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It was during our last trip together, a Lyn and I left Pretoria on the 13th
tour of the far Eastern Cape where we intending to overnight somewhere near
tried to string as many dirt road moun- Piet Retief, to break the trek to Cape
tain passes together as possible in 2 Vidal into 2 comfortable chunks. Track-
weeks, that we finally convinced Kobus s4Africa indicated a campsite near Paul-
to agree to plan and host a trip to Ma- pietersburg and we headed off in search
putaland. of it. We found the spot but it turned out
to be a picnic site with no camping al-
Maputaland, or Umhlaba ‘yalinga lowed. It was while I was interrogating
(which translated means ‘the earth is T4A for an alternative, with map spread
flat’) refers to that part of KZN tucked across the bonnet and the TD5 idling
into a corner between the borders of away, that I heard a new rumbling noise
Swaziland, Mozambique and the Indian coming from the Defender’s gearbox.
Ocean and reaches from St Lucia in the The noise became steadily louder as we
south to Kosi Bay in the north and the covered the last 100 or so kms to Bivane
Usuthu Gorge in the west. It encompass- Dam to our campsite.
es the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, Lake
Sibayi, Kosi Bay Nature Reserve, Tem- I was very concerned that we might not
be Elephant Park, Ndumo, Mkuze and make it down to Cape Vidal, let alone
Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Parks. Our itinerary get back home with the gearbox in one
would begin at Cape Vidal, just north piece. I spent a restless night pondering
of St Lucia, and would end at Ponta do my options. Should we bail out now and
Ouro in Mozambique. We all agreed head for home, leaving the bucket list
that we could not stop at Kosi since we unticked? Should we go on and perhaps
would be too close to some 2M beers to have to suffer the ignominy of having to
pass up the opportunity to continue our be towed home by a Ford Ranger?
beer tasting and quality control program.
A word about Bivane Dam. It lies east
Our entourage would comprise 4 ve- of Paulpietersburg about 16km off the
hicles: Kobus and Riekie in their Ford R69 between Vryheid and Louwsburg.
Ranger towing their Echo trailer, Avis It was a delightful surprise. The dam is
and Mike Perks in their Suzuki Grand relatively new having been completed
Vitara, some new-found friends and in 2000, with the campsites and chalets
travel companions Kathy and Basil opening for business in 2004. The dam
Milford also in a Suzuki Grand Vitara is currently overflowing, the sites are
and the Prozeskys in their Defender 110. shady and flat and grassed with great
We travelled separately from Pretoria views of the dam. There are 4X4, hiking
and Pietermaritzburg and rendezvoused and quad bike trails. It is relatively un-
at the campsite at Cape Vidal on March known and it is a gem.
14th this year.
I telephoned Eric at Landyicon and de-
A story like this would not be complete scribed the symptoms. Together we con-
without a bit of ‘Landy drama’. vinced ourselves that the gearbox input

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bearing was on its way out. Eric howev- western part of iSimangaliso National
er gave me a degree of comfort saying Park where we were assured we’d see
he knew of instances where a vehicle elephant and rhino. Unfortunately, they
had been driven for several thousand must have been out shopping because
kms with this rumbling noise, giving we didn’t see a thing.
me some hope that we might make it
through the trip and safely home. On arrival at Sordwana Bay National
Park we found the place virtually desert-
We continued on to our next camp in ed. We saw only 1 other party in the vast
the dune forest of Cape Vidal, keeping campsite during our 2 days there. How-
the revs down and nursing the Defend- ever, the Samango monkeys provided all
er gently along, the noise all the while the entertainment we needed as we were
increasing in intensity. We met up with constantly warding off attacks on our
our friends and spent 2 days/3 nights in food supplies. Clearly they have been
the balmy, late summer weather, swim- spoilt by people either feeding them
ming in the warm Indian Ocean, ex- or making it too easy for them to raid
ploring the area and managing to forget vehicles and tents. And don’t think your
about our mechanical problems. stuff is safe if it is in latched wolfpacks.
The monkeys have learned how to open
On Day 5 we packed up and drove to them.
Sordwana Bay National Park via the

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The following day we drove north to Our camp for the next 2 nights would
Lake Sibayi which is very low, confirm- be Utshwayelo Kosi Mouth Camp, on
ing the contention that the drought in the the northern bank of the Kosi estuary.
far north has not yet broken. We contin- Again, we had the campsite to ourselves
ued to the Manzengwenya Gate where although there were a few people in the
we obtained our permits to visit Lala chalets. The noise in the gearbox was
Neck, Black Rock and Rocktail Bay. We getting worse, no doubt about it, and
snorkelled at Lala Neck, picnicked at seemed to be turning from a rumbling
Rocktail Bay and returned to Sordwana into a grating rattle, particularly when
Bay and resumed our unarmed conflict the gearbox oil was hot. Still, we were
with the Samango monkeys. We had halfway into the trip and there seemed
hired a local ghillie to stand guard at no sense in turning back now since we
the camp in our absence, so we did not were so close to Ponta do Ouro. We
suffer any further losses. were determined to go on for as long as
the gearbox stayed together, resigning
On Day 7 we packed up, spent a few ourselves to the almost inevitability of
hours on the beach at Sordwana Bay having to be towed home from some
watching the activities of the multifar- point.
ious scuba diving schools based there,
before moving on to the Kosi Bay area. On Day 10 we left Utshwayelo for the

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15km run to the Mozambique border. We strolled up to the town in search of a
There were long queues of travellers café that might serve hot coffee but alas,
going from South Africa to Moz for the the power to the whole town had been
long weekend and patience was required down no doubt as a result of the pre-
to figure out the correct sequence of vious night’s storm, and no hot drinks
counters to visit before getting passports were available. We bought some bread
stamped and Customs formalities dealt and avos and headed back to camp just
with. as the rain returned with a vengeance.

The Chinese are busy constructing a We had bought some fresh Steenbras
new road from the border to Maputo and fillets from a local fisherman for a braai
there are several deviations and detours that evening, but the rain was so intense,
on the way to Ponta. On completion, we were not able to light a fire. We
one will be able to access these previ- began to have serious misgivings about
ously remote spots with Mom’s Taxi and staying on till Saturday, our planned
yet another area where 4X4 vehicles are departure date.
needed will have been eliminated, just
like Sani and Black Mountain Passes in On Friday morning, after another wild
Lesotho. night, we had a meeting of the ‘council
of elders’ over our breakfast cuppa and
Despite the throng at border post, the unanimously decided this was no longer
campsite at Tandje Beach Resort in fun. The weather looked as though
Ponta do Ouro was deserted. We found it was set in, and indeed those of us
our allocated site had become the main with internet access confirmed that the
access route to the beach due to a fallen outlook was bleak. We took advantage
tree having blocked the designated path of a short lull in the rain to pack up our
so had to negotiate with camp manage- sodden tents and awnings and head for
ment to move to 2 quieter sites where home. The Steenbras fillets went into the
we would spend the next 3 nights. We freezer with the promise of a fish braai
spent the rest of the day settling in, con- back in Pretoria at the earliest opportu-
ducting our continuing quality control nity. More fun was in store. The road
program on the local beers and drink- deviations and detours on the way to the
ing an obligatory Rum and Raspberry border had been turned into a quagmire
cocktail at the Beach Bar, an experience by the past 48 hours of torrential rain,
I shall not miss if never repeated. diff lock having to be employed on
several occasions. The border crossing
By midday there were signs that the was less frenetic, though we still had to
weather was closing in and we barely queue in the incessant rain.
managed to finish the braai that eve-
ning before it began to rain. And rain it So with our dripping tails between our
certainly did. We spent a wild night with legs, we started the long journey home,
tent flysheets flapping in the wind and Lyn and I with our hearts in our mouths
woke to a dismally grey, cold morning. expecting that at any moment we would

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be stranded with a failed gearbox. The found that it was the layshaft bearings,
gods were with us, however. We took and not the input shaft bearings that had
it very slowly, keeping the revs to failed. The good people there were able
2000rpm and were rewarded by getting to sort it out in short order, and we were
home under our own steam. able to leave on time for our next trip:
to the Transkei Wild Coast. But more of
Much relieved, I took the Defender to that later.
Centurion Transmissions and Services
(regular advertisers in Landroving Mag-
azine) on the following Monday who

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Colour in the Landy and tell your parents where you |LANDROVING 57
think this Land Rover may be off to next...

Tembe

Annual Work Week & Fundraiser

Dick De Bruyn
Once again we, as LROC members, were privileged to attend
the annual Tembe trip, consisting of a work week and fundraiser
event in the far Northern part of Kwazulu-Natal over the Easter
weekend.
For our new members, of whom there have been quite a few over
the last year or so, may I just explain what this trip is all about.

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Tembe Elephant Park is a privately although many more clubs would like
owned Big Five Park in Northern Natal access to attend these weekends. How-
on the Mozambique border close to Kosi ever, at this point in time there are nei-
Bay. Being a privately owned park, ther enough long weekends, nor enough
resources (especially finance and labour) HO’s to attend these weekends, as all
is a scarce commodity in the day-to-day groups must be accompanied by HO’s.
running of the park.
Some years ago, during one of these
Although the park is managed by some fund raiser weekends, some of the
staff provided for by the KZN Parks attending LROC members discussed the
board, all other personnel are not neces- possibility of creating a “work week”
sarily on the KZN Parks board pay roll. with the overseeing HO’s, and so being
A lot of the work, mainly maintenance able to assist them with certain tasks in
and smaller improvements, is therefore the park which would lighten their load
handled by a group of honorary officers a bit. Initially the idea was not met with
(HO’S) whom render this service in much enthusiasm by the park’s manage-
their spare time and with monies collect- ment team and the past HO’s, but after
ed from the payments by visitors over a lot of discussions one of the HO’s that
six long weekends during the year. took over from the first, a promise to
support this offer/idea was made, and
There are no camping facilities in the the first “work week” was arranged.
park, with the only other available ac- Although the first task initially seemed
commodation in the park being a lodge a bit daunting, it was completed in time
which is open to the public year round. with excellent results, and the park
However during the work week and management was now also convinced
fund raiser weekends, clubs are allowed that we were not just planning “a free
to camp in a rangers camp in the park, holiday”! It must be stressed here that
at a fixed rate per person per weekend, NO other club was however granted a
which monies then are used for the work “work week” and that we (LROC) are
as done and required by the HO’s. Part the only club accommodated as such.
of this funds obtained is/was, among
many other projects, used for equipping I think that most of the members that
game rangers with the necessary equip- have attended these weeks will acknowl-
ment for anti poaching patrols, including edge that these weeks, although tough at
bullet proof vests, radios, etc. times, creates such fun and camaraderie,
that they return for more each year!
Further note must be taken of the fact
that access in this manner to the park is This year’s trip was no exception, and
restricted to ONLY SIX weekends per once again we had to improvise with
year, of which one is allocated to LROC the tools and material that we had at our
Gauteng and one for the Natal LROC disposal, to devise plans to complete our
group. This means that only four other projects. The plan that Hennie and Lex
groups have a long weekend in the park, devised to tighten a cable on the hang

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bridge over the swamp area with a high silver lining and here mention must be
lift jack, is but one example of what made of the “Brady Bunch”, namely
members think off to complete the task Gavin Fletcher, Jonathan Baiocchi,
at hand. Just ask Hennie, he will assure Lauren West, Captain Fletcher and
you personally that he was “branded” as then later Lindsey Wessels and Daniel
a real Adidas product! (NO further com- De-Mendonca who also attended this
ment on this issue, as I might be liable year’s Tembe trip. The simple reason for
for prosecution!) mentioning their names is the fact that
Tembe attendance over the last years
Unfortunately all was not as it should was becoming an “old guard” situation
have been this year, due to the fact that with few, if any young blood attending
the response/attendance from the LROC and the latter names are all young folks
Gauteng was rather disappointing. This that have joined in and just added so
was especially so for the fund raiser much to the atmosphere during the work
weekend, which after all is the main week and after hour’s activities! Well
source of income for the HO’s to keep done to you all and two more next year
this park going! Due to challenges in Gavin!
achievement of full bookings for 2018
Fundraiser, a decision was thus made I trust that the above will add value to
that ALL bookings for the 2019 Tembe this specific trip and that we as LROC
trip must thus be finalised by Decem- Gauteng will be able to keep what we
ber 31 2018, including payment for have in Tembe for present and future
the members that will attend the fund members, without having to rely on
raiser. Given that most holiday resorts other groups to fill our allocation!
must now a day’s be booked a year in
advance, we felt that three months is In conclusion, many thanks to all the
more than adequate for this trip to be members that contributed to a framed
finalised. mosaic of previous work week photo-
graphs that were presented to me. This
N.B. Importantly, the 2019 trip will came as a total surprise, but MUCH
again be over the Easter weekend, appreciated!
preceded by the “work week” the week
before. Please take note of the fact that, Kind regards to all, and see you again
due to the Easter traffic we are allowed next year!
entrance and exit to and from the park,
a day earlier and later in order to side
step the traffic over this weekend. I
know that the Easter traffic was a big
complaint in the past, but has now been
accommodated by granting the extra
days.

All dark clouds do however have a

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SNAKESThe of SOUTHERN

AFRICA

40%

MOST DANGEROUS

SERIOUS SNAKEBITES MOST BITES OCCUR...

WHEN BITTEN

VAENNTOIM-

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