TIME-LINES OF THE PAST WEAVE MAGIC AS WE EXPERIENCE OR HERITAGE IN MAGALIESBURG...
Time and history are etched deep into the kloofs of the Magaliesberg mountains that stretch magestically between Rustenburg and Pretoria. These ancient mountains are the oldest on our planet and have witnessed a history that extends beyond memory: an ancient sea-bed, volcanic upheavals, the birth of prehistoric humans.A thriving trading culture on the ivory routes between the North and the Cape Colony was centred here. Abundant herds of wildlife roamed these mountains. The number astounded European travellers who told tales of herds of three hundred elephants and antelope too numerous to mention. Many of thesse animals, including the Sable antelope which was previously unknown to the Europeans.
The nineteenth century brought tremendous change in the Magaliesberg. The animals were relentlessly hunted and local people were confronted with a series of violent invasions.
Vincent Carruthers writes in his book The Magaliesberg: "within a single generation the fabric of their society was completely destroyed and their chiefdoms were reduced to poverty and servitude."
And so Magaliesberg also became a place of war. Migrant tribes battled the locals and each other, and the expansionist intentions of the Nguni clans, the Voortrekkers and the British all left their mark.Graves of Tswana, Boer, Zulu and British scatter the land. Battle sites mix with the stone-age dwellings and rock engravings that hide the koppies. The odd cannon or military outpost lies with baboons and leopards in tyhe rocky crags of the mountains.
Here, too, was the discovery that revealrd the richest gold reef in the world. In the village of Magaliesburg. Blaaubank mine and the ruins of a hotel are the testimony to the early gold rush that began here. The old Blaaubank mountain initiated the gold fever that made Johannesburg the city it is today. This is the northernmost tip of the Witwatersrand Reef and remains relatively unspoiled only because there was so much more gold where Johannesburg is now.
The village of Magaliesburg (spelled differently from that of the mountains - berg meaning mountain burg referring to the citizens or 'burgers' of the area) is about an hours drive from Johannesburg, Pretoria or Rustenburg and prolific with game farms, nature reserves, cottages and guest houses. It is perfectly places to soak up some of the atmosphere at the area.An easy drive from the village, nearby Maropeng pays homage to our early ancestors and is a part of the Cradle of Humankind, which includes the Sterkfontein and Wonder Caves.for attention on the slopes of these amazing mountains. Drive out for the day or stay a week, Magaliesburg has plenty to offer.
An abundance of natural and human history jostles