History
Turning
a dream into a reality
How
Morning Sun Nature Reserve and Mashovhela Lodge came about by Dr.
Hans H HAHN
Ever
since I, as a youngster in 1948, set foot on African soil, I became
passionate about the bush and its nature and wildlife. My sense
of adventure and romanticism made me explore and discover some of
the most unspoiled regions of Southern Africa and learn their many
secrets. I watched with horror the rapid encroachment of civilization
into my secret bush hideouts, the degradation of natural habitat
and the destruction there of fauna and flora, while trying to capture
the shrinking remnants on cine film and photographs.
Realising
that mere documentation was not enough, I started looking for a
piece of relatively unspoiled land for me and my family to develop
and conserve a conservation area. In 1970 a personal friend, Mervin
Woodrow, who was then the owner of the Farm Zwarthoek, introduced
me to a farm adjoining his own called Little Leigh. My wife and
I went to look at the place: it was the end of a 16 year drought,
the river was dry, huge ancient indigenous trees were dying and
falling over in the river bed, the few Venda families who had previously
eked out a precarious existence in the mountains, had abandoned
their huts and worked-out patches of land to the encroaching sickle
bush. The few existing rough foot paths were impassable by vehicle.
In spite of this picture of stark desolation, the farm had retained
some of its inherent beauty. I went to the owner right away and
signed the Deed of Sale.
For several
years, when visiting little Leigh, my family and I camped by the
riverside below what is now the site of the Lodge and slowly we
began exploring the dense bush of the valley and up into the mountains.
After our camp had been almost washed away after a heavy rain storm,
we first built a very primitive shelter which, progressively, developed
into a small rough house. Our only source of drinking water then
was a spring which we called "Old Faithful" because it supplied
us and wild animals faithfully with clean water over several decades.
In the
meantime, my friend Mervin was forced to sell Zwarthoek. I bought
the farm from him, thereby almost tripling the size of the property.
Some time later, another adjoining Farm "Morningsun" was sold to
me. Events such as these slowly allowed the area available for conservation
to grow to more than 3000 ha. By further purchases and cooperation
agreements it is hoped to increase the conservation area to an even
more viable size. This will hopefully remain an ongoing process.
At an
early stage I had concluded that, in order to preserve and conserve
a property of such size for posterity and protect it against the
pressures of a growing population, the property could not forever
remain a private family refuge but had to be opened up to a broader
conservation-conscious public, in close cooperation with our indigenous
Venda neighbours. In the true meaning of conservation, the property
needed to be utilized in a sustainable manner so that, in the longer
term, its preservation and the restoration of previously degraded
habitat would become self-sustaining.
For the
first about 20 years the property remained mostly inaccessible.
The present access road was a rough track which in rainy weather
became almost impassable. Exploring the property, necessary to discover
its many secrets and natural treasures, was possible only on foot.
In 1988,
my son Norbert decided that he was tired of city life and that he
would help me to develop the property into a nature reserve. He
moved into the house, assembled a team of local Venda helpers, mostly
women who, manually with bush slashers, picks and shovels, opened
up our present 4 x 4 road system and progressively improved the
main access road.
With
another team of unskilled helpers he laboriously built the Venda-style
"rondavel" huts which still exist today but which initially were
in a much rougher state, and made few concessions to creature comforts
and aesthetics.
The
site for building the rondavels was originally chosen not only for
its unique atmosphere but also because it was close to the house
and was already degraded by the remnants of a small Venda settlement
which had been abandoned during the drought more than 20 years earlier.
The site, whilst offering a dramatic panoramic rock face view, was
challenging topographically and because of the confined space available.
On the other hand, these same spatial restrictions were helpful
in developing an environmentally friendly, stand-alone, alternative
energy infrastructure, independent of the public power grid and
in keeping the drinking water, hot water and sanitation systems
as compact as possible.
Progress
slowed down after Norbert discovered his real interest in life and
became ever more involved in botanical research, obtaining his Master
of Science degree at the then University of Natal, and more recently,
his PhD degree at the University of Pretoria.
However,
Norbert's research work, his resultant involvement with scientists
from all over the world, and his serving on conservation-orientated
committees, and meeting political and traditional leaders, is of
great value to the project. Norbert's multi-disciplinary approach
has made him a recognized authority and source of knowledge on the
natural and cultural history of the region, its fauna, flora and
people, its archaeology, geology and climatology.
Norbert's
contributions to an understanding of the endemism and unique biodiversity
of the Soutpansberg Region (including his discoveries and identification
of numerous species new to science) enjoy international recognition.
The limited
building skills of the labour force available to Norbert were a
further handicap.
In 2003
(after having lived in Europe for six years), my daughter Ingrid,
an artist, qualified goldsmith and jewellery designer, decided to
add her own skills to the project. Together with her little boy
she moved into one of the rondavels and built up a new builders
team, still using local helpers but under the supervision of a more
experienced Venda builder and his bricklayers and carpenters.
Like
Norbert before her, Ingrid endeavoured to use locally available
materials - wherever possible. Norbert, serving on several conservation
committees and environmental initiatives had, in the meantime, initiated
an ambitious wetland reclamation project on the property, which
entailed the eradication of a forest of invasive exotic eucalyptus
trees. A local mini-entrepreneur, owner of a portable sawmill was
hired to cut up the huge logs into planks of various sizes. These
were carefully stacked and allowed to dry for over a year in temporary
drying shacks. This beautifully coloured, but extremely hard wood
was eventually used by our own labour force for most of the woodwork
now to be seen at Mashovhela Lodge, including almost all its furniture.
Ingrid
proceeded to drastically renovate and improve the existing rondavels.
She developed further the concept of a stylised Venda village by
the construction of typical Venda style patio walls to provide improved
privacy, creating indoor and outdoor sculpted murals of her own
design and generally took charge of the entire decor of the Lodge.
The main
building (reception, restaurant, kitchen, bar, lounge and conference
facilities) was designed and built under her direction from scratch
and so were the spacious outdoor leisure areas, including boma and
swimming pool.
Extensive
staff quarters, workshops, power generator and store facilities
had to be provided, where previously there had been nothing.
After
"Old Faithful" had dried up during one of our repeated droughts,
two strong boreholes were drilled, one for gardening purposes and
the other, drilled 75 meters down into solid rock, to provide very
clean spring water for the Lodge. In the semi-arid Soutpansberg
region, clean water is a scarce and precious commodity to be used
with respect and sparingly.
In order
to minimize the emission of green house gases, our hot water is
heated, as far as possible, by solar energy, supplemented by (eucalyptus)
wood-fired boilers built to my design. Environmentally friendly
LPG gas geysers serve as a standby.
For lighting
and electrical power we rely, in the first instance, again on solar
energy (photovoltaic panels) supplemented (as little as possible)
by diesel-powered generators. As soon as we can, we shall switch
over to biodiesel for our generators. To save on fuel we have installed
three generators (30kVA and 50kVA respectively) always using the
smallest generator suitable for the job.
Due to
our policy of eradicating invasive species of exotic trees (eucalyptus
and wattle), we can harvest an ongoing supply of combustible biomass
and firewood. Otherwise only dead indigenous trees and slashings
may be used for firewood.
For many
years I have been actively involved in the development of improved
wood gas technology. It is intended to eventually run our diesel
generators on wood gas produced from such combustible biomass.
Our
guests are encouraged to support our environmental endeavours by
using hot water and electricity sparingly, and to help us protect
our natural vegetation and wildlife, big and small, and our habitat.
Choosing
a name for our nature reserve and lodge became a topic for lengthy
debate. Originally I had intended to name the whole property "Mashovhela
Nature Reserve". Mashovhela is the name of our beautifully mysterious
rock pool, in walking distance of the lodge. Mashovhela, also traditionally
known as the place where the drums can be heard, is the second-most-sacred
place in Venda folklore. This sacred site is still used occasionally
by sangomas in rain-making ceremonies, like a few years ago - shortly
after which we and all of Vendaland had the heaviest rains and most
devastating floods in living memory. Most of the ancient trees bordering
and shading Mashovhela rock pool were washed away by those floods
which dramatically changed the course of the riverbed and deepened
it in places by up to three meters.
According
to Venda tradition, the legendary and powerful Venda king Thohoiyandu
mysteriously disappeared from his royal kraal one night and took
with him the sacred drum which was endowed with mystical powers.
Neither were ever seen again. Tradition has it that it is this sacred
drum can sometimes be heard in the echoes from the rock cliffs of
Mashovhela pool.
Unfortunately,
"Mashovhela" is a name difficult to remember, not only by white
people but even by non-Venda black South Africans. As a compromise
and after long debate, I settled for retaining the name Mashovhela
for the lodge but naming the property as a whole "Morning Sun Nature
Reserve". "Morningsun" is the name of the farm which is crossed
before entering farm Little Leigh, on which the lodge is situated.
"Morning
Sun" is easy on the tongue and Morningsun farm is situated near
the eastern entry to the property, quite literally where the sun
rises in the morning. The name is a symbol of hope for the success
of our conservation efforts.
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