Tanglewood KZN

12/04/2025

Community Custodians have been tasked with preserving the rock art throughout the Drakensberg region and are doing a stellar job!

11/04/2025

...and the Mkomazana river valley becomes ever more beautiful as summer comes to a close. Visible in this picture are the upper switchbacks of Sani Pass with the rising ground of Lesotho beyond. Picture taken from the Twelve Apostles.

11/04/2025

28/03/2025

26/03/2025

26/03/2025

26/03/2025

HOGSBACK - This is an important story.

During the first day of our Katberg Tour, we started in Hogsback and drove the Wolf River Pass (a public road) down to the Sindile Dam returning via a loop road eventually rejoining the Wolf River Pass, where we stopped just off the main road to enjoy our lunch along one of the side tracks. We were 40m off the main road.

Before long, a security guard in a bakkie stopped and told us we were trespassing. He had been watching us for quite some time as we drove up the pass. We explained there were no signs indicating the track as private property, but we would none the less move on in a few minutes.

The security guard left, but contacted his superior via radio at Hogsback Forestry (Rance Timbers). Suitably attired in company kit and driving a Land Cruiser LDV, he intercepted our convoy from the front.

He quickly realised we were just a harmless group of tourists wanting to enjoy the area and toned his rhetoric down with each minute that passed.

He explained the fires of 2024 and also about a female hiker that had wandered off the trail and a huge blue gum tree that was being felled landed on her, killing her.

The company were being sued for R6m in an ongoing legal battle. We have not been able verify that story as yet.

To cut a long story short and having spoken to other tourism people around the village, it seems all is not well up there in the mountains. Rance Timbers (a private company whose business is growing trees) appear to be fully against tourism.

They are not maintaining footpaths to the waterfalls or hiking trails and are actively discouraging tourism in the area (as was evidenced with our encounter with them, which bordered on harassment.)

I think if we were one or two vehicles, it would have been more aggressive. After a few minutes of logic and reasoning, I managed to connect with him regarding the importance of tourism and the need for forestry and tourism to hold hands for the common good of the area and its citizens.

After initially refusing us permission to visit the Robinson Falls, he eased off a bit and said we could go and visit the falls without a permit, which we duly did. It was only 1 km off the main road.

I mentioned to him that it was unreasonable to expect visitors to comply if there were no notices or signs erected. He agreed. On parting, he had lost the initial confrontational attitude and suggested we send an email to his boss, which we are busy compiling.

All over SA forestry and tourism work hand in hand, so why not at Hogsback, where forestry and tourism are the two biggest employers?

This attitude is unhealthy. Come on Rance Timbers, you guys can do a lot better than this.

📷 Trygve Roberts/MPSA

🏠www.MountainPassesSouthAfrica.co.za
For the greater good of all.

24/03/2025

Brand new Joker draw card case for Breakers thank you Mike and Fiona for your valued support.

21/10/2024

The Cape of Good Hope SPCA inspectorate team participated in the 5km Sanlam Peace Run to raise funds for animals in need.

21/10/2024

20/10/2024

Bespoke barstools

25/12/2023