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Mpumalanga - Komatipoort |
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In the far north-east of South Africa, on the country's border with Mozambique. Komatipoort, a major communications hub, was born and grew up very much a frontier town in the classic, Wild West sense of the term. It began life when the railway from Pretoria to Lourenco Marques (now Maputo) reached this hot, fever-ridden spot - a natural gap cut through the Lebombo mountains - in 1890; many of the men who worked on the line had died, more were to do so, and the early inhabitants of what was then the Komatipoort construction camp lived hard and without a thought for the morrow. Strong drink took many to their graves. Ten years later, during the Anglo-Boer war, the place became headquarters of a irregular force of rough-riders, under command of one Colonel Ludwig Steinacker, that took on the bush-wise Boer guerillas at their own game. Today the town is much quieter, though cross-border traffic is lively enough; the streets are lined with the stalls of market traders, the wrap-round costumes worn by Mozambican women add colour to the scene. Activity tends to be confined to the cooler hours: summer air temperature in Komatipoort averages 33 degrees Centigrade, winter mean is around 26 degrees. The prawns you eat here (notably at the Tambarina Restaurant) are the tastiest you'll find anywhere; there's fine angling, for the sporting tigerfish, in the river. The countryside around is bright green with crops of sugarcane and subtropical fruits. Railway Station The old Onderberg Rail Terminus is a surprisingly grand affair, reflecting the ornate tastes of its Victorian builders. Lebombo Mountains Hiking trails lead through the highlands; there are fine vistas, from one particular viewpoint, over the confluence of the Crocodile and Komati rivers. Cheeta's Rest Nursery Worth an hour of your time for sight of the rare bleeding impala lily and for the old yellow fever tree, biggest of its kind in the country. Kruger National Park The southern plains of South Africa's foremost wildlife sanctuary are a stone's throw from Komatipoort; access is via the Crocodile Bridge gate. Swaziland The independent kingdom lies to the south of Komatipoort (take the R571) and is easily accessible. Nelspruit lies along the main N4 highway to the west; Barberton to the west and veering south; Mbabane (capital of Swaziland) to the south. |
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KOMATIPOORT Western Cape
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