The Road North
It is 2024 and we had planned one of our most ambitious trips yet. A 3 month trip through Zimbabwe into Botswana, Namibia and Angola. I think the main drive was a desire to experience Angola, a country given unexpectedly high ratings by travellers we had met over the last 3-4 years, but we also wanted, finally, to see what Zimbabwe had to offer. They are our neighbours after all. Historically we have avoided Zimbabwe because of the road blocks, bribes, expense and red tape. To be fair I think we have maintained this stance long after most of these issues have died down but it just goes to show the impact of bad press!
We were a group of 7 on this epic adventure, The same friends from last year, Sonia from Switzerland, Mike from Italy, Carmen, Ian and Vicky from New Zealand. Because of the issues with the hire cars and insurance for Angola we had prepared our second landcruiser Bessie for the trip along with the Beast. Frantic weeks spent servicing, repairing, replacing tyres and upgrading the camp gear. When we left I think we were all exhausted.
In usual style we would take the road less traveled, even from home, and we set off 5 days before we were due to cross the border to test everything out. Our route took us northeast up the coast and across Swaziland into Kruger. The plan was to drive the length of Kruger before cutting across to the Beitbridge border to meet up with the others.
Carmen and ian, aka The Optomist and The Grinch, The best of travel companions!
Our eligible batchelor and male model Mike. His obsession with the night sky led to the discovery of comet C/2023A which appears once every 87000 years! We are now officially comet chasers.
Vicki, our golden (sometimes rather pink) Amazon. Toilet roll hoarder of note.
Sonia our Duracell bunny. Small in size and huge in energy and heart. Always there to lend a hand (or take over.....no complaints from me!) Joining the boys in the keep fit campaign.
Beastly Breakdown
Well we rarely have a completely smooth trip but this one started wobbly and got worse. Even as we crept up the coast from Hluhuwe the Beast was signalling all was not well. A R30,000 service at Richards Bay Toyota, new calipers and a timing belt, and we found a leak in the diesel pump and fuel consumption was through the roof, even for a thirsty Beast. What to do?
We hit Kruger park on our second day and managed to secure a spot at Lower Sabie. I won't lie, since Covid, space in Kruger has been at a premium. No more pitching up on spec and getting a choice of camps. Even mid August and outside school holidays Kruger was full. Lots of overseas guests so I guess it's good business. We drove the road North but the mechanical issues were continuing to spike concern. We were filling up every 300 km. Distracted we drove past mating leopard ( do you know how common that is? Go Kruger!!) Did you know leopards mate only once a year but the male and female will often stay together 1-5 days and mate multiple times in that period. Still it's a pretty rare sighting.
We saw loads of elephants, and the devastation of their browsing. A lot of chatter about the over stocking of elephants in Kruger was heard. No one seems to know how best to handle this but it is a common problem across South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana especially in these times of drought. The park was very dry and most sightings were soon eclipsed by cars.
Just inside the Phalabora gate we stumbled into the Sable Hide which is an overnight hide you can book through SAN parks. The beds fold up against the wall of the hide and the lucky occupants get the hide all to themselves through the night. Overlooking a lovely waterhole I am sure there may be some special sightings as well as a horde of mosquitos. Predictably it was booked up for the next million years but next time we know!
Our mechanical problems continued to disturb the equilibrium, joined by a nasty noise from Bessies front wheel, so our next stop was Tzaneen and the nearest diesel mechanic.
Even in the darkest of times (mechanically) we always seem to find gems of service and expertise that shine like guiding lights and so it was for our sortie into Tzaneen. We met Gerrit, owner of BDM Diesel and his colleague, the Workshop manager of NTT Toyota. They jointly agreed to pull out the diesel pump with the hope of a quick fix. Temporary euphoria was soon replaced by deep gloom when it was revealed the pump was kaput and needed spares and major repairs. The fault of a too tight timing belt. Are you listening McCarthy Toyota Richard's Bay? Additionally when the gearbox and clutch were dropped, due to a missed oil leak at the bell housing, more bad news followed. The front and rear seals to the gearbox needed to be replaced. The clutch was replaced due to the fact the gearbox and clutch housing were out for the repair.
Hopes of a smooth transition to the Zim border was lost. It would take 3-4 days, eating into our itinerary. Despair was avoided by the fact Gerrit ran a campsite on his small holding just outside town and our friends rallied around to support us without a murmur of complaint. 5 km away was a predator park, the lions serenaded each night and morning. Punctuated by the noise of trucks and dogs and geese but still a consolation.
The days were spent in the sleepy metropolis of Tzaneen investigating the beautiful mountain forests around town. Hikes and coffee shops kept us busy.
The mom and pop station wagon and slightly broken and highly uncomfortable peapod tent that replaced our beautiful Beast while she was in motor hospital. Be prepared is the motto!
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The Magoebaskloof pass winds through avocado and gum plantations and harbours rivers, streams and small waterfalls. This is the Debengeni waterfall.
Haenertsburg is a small town with a population around 500 born from the gold rush of the 1860s and has a quaint arts and crafts vibe. Small shops and cafes and a cemetery with a view.
The remains of a Long Tom Gun marks where the Boers retreated to Pretoria, destroying their artillery in their wake, during the second Anglo Boer War.
The story of Chief Mamphoku Makgoba is a sobering reflection on the history of our troubled country. Chief Makgoba led a tribe in Makgobaskloof prior to the arrival of white settlers, the White Trekboers. In the 1860s the boers started to arrive drawn by agricultural fertility, timber and gold. They began to annex the land of the indigenous peoples under the authority of Paul Kruger. King Makgoba led a spirited resistance, along with other leaders in the area, refusing to pay taxes and destroying beacons and raiding farms. In 1894 war was declared on these resistance fighters. Chief Makgoba earned the title of Lion of Soutpansberg for his guerrilla strategies. He and his followers hid out in the forests but in 1895 a group of Swazi mercenaries found and beheaded him. The head is said to have been sent to Pretoria as proof of death and ended up in the Natural History Museum, but the whereabouts of the head is now uncertain and has been the source of much speculation and cultural distress.
During the land redistribution post apartheid the Makgobe clan took over many farms in the area including historic tea plantations but the lack of knowledge and skills and ineffectual government leadership have led to economic decline in the area, many of the farms lying fallow. In view of the natural beauty and resources in the area we can only hope for a renaissance some time soon.
We are all beginning to recognise such patterns in past history, greed, intimidation, theft, sacrifice and then loss for everyone. I hope we will soon learn our lessons but looking at the world news I am pretty sure we are not there yet, the cycle continues.
The Magoebaskloof
Zimbabwean Welcome
With the Beast back in action, hopefully fully repaired and in working order, we approached Beitbridge with trepidation. The only border post between South Africa and Zimbabwe, this is is historically the busiest border crossing in Southern Africa and the gateway to the North. In recent times however, largely due to the congestion and border problems, many of the haulage companies have chosen longer routes through Botswana to avoid this section.
Even this year friends had expressed their frustration and dislike for this route so we really did not know what to expect except long queues and red tape.
Well have I got news for you. The South African side was abysmal, the border guards on go slow, but the Zimbabwean side was a textbook in efficiency and order. A new border infrastructure with spacious, well ventilated offices and well organised queues. Yes the red tape is still formidable, at least 7 counters to negotiate, but from the security guard who checks you in, to the tourism representative who ushers you through the process, they could not have been more helpful. No touts to be seen. No bribes needed.
South Africa could learn a lot about customer service. 4 hours later we were good to go (I know it still takes time!) but we were far from frazzled.
Nottingham Citrus Estate
30 km from the border at Beitbridge is a little gem, Kuduland Lodge on the Nottingham citrus estate offers a welcome stop off to get your bearings before continuing the journey. As the border crossing is quite lengthy it is a good idea not to be too ambitious on the day of arrival. We had a booking which had long since expired due to our unscheduled stopover in Tzaneen but they could not have been more helpful and happily rescheduled us without fuss or extra cost.
The lodge is on the Nottingham estate citrus farm, a huge citrus plantation on the banks of the Limpopo. It consists of chalets and a small restaurant and, as part of the package, they have an elephant experience in the evenings on a small koppie about 5 km away. Here they have built an outdoor dining area and shelter and they deliver oranges by the trailerful to the stony plateau below. Herds of wild elepants roam the area and are regular visitors to the orange fest. No surprise there. The baboons, warthogs and eland also turn up in numbers.
It's a bit surreal and you cannot help wondering if this is a good idea with a whole citrus estate waiting to be pillaged. We all know about the story of elephants and oranges, but I guess as long as they get their fix from the trailers they leave the cash crop alone. It is an unusual experience as the sun sets over the Limpopo turning the granite koppies the same colour as the oranges.
