“PEOPLE WHO ALWAYS SUCCEED REALLY HAVE A COLLECTION OF FAILURES. IT’S ONLY WHEN YOU TRULY RUN UP AGAINST SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN LOOK BACK AND SAY, ‘I DID IT. I REALLY LIVED’.”
J NIELSEN
Drakensberg
The area West of the escarpment edge
The area on top of the KZN Drakensberg Escarpment may lie either within Lesotho or South Africa as the watershed is the border i.e. if water is flowing into Lesotho one is in Lesotho and similarly for KZN.
In many places the watershed coincides with the escarpment edge thus making the crossing of the border unavoidable if one is walking along the top. It is, therefore, necessary to carry a passport in these circumstances both in respect of Lesotho’s sovereignty and to present to the border patrols sometimes encountered.
Failure to carry passports has in the past led to unpleasant incidents and much inconvenience to the transgressors. Where possible, entry into Lesotho should be through a recognized border post. The border is marked on the KZN Wildlife topographical maps which are recommended for general use in the Drakensberg.
The land on top is used in places by the Basotho herdsman for grazing their horses, goats and sheep and occasionally one sees some cultivation in the valleys to the west.
A glance at the general ecology and bleak environment attests to the harshness of life at this altitude and accounts for the fact that within a few kilometres of the escarpment the land is virtually uninhabited. Over the last few years, however, herdsmen and their goats have moved closer to the escarpment edge so that in many places there is now only bare rock where there was once Erica helichrysum heath and grass. This is particularly evident south of Giant’s Castle.
The Basotho mountain people are simple, hospitable country folk as many a lost, cold or wet mountaineer has discovered to his benefit. The herdsman near the escarpment usually live in roughly built huts of local stone with adjacent stone-walled kraals for their livestock. Thatching grass for the roofs is brought either from KZN or lowland Lesotho. The huts normally contain little more than the most basic necessities such as a raised, stone bed covered with grass or goat or sheep skins, a few billy cans and possibly a lamp and one or two utensils. Most of these huts are used only on a seasonal basis – related to grazing availability.
Herdsmen, and often very small boys, are frequently seen in the company of their dogs and it is a chastening experience for the heavily clad and equipped mountaineer and hiker to come across these hardy, self-reliant people clad only in a blanket and hat.
It is a good idea when travelling across the top to carry some cigarettes, tobacco or salt as these luxuries are hard to come by in the mountains and will be much appreciated as a gift or in exchange for some form of assistance given.
All is not rosy though. Basotho drug smugglers and cattle thieves do make use of some mountain passes. Get to know those areas and stay away! In some areas such as at the Amphitheater, attacks on groups of hikers are quite common and could lead to the loss of life – your possessions will be stolen. Before you go up the escarpment, talk to the local rangers and reserve office staff and establish the security situation.
We as hikers, explorers, and
adventurers have the absolute duty to respect and protect our Wildernesses.
Nobody else will do it for us. Take ownership!
The End.
Safe Hiking.
References and Acknowledgements
From the book: A field guide to the Natal Drakensberg –Irwin, Akhurst
Photos: ©Willem Pelser
Compiled by: Willem Pelser
