South Africa dreams of a black Christmas

It’s 38C outside and I’m in a Johannesburg hypermarket owned by the Pick n Pay chain, one of the biggest in South Africa. Despite the heat, their music system has a woman singing ‘Let it snow!’ and songs themed around winter and chestnuts roasting on the fire.

In rural areas, the scotch cart is common, a topless buggy pulled by cattle or donkeys, but few here can describe what ‘a one-horse open sleigh’ might look like.

Across Pick n Pay and its major competitor known as Checkers, all the Santa props have a light complexion. Not even a black elf.

Real holly would wilt in the sun, though it’s grown as a garden plant in winter (June to August) when temperatures slip below zero and a ski lodge operates in the mountains south of Jo’burg. For now, plastic red berries with spikey leaves are strewn about the shops.

It’s even hard to find a card with an African theme.