Aug 2019 - Lowveld

oad mapping system, Garmin Tracks
For Africa, describes Msauli as nothing
short of a ghost town, with barely
a breathing soul. A handful of quiet
residents make it the ideal hideaway
for a peace-seeking recluse.
Abandoned houses, a school, chapel,
liquor store and clubhouse lead to
lots of speculation about the town’s
heyday, a flourishing community with
dreams abounding. The still-colourful,
but rusty and overgrown merry-goround
invites the sound of children’s
laughter from years gone by, while
the skateboard rink may still work
perfectly after a good sweep of fallen
leaves.
Loose rocks with reams of asbestos
are everywhere. So why not embark
on an excursion and drop in at one of
these towns? Msauli is on the other
side of the Makhonjwa Mountains,
south of Barberton. It is reached
preferably using a high-clearance
vehicle driving down the steep but
spectacular dirt road, turning off just
before getting to the Swaziland
border at Josephsdal.
You will find Vaalhoek on the dirt road
pass to Pilgrim’s, and the turn-off to
Leydsdorp at Gravelot on the road
between Hoedspruit and Tzaneen.
Go and discover these lost-in-time
gems for yourself. You won’t be
disappointed.
62 Get It Lowveld August 2019
Diepgezet
Diepgezet
Vaalhoek
DID YOU KNOW?
Diepgezet at the old Msauli Mine was a bustling but quite isolated
community. The disuse of asbestos due to its unhealthy nature caused the town
to be mothballed some 20 years ago. After the rehabilitation of the mines, many
had dreams of reutilising this pleasant village with its jacaranda-lined streets and
spectacular mountain setting, though the final decay of recent years is seriously
taking its toll.
Vaalhoek was a mining establishment serving a few smaller mines in the Blyde
Valley before it was abandoned in recent years. Though some of the old houses
remained illegally occupied, most other structures are closed up or getting
stripped, such as the old sports club and the once-refreshing pool which now
stands empty.
Leydsdorp used to be an old mining town from the time of Paul Kruger’s
Republic. The streets are still lined by one or two historic buildings dating back
nearly 150 years.
A Game drive
‘We ran on wobbly legs back to our vehicle about
100 metres away... we collapsed into our seats laughing
and giddy with the after-effects of the adrenalin rush that
being charged by the biggest predator in Africa brings on.”
Gerald Hinde and Will Taylor are both hugely experienced
in big African game... spending more than three decades
photographing and working with the five that have
always been considered the hunters’ most dangerous
wild animals. But the pair felt that two more special
species deserved to be included on the list, two animals
that visitors to our big reserves are keen on seeking out.
Welcome wild dog and cheetah... these two extraordinary
animals, along with the original lion, elephant, rhino,
buffalo and leopard, are featured in this astonishingly
beautiful, recently released book, The Big Seven.
Shot over more than 15 years, the photos are, as expected,
sublime. But this is more than just a photo-filled coffee table book. Will, who
started off as a ranger at Mala Mala, has written about their experiences in
the bush... and it makes for an intimate, evocative read. So there’s the tale of
the lioness charge when he and Gerald were a little too close to her cubs for
comfort. He tells us about an enormous group of elephant... “water splashed,
trunks gurgled and there was a high level of excitement as this huge gathering
of 300 or more of the world’s largest animal saw out the spectacular end to an
African day”. He writes about them filming a cheetah chase... “amazed at how
we could hear the paddle-shaped tail of the cheetah cracking like a whip as it
jinked by our vehicle at top speed in pursuit of a steenbok”. He talks of hanging
on for dear life while a chase is on, attempting to stop expensive camera
equipment from crashing onto the floor, of being chased at high speed by
black rhino, of the privilege of being around young leopard cubs, and of slowly
following a pack of wild dogs home in the sunset. With truly glorious photos
to study and fascinating facts about these animals, this book is an absolute joy
to those of us who love and appreciate our wild animals and the South African
big game areas. HPH Publishing. Available from hphpublishing.co.za, R650.
through the pages
A leisurely read through this new
coffee table book is (almost) as good
as being on an actual game drive.
What’s more, you’re guaranteed to
experience The Big Seven.
August 2019 Get It Lowveld 63