The Library of Spanking Fiction: Wellred Weekly


Wellred Weekly
Volume 1, Number 5 : February 7, 2012
 
Articles
Items of interest regarding all things spanking

The South African Scene
by Hotspur

There are a number of active spankos on the South African scene and who knows how many more are busy behind closed doors.

This might have something to do with the fact that corporal punishment was only abolished in South African schools quite recently. John van de Ruit's bestseller, Spud is set in an elite boys only private boarding school in Kwa Zulu Natal (KZN) in 1990 and corporal punishment features prominently. Although the school is not named in the book, speculation was rife when the first Spud novel was released that Van de Ruit was writing about his own schooldays at Michaelhouse, one of the most prestigious education institutions in the country. I found this account by Stiebel, a Michaelhouse Old Boy who recalls the aftermath of a caning session at the school:
"After the beating it was the privilege of one's dormitory mates to inspect the damage. I was disappointed that there was not more enthusiasm. "What, no blood?" said Crowe minor. "Don't call that much," said Heathfield. "Alfie (the teacher) took pity on you, you weed," jeered Elison, who was measuring my bruises with a ruler. Nevertheless, for the remainder of that day I was a little hero and for ten days after, the discolourations were there for all to inspect in the bath-house."

A study commissioned by the Gauteng legislature's portfolio committee on education has found that South African pupils region believe that a little bit of the forbidden cane would help instil discipline in schools. The research findings that were recently released were based on data collected from among 400 pupils.

A scholar from one Gauteng school confirmed that although corporal punishment was banned 15 years ago the school had on some occasions used the cane, leading to improved discipline:
"The corporal punishment for coming late has really improved the school. When we are caned we try to come to school earlier. It really helps."

As I live in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg, I am not that familiar with the goings on in other parts of the country and I must apologise if cities such as Cape Town and Durban are not mentioned more often in this article.

South Africa's two main websites for those of a kinky persuasion are Kinxstontown and Collar Me (which has more that 19,000 members). These are however, both general BDSM sites and spanking forms just one of the many interests catered for. Similarly many of the meets in Gauteng are organized as general BDSM events. These are held on a regular basis but have fairly small attendances. The gatherings normally attract between 10 and 50 people depending on the weather, the topic and what is generally happening in the scene at the time. Pretoria attendances are usually lower than those in Johannesburg. Private events are held in Cape Town and organised through Fetlife. I'm told that efforts to hold similar events in Durban have met with an apathetic response.

Socials and parties are occasionally advertised on sites such as Fetlife, and Collar Me has regular "ladies socials." Other social gatherings are organised from time to time by anyone in the community who feels like doing so and these include daytime coffee socials, barbecues (braais), film days and other random events. The well known pro-dommes in the area hire out their dungeons and I know that there is also a jail, a medical room and a school available.

MissCaneSA is a professional switch and traditional pro-domme (and very good at what she does!) who also runs an online supply store specialising in spanking implements in Johannesburg called Different Strokes. So there is no problem finding instruments of correction in the Gauteng area. A friend of mine in Durban told me that she had difficulty finding a suitable cane in the KZN area though and in the end she had to import one from Johannesburg. She later posted a photo of her striped bottom on the net and it certainly looked as if it was worth the wait.

Articles have appeared recently in more than one of the country's leading newspapers suggesting that South African society is beginning to accept that spanking should be accepted as a perfectly normal activity in any healthy relationship. And why shouldn't it be, given that spanking is given even greater prominence in the media. Aside from spanking films, spanking appears on mainstream television - for example, there have been recent spank scenes in the popular programmes Desperate HousewivesCSI. You can also read about it - modern romance novels are peppered with spankings, and even Johanna Lindsey, the proclaimed queen of romance, included a spanking scene in her book Keeper of the Heart.

The more publicly adventurous spankos amongst us visit the recent Sexpo in Johannesburg. Stalls at this fetish event did a roaring trade in paddles and other spanking implements. To show how the noble art of spanking should be done, a public "Over The Knee" (OTK) demonstration was provided much to the entertainment of onlookers.

There is of course a distinction between safe and consensual spanking that brings fun and spice into the bedroom, and the heavier BDSM scene that often involves professional disciplinarians.

"I think many women would prefer to imagine themselves in a luxurious courtesan-style scenario," Rowan Spelling, former editor of The Erotic Review in the UK, wrote in a recent sex column in the Daily Mail.

Many women keep spanking firmly in their private fantasies. Why? Well, some would hate to be in the actual position of receiving or delivering it, while others are reluctant to air the topic because it would be embarrassing or awkward if their partner thought it offensive or ridiculous.

So what's the appeal? Jenni Osrin, owner of adult toys retailer in Johannesburg says the sense of surrender can be 'a massive relief' for modern women who expend so much energy controlling every aspect of their lives.

'All your stress just goes right out the window,' she says. 'You can really just be yourself in the bedroom. You can explore your fantasies and let all inhibitions go. 'The same applies to men,' she says. 'They, too, find it erotic to allow someone else to decide how and where to direct their pleasure.'

Well known South African clinical sexologist Marlene Wasserman, popularly known as 'Dr Eve', says: 'Couples can reach new levels of trust with each other. It increases communication and arousal levels can be heightened.'

Apart from those with BDSM proclivities, some people do it because they're merely curious. Others get a thrill out of doing something 'naughty, unusual, and kinky'. Some are sexually adventurous and occasionally enjoy it as part of the sex play.

'It really is about power exchange, so either gender may take on a certain role at a certain time in which one agrees to be dominant (the spanker ) to the submissive (the spanked),' says Dr Eve.

However, Osrin feels that increasingly people are exploring their sexuality and becoming more adventurous. She says everyone should explore some kind of alternative play in the bedroom.

'We are all creatures of habit and it's very easy to fall into a routine in our sex lives. While this is safe and comforting, it is also repetitive and boring. So, keep the spark alive and explore something new,' Osrin says.

A recent article in a national South African newspaper began as follows:
"I was tied down, bent over a leather whipping bench, hands folded semi-clenched in restraint mitts and bound to the contraption's front, ankles shackled to its back. Arse in the air and naked, aside from a leather codpiece. 'You've been a naughty journalist,' scolded Domina Equinox, the cane swishing through the air teasingly, the sound building up delicious, frightful anticipation.

When there was contact, the cane bit, seared and sent endorphins rushing through my body. Apart from childhood, the odd run-in with police and various shattered love affairs, I was utterly at the mercy of another human being for the first time."

The article goes on to give a first hand account of the journalist's visit (all in the line of duty of course) to a lady who apart from being a nationally recognised show-jumper, has spent the last 12 years as a dominatrix. She was quoted as saying that her "24 hours a day, seven days a week lifestyle" is not only about aesthetic and intellectual pleasure but also her own psychological healing after a troubled childhood. She makes the point that she "doesn't get off sexually from sessions" but admits, "I can have an orgasm in private. Sometimes I masturbate and think about a particular session." She is also firm about the fact that what she does is not prostitution, because there is no sex allowed.

Not only does the local scene appear vibrant but visitors to South Africa are also catered for. A BDSM soiree held during last year's Fifa World Cup apparently attracted more than 5,000 visitors. I would be pleased to assist anybody planning a future visit to sunny South Africa. I can guarantee that the desires of any spanko would be fulfilled whether they be male or female, dom or sub. I can also promise you that the many tourist attractions that this "world in one country" has to offer would ensure that it would be a memorable visit.



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