Eastern Cape Provincial Article - South African Vacations

MATATIELE
The town of Matatiele was founded on the edges of a marsh in the southern
reaches of the Drakensberg Mountain Range. The marsh was given the Sotho
name of “Madi-I-Yila”, meaning “The Ducks have Flown”, after the marsh had
been drained. Until 1874 the area was the hideout of a collection of lawless
smugglers, cattle and horse rustlers and other renegades. However, in that
year the Cape government annexed the area and started to clean it up. Law
and order were only really established in 1880 when the town was garrisoned
by a detachment of the Cape Mounted Rifles. Today’s Matatiele is a pretty
little town with lovely summer gardens and superb views of the mountains. It is
the centre for a prosperous farming district in which horses are bred and
where polo is the local sport.
ADVENTURE AND SPORT
Mehloding Horse and Hiking Trail: This 4-day trail traverses the foothills of the
southern Drakensberg Mountains at the junction of the Eastern Cape (former
Transkei area), KwaZulu-Natal and Southern Lesotho. Attractions include the
fresh mountain air, views of unexplored peaks and crystal-clear streams,
ancient San rock art sites, medicinal plants, indigenous trees, birds and
wildlife, as well as local Xhosa and Sotho hospitality.
FAUNA AND FLORA
Bauer Nature Reserve: This pristine reserve plays host to various species of
buck as well as the endangered oribi antelope.
Mountain Lake Nature Reserve: This favourite spot for trout-anglers and
nature lovers is set high in the mountains above the town.
HISTORY AND ARCHITECTURE
Catholic Church: The stone Catholic Church, set in a lovely garden, has an
especially attractive cool, white interior.
MAZEPPA BAY
Mazeppa Bay, a small resort, 50 km north-east of Kentani, on the edge of the
Manubi Forest, has some of the Wild Coast’s most idyllic beaches. The three
beaches are all fringed by dense groves of wild date-palms and boast giant
sand dunes, prehistoric shell middens and rich oyster beds. The bay was
named after the Mazeppa, a nineteenth-century coastal trader, with an
exciting nautical history. In 1839 the ship was used to transport a party of
malaria-stricken Boer Trekkers from Delagoa Bay to Durban and, in 1842, it
did service for the British during the Boer invasion of Durban.
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