| Magaliesberg | |
|---|---|
| Macalisberg,Cashan Mountains,Dithaba Diloka. | |
 Magaliesberg east toHartebeespoort Dam from vicinity of Castle Gorge  Magaliesberg mountain range, seen from space with theOperational Land Imager onLandsat 8, 27 June 2018 | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 1,852 m (6,076 ft) |
| Coordinates | 25°51′30″S27°31′48″E / 25.8583°S 27.530°E /-25.8583; 27.530[1] |
| Dimensions | |
| Area | 357,870 hectares (884,300 acres) |
| Naming | |
| Etymology | Mogale's mountain |
| Geography | |
  Magaliesberg | |
| Range coordinates | 25°30′01″S27°21′37″E / 25.5002°S 27.3603°E /-25.5002; 27.3603 |
| Biome | Bushveld andHighveld |
| Geology | |
| Rock age | 2.3 billion years (Orosirian Period) |
| Mountain type | Mountain range |
| Rock type | Nooitgedacht |
TheMagaliesberg (historically also known asMacalisberg orCashan Mountains[2]) of northernSouth Africa, is a modest but well-definedmountain range composed mainly of quartzites. It rises at a point south of thePilanesberg (and thePilanesberg National Park) to form a curved prominence that intersects suburbanPretoria before it peters out some 50 km (31 mi) to the east, just south ofBronkhorstspruit. The highest point of the Magaliesberg is reached atNooitgedacht, about 1,852 metres (6,076 ft) above sea level. Acableway reaching to the top of the mountain range is located atHartbeespoort Dam, providing sweeping views of the Magaliesberg and surrounding area.[3]
The Magaliesberg has ancient origins. Its composition is ascribed to successivegeological processes over a very protracted history. Itsquartzites,shales,chert anddolomite were deposited as sediments in an inland basin on top of a 3 billion year old ArchaeanBasement Complex, known as theKaapvaal craton. This process of sedimentation lasted for about 300 million years. About 2 billion years ago, a massive upwelling of molten magma resulted in what is now known as theBushveld Igneous Complex. The enormous weight of this intrusion depressed the sediments that lay beneath and tilted the sediments along the edges so that the brokenescarpments faced outward and upward, and the gentlerdip slopes inward. During the same period, these sediments were fractured andigneous intrusions ofdolerite filled the cracks. With the passage of time these intrusions eroded, especially on the dip slopes, forming deep kloofs orravines providing rock-climbing potential to modern man. This large dog-leg-shaped area is now termed theTransvaal Basin and includes the lofty escarpment of the TransvaalDrakensberg overlooking theLowveld in the eastern part of the country. Massive outpourings of igneous material–volcanic lava–of the much youngerKaroo Supergroup later covered the Transvaal Basin, but this was subsequently eroded so that it only remains along the Transvaal Basin's southern rim.
The range forms a natural barrier between the lower lyingBushveld to the north and the coolerHighveld to the south. The range receives rainfall in summer in the form of thunderstorms, with an average of 650 mm (26 in) annually. In winter, frost occurs frequently in the valleys on the southern side of the mountain, but almost never on the northern slopes.[citation needed]
The area around the Magaliesberg range has seen extremely lengthy occupation by humans dating back at least 2 million years to the earliesthominin species (such asMrs Ples) in and around theSterkfontein Caves, which lie at theCradle of HumankindWorld Heritage Site, close to the town ofMagaliesburg.
The earliest known name for the Magaliesberg mountains isDithaba Diloka. This is a localseTswana name in reference to the abundance ofHeteropogon contortus which grows in the area. However it seems this name would have only been used by neighbouringSotho-Tswana_peoples coming to and from the Magaliesberg mountains. Local residentTswana tribes referred to it simply asDithaba"The mountains".[4]
The firstEuropean explorers who came to the area recorded the mountains being called the"Cashan" or"Kashan" mountains. This was a corruption of the name of a powerful chief of theBaKwena ba Mmatau whose name wasKgwasane wa Sekano(Kgwasane, son of Sekano).[5]
In the mid-1800s the mountain range became known asMagaliesberg(lit. Mogale's mountain) after KgosiMogale.[6] Mogale means"sharp" or"brave" person, but is also the common word for a warrior or Tswana soldier, in Sotho bogale means"sharp" and mogale is"brave". Similarly, the mountain range to the north, near Sun City, Pilanesberg, was named after the local Bakgatla chiefs, who were calledPilane.[citation needed]
In 1822,Shaka, the leader of theZulu Kingdom, sent his most trusted commander,Mzilikazi, to conquer theSotho tribes of the region. After accomplishing this task, Mzilikazi decided to break away from Shaka and found his own nation, theMatabele. As he feared an attack from Shaka if he returned home, he settled in the Magaliesberg region.
On 17 January 1837, after someVoortrekkers had been attacked and killed by Mzilikazi'simpis, they counter-attacked and, under the leadership ofHendrik Potgieter andGerrit Maritz, and with the help of local Sotho-Tswana chiefdoms, drove the Matabeles north across theLimpopo River. Because the re-conquest of the region was a cooperative venture of theBoers and the Sotho-Tswana against the Matabele, the Boers and Sotho-Tswana had friendly relations at the beginning ofwhite settlement. These friendly relations are reflected in the name of the main Boer town,Rustenburg (lit. resting town), because it seemed to them that they would not have to engage in any more fighting against African communities. The Boers initially settled south of the Magaliesberg in the Highveld, leaving the Bushveld north of the Magaliesberg mostly to their Sotho-Tswana friends and allies; according to Sarah Heckford's memoir,A Lady Trader in the Transvaal, the Boers would move into the Bushveld to visit their Sotho-Tswana neighbors during the winter. According to oral testimony by Tswana headmen recorded around the turn of the 20th century, many individual Boers formed close friendships with prominent individual Tswana headmen and chiefs, especially for the purpose of forming hunting parties to gather ivory and other products from further north. Subsequently the Boers began settling in the valleys of the Magaliesberg Range and in the Bushveld north of the Magaliesberg, and turned the region into some of the most productive farmland in South Africa, while displacing their former allies, confining them to locations and reserves.
The area saw some heavy fighting during the SecondAnglo-Boer War. The Boers, being extremely familiar with the mountains, used secret pathways across the mountains to launchguerrilla attacks on theBritish soldiers. In response, the British forces builtblockhouses on top of the mountains in order to restrict the movement of the Boer forces; ruins of these structures are still to be seen on the mountain.
Control of the Magaliesberg Mountain Range was of great importance to both the Boer and the British forces, especially the two routes between Pretoria and Rustenburg, which crossed it at Silkaatsnek and Kommandonek, respectively. As a result, many battles, such as the battles of Buffelspoort,Nooitgedacht and Olifantsnek were fought in the area.
After the war, farms in the area were reoccupied and farming was resumed,tobacco andcitrus being particularly successful.
In 1923 theHartbeespoort Dam, situated in one of the valleys of the range, was completed. It became a popular holiday and weekend destination for the inhabitants ofJohannesburg and Pretoria, and the villages ofHartbeespoort andKosmos developed as a result.
At present, the Magaliesberg area is still largelyagricultural, although tourism is a rapidly growing industry in the area.
Kgaswane Mountain Reserve is a nature reserve above Rustenburg covering 4,257 ha (10,520 acres) of the Magaliesberg.
Numerous smaller reserves, private and state, are to be found along the length of the range.
After nearly a decade of lobbying and sustained efforts by a small committee of dedicated environmentalists, the Magaliesberg has been declared a WorldBiosphere Reserve.
The announcement was made on 9 June 2015 in Paris by the International Coordinating Council of the Programme onMan and the Biosphere (MAB). This is aUNESCO programme that aims to build a supportive and sustainable relationship between people and their environments. In effect, this means a specific focus on safeguarding natural ecosystems through innovative approaches to economic development.
TheWorld Network of Biosphere Reserves, which Magaliesberg now joins, counts 631 biosphere reserves in 119 countries.
"We are delighted with this final acknowledgement of the unique nature of the Magaliesberg and the powerful contribution it is making to our country, to theecosystem services inGauteng and theNorth West and the communities it nurtures over an extensive area," said Paul Fatti, chair of the Magaliesberg Biosphere Initiative Group (MBIG) that has been lobbying authorities since 2007 to support the establishment of the biosphere.[citation needed]
Vincent Carruthers, past chair of MBIG and renowned author ofThe Magaliesberg, the most authoritative study of the mountain range, said that this announcement was the culmination of a campaign that began in 2006. "I'm most grateful there is now international recognition of this great mountain range that has witnessed the whole span of life, from its very origins," he said. "The Magaliesberg is almost 100 times older than Mount Everest and half theage of the earth, a unique treasure for us in this part of Africa."[citation needed]
The Magaliesberg mountains offer excellentrock climbing opportunities, spread across its many kloofs and escarpments. The climbing is mostlytraditional, with a small number ofsport climbing venues and hundreds of routes across a wide range ofgrades. The relatively mild climate allows year-round climbing.
