Upon my return to the South Coast last week, I discovered that in an earlier report, I had unwittingly included an incorrect statement mentioning that in every year in which the ’Boks had won the Rugby World Cup, the Free State Cheetahs had won the Currie Cup.
However, when South Africa won their first World Cup in 1995, it was Natal who had won the Currie Cup by beating the Western Province. I apologise for this error; I should have checked my sources more carefully.
On the very morning that we had left the Mopani Private Camp in the Kruger National Park and journeyed south to Malelane, a tragic event took place a few kilometres away, at a spot that we had left just hours before.
A minibus carrying thirteen passengers had collided with a giraffe, killing the gentle giant.
Unfortunately, a Swiss couple who were travelling in the opposite direction were in the wrong place at the time of the collision between the giraffe and the minibus, as the giraffe fell over from the impact, onto their hired vehicle.
The vehicle was badly damaged and the Swiss man driving the SUV suffered severe injuries. Later in the week, he succumbed to his injuries. His wife was not seriously injured.
The scene of the accident happened where Mopani trees grow on the sides of the road, but these trees are barely two metres in height and anyone who was alert, could not have failed to notice a giraffe towering high above the trees.
The cause of the accident? Speeding, and in the Kruger National Park the maximum speed limit is fifty kilometres per hour.
What a decidedly unnecessary tragedy! We decided to break our journey from Malelane back to Scottburgh, and spent two nights at the Natal Spa in Northern Natal.
The Spa is famous for its hot mineral baths. I counted nine different pools where the water rises from the bowels of the earth.
The temperature of the water, although bearable, is more than warm!
The chemicals in the water are therapeutic and are said to heal a wide variety of ailments. A totally relaxing and laid-back atmosphere is evident, and this relieves stress. Naturalists are aware that a few years ago, disease almost decimated the Rock Hyrax population.
This little animal is commonly known as a dassie.
The remoteness of the resort probably protected the local dassie population from the disease and has proved to be a haven for them, as they are seen all around the resort.
There are many huge boulders on the property – one is so large that it could not be moved and has been incorporated as a feature into the dining room.
The plump little dassies can be seen sunning themselves on these huge boulders dotted around the grounds of the resort.
The dassie are tame enough to feed on the lawns and are hardly concerned about humans walking past.
We even saw one fellow nibbling away at new leaves high up in the upper branches of a big tree.
I never knew that they could climb trees but, no matter one’s age, there is always something new to learn.
