Kamoka Route

Route location:

Mpumalanga, meaning 'land of the rising sun' in SiSwati, which falls under the Nguni languages, is one of the most exciting and rapidly developing provinces in South Africa. Kamoka Open Africa Route, an initiative by Open Africa and the community of this area, is situated in Mpumalanga Province (one of the nine provinces in South Africa), which lies 25º south and 29º east on the global map. This province is located in the north-eastern parts of South Africa and is bordered by Mozambique to the east and the kingdom of Swaziland to the south. Mpumalanga also shares common borders with Limpopo Province to the north, Gauteng to the west, the Free State to the south-west and KwaZulu-Natal to the south-east.

Mpumalanga is partially home to the well-known Kruger National Park (KNP) and is best known for its abundant wildlife, unique South African culture such as Ndebele, Pedi, Shangaan and Afrikaners, breathtaking landscapes and mountains.

The Kamoka Open Africa Route covers areas such as Kwamhlanga, Siyabuswa, Greater Marble Hall, Groblersdal, Stoffberg, Roossenekal and other small towns and villages. The region in which this route is located is known as the Cultural Heartland, which is one of the seven registered tourism regions of Mpumalanga Province. The general route area is located about 100km north-east of Pretoria, South Africa’s capital city situated in Gauteng Province, which is the smallest but richest province in the country.

This route has some uniquely South African features. The Loopspruit Estate Wines, the northernmost vineyards in South Africa, are on this route. The world renowned Ndebele female artists, who are keeping the Ndebele culture alive, are in this route and the only western church commissioned to be painted in colourful Ndebele colours is in the heart of this route. The famous Ndebele Twin Sisters who were commissioned by British Airways to create a design for the markings on its intercontinental aircraft are from within this route.

Adventure tourism has become a major tourist attraction in Mpumalanga Province. Such adventures include river rafting, microlighting, rock climbing, mountain biking, cycle touring, hunting, canoeing and kayaking, paragliding and 4x4 trails.

The route lies in what was once called the 'Kwandebele Homeland', which means the area was given to the Ndebele people by the apartheid government in its failed Bantustan policy. Other tribes such as the Pedi, Swazi and Tsonga live in the area, but this route is mainly about the Ndebele people who are dominant in the area. The people of the area have decided to work together despite their differences to make this region prosperous from a tourism point of view in the interests of economic growth. There could not be a better way to unite the people of this region than by the name they chose to be called - Kamoka.

South Africa’s giant oil company, Engen, provided the funds for the establishment of this route with the goal of helping to preserve the Ndebele culture while promoting a sustainable working relationship with surrounding communities, game farmers and lodge owners in the area.

Roosenekal:

This small town derives its name from two soldiers, Roos and Senekal, who lost their lives during the so-called Mapoch War between the ZAR government and Chief Nyabela of the Ndzundza-Mabhoko Ndebele tribe, which at the time occupied the Erholweni area - better known as the Mapoch Caves. The war ensued when the Republican forces under Commandant General Piet Joubert attacked Nyabela, who had asserted independence from the government and refused to co-operate with it in delivering the fugitive Mampuru, a member of the Pedi Royal family, who had allegedly murdered his half-brother Sekhukhune. In July 1883 Nyabela eventually extradited Mampuru and he himself surrendered. Mampuru was sentenced to death and Nyabela received a life sentence. Nyabela’s tribe was ejected from their homeland and the area allotted to white people.

At the Mapoch Caves parking lot there is a bronze statue of Nyabela, erected by the Ndebele people in commemoration of his heroic stand. When the statue was erected in 1970 it was said to be the first statue of a black man in what was claimed to be a white area. The walk up to the caves is quite stiff but visitors are rewarded with splendid views, prolific bird life and an opportunity to view Nyabela’s fortifications.

The Greater Roossenekal area has a rich botanic heritage. Three major vegetation and floristic regions converge in the area, namely bushveld savannah, grassland and an element of afromontane forest. This has resulted in a transition zone with diverse flora, including the yellow arum lily, which is endemic to the area. When they bloom these lilies are delightful and the Yellow Arum Lily Festival has become one of the main tourist attractions in the area. The festival takes place annually in March in conjunction with the Peach Festival at Tonteldoos.

Stoffberg:

Situated along the Steelpoort River and established by a wagon builder of the same name who lived and traded here, Stoffberg has become an important agricultural centre. It is about 1 820m above sea level, which makes it one of the highest agricultural centres in Mpumalanga Province.

Kwamhlanga:

This town was developed as the administrative centre for the Ndebele local government during the apartheid era. It is an important centre for the future industrial and administrative development for the north-west region of Mpumalanga Province. To the north of Kwamhlanga, on the R568 road near the village of Klipfontein, there is the Manala Royal Kraal and the Ndzundza Royal Mabhoko Kraal is situated further north at Weltevrede. These kraals depict the history, culture and customs of the Ndebele people in this region. Tourists who make special arrangements can visit these royal kraals. The Kghodwana Cultural Village (mentioned under participants) will be very helpful in providing information and a tour guide in this regard.

Groblersdal:

This small rural town was founded in 1938 on the farm called Klipbank and named after the owner, WJ Grobler. It owes its origin to the irrigation scheme of the Loskop Dam, which is located about 31km to the south of the town.

Greater Marble Hall:

Located in the far north-west part of Mpumalanga, Marble Hall, as a cross-border municipality, enjoys the privilege of being an integral part of both Mpumalanga and Limpopo Provinces. Consequently it is the ideal starting point to 'experience the difference' or to discover 'Africa’s Eden', depending on ones’ tastes in tourism.

Greater Marble Hall is easily accessible, a short two to two-and-a-half hours’ drive north of Pretoria or Johannesburg, depending on which of the three routes one chooses to take. The shortest, most scenic from Pretoria is the R573 road via Moloto, KwaMhlanga, Kwaggafontein and Siyabuswa, a distance of 140km. The R25 road via Bronkhorstspruit (on the N4 highway) and Groblersdal provides about 180km of stunning scenery while the N1 highway, via Settlers on the R33 road, a distance of approximately 200km, meanders through some of the best game country in South Africa.

In 1913, a Pretoria hunter, Christoffel Visagie, took his wife and family on a hunting expedition into the far north. Along the way his youngest son and his father both contracted a high fever and died. They were buried where Marble Hall now stands. When 'Oom Stoffel' also contracted the fever, his wife, Maria, decided to turn back to Pretoria. On the return journey Maria noticed some white stones that she thought might make suitable gravestones for her son and father-in-law and so loaded them on the wagons and took them back with her to Pretoria.

Oom Stoffel soon recovered and he and his wife took the stones they had found to a stone mason who declared them to be first class marble. Together with the stonemason, Tom Taylor, the Visagies returned to where the stones were found and so Marble Hall was born. In 1929 the Marble Lime Company was formed to mine the marble and today Marble Hall marble graces the Johannesburg Park Station, the Cape Town main post office and SA House in London to name but a few.

The Ndebele people:

The Ndebele people of north-west Mpumalanga now live in the area of Denilton. After a century of struggle, they have been granted land on which to re-establish their people, who had been scattered throughout South Africa by war and restrictive legislation. The history of these people has been one of hardship and turmoil as successive waves of foreigners invaded their historic land.

The Ndebele were once part of the Nguni tide that swept the African continent some two millennia ago. In the 17th century Chief Muzi and his followers left their cousins, who later became the mighty Zulu nation, to settle among the low hills of what is presently Pretoria. After Muzi’s death his two sons, Ndzundza and Manala, quarrelled over the chieftainship and the Ndebele split into two clans. Manala headed northwards towards Pietersburg (now Polokwane) and was largely assimilated by the Pedi people. Ndzundza headed east and later south and this branch has remained distinctly Ndebele and culturally independent of its neighbours.

When Zulu chief Mzilikazi was driven out of Zululand by Shaka, he decimated both the Ndzundza and Manala clans as he passed through the area on his way to establish a kingdom at Bulawayo in southern Zimbabwe. This caused the Nzdundza clan to regroup under chief Mabhoko near the Mapoch Caves in the Roossenekal district.

During the early 1840's an increasing number of Boer farmers arrived to settle the area, which in turn led to strife and conflict with the Ndebele. Chief Mabhoko was a dynamic leader who was determined to defend both his rights and his lands. When the Boers refused to vacate his tribal lands and return to their former position south of the Vaal River, armed conflict ensued. Both Boer farmers and their northern neighbours hounded the Ndebele, the Pedi, in a low level war that lasted until 1882.

When the Pedi chief Sekhukhune was murdered in 1882, the balance of power in the region changed and the Boers under Commandant General Piet Joubert’s commando launched persistent attacks. For eight months the Ndebele under chief Nyabela held out in subterranean tunnels in their mountain stronghold at Mapoch’s Caves. The Boers laid siege to the Ndebele at these caves. The Boers were finally able to enforce the surrender of Nyabela, who was then imprisoned for life. The tribal lands were confiscated and the Ndebele people were forced to work on white-owned farms.

The plight of the Ndebele came to the attention of the authorities in 1965. Simon Skhosana and KM Mtsweni, both leaders of the Ndebele, worked tirelessly to bring together the chiefs and headmen under a common banner. As a result, Denilton was declared the Ndebele Homeland in 1972. However, in 1994 the Kwandebele government was later disbanded after the first democratic elections in South Africa and the homeland was officially incorporated into the Mpumalanga Province.

Today the bronze sculpture of chief Nyabela stands outside the Mapoch Caves to remind the descendants of this brave and proud people of their turbulent past. As a historical site the caves have been declared a National Heritage Monument.

Useful Travel Information:

• Kamoka Open Africa Route area is located in a malaria-free region. However, because it is en route to the Kruger National Park in the Limpopo and Mpumalanga Provinces, those travelling to the park may be exposed to malaria, so please consult your doctor about the medication you will need to take before and after leaving the park;
• The route is easily reached from the Johannesburg International Airport and Lanseria Airport is even closer, only about an hour’s drive from the general route area; and
• Special tours explore the Ndebele culture and can be arranged with the Kghodwana Cultural Village.
  

Directions from Gauteng:

From Pretoria on the N1 highway north turn east into Zambezi Drive, go through the tollgate and turn right at the traffic lights. Drive for less than a kilometre and turn left onto the R573, Moloto road towards Kwamhlanga, which is the start of the Kamoka Open Africa Route. This is also the border that separates Mpumalanga from Gauteng Province. Here the route starts, crisscrossing the areas covered on the route all the way to Marble Hall and to Roossenekal on the eastern side toward Kruger National Park.

Kruger National Park:

Larger than some countries, the Kruger National Park (KNP) offers a very special environmental experience to visitors, enabling them to observe the interaction of species in this outstanding conservation area, where the Big Five are found, The diverse attractions of the KNP have been enjoyed and explored for the past century. The park was created in 1898 by President Paul Kruger to preserve the country’s diminishing wildlife. Colonel Stevenson-Hamilton was appointed the park’s first warden, whose headquarters were established at the Sabie Bridge, now Skukuza camp and still KNP headquarters.

Expansion over the years has brought the park to its present size and, with the number of tourists increasing annually, amenities and accommodation have been improved to cater for the high standards demanded by travellers abroad and locally.

KNP not only conserves wildlife in its natural state, but also contributes substantially to the economy of the region as one of the bigger employers of local communities in the two provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga. Visitors’ revenues provide funding for the continued conservation of this environment, and for extensive research into the behaviour and management of the different animal species.

Famous Ndebele Twin Sisters:

The home and village (Wolvwekraal) of the famous Ndebele twin sisters, Emily and Martha Masanabo, is located in the heart of this route. Their dynamic mural and beadwork designs have drawn attention to an innovative art type that is unique to the Ndebele people, both in the use of vibrant colours and in the boldness of design. These two artists have both been acknowledged for their artistic talent, having been commissioned by British Airways to create a design for the tail markings on one of its Boeing 747 intercontinental jet aircraft.

Loopspruit Estate Wine:

A touch of the cape in Mpumalanga. When one thinks about South Africa’s finest wines, what does one think about? The rustic serenity of green vineyards and elegant thatched gables? Wine tasting with the personal attention of an experienced cellar master?

Loopspruit Estate Wines offers you a touch of Cape viticulture less than an hour’s drive from Gauteng. About 30km north of Bronkhortspruit in the bushveld lie the white, thatched buildings of Loopspruit, South Africa’s most northerly wine estate, where wine has been produced since 1969. Loopspruit owes its origins to a retired policeman, Eric Olivier, who planted the first vines on the banks of the Loopspruit River. The estate is conveniently located across the road next to the Ndebele Cultural Village, where guided tours are provided and a wide variety of traditional Ndebele art as well as beadwork are on sale.

Today the estate boasts 20.5ha of vines that include five white cultivars, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Colombard, Maison Blanc and Muscat de Alexandre; and two red cultivars, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cinsaut, which yield about 230 tons each year. Loopspruit’s cellar master goes to great lengths to produce wines of the highest quality, in the best tradition of South African viticulture.

Loopspruit is also well known for its Witblits and Mampoer. A glass full of folklore – moonshine, white smoke, or firewater, call it what you may, witblits and mampoer are as much part of African folklore as biltong and waatlemoenkonfyt.

Witblits:

Witblits is as old as South African viticulture itself. Its origin goes back to the 17th century, when it was known as Cape Brandy. Later it trekked inland with the Voortrekkers who called it Cape Smoke.

Mampoer:

Mampoer is a truly Transvaal tradition and traces its origins to the Pedi Chieftain Mampuru, who discovered that if you distilled fruit that had fermented you gave it more than an extra kick. Today Loopspruit distils mampoer from peaches and apricots. The secret lies in the distilling. At Loopspruit, witblits and mampoer are distilled according to time-honoured traditions.

Loopspruit Estate Wines also offers day visits and wine tasting opportunities along with restaurant facilities for visitors. There is also a seminar facility, which makes it an ideal venue for corporate day conferences and teambuilding exercises.

The Story Behind the Kamoka Name:

'Kamoka Open Africa Route' is the full name of this route. The word Kamoka is a Sotho word meaning together. The aim is to give tourists an open invitation to visit rural communities in their villages, township dwellers in their townships and farmers on their working farms as well as going to the game lodges to relax and enjoy your stay while visiting this great region of Mpumalanga. It is the name chosen by the route participants during the second workshop of the route development process and it is envisaged that the name will make visitors feel at home and experience the unity and strength of this community.

Mapoch Mine, The Environmentally Friendly Mine:

Mapoch Mine is found in the area of Roossenekal and Steelpoort in the north-east of Mpumalanga Province. Mapoch Mine is a division of Highveld Steel and Vanadium Corporation. It mines approximately 2.8 million tons of vanadium-bearing titaniferous magnetite ore per annum. The corporation’s steelworks and vanadium chemical works in Witbank use the product. Mining is done on the surface and by opencast methods Rehabilitation is done concurrently and indigenous trees and grasses are planted. The environmentally friendly approach of the mine distinguishes it from many mines in the country. The mine houses its employees in the village of Roossenekal and it also has a well-established recreation club with a Mashie golf course for its members.

The Annual Roossenekal Yellow Arum Lily Festival:

Roossenekal is the natural habitat of the much sought after yellow arum lily (Zantedeschia Pentlandia), which is celebrated for its magnificent springtime display by a festival bearing its name. The yellow arums are endemic (only occurring naturally in a confined floristic area) to this area and the region’s inhabitants treasure it, as evidenced by the festival that is hosted annually on the grounds of the local Mapoch Mine Club in Roossenekal.

The items presented at the festival focus on and emphasise relaxation and fun - the Yellow Arum Lily Golf Tournament, boeresport (the 'Geelvarkoor Survivor's Challenge'), entertainment by local artists as well as artists from outside the area, and donkey cart rides, for example. Local crafters sell their wares and dozens of potted yellow arum lilies are always on sale from registered vendors. Trips are arranged and undertaken by tour operators to sites abundant with yellow arums.

Tourists come from all over to Roossenekal for the weekend during the festival. Accommodation is always available at lodges, guesthouses, camps and at private homes. Prices are still reasonable in this area and visitors will experience true platteland hospitality. The scenic countryside always entices visitors to this region, which is a malaria-free area.

The yellow arum lily is an endangered plant threatened with extinction and is listed as "rare" in the Red Data Book (Hilton Taylor 1996). The Mpumalanga Nature Conservation Act, No 10 of 1998, lists among others, all arum lily species as protected plants. These therefore include the yellow arum lilies found in the district.

Useful Links

http://www.ndebele/cultural.com
http://www.mpumalanga.com
http://www.southafrica.net

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