeer specifiek wordt gevraagd naar bestemmingen met het Fair Trade keurmerk of naar bestemmingen met een bewijsbaar gezond 'human resource management', erkennen Van Bon en De Wit. "Nog beter is als reisorganisaties bij het selekteren van bestemmingen daarop letten".
(Toerpress ( Netherlands) Feb. 1, 2006)

Drei neue Mitglieder bei Fair Trade in Tourism
Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA) hat in Western Cape die drei Firmen Grootbos Private Nature Reserve, The Backpack Cape Town und Soekershof Walk-About (Mazes and Botanical Gardens) in Robertson zertifiziert und ihnen damit eine umweltgerechte, nachhaltige Tätigkeit attestiert.
Seit 2003 hat FTTSA bei nunmehr 17 touristischen Unternehmen Südafrikas die entsprechenden Verfahren abgeschlossen.
(Travel Inside, Switzerland; Feb. 3, 2006)

UPI hears
(December 5, 2003 column in The Washington Times)
The CIA went on "red alert" earlier this year when a U.S. spy satellite spotted a suspicious site the near Robertson in the Western Cape, South Africa. The suspect installation appeared to be a defense complex. A webmaster for the location's website concluded using tracking-and-tracing software that the website had 362 visits from the U.S. military over the past year. The spooks finally concluded that they were not looking at a covert defense complex, but rather, the Klaas Voogds garden maze of Soekershof. A Canadian army supplier commented, "It's a simple story. The satellite spots the maze with all those funny objects, some of which, on first sight, indeed look like pieces of heavy anti-aircraft artillery." The error has a up side, though, as "student recognition experts" are honing their photo interpretation their skills at the website.

…………..Rød alarm.
I desember 2003 ble unnselige Klaas Voogds verdensberømt,over natten ble
stedet løftet fra turistbrosjyrene til spaltene i Washington Post og Paris atch.En amerikansk spionsatellitt hadde «sett »noe mistenkelig i bygda,sannsynligvis var det en hittil ukjent militærinstallasjon,en base som kunne være en trusel mot USAs nasjonale sikkerhet. I CIA ble det slått «rød alarm ».Plutselig dukket det opp fremmede med mørke solbriller i vestre Klaas Voogds.
Det de ville sjekke,viste seg å være det nederlandske ekteparet Herman van Bon og Yvonne de Wits fantastiske hage med en av verdens største hekklabyrinter.Det CIA mente kunne være antiluftskyts var kaktuser,nitid friserte hekker,fikentrær og skulpturer.Ekteparet emigrerte fra de laveste våtmarkene i
Nederland til det Sør-Afrikanske høylandet i 2000 for å finne litt livsrom.Herman sitter gjerne på terrassen og fabulerer frem gode historier om bygda og eiendommen,av og til jobber han til og med i gen.Yvonne,som
opprinnelig er kunstner,steller de tusentalls kaktusene som er blitt en av turistattraksjonene langs Route 62.
Og kjøkkenet på Rosendal leverer piknikkurvene til turistene som roter rundt i den enorme labyrinten.
–Livet i seg selv er jo en labyrint,det kan være veldig kort og veldig langt,med snarveier og blindveier,sa Herman.
Men hvem var Klaas Voogds? Mannen som hadde gitt navn til stedet som plutselig hadde fått en sørlandsafrikansk vinfarm i sin midte? Herman van Bon hadde flere svar. –Hans originale navn var Claus Voigts, noen hevder han var en tysk slavehandler, men han var en 1700-tallets James Bond,en dobbeltagent,kanskje trippelagent.Han samarbeidet med hottentottene,Klaas Voogds regnes som stamfaren til det som her kaltes ‘bastaard Hottentot ’,fortsatt er det etterkommere etter ham i området.
To svenske botanikere som kom hit i 1768 fant ut at han var blitt trampet ihjel av en elefant –på en så brutal måte at skjelettet og skallen som ble funnet senere var helt flatt. En av de svenske botanikerne mente hendelsen var så brutal at også blodet var trampet ned i den steinharde jorda.Klas Voogds nedtrampede blod kan være noe av grunnen til kvalitet på rødvinene i området,sa Herman ………………
DN Magasinet (Norway) 11/12 June 2005

Robertson
(January 2005, Fair Lady)
……There are interesting stories to entertain the kids and a quest to fulfil in the huge Klaas Voogds Maze. You’ll know you’re in the right place when you see a beautiful life-size baobab tree made out of wire near the entrance ….

The Soekershof
(October 2004, Caerdroia; globally published magazine about Mazes and Labyrinths)
…………… apart from its size, Soekershof’s Klaas Voogds Maze has many other characteristics to be proud of. Where else in the world is there a Maze associated with so many nice stories and the alleys all named? Where else does a Maze have two labyrinths inside it? Where else can such artifarcts as a kayak belonging to an aboriginal who sailed to South Africa, and a pole thrown by Lazy Old McDonald all the way from Scotland, be found? Where else can you find a Maze with its own ghost? ……………. Unlike many other Mazes, which were strictly built according to a pre-arranged design, this one largely came about as a result of the whims of the bulldozer operator who was hired in October 2001 to scrape the ground…………….. The result is a Maze that you can get lost in, but not for the traditional reason. The hedges are low enough to allow you plenty of vision, but precisely because of that, you will be able to see many of the artifarcts sticking out between them, attracting you to come closer for inspection …

Magical Walkabout in entertaining garden
(September 11 2004. Ronnie Glass in The Weekend Argus)
……..It can seldom be said that a visit to a garden can be both entertaining and educational. But this is certainly the case with Soekershof Walkabout. And not many gardens in South Africa can offer such a wealth of plantlife combined with passion, real hospitality, wisdom and entertainment. Soekershof is a true exception worthwhile to be experienced……… Soekershof is created around stories and, besides the incredible number of different plants, these stories give the garden and maze walk an extra entertaining dimension………..This magical place should be on your must-see list………..

It's a maze thing!!!

(11/2003 Alex Cremer in SA Country Life Magazine)

....Wonderful outdoor puzzles on a Western Cape farm are designed to reflect the complexity of life. .....
The sign at the entrance of Soekershof Farm at Klaas Voogds West near Robertson reads "Find your way in Life", and this was exactly what Herman van Bon and Yvonne de Wit had in mind when they planned three different mazes on the property ....... This has resulted in a magical place where vistors can relax and also learn while they wander the four kilometers of pathways ............... There is the tale of Maarten Malherbe, father of Soekershof and creator of its beautiful cactus garden. His spirit still roams the property and on many a full-moon night the clicking of his walking stick can be heard. Some say they have also seen the ghost of his wife, Molly, seemingly looking for him.

Tuintalent
(May 2002, Ineke Grave in Nouveau -Dutch edition)
....... En zo vond ik in Zuidafrika bij toeval iets heel bijzonders ..... Soekershof, een van de mooiste cactustuinen van het zuidelijk halfrond .......... Een boeiend bezoek ...... Als je langs die prachtig bloeiende en ruisende paden je weg aan het zoeken bent, raak je die door de schoonheid gauw kwijt .....

* * * * * *

Another story from a wonderful and imaginative Soekershof:
(send: November 5 2004, as a ‘reminder’, to diverse media in SA)

Flattened skeleton 'main founder bastard Hottentots' discovered
Robertson - It seemed macabre and it was when workers of a farm near Robertson in the Western Cape in South Africa discovered some trembled human bones with a flattened scalp. Their Dutch employer, known with the colonial history of the area, remembered the locally told story about an early 18th century slave-driver who was trembled to death by an elephant in such a manor that "the soil was drained with blood".

He never really believed that story but was very much in doubt after the discovery of the "fully flat and cracked" skeleton, a little more than a year ago. It now has turned out with almost absolute certainty that his workers indeed struck the bones of the legendary Klaas Voogds while weeding one of the gardens.
Voogds historical importance is one of the "main founders of the bastard Hottentots" (National Archives, Cape Town). He is regarded as the forefather of 10 to 20 percent of the coloured people who, since several generations, originate from the area between Swellendam and Tulbagh. Voogds is, with insiders, historical also known as a secret agent for Willem-Adriaan and Simon van der Stel. His original name is ‘Claus Voigts’ and he is born around 1670 in Hensted between Hamburg and Neumunster in Northern Germany. In 1692 he arrives as Klaas Voogds and as soldier of the Dutch East India compay in Cape Town with the vessel Haemstede. Voogds annually attended a military call up in Stellenbosch or Drakenstein but in 1719 it is written that he passed away in the previous year but no official cause of his dead is recorded. The story that Voogds was trembled to death came from 2 Swedish botanists (Thunberg and Sparrman) who in 1768 visited the area East of Robertson which is named after Voogds. It’s there that the Swedish found out about "the bushfighting gentry who was trembled to death by an elephant in such an awfull manor that the soil was drained with blood", as written in their diary.

Klaas Voogds was undoubtedly a man of legendary proportions and not only because of his offspin. From historical records it becomes clear that Voogds was intimately at the forefront of a small group of hunters, traders, scouts, trackers and cattle rustlers. He was also one of the first Europeans to ‘go native’ and assume a nomadic-type lifestyle. Besides this all Voogds was one of the clever ones: the ‘Opgaaf Rollen’ provides data about his taxable wealth. He had nothing to declare and was always on the move, amassing ‘wealth’ in other non-conventional ways. From records it is also known that he communicated with the indigenous people in their own language.

It remains however a mystery why the area between Robertson and Ashton is named after Klaas Voogds. From official records it is only known that Klaas Voogds and Hans Jurgen Potgieter, accompanied by 18 Hottentots, crossed this area chasing marauding slaves who attacked a farm near Tulbagh. They finally captured the slaves near Bufferjagtsrivier in the Swellendam area.

In close co-operation with all parties, authorities included, it has been decided to leave the skeleton on location. But the workers of the farm Soekershof were not very content with that idea and have cemented the flattened remains of the man who might be one of their forefathers. They have made a praying chair in front of the grave where they every now and than find contemplation.

Remarkable detail: also the (broken) remains of a gun were founded at the same site. Also this gun has been cemented.

And the result was fascinating. We’re not the onliest story-tellers in SA…..:
Skelet gevind:
'Vader' van bruin gemeenskap Klaas Voogds lê dalk op plaas
DNS, rekonstruksie kan help
(Die Burger, November 8, 2004)

CARIN SMITH

ROBERTSON. -- Staan opsy, Klaas Geswind en jou perd, hier kom Klaas Voogds en die olifant.
Dit is nou as mens wil glo wat mnr. Herman van Bon te vertelle het.
Van Bon was verlede jaar in die nuus toe hy beweer het die Amerikaanse intelligensiedienste het sy webwerf meer as 300 keer besoek -vermoedelik omdat die groot doolhof op sy plaas, Soekershof, verdag uit die lug gelyk het.
En nou wil-wil daar nog ’n legende op dié plaas sy kop uitsteek.
Plaaswerkers het volgens Van Bon in Maart verlede jaar 'n skelet opgegrawe. Behalwe dat die skedel "helemaal vertrapt" was, was die res van die liggaam ook ietwat . . . plat.

En dis juis dié "plat soos 'n pannekoek"-voorkoms wat Van Bon laat gis of dit nie dalkies Voogds se oorskot kan wees nie. Dié Duitser (wie se regte naam eintlik Claus Voigts was) het in 1692 as soldaat in diens van die VOC na die Kaap gekom. Diegebied oos van Robertson is na hom ge noem.
Van Bon sê Sweedse botaniste wat die area in 1719 besoek het, het aangeteken dat Voogds hier deur 'n olifant vertrap is. Hy sê hy het ook in die Nasionale Argiewe gevind dat Voogds beskryf word as die "hoofstigter van die baster-Hottentotte" en dat hy as die voorvader van sowat 10% tot 20% van die bruin gemeenskap in die gebied tussen Swellendam en Tulbagh beskou word. Mev. Becky Saacks, kurator van die museum hier, bevestig dat Voogds "baie aktief was en heelwat vroue swanger gemaak het".

Dr. Graham Avery, argeoloog by die Iziko- museums, sê 'n skedel kan gerekonstrueer word en DNS -toetse kan gedoen word.
Van Bon hou vol die skelet was "oud, klein van postuur en heeltemal plat". Hy het egter geen foto's geneem nie, maar het toestemming aan die werkers gegee om 'n sementblad bo-oor die beendere te gooi, uit respek vir hul moontlike voorvader.