THE Witblitz ROUTE

Just off the R62, at the top of Huisrivier Pass, a gravel road turns left down to Bennie and Selma Nel’s Matjiesvlei Guest Farm, where one can drive the Bojaankop 4x4 trail, among other attractions

- Richard van Ryneveld

I wager there isn’t a place in Africa where SA4x4’s blue Isuzu D-Max could feel more at home than at Bennie and Selma Nel’s Matjievlei Guest Farm up near Calitzdorp. Why, you might ask? Because Bennie Nel – the fifth generation to farm this land, high up in the foothills of the towering Swartberg Mountains – is a dyed-in-the-wool fan of the brand. If you include his adult son’s Isuzus, there are 10 in the family – with five bakkies and a truck still permanently on the farm. 30 years ago, they played a big part in helping Bennie establish sections of the fantastic Bojaankop 4x4 routes on the farm. Of course, just like everything else on the farm, the trail is steeped in history.

When I tell you that the trail actually started in the 1800s you’ll probably think I’ve been hitting the Witblitz. In fact, the potent moonshine distilled in these hidden hills and valleys of the Swartberg had a lot to do with the origins of the Matjiesvlei trail – or so we discover. Bennie delved into this history, sitting at the table near the kitchen where Meisie (who has run this household for the last 31years) kept us plied with good moer koffie.

“My ancestors and the sharecroppers (bywoners) used to collect and drag bundles of Wild Plum down from the steep foothills of the Swartberg,” he began. From the farmhouse down near the banks of the Gamka River, one looks up at these steep foothills in the shadow of the looming Swartberg Mountains behind, and you wonder at the industry of these early settlers. The dry and dead Wild Plum was used to distil the region’s legendary White Lightning moonshine and to dry the raisins farmed in the valley.

“Man, that Wild Plum is an even better-burning wood than the hardekool found up there in the bushveld!” said Bennie. In winter, the tenant farmer made the most of this resource and sold the wood in Calitzdorp for extra income.