Almost hidden in the northeast corner of Gauteng Province is Dinokeng, the place of rivers. Here, a short distance from the major cities of Johannesburg and Tshwane, are vibrant townships, pristine bushveld, Big 5 game reserves, heritage sites, a quaint Victorian village and an unusual Buddhist temple in the veld.
A Convergence of People
A source of life-giving water in the form of the Oliphants and Limpopo rivers, Dinokeng has long been a confluence for diverse people. From southern Africa came the baPedi, baTswana, Tsonga and amaNdebele. And from afar the Dutch and English.
At Komajekejeke is a national heritage site dedicated to the Ndebele. Each year the clans gather here in late summer for the harvest festival, where woman come out in their vibrant traditional finery. As colourful is the Nan Hua Buddhist temple near Bronkhorstspruit.
The massive temple, the largest in the southern hemisphere, takes up an entire suburb, which even has Mandarin street names. Designed by Taiwanese architects, it incorporates African features such as thatching, traditional drums and statues of tribal figures.
Cullinan
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At the heart of Dinokeng is Cullinan, a quaint Victorian village renowned as the place where the largest diamond in the world was discovered. The mine is still active and visitors can take a surface tour, which includes an interactive presentation of the origin and formation of diamonds.
Cullinan is more than sparkle. Here, too, are Anglo-Boer War blockhouses and a memorial to the Italian prisoners that were held here during World War 11. Of particular interest are the murals painted by them in the town hall.
But most people come to Cullinan for the guest houses; Zau day spa; antique shops; art and crafts; restaurants; and especially Jan Harmsgat. Conceived by Jan Harms Vorster, it is an unique creative venture that includes art and photographic studios as well as a wacky and whimsical open air theatre decorated with works by mentored local artists.
Kwalata Game Lodge
A different type of spirit can be found at Kwalata Game Lodge, which borders Mandela Village township a short distance to the north of Cullinan. Co-founded by Charl ‘Maredi’ Pretorius, Kwalata is one of the finest examples of how environmental protection can work hand-in-hand with community upliftment.
‘The idea that people and parks are mutually exclusive is nonsense,’ says Pretorius. ‘In Africa people have always had a very close relationship with pristine land. And it will continue as long as communities perceive a benefit in retaining areas for conservation. This means that my lodge has to be a part of their lives: be a friend and neighbour; employ people from the township; do business with it; and promote it. This I do with joy.’
Kwalata is home to antelope and a variety of small game. In the near future it will be included in the greater conservancy planned for the area, which will allow for the reintroduction of the Big 5 to this part of the bushveld. Not to be missed are the tours conducted by Pretorius and his staff to Mandela Village.
Mandela Village
Mandela Village , bisected by the N1, is a sprawling jigsaw of settlements, tribal communities and locations. It was founded in the 1980s by wide-awake activists who realised that a strip of no-man’s land had been created by a technical mistake made by apartheid social engineers when drawing the boundaries between the then Bophuthatswana homeland and South Africa. It has never lost that chutzpah.
Women in multi-coloured cottons stroll the streets, ancient jalopies are washed at the roadside, Mama sells chickens from a roadside coop, and hair is trimmed at the Cool Sexy Lovers Paradise Hairdresser. And it is the home of the fabulous Khuwana Tavern.
The Beer Pot
Started from nothing by Mozambican refugee Wilson Vuma, the Khuwana (Beer pot) is today South Africa’s biggest single outlet of beer. It cooks, particularly over weekends, with the thumping rhythms that blast from the disco or live acts that perform there.
Under a thatch gazebo, next to a mural of a singer writhing on the wall, dancers gyrate into the wee hours. Sizzling on barbecues nearby are the best Mozambican peri-peri prawns and chicken available anywhere in South Africa – the smoke and aromas weaving a magic web through the throbbing crowds.
Blue IQ
Dinokeng is such an uplifting example of how diverse communities with different needs can interact that the Gauteng provincial government has made it part of their Blue IQ development initiative. But you don’t need to wait, because you can go there now and meet Buddhists in the veld, township dwellers, adventurers, artists and thinkers. Soon you will appreciate that they are not very different from yourself.
Photo of Jan Harmgat se Agterplaas courtesy and copyright of Jan Harm
Photo of Nan Hua Buddhist Temple courtesy and copyright of Easyfind.
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