It’s almost noon and the swelter tells the rest of the story of Limpopo, South Africa’s tropical province. Just two hours ago, we were departing Johannesburg, a bustling jungle of sky-smooching shiny buildings. That frame has now given way to sweeping savannah views on either side of N1 – a highway that spans 2,000km, from Cape Town via Joburg to Musina, a border town. N1, a part of the Cape-to-Cairo network, traces ancient trade routes that predate Kilwa Kisiwani, Mwenemutapa and Biharwe Eclipse.
Regular flights ply the Entebbe-Joburg route. Visitors fly then connect to local airports like Polokwane, the provincial capital. But, a road trip to this destination – flanked by Botswana, Moçambique and Zimbabwe – is meditative.
Home to Mapungubwe, Cradle of Humankind, the planet’s only savannah biosphere reserve, a massive national park and umpteen ancient rock paintings, this destination brags a year-round summer. Fields of varying sizes and hectares of farms pervade.
Young and old take to waterbodies to boat or just for gambolling. Icons such as broadcaster Aletta Motimele and Charlotte Maxeke, freedom fighter and teacher, hail from here. So does music maestro Master KG, known for Jerusalema, a hit during Covid-19.
The sky is a stunning blue today and the air cleaner here. Sites of ancient history and unparalleled beauty, with birdsong adding a melody to that frame, reign.
Inter-continental trade
Our ancestors must have been as enchanted. Traders, hunters and artists from the Kingdom of Mapungubwe traversed these lands centuries ago. Some of them participated in the intercontinental trade and exported gold to China, Egypt and beyond, taking in coastal states like the 1,100-year-old Mombasa.
Yanking us to the present, Limpopo-born youngster and anthropology student Vhuthuhawe Ramuli explains that these days a trip to Mapungubwe is akin to ‘a history lesson with a side of lions”: that site welds history and wildlife. Keeping true to their age-old tradition, baobab trees raise their hands in benediction.
‘If you love nature and enjoy great weather, you’ll love Limpopo place: the landscape, the scenery, sweet birdsong,’ marvels Grace Nakidde, a Kampala-based entrepreneur.
On the downside, visa restrictions between SA and Uganda stifle tourism, business leader Damali Ssali once noted in Monitor.
At last count, the annual tally of Azania-bound Ugandans was 13,000. VFS Global’s prohibitive fees and mistreatment of travellers from Uganda and other countries dampen traffic.
Strangely, VFS claims deep commitment to supporting’ the development of ‘travel and tourism to and from the continent’.
Further, Pretoria requires visas from DRC nationals while offering open access to many in the Global North. Malawi and Zambia’s recent visa waivers exclude the Congolese despite geographic and cultural proximity, exposing an ironic disjuncture.
Broadly, SA’s inbound traffic is over-reliant on Southern Africa which in turn accounts for almost two-thirds of the 9-million arrivals. Europe is the source of 1.3-million visitors (14%) and Asia 3%, exposing Mzansi’s lazy marketing in petrodollar-rich UAE or China, with 145-million outbound travelers. It’s about time today’s leaders learned from Mapungubwe which, centuries ago, penetrated global markets.
The numbers
For context, Uganda scrapes 4.2-million international and domestic holidaymakers to Zambia’s 2.4-million tourists.
Africa hosts an estimated 84-million annual visits with Morocco hosting 17.4-million of them. That’s double Azania’s tally but the latter should by now be approaching the 30-million mark given its numerous advantages: air connectivity, world-class infrastructure, cool pricing, visa exemptions for the subcontinent and most of the Global North and a diversity of attractions.
The medical tourism sector and the 2010 soccer jamboree, the globe’s biggest PR campaign, are yet to be capitalised on.
‘There’s so much that makes me want to come back. The experience was breath-taking,’ Ms Nakidde says of an achingly beautiful Magoebaskloof, a misty town east of Polokwane, reachable via the scenic R71 road.
Ubiquitous marula trees, amid little beneficiation, claim their share of the dreamscape. The young Ramuli is charmed.
“If I showed someone around, I’d take them to Blyde River, Mapungubwe and Magoebaskloof,’ she says, singling the latter for people who ‘love adventure like zip-lining, or just screaming your lungs out’.
These sights inspired the genius of Moses Tladi who went on to produce ‘poignant yet charming’ works, reported the Mail and Guardian.
‘His repertoire brings to life panoramic vistas of many sites in Limpopo’s Sekhukhuneland, the Free State and in Magaliesberg (Mogalesberg, actually). The Crown Mines painting is a reminder why the newspaper Umteteli wa Bantu described him as a ‘native genius’.’
Valleys, glades, ravines, hills and mountains blend delectably here. It’s as if this destination is a frame from Tladi’s canvas. While it’s off the beaten track, Waterberg – a birders’, hikers’ and photographers’ favourite and an oasis for city rats – is wondrous: the landscape gets greener and temperature warmer as you venture deeper. The province’s lushness and terrain remind Ms Grace of the Western Region.
On the savannah reserve’s eastern frontier sits Tiveka Game Lodge, a hit with travelers since its launch in 2006. “Some guests fall in love with our game drives and seeing the animals up close. Everyone seems to find their own special experience here,’ says founder MD Tiveka Mathumbu, listing Kruger’s Mopani Camp and Echo Caves as her personal favourites.
The sites
Busloads of tourists sample curated ‘authenticity’ where hotel bosses gather Africans to sing, dance and, sometimes, serve offal to guests. That’s not authentic. Visitors from across Africa can tell.
Anyway, materialising just south of Polokwane as we hit the culturally-rich Mokopane, is the escarpment named Lebopo and Maloti. The Cradle of Humankind heritage is named Makapansgat and Makapans Valley (since the Dutch and French mispronounced the eponym). The site is off the radar but brace yourself if you choose to go. By the time you’re done – if your guide is the affable Mariri Peter Molomo, who melds palaeontology, geography, economics and politics with ease and captivating storytelling skills – you’d feel you’ve traced the timeline from date to Stone Age.
Limpopo tourism boss Moss Ngobeni predicts annual domestic and global traffic will have grown by a third, to hit 10-million, by December. Overreliance on wildlife can harm the planet and stunt sectors like gastronomy, meetings, and creative industries. Barring wildlife, what is the province actively marketing to East Africans, Asians and others? Of the 70-million Europeans who holiday overseas, only a trickle visit Limpopo.
With this year’s G20 summit imminent, will government officials (tourism, arts, economic development, youth, etc.) host, in this province, politicians and captains of industry from Aotearoa, Brazil, Côte d’Ivoire, Denmark, Ethiopia, France, Ghana, Japan or Uganda? Like baobab trees with their raised hands, young hospitality graduates are praying. Savannah vistas and gems are waiting: historic Mapungubwe, a slice of Eden called Waterberg (including Bela Bela, a resort town of hot mineral springs), museums and events aplenty. Well, top dogs don’t care. Look at the VFS mess and squandered job opportunities.
Yet, beyond safaris, Limpopo’s menu is long: magical sunrises, mountain camping, heart-pounding abseiling, magical hot-air ballooning, stargazing, and so on. This is the junction of adventure and laughter, it’s the place where the present hangs out with the past.