Twenty-Five Years in a Waggon in South Africa: Sport and Travel in South Africa

by Andrew A. Anderson

Chapter Sixteen.

The Transvaal Republic.

In describing the geographical position of this Republic in relation to the adjoining colonies, Free State, and native territories, it will be necessary, before entering upon its physical formation, to give an outline of its boundaries, and the important position it holds in the future commerce of the country with the interior trade of South Central Africa. All the northern portion is situated in the Limpopo river basin, the southern in the basin of the Orange and Vaal rivers. The central watershed being the division which runs east and west from New Scotland, passing half-way between Potchefstroom and Pretoria, on to the western boundary near the village of Lichtenburg. The boundary from Griqualand West, east of “Fourteen-streams” on the Vaal river, up that river to Klip river (a tributary of the Vaal, up which it runs to Gans Spruit, to where it joins the northern point of Natal), is the division between this Republic and the Orange Free State. From thence along the Drakensberg for a few miles in an easterly direction to the Buffalo river, down that river south to the Blood river, a tributary of the Buffalo, which is the division between this Republic and Natal. From the Buffalo up the Blood river to its source in the Magidila mountain, from thence to the conical hill between the Pongola river and the Drakensberg mountain, is the Zulu boundary. The eastern boundary is separated from the Portuguese possessions by the Lobombo range, the Umzila country, and the Amatonga Kaffirs. The Limpopo river is the northern boundary, and the western and north-western by the chiefs Khama, Sechele, Gaseitsive, Montsoia, and Monkuruan territories, and Griqualand West, down to Fourteen-streams, on the Vaal river, before named. The Republic is situated between 22 degrees 15 minutes and 28 degrees 20 minutes South latitude, and 25 degrees 20 minutes and 32 degrees 10 minutes East longitude, and contains about 122,000 square miles.

The principal rivers are the Limpopo and the Vaal; the former rises in the high watershed, south of Pretoria, at an altitude of 6300 feet above sea-level, flowing in a north-north-west direction through a very pretty and picturesque part in the Magalisberg range of mountains, which run east and west, on to where the Great Marico river falls into it, in 24 degrees 15 minutes South latitude, 27 degrees 7 minutes East longitude, at an altitude of 2690 feet, passing through a thickly wooded country with many native kraals, skirting Dwaasberg and other lofty hills that add much to the beauty of the landscape. From the junction of the Marico, the river turns in a northerly direction for about forty miles, where the Notuane river joins it; from this point the Limpopo turns with many bends and curves in a north-easterly and easterly direction for some 400 miles, forming the boundary between the Transvaal and the chief Khama, and the Matabele nation, down to 31 degrees 54 minutes East longitude, being the north-east corner of the Transvaal, and where the chief Umzelas territory joins up; from this point, after flowing east for some twenty miles, it takes a south-south-east direction, through Umzelas country to the Indian Ocean. It is a fine, broad stream, increasing in width from the junction of the Great Marico, where it is about 150 yards; at the Mokalapsie river, it is 200 yards; at the junction of the Shasha, 220 yards; and increases in size as it passes on through the low, flat country to the sea, where it is three miles wide. It can be made without any difficulty navigable up to the Rubie river distant from its mouth nearly 300 miles, taking into consideration the sinuosity of its course, whence a good road could be made to the interior; above this point there are many falls and rapids, the two most important are the Impopomene and the Tolo, above-named, both beautifully situated between thickly wooded banks; and over the granite rocks in its bed the water falls, and where some of the bed rocks are exposed, in the dry season may be seen hundreds of deep circular holes from one foot to six feet in depth, and from one to three feet in diameter, that have been worn by loose stones in the first instance being revolved round in a depression in the rock, and in time, by the rushing of the waters upon them, have increased them to the present size; they are similar in shape to those on the banks of the Vaal, Orange, and Zambese rivers. The immensity of time it must have taken to wear away such deep and large holes in a granite rock, makes one pause to think of the period when this river was first formed, because it is only a portion of the year, when the floods come down, that the water acts upon the stones in these holes. The principal tributaries of the Limpopo that rise in the Transvaal are the Apies at Pretoria, Sand, Pinaars, Plat, Matlabatse, Pongola, Palala, Nylstroom, Houdt, Limvubu, and the Olifants river with its many tributaries, all flowing into the Limpopo on its right bank. The greater portion of the country which these branches pass through is called the Bush Veldt, Waterburg, Zoutpansberg, and is principally occupied by native tribes under their respective chiefs. Extensive districts are infested with the tsetse-fly, where a traveller cannot go in with horses or oxen, for one single bite is death.

Many parts of this bush country, now unoccupied, must at some remote time have been thickly inhabited, as many remains of cultivated ground are seen in all directions—and large heaps of stones thrown up when the ground was cleared for corn, as is the custom with all the natives when they prepare the land for cultivation—but it has long since been overgrown with timber and thick bush.

Nearly the whole of Waterberg and Zoutpansberg districts, up to the Limpopo, and down to the Magalisberg range, a little north of Pretoria, is a mountainous region; the latter mountains run in an easterly and westerly direction to the Marico district, the south face having perpendicular and rocky sides, the northern face slopes gradually, and this is the case with most of the mountains in this part of Africa. The Dwaasberg, through which the Great Marico river has forced a passage, joins on to Wittfontainberg. Pilandsberg is more to the east, north of which is the Karroo desert, where is the Marikele mountain, a long range running in an east-north-east direction to Hangklip mountain, with detached hills up to Marabas town, where gold has been found and a company has long been established, with quartz-crushing machines to extract it. A gold-mining company has been established at Nylstroom; copper has been found in many localities.

The Mural mountain range on the western border runs in a north-east direction for seventy miles, and terminates at the northern point of the Pongola river, and can be seen at Mongwato, nearly 100 miles distant. Makapan’s poort is a lofty mountain, a complete honeycomb of caves, where much fighting has taken place between the Boers and the chief Makapan. The Marico district is a continuation of hills and fine rich valleys, the Quaka, Kolobekatseberg, and to the north, Blaauwberg and many isolated hills, north of Marabas stad, in the Zoutpansberg district, with the mountain of the same name, reaches as far as the Limpopo, with the Pweede and Derdebergs. To the east of Marabas Stad are many detached ranges, the Matyatyeberg, Spelunken, and Murchisonsberg, situated on the north of the Olifants river; north and south-west of Lydenburg are the Magnet heights and Lolu mountains range—well known from the Secocoenes stronghold, stormed by Lord Wolseley when Secocoene was taken prisoner.

To the east of Lydenburg is the continuation of the Drakensberg or Quathlamba range, broken up into lofty mountains attaining a height of 7000 feet; some of the highest are Steen Kamps, Komati, Slangapies, Rands, and Verzamelberg. The whole of this part of the Transvaal is rich in minerals, wood, and water.

The climate is mild, mostly very healthy; some parts are fever districts. The native population exceeds 300,000, divided into various tribes, that are located to the north of Pretoria and Lydenburg, to the Limpopo, and are composed mostly of Mantatees or Makatees, and also are known as Mahowas, and are divided into several kraals under petty chiefs. These are the origin of the Basutus. Their queen was called Mantantezi, and Mosesh, her head-man, deposed and drove her out, and formed the Basutu nation, once so powerful that they endangered a large force of ours under Sir G. Cathcart. There are also what are termed Knobnoses, Basutos, Zulus, Pula Pula or goat tribe, Vaalpans or slaves, that have no resting-place, but roam the country. Then there are the two queens, Majaji and Maselaroon, also Albasini, a Portuguese at Zoutpansberg. Polygamy is common amongst all the tribes; a man may have as many wives as he can purchase and keep; they do the greater portion of the work, till the ground, gather in the corn, fetch wood and water, cook, and such other labour as is required.

The principal towns in the northern division are, Nylstroom, in Waterberg; Marabas Stad, in Zoutpansberg, with small villages of Upsal, Eersteling, and Hantbosch; Lydenburg, with the gold-diggers’ camps, in the Lydenburg district; Rustenberg, in the Rustenberg district; Middleburg, in the Middleburg district; and Pretoria, which is the capital of the Republic and a bishop’s see, is situated in 25 degrees 40 minutes South latitude, and 28 degrees 32 minutes East longitude.