“When life gives you the scorching heat of the sun, be hopeful for the rain too” .

Mankweng is found in the Capricorn District and Polokwane Local Municipality, within the Limpopo Province. From the scorching sun to beautiful sunsets, Mankweng is undeniably home of the aspiring community champions who believe in the power of collaboration and preserving their rich culture. Whilst challenges such as employment and the lack of viable economic activities threaten to dislodge the potential of this Town, songs of hope echo the streets of Mankweng with the sanguinity that tomorrow will come bearing prospects for a better future. Mankweng developed in the 1960s when the University-College of the North was established by the Apartheid Regime in pursuit of its policy of racially segregated education. It was the hometown of the late ANC Youth League president, Peter Mokaba. The University of Limpopo (Turfloop) is a University in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. It was established on 1 January 2005, by the merger of the University of the North and the Medical University of South Africa (MEDUNSA).

Middelburg, Karoo lies in the middle of its surrounding Towns, approximately 100 km from all. Surrounded by Graaff-Reinet, Cradock, Steynsburg, Colesberg, Richmond & Hanover,( it is no secret as to where the name "Middelburg" came from!) It falls under the Inxuba Yethemba Local Municipality, in the Chris Hani District Municipality.

Grootfontein Cemetery, which is owned by the Municipality, is situated next to and is visible from the road which leads to the airport and military base. The graves are scattered in the old section. It dates back to the Anglo-Boer War.

The History of Grootfontein dates back to 1781 when a certain Hendrik van der Walt, made his living as a loan farmer on the then modest property, Grootfontein, situated just North of Middelburg Eastern Cape. The British Department of War bought Farms in Middelburg district which were consolidated under the name of Grootfontein in 1903. During this military period which terminated in 1910 between 12 000 and 15 000 British soldiers that were stationed at Grootfontein. The foundation of the Grootfontein College of Agriculture dates back to the Year after Union in 1910. The Farm Grootfontein was transferred to the Union Government by the Imperial Government in 1911 and an Agricultural School was started in the same year. In 1939, Grootfontein gained College status.

The Grootfontein Agricultural Development Institute is located outside the town of Middelburg in the Great Karoo. It is commonly referred to as the “Grootfontein College of Agriculture” or just “Grootfontein”. Grootfontein was established in 1911 and, as one of the oldest Agricultural Colleges in South Africa, it has a proud training and research History contributing to the prosperity of livestock farming in the Karoo and other arid regions. The vision of Grootfontein is to be the World's leading centre of excellence in training, research and extension in small stock and in agricultural production, in semi-arid to arid climates.

The Outeniqua Pass is a relatively modern Pass, connecting the Coastal Town of George with Oudtshoorn and the Little Karoo.
It was first built in 1942 - 1951 to provide an alternative to the narrow and steep Montagu Pass. It has been widened and modernized several times since then and today carries the bulk of the traffic flow, between the two Towns and the Langkloof Valley. It forms part of the Cape Fold Belt. This belt is a 1300 km long, Mountain belt along the Western and Southern Coastlines of South Africa.
The Langkloof Valley and Mountains are a short range of mountains that serve as a link between the Tsitsikamma and Outeniqua Mountains. In the Valley below is an Area that stretches about 160 kilometers and is ideal for growing fruit, particularly apples and pears. Dotted in amongst the fruit trees of fruit Farms in the Area, are a selection of little Towns , most of which lie on Route 62.

Joubertina is the main business Town, formed initially on the 'Langkloof Farm'. This is one of few Towns in the Area where the original law prohibiting the ban of the sale of alcohol was never lifted, but not necessarily in evidence any more, in the Town. Rockfalls and trucking accidents close the Pass, from time to time. The higher reaches of the Pass are subject to heavy rainfall and dense Mountain mists which can reduce visibility to a few meters. Under such conditions, this Pass is dangerous especially due to the volume of commercial traffic that it carries!

It contains 40 bends, corners and curves, many of which exceed 90 degrees. The road is well engineered, but it is advisable to stick to the speed limits which have been carefully calculated, to get you safely over the Pass. For South-bound traffic there are several excellent view-sites and the third one from the summit is particularly impressive, which is marked as "The 4 passes". From this vantage point all four passes can still be seen, one of which dates back almost 200 years.

SOME COMMENTS FROM TRIP ADVISOR-

"Beautiful pass to drive through, it does get cloudy in the afternoons so ensure you go in the morning or hedge yourself in case you need to drive it a couple times before you can enjoy the views."

"Very cool views. I think there were 3 places to stop and park, each with picnic tables. If you follow the directions on Google Maps, it will take you too far past the viewpoints. Recommend a quick stop if you're in the area."
 

Marikana, formerly known as 'Rooikoppies', is a Town in the Rustenburg local Municipality, Bojanala Platinum District Municipality district in the North West Province of South Africa.  The name 'Rooikoppies' means 'red hills' in Afrikaans.

"The Gold Mine was establishment here in 2013, by 'Sibanye-Stillwater Mine'. This Mine has grown and diversified significantly – both geographically and by metal produced. The Group has advanced from a single commodity, South African gold mining, company to become an multinational mining and metals processing Group with a diverse portfolio of projects and investments across five Continents." Lonmin‘s Marikana Platinum Mine", is located near Brits, in the Marikana district. This is approximately 40km East of Rustenberg in the North West Province of South Africa. In this Area, is where the 'Marikana Massacre' occurred on August 16 2012, the South African police shot and killed 34 striking miners.