Rock solid
I met Jakob van Wyk by the side of the road in the Hammelhoek area. I saw something of the Roggeveld Mountains in the creases on his face, almost as though the mountains' mere presence left their mark on Jakob. To me, his weathered jacket and pipe, along with the goats in the background, depict steadfastness in a remarkable way.
Where does the Tankwa begin and end? This question elicits a wide variety of responses, depending on whom you ask. Sure, there are geographical boundaries on maps, as well as different plant biomes and geological features. But my personal feeling is that the Tankwa starts as soon as you pass the longest avenue of fig trees that I know of, and the sky and the plains open up in front of you as you drive through Karoopoort.
That's where the Tankwa starts.
The gigantic basin is bordered in the west by the Cederberg and in the east by the Roggeveld Mountains. The Swartruggens hills lie to the south, and the Hantam Mountains to the north. The Tankwa Karoo is part of the Great Karoo, but its enclosure by these mountains creates the impression of a separate entity. Locals refer to the centre of the basin as the Tankwa, and this is also where the Tankwa Karoo National Park is situated. They call the southern part the Ceres Karoo.
My mission, however, wasn't to study the area's geography, but to explore the places and meet the people of this remote environment. I fancy myself a type of modern-day explorer, using my camera to share my discoveries and observations. After all, it's any explorer's duty to document what they find. I also wanted to add meaning to the moment in time in which I found myself. As soon as I met some of the people of the Tankwa Karoo, it was clear they all share a certain pride in their heritage.
Denne historien er fra Spring 2022-utgaven av go! Platteland.
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Denne historien er fra Spring 2022-utgaven av go! Platteland.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
There are few secrets in Verlorenvallei
All platteland towns have that one famous (or infamous) character who knows everyone's business. Meet Livia Hoogenboezem, the keeper of every piece of gossip in Verlorenvallei...
Make magic with winter's abundance
This winter menu is our invitation to look beyond the bewildered herb garden, move out of your comfort zone and bake a loaf of bread, appreciate the beauty of a head of cabbage, and invite the rain gods to the table to feast with you on venison pie, pudding and cake.
It takes a family
Christian Fry and his fiancé, Pippa de Lange, arrived at Dombeya with just a day to spare before the Covid-19 hard lockdown commenced in 2020. Their purpose was to save the Fry family farm from being sold. They've settled into life in their Elands River Valley haven now but continue to dream big and work hard.
For the love of birds...
They may be called birdwatchers but they are in fact using their ears. As Johan van Zyl discovered on his maiden outing as an \"avian tourist\" with BirdLife South Africa to find the 450 bird species that live in the Garden Route and Little Karoo.
To the babbling brooks of Sabie
Roughly every five years, Jaco and Jens Reverchon get itchy feet. They hopped around Cape Town, moved up north to the Greater Kruger and then, recently, put down roots next to the Sabie River where they live a peaceful life with their animals.
Creativity & community in Dinokeng
The driving force behind the successful Makers Village in Irene has now implemented the same concept in Cullinan, creating an incubator and exhibition space for entrepreneurs and artists. Platteland dropped in at this budding creative hub to find out what it's all about and came away impressed.
Willie Strauss Never an idle moment
A variety concert... that is how to approach your life and career when you want to survive as an artist living in the platteland. So says singer, lyricist and radio food expert Willie Strauss, who entices visitors to Die Sinkstoor in Cullinan with traditional offal and his mother's Bushmanland boerekos.
To die for
How do you avoid the tourist avalanche if you live in an Afromontane forest where holidaymakers descend in December? You drive to lonely outposts in the mountains of the Cape, says photographer Obie Oberholzer, and you make pictures rather than take them.
1 Fiat 500 2ha 4 boys...19000 miles!
When the go-cart that an engineer father had built for his four sons couldn't handle the tufty terrain on their 2-hectare plot in Montana, Pretoria, they hunted down a Fiat 500 in a salvage yard. They only wanted its suspension system, but Mom intervened, the car was saved, and those little daredevils clocked up an impressive 19000 miles - all without leaving the plot.
SUTHERLAND Cold town, warm hearts
Life in Sutherland in the Northern Cape isn't always easy, but even those who leave tend to return. Come with us to find out why.
