Open Writing

The road to Namaqualand is long and some might say, boring, and it takes two days to reach the areas where one sees the famous flowers. But that is only ‘IF’, and this ‘if’ depends solely on winter rainfall in the north-western Cape. This is the area stretching from Upington on the banks of the Orange River, right down to Caledon and then on to Cape Town. ‘If’ there have been good rains, then, in the familiar phrase, the ‘desert will bloom’ and the countryside will, for an all too brief period, become a spectacular show of colour and beauty, only rivalled, so I have been told, by the Atacama Desert in Peru which has similar climatic conditions.

But there are many other attractions in the general area which are often overlooked. Firstly, there is Kuruman, a dusty ‘dorpie’ celebrated as the town where the remarkable Scottish missionary Dr Robert Moffat and his devoted wife Mary started their many years of dedicated work.

Moffat’s missionary life was spent amongst the Griqua people, who are closely related to the original ‘San’ Bushmen, about 20 000 of whom still live in the Kalahari Desert north west of Kuruman. They show amazing survival skills and adaptation to the dry, harsh climate, bred into them by thousands of years of existence as the last of the hunter-gatherers. Today’s Nama people are a sub-tribe of the Bushmen, and teeter on the edge of society, eking out a living as sheep-sheerers, herders or farm labourers, unrecognised and largely ignored, the last fading remnants of an ancient culture.

Kuruman’s second claim to fame is ‘The Eye’, a never-failing spring which gushes 20,000 litres of fresh water a day. This is collected into a quiet, serene pool filled with lazy catfish, enormous koi and goldfish. Sadly, apart from the fish living their indolent lives, no other use seems to be made of this wonderful asset and the abundant waters from The Eye simply run away, benefiting nobody.

The strange thing is, that during Dr Robert Moffat’s youth in Scotland he trained as a gardener. Yet he does not seem to have recognised or even considered making use of this water. Had he done so, his missionary work might have had even more lasting results; imagine what could have been achieved with a flourishing farming operation in the area.

Although the area is sparsely populated, today there is a fair-sized ‘black location’ not far from Kuruman, which would provide an immediate market. Many of the residents have been unemployed for years, and one wonders why it is that a market garden, growing fruit and vegetables in plastic tunnels, irrigated with waters from The Eye, has never been created. Although it may be argued that aridity and the difficulties of transporting fresh produce to distant markets pose limitations, it would surely not be beyond the famous ‘can-do’ mentality and creativity of the average South African farmer to see the possibilities here? The question is … why has nothing been done?

The next town on the route to Namaqualand is Upington, which presents a very different picture. For miles before reaching it, vineyards, irrigated from the Orange River, line the road. Certain varieties are exported as prime table grapes, but the bulk of the crop ends-up as the delicious sultanas and raisins for which the area is famous. Dessert dates are also cultivated and have become a popular after-dinner delicacy and a sought-after export item.

Upington is the centre of an enormous farming area, and has a large commercial infrastructure including car and tractor dealerships, a small airport, numerous large banks, supermarkets, hotels and bed and breakfast establishments. It is also the town where, a few miles further on, one ‘turns right’ to take the road to the Augrabies Falls, or left over the bridge to Kanoneiland. Before crossing the bridge, spare a few minutes to visit the Dutch Reformed Church on the banks of the river. In the grounds you will see a statue of a donkey. The caption reads, “This statue commemorates all the donkeys whose strength and endurance did so much to build the area.”

Donkeys were used to pull the ore trains in Van der Stel’s time, as beasts of burden, and as the major, if not only, form of transport. They are still used for transport by the poorer folk, who are collectively known as the “Karretjie-mense” (cart-people) as they depend so completely on these animals. For many years the South African Police used camels to patrol the desert, and a commemorative statue stands outside the Upington Police Station to this day. Interesting that the locals recognised the value of these beasts of burden in opening up the desert areas.

Kanoneiland is a strange anomaly, a large fertile island in the middle of the Orange River, with attractive small houses and gardens, and a lively community of established farmers, most of whom grow the delicious early peaches for which the area is famous. The orchards lie on the other side of the river.

Driving towards the Augrabies Falls, the land, although still barren and dry, has a slightly less desert-like appearance as thorn-trees appear. A thin scattering of grass softens the landscape, but there is no doubt that the whole of this area is desert, and that were it not for the water from the river, farming would be impossible.

The Augrabies Falls are stunning in their force and power. They roar and foam over glassy granite rocks, polished to a mirror finish by aeons of erosion. Millions of tons of water on the way to the open ocean 150 miles away have turned the area into a desolate black granite wilderness.

Signs all over the area warn tourists not to get too close to the edge because of the danger of slipping into the chasm. Some years ago, a visitor failed to pay sufficient attention whilst speaking on his cellphone, and, when it slid from his fingers he made the mistake of trying to grab it. He slipped and his body was never recovered. There are a number of other recorded deaths and everything possible has been done to prevent further fatalities by fencing in the viewpoints and creating non-slip paths well away from the edge.

Visiting the huge Katse Dam in Lesotho a couple of months ago, I asked what would happen if the dam failed and a flood occurred. Nonchalantly the answer came back “Oh, there’s no need to worry, all the water would flow down the Orange River and straight out to sea” which I took with the scepticism it deserved, considering the settlements and cultivation along its banks and the unbelievable devastation it would create.

About thirty kilometres from Pofadder lies the tiny Moravian mission of Pella, and a visit there is a lovely experience. The place has a serenity which is very enriching. The small white church stands in a clean, swept sandy square and is very quiet and dignified. It is the center of a large ‘socially disadvantaged’ community, many of them in need of guidance and help. Changing times have seen a shift from the Moravian missionaries to local nuns, who work hard to help the area’s population of Namas and Coloureds.

It is a large date production area, and several of these trees grow around the square. The parsonage is a pretty single story house shadowed by a cool verandah with a bright bougainvillea cascading from the corrugated iron roof.
Doves coo in the branches, voices are quiet and calm, and an air of peace prevails.

The church was built 150 years ago by the nuns, working with their German pastor. The only reference they had was a picture and sketch map in an encyclopedia and although very simple and basic, the church is charming. But its chief claim to fame are the hand-embroidered altar cloths made by the nuns. If possible, phone before you set off for Pella, as when we went there (it is quite a distance from the main road and the side road is untarred and very corrugated) we arrived to find that the nuns were in Pofadder visiting a sick parishioner and the church was closed and locked.

Fortunately, before we gave up in despair, they returned, and graciously opened the church and took the altar cloths out of the shallow drawers where they are carefully stored, folded in tissue paper away from bright light and dust, to proudly show them to us. The work is beautiful, mostly flower motifs, bunches of grapes and trailing ivy, very fine and of the highest quality.

The residents of Pella make their living cultivating dates and they try to sell small tins and buckets of fruit to visitors. The orchards are irrigated from a small tributary of the Orange River, and the trees grow well. However, we were advised not to buy the dates which are fresh and have not been prepared and dried, so they sour very quickly. Also, they are not stoned, so although the container looks full, it is actually not a good buy. The little 'padstals' [road stalls] along the way sell delicious dates, which are much better value, as are the lovely jams and preserves. Well worth spending your pocket money on!

Springbok is a vibrant small town, with a close resemblance to its parents in the American Wild West. The day-to-day economy depends on the copper mines in the area, but it is also a well-known center of operations for the tourists who pour into the area to see the spring flowers as well as providing the industrial back-up of small engineering workshops and spares depots so essential in an isolated community.

One of the most interesting characters in Springbok is a local Afrikaans entrepreneur who seems to have his hand in every pie. He owns the Springbok Café, the only sizeable eatery in the area apart from the small hotel, and as many of the converted sheds, storage rooms, halls and small lodgings as he has been able to get hold of. These he has renovated and turned into very comfortable accommodation for the flood of visitors who pour into the area in a ‘good’ year.

The Springbok Café is also the best, and only, place to go to for polished semi-precious stones, geological specimens, an excellent selection of printed information on the area, in photographic, video, documentary, postcard and calendar format; camping equipment (torches, knives, etc) and all photographic supplies. If you can think of it or require it, the Springbok Café probably stocks it, or can get it for you. If you need information on where to find the best flower displays, ‘Boet’ will be the first to know, and can advise on road conditions and any other local knowledge. He is a perfect mine of information on the area, and will discourse about everything.

I have driven through Vryburg to Springbok three or four times, on much-anticipated visits to Namaqualand to see the spring flowers, but only managed to time my visit during one 'good' year, when the flowers were breathtaking. Climate change has seriously affected the winter rainfall area, so if the rains arrive, it is best to grab the chance as the opportunity does not occur often. The Western Cape has experienced a 7-yr drought - particularly in the Namaqualand area - and consequently the land has been bone dry and not a flower has bloomed. Thousands of visitors have been disappointed and unable to see this spectacular annual display, but this year there have been reasonably good rains, which will bring on a good 'bloom'. So if the word says the flowers are out, move heaven and earth to get there!

One of the best areas is Kamieskroon, about 50 kms south from Springbok, and also the small dirt road from Pofadder via Gamoep to Springbok. Here the road winds between small hills with large ochre coloured boulders and dry river beds. It is a lovely, quiet, hilly section, and although parched, is absolutely unspoilt. Driving through there I saw an attractive traditional beehive Nama reed hut erected on a flat sandy section of the dry river bed. As we passed we were watched by the wizened copper-coloured husband and wife.

Their tiny cart and one exhausted looking donkey were outspanned in the riverbed and they seemed to be trekking through - looking for work, perhaps? We must have seemed like visitors from Mars, they were so out of this world in their way of life and appearance. Striking in their quiet dignity and total integration with the countryside, they didn't move a muscle as we stared at them from our cloud of dust - it was an object lesson in the clash of two cultures.

As the soil is different here, the flowers differ too. They don't grow in the enormous swathes like the Namaqualand daisies we are so familiar with, but appear in far more natural settings; tumbling like cascades down small hilly clefts, encircling large boulders where they get the accumulated moisture from condensation and rain, in little hollows and in shady corners. The overall impression is delightful. They are there in great variety too, and instead of the daisies’ limited colour range (yellow, orange and white) these blooms range from soft pink, through buttercup yellow to blue and mauve - do try to visit this area if you can.

Kamieskroon is lovely as well; there is a famous wild flower reserve called 'Skilpad' [tortoise] which is really worth a visit, and outside Springbok is the Hester Malan Nature Reserve (if they haven't changed the name) which has different species; succulents and an interesting collection of tiny rock plants. The ambience of the reserve is lovely and much enjoyed by visitors.

Then, on the plateau of the ‘Kouebokkeveld’ is Nieuwoudtville. This has the 'greatest concentration of bulbous plants in the world' which, if they have a wet winter, are quite fabulous. Flower lovers from all over the world travel thousands of miles to see these areas when they are in full bloom, and a scientific study has established that in one square meter over six hundred different species are to be found.

Between Upington and Springbok we drive through a desolate moonscape. Black granite rocks and boulders lie in jumbled heaps, and as one commentator said “Here one expects to see a flying saucer land and little one-eyed men climb out.” Simon van der Stel, an early Dutch Governor of the Cape, travelled to the area in the late 1600’s prospecting for minerals. A rich seam of copper and other minerals were found, but only the copper was exploited. The old mine workings can still be seen on the mountainside.

Sishen, the famous iron ore deposit, lies in this area. It has been mined for thirty years or so, and the value of the ore extracted must run into billions. The former South African government built a railway line from the mine direct to the deep-water harbour at Saldana Bay. This was built specifically for the ore-carriers which transport the material to Japan and other world markets. The mile-long electric trains travel without any human intervention, although it takes them over a mile to stop. Computer driven, they are so cleverly engineered and the line is constructed in such a way that neither driver nor guard is necessary to operate them right up to the ore siding where they discharge their load. Even the discharge process is automated. The sides of the trucks drop down and the bogies are elevated on special cradles, dumping the ore direct into the ship.

For years the rocky coast was exploited for the rich harvests of rock-lobster (South African crayfish) which became an important export, eagerly sort after by luxury restaurants all over the world. But the crayfish beds have been over-fished and new regulations have stopped this. The crayfish packing stations have been converted to potato-chip factories, and instead of the stink of fish-gut and scales, a miasma of hot oil hangs in the sea air, impossible to disperse.

Small-scale diamond dredging is carried out in some of the more protected bays along the coast, as well as beach-sand dredging and open-cast beach mining for titanium, rutile and zircon, which fetch top prices overseas. The raw material is carried from the diggings on the Sishen rail-line to Saldana where the huge smelter is located. Here it is refined and shipped to world markets.

There are large vineyards around Lutzville and Vredendal and the co-operatively owned wine cellars produces significant quantities of excellent export wines. A smaller secondary crop of tomatoes is now being grown for canning. There are two factories making tomato sauce and purees; it only takes a couple of entrepreneurs to show the way, and slowly but steadily, the area begins to open up.