Misplaced Pages

#746253

40-654: The Nwanedi river collects part of the drainage of the northern slopes of the extensive rock formation of the Soutpansberg . The upper Nwanedi is a perennial stream with twin dams where it is met by its tributary, the Luphephe River , in a wooded area of the range. Leaving the mountainous Soutpansberg area, it meanders in a northeastward direction across the Lowveld . This lower part is subject to seasonal fluctuations, being mostly dry during periods of drought, with

80-535: A few disconnected ponds in the riverbed. There have been problems of surface water contamination of the river in the recent past. The Luphephe River, its main tributary, rises also in the Soutpansberg, further east from the sources of the Nwanedi. The Nwanedi Provincial Park is located about 35 km north of Thohoyandou , in a wooded area on the foothills of the Soutpansberg . The protected area includes

120-521: A high toll; 27 of 53 persons perished from malaria , including Tregardt. Eleven years after Tregardt's departure, a settlement named Oude Dorp was established at Tregardt's earlier camp. It was founded by field cornet Jan Valentyn Botha who led a faction of Andries Potgieter's trek, consisting of about 48 families. When their wagon train arrived on 2 May 1848 from Andries-Ohrigstad , they immediately constructed an earthen redoubt (or schans ) and reed-huts (or scherms ). Potgieter, who headed

160-487: A promising start. Portuguese traders opened trading stores and the ivory trade blossomed. Rice and wheat croplands, fruit orchards and coffee plantations were established. The town also traded in salt, game and ostrich skins, ostrich feathers, animal horns and wood. Wood used for trading or construction included yellowwood , tamboti and beech wood . Potgieter enjoyed independence in this northern outpost and ruled over extensive territory. He and his followers opposed

200-463: A punitive commando under the command of Piet Potgieter and M. W. Pretorius . The tribesmen retreated into Makapansgat cave, where they were to suffer heavy casualties. One of their snipers, however, managed to fatally shoot Piet Potgieter. This was the only Boer casualty of the campaign, but his death brought an end to the Potgieters' hegemony in the north. By 1855, the town's de facto leader

240-515: A three-pronged attack and his royal village was torched. Mphefu's clan fled across the Limpopo River to Zimbabwe. The farms Rietvlei and Bergvliet were set aside in 1898 for a new town, and Trichardtsdorp was proclaimed the next year, named in honour of Louis Tregardt . Today the town commemorates his full name, Louis Trichardt . Approximately 2,500 to 3,000 vascular plant taxa, comprising 1,066 genera and 240 families are known to occur in

280-583: Is located in Vhembe District , Limpopo . It is named for the salt pan ( Venda : Thavha ya muno , or "place of salt") located at its western end. The mountain range reaches the opposite extremity in the Matikwa Nature Reserve, some 107 kilometres (66 mi) due east. The range as a whole had no Venda name, as it was instead known by its sub-ranges which include Dzanani , Songozwi and others. The Soutpansberg forms part of

320-832: Is the highest peak at 1,747 metres (5,732 ft). The Nzhelele River and its tributary the Mutamba , the Nwanedi River and its tributary the Luphephe River , as well as the Levubu River and its main tributaries, the Mutshindudi and Mutale Rivers , and the Letaba River rise in the slopes of the Soutpansberg Mountains. The Brak River , a tributary of the Sand River, flows diagonally at

360-469: The Great Trek . It existed from 1848 to 1867, and functioned as the capital of an autonomous region until the S.A.R. Volksraad was established, when the outpost came under the supervision and regulations of the central government. The settlement was evacuated after only thirty years when attacked by Venda militants. The government rendered indecisive support and the town as torched by Katze-Katze on

400-417: The Soutpansberg flat lizard are all endemic and named after this range. The Soutpansberg is known for a high level of endemism of its invertebrate fauna. In today’s world, natural areas are under a lot of pressure from human activity. Exploitation of natural resources, human encroachment due to expanding developments, poaching and general pollution – these all affect the Soutpansberg in some way. At

440-721: The 'Vhembe Biosphere Reserve', which was designated as a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 2009. The latter reserve also includes the Blouberg Range , Kruger National Park and the Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape . The mountain is intersected by two defiles , the Waterpoort in the west, containing the Sand River (Polokwane) and a railway line, and Wyllie's Poort, which allows N1 road traffic to pass from Louis Trichardt to Musina . Lajuma

SECTION 10

#1732772750747

480-594: The Soutpansberg, accounts for the species Brackenridgea zanguebarica , Millettia stuhlmannii , Oxytenanthera abyssinica , Trilepisium madagascariense , Brachystegia utilis - torrei (assimilated into a dominant B. spiciformis genome) and Syzygium masukuense . These species are not associated with the central Zimbabwean Miombo floristic element, but rather with the Eastern Highlands floristic element, and particularly its foothills. A total of at least 116 reptile species have been recorded in

520-641: The Soutpansberg. This biodiversity is remarkably high for such a small area and makes up 36% of the total number of reptile species that have been recorded in South Africa. This is roughly the same number of species (119) that occur in the Kruger National Park . The diversity is high compared to biodiversity hotspots of the world and the species diversity per unit area is higher than that of most of these hotspots. The Soutpansberg rock lizard , Soutpansberg worm lizard , Soutpansberg dwarf gecko and

560-620: The arrival of a relief commando, the Venda's mountain strongholds could not be taken. The voortrekkers abandoned the town on 15 July 1867 and established Pietersburg . An open-air museum was established to recreate the modest settlement. In October 1898 the Boere returned to regain control over the territory. General Piet Joubert 's commando occupied a strategic position over the Doorn River in preparation. In November, Mphefu 's kraal suffered

600-627: The confluence of the Nwanedi and its main tributary, the Luphephe River, where the dams are. The park's area is 11,170 ha and it is well stocked with game. The Nwanedi river should not be confused with the Nwanedzi , or Nwanedsi River a tributary of the Letaba River . Soutpansberg The Soutpansberg (formerly Zoutpansberg ), meaning "Salt Pan Mountain" in Afrikaans , is a range of mountains in far northern South Africa . It

640-526: The earlier reconnaissance mission over the Limpopo river , arrived subsequently from Ohrigstad where his followers were being decimated by malaria. He was of the opinion that the Zoutpansberg was sufficiently distant from British influence to afford the possibility of independence, and chose the location as the capital of his republic. The town was henceforth named Zoutpansberg (dorp). The settlement had

680-453: The east coast. Reverends Andrew Murray , J. H. Neethling, Piet Huet and Dirk van der Hoff were visiting clergy before a permanent minister took residence. With the arrival of a resident minister, reverend N. J. van Warmelo in 1864, and that of the first teacher, Cornelia van Boeschoten, in 1866, the community had an air of permanence. In addition Joao Albasini , Augusto Carvalho, Cassimiro Simmoens and Dietlof Maré had established shops in

720-1111: The endemic flora can be regarded as succulents. Of the mountain's endemic flora, the Asclepiadaceae with 5 genera and 6 species displays a high generic diversity. Aloe presents the highest species diversity among native genera with 5 endemic species, and the monotypic Zoutpansbergia is the only endemic genus. The floral endemics include Encephalartos hirsutus , Duvalia procumbens , Euphorbia rowlandii , E. aeruginosa , E. zoutpansbergensis , Ceratotheca saxicola , Stapelia clavicorona , Tylophora coddii , Huernia nouhuysii , Aloe angelica , A. petrophila , A. soutpansbergensis , A. vossii , Combretum vendae , Blepharis spinipes , Mystacidium braybonae , Justicia montis-salinarum , Khadia borealis , Orbeanthus conjunctus , Streptocarpus parviflorus subsp. soutpansbergensis , Searsia magalismontana subsp. coddii , Vangueria soutpansbergensis and Pavetta tschikonderi . The tropical floristic element, which reaches its southern distribution within

760-587: The ground, with or without internal partitions. These were constructed of wooden poles and laths, with the spaces between the laths plastered over or filled in with reeds, which were obtained from a large reed marsh in the Dorps River. Pastor Joaquim de S.R. Montanha who visited the settlement in 1855 on behalf of the governor in Inhambane reported that some small houses were occupied by more than one, or even several families. Windows were merely holes above

800-508: The moment the mountains are a World Heritage Site and they form part of the newly proclaimed Vhembe Biosphere reserve. Organisms endemic to the Soutpansberg Download coordinates as: Schoemansdal, Limpopo Battles Schoemansdal ( Dutch for Schoeman's dale ; at first Oude Dorp and Zoutpansbergdorp ) was a settlement situated 16 km west of Louis Trichardt (Makhado), which had its origins during

840-761: The mountain. A species list from plots done at the Mutshidudi catchment area revealed 109 plant families, 397 genera and 619 species. 24 plant species are endemic to the mountain, and an additional 33 to the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve. 594 species of tree are native to the mountain or its direct vicinity. The Soutpansberg's immense floristic diversity can be attributed to several distinct floristic elements acting on it, namely Tropical, Moçambique coastal, Lowveld , Afromontane , Bushveld , Waterberg , Kalahari and Limpopo Valley. Approximately 10% of Soutpansberg plants can be considered succulent, and 32% of

SECTION 20

#1732772750747

880-410: The night of 15 July 1867. After the S.A.R. reestablished control over the area in 1898, the former settlement was ignored and a new one started, at the present Louis Trichardt. Consequently Schoemansdal was the only Voortrekker settlement not to evolve into a modern town. The archaeological site with traces of the former settlement is currently state property and access is controlled. It is situated on

920-649: The north bank of the Dorps River at 552 m.a.s.l., near present-day Hamantsha and Tshiozwi townships and the Schoemansdal railway siding. The earliest western visitors to the area after the renegade Coenraad de Buys , were the Voortrekker parties led by Hans van Rensburg and Louis Tregardt . They arrived separately at the Zoutpansberg in 1836, after parting ways over an earlier disagreement. Van Rensburg headed east towards Inhambane but his entire party

960-594: The notion of a Volksraad for the Overvaal region, besides any relations with Cape colonial authorities. In 1849, the Voortrekker faction led by J. J. Burger that remained in Ohrigstad (and subsequently Lydenburg ) engaged in a series of negotiations with the faction headed by Andries Pretorius in Potchefstroom . After meetings at Hekpoort, Olifants River and Derdepoort respectively, an Overvaal Volksraad

1000-410: The redoubt at the center of town for safety. The next year Paul Kruger was sent from Pretoria with some 400 to 500 men to restore law and order. Discipline in the ranks of Kruger's relief commando was however poor and they were furnished with very limited ammunition. On reaching Schoemansdal, which was under threat by chief Katze-Katze (also: Katlakter), Kruger and his officers resolved that holding

1040-437: The reed door, which according to Montanha were closed off with hessian fabric . Construction of a second redoubt preceded the town of Schoeman's day. It was constructed of raw and burnt clay bricks, with cannons stationed on two bastions and loopholes in the walls. The subsequent market square, parsonage and church were in its immediate vicinity. Das Neves estimated that there were never more than 70 houses, though excavations at

1080-472: The residents relied on home remedies. Many died of yellow fever or malaria . Over-hunting had a devastating effect on the animal populations and the Pretoria government reacted in 1858 by placing limits on the trade in animal products. This was hardly enforceable as the town had become a refuge for increasingly lawless ivory hunters and traders. Arms smuggling was rampant and at one point 30 tons of lead

1120-476: The sea. Eleven years later, in 1848, a settlement named Zoutpansbergdorp was established at the site of an earlier Tregardt camp. It was founded by Jan Valentyn Botha, who led a faction of Andries Potgieter 's trek. Potgieter died at Zoutpansbergdorp in 1852, and his son shortly afterwards. In 1855 the town's de facto leader was Stephanus Schoeman who named the growing, though disorderly reed-hut settlement Schoemansdal , after himself. Augmented by renegades,

1160-447: The site suggest a higher number. The town had a rectangular layout and all erven were of the same size. Fountain and stream water was channeled to town in two furrows, one of them 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) long. The Transvaal Provincial Museum Service began excavations in 1985. Reports of the partial excavations are housed in the museum offices at Louis Trichardt. During 1989 experimental reconstructions were made of some shelters, to

1200-443: The town up too readily. Peace returned to Zoutpansberg in 1869, following the intervention of the republic's Swazi allies. After its razing, Schoemansdal was never rebuilt and all that remained was its graveyard, irrigation systems and roads. Families in the first settlement, Zoutpansbergdorp, lived exclusively in hartbeeshuise (etymology perhaps "hard-reed house"), which were elongate, pitched-roof shelters built directly on

1240-564: The town was a successful ivory trading centre by 1855, when its population numbered 200. Venda hunters supplied the Voortrekkers with ivory, and were in return supplied with fire arms. Relations between the Voortrekkers and Venda soured due to taxation, cattle rustling and lax control over the supply of fire arms. Total discord broke out in 1866, when the voortrekkers intervened in a Venda succession dispute, and one claimant, Makhado , attacked an outlying voortrekker settlement. Despite

Nwanedi River - Misplaced Pages Continue

1280-521: The town was impossible and ordered a general evacuation. The Voortrekkers abandoned the town on 15 July 1867 and established Pietersburg . Following its abandonment Katze-Katze razed the town. The loss of Schoemansdal, once a prosperous settlement by Boer standards, was considered a great humiliation by many burghers. The Transvaal government formally exonerated Kruger over the matter, ruling that he had been forced to evacuate Schoemansdal by factors beyond his control, but some still argued that he had given

1320-470: The town. In September 1854 Piet's uncle, field cornet Hermanus Potgieter (Groot Hermaans), was searching for ivory near the Nyl River , an area ruled by chiefs Makapan and Mankopane (also: Mapela or Mapele). For reasons imperfectly known, the chiefs decided to massacre them and other unrelated white travellers. The act claimed the lives of 28 white settlers, and the Potchefstroom governance authorized

1360-432: The town. Besides reed huts, there were now some structures of raw or burnt clay bricks which indicated that their owners were determined to settle permanently. The church building was the first of its kind in the Zoutpansberg, and during the week it served as the school building. The parsonage was a high quality building, which was initially built to house Schoeman. Professional medical services were however unavailable, and

1400-458: The western end of the Soutpansberg, separating it from the Blouberg further west. The first white person to reach, and name, the mountain was Coenraad de Buys , a colonist who fled from Graaff Reinet after a failed rebellion in 1795. He settled near the mountain in 1820 and was the patriarch of a half-caste clan, the "Buysvolk" or Buys People, who are still to be found at Buysdorp . De Buys

1440-463: Was cmdt.genl. Stephanus Schoeman . He renamed the growing, although disorderly reed-hut settlement Schoemansdal, after himself, had it surveyed and divided into equal erven . Augmented by renegades, the town was now a successful ivory trading centre, and its population numbered a few hundred (1,800 according to one estimate). During this year it was also visited by Deocleciano Das Neves and Pastor Joaquim de S. R. Montanha from Portuguese ports on

1480-506: Was constituted. Potgieter at first refused to accept its authority but relented when faced with an embargo. Potgieter rendered no assistance to the Transoranje Voortrekkers when their republic was annexed by Britain in 1848. He died at Zoutpansbergdorp in 1852, months after Andries Pretorius negotiated the independence of the Overvaal with British authorities. He left his son, cmdt.genl. Piet Potgieter , in charge of

1520-730: Was exterminated en route. Tregardt stayed at the Salt Pan from May to August 1836 and arrived at the site of future Schoemansdal on 3 November 1836. They stayed about two weeks, but resided in the general vicinity for more than a year. After reconnaissance missions into the current Zimbabwe and eastwards into current Mozambique in search of the Van Rensburg clan, they made Delagoa Bay their destination, away from British influence. They started on their epic journey in September 1837 and reached Delagoa Bay seven months later. The trek exacted

1560-406: Was followed by voortrekker Louis Tregardt who sojourned at the salt pan from May to August 1836. In November 1836 Tregardt moved camp to the vicinity of the later Schoemansdal and Louis Trichardt town, where he stayed until June 1837. From June to August 1837 Tregardt's party camped at the Doorn River, on the current Doorn River farm, whereafter they departed for good to find a trading route to

1600-594: Was imported for manufacturing of bullets . Venda hunters, or so-called swart skuts , supplied the Voortrekkers with ivory and were in turn supplied with firearms . Relations between the Voortrekkers and Venda soured owing to taxation (called opgaaf ), cattle rustling and lax control over firearms. Total discord broke out in 1866, after the Voortrekkers had intervened in khosi Ramabulana's succession dispute, and one claimant, his youngest son Makhado (also: Makhato or Magato), attacked and torched an outlying Voortrekker settlement. The town residents moved to

#746253