in South Africa: Leaving Mahikeng destination Kimberley 08/10/2014
After one last attempt to see the interior of the Anglican Church in Mahikeng it is time to head south to Kimberley. Before we leave here is a link to the South African Tourist Website which will tell you all about the history past and present of Mahikeng. It includes the Anglo-Boer War and Baden-Powell's formation of the scout movement during the 217 day siege of the town.All the information you need on Mahikeng, Mafikeng or Mafiking
Now we could go the easy route down the national route N18 but that would be boring. Instead we
will head off down the R503, longer but, I hope, more interesting. I was amazed at the vastness of this fertile countryside. An abundance of water makes this area rich in golden grain rather than gold nuggets. I stopped to talk to a group foraging for firewood to try and find out what type of trees and why they were there in the acres of flat field. I only succeeded in a clamour for a group photograph. If the size of the fields was amazing so too was the size of the herds of cattle grazing contentedly on the stubble. Stretching away on both sides of my point of view where I took the photo, I wondered if these are beef cattle or does someone have to milk them??? Passing 'locations' of tin huts drove on to enter the town of Lichtenburg proving that my choice of route was correct.
I was not expecting to find this treasure trove of history and I only touched on the things on offer here. First of all I was impressed by the town square which encouraged me to stop in the first place. There are monuments receptively to the 87 Burghers of the town who lost their lives during the Anglo-Boer War. The Memorial to the symbolic 1938 Ox Wagon Trek, commemorating the origional trek of 1838. Hoof prints of some of the famous horses and a twice life size statue of General De La Rey, Boer Commandant of the town and a very successful commander.
During the Anglo-Boer War a lot of guerilla phase a lot of skirmishes took place in the area. The town was defended by six week companies of 1st Northumberland Fusiliers, completely isolated in a hostile country. General Del La Rey, who was married to the daughter of the town's founder, was also intimately acquainted with the terrain of the Western Transvaal managed to infiltrate the town during the night but was eventually repulsed. There is a photograph of the account in the album.
I departed Lichtenburg passing through the picturesque Ottosdal and the desolate Wolmaransstad station, I nearly missed my route between the two due to roadworks. No lane closure here, just close the whole road! Driving on the dirt verge around the roadworks it was only by looking back at the road sign that I worked out that I was on a minor road and should, in fact, have cut across the roadworks at some point. I also observed contrasting grain silos and grain delivery procedures, one still using the railway, the other now cut off and relying on convoys of vehicles. No wonder the road was in need of repair.As night was falling I found my way to the 'Sleepers Inn', Kimberley.
Ons naam, Sleepers Inn, verteenwoordig die gastehuis se karakter, wat met Sleepers hout afgerond is.
Ons is ‘n klein gastehuis met ‘n ouwêreldse, rustieke tema wat in vandag se moderne samelewing maklik vergeet kan word. Ons missie is om die gas tuis te laat voel met die warm atmosfeer en huislikheid wat Sleepers Inn bied. Ons het 3 ruim kamers met en-suite badkamers, sowel as 'n kamer vir wittebroodpaartjies, en 1 groot selfsorg kamer. Elke eenheid het 'n TV met DStv. Ons bedien 'n heerlike plaasontbyt op versoek, en is perfek geleë naby die sportgronde waar sportliefhebbers krieket kan kyk. | |||||||||||||||||||
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