By NAKAMPE LEKWADU
THE festive season is upon us, and it is this time of the year when the province of Limpopo gets atmospheric and trendy.
Known for its tranquility wildlife resorts and historical monuments and museums, there is no doubt that the province of Limpopo is the place to celebrate and create family memories through the forthcoming number of events this December.
While celebrating events which are scheduled to take place across the province this December, one will not be forgiven for not taking a Shot’ Left to Fetakgomo-Tubatse in the Greater Sekhukhune District offers.
It is for this reason that the MEC for Limpopo Economic Development, Environment and Tourism (LEDET), Tshitereke Matibe in partnership with Limpopo Tourism Agency (LTA) saw this mining town as the perfect place (Fetakgomo-Tubatse Local Municipality) for the official media launch of the 2024 Summer Campaign dubbed “Limpopo ka December.”
The media launch which coincided with the Tourism Thursday was held at Thaba Moshate Casino and Hotel in the fastest growing town of Burgersfort.
MEC, Matibe kick-started his speech by praising LTA for its endless effort and innovation to capture scores of travelers to the province of Limpopo.
“The calendar of activities compiled in partnership with the private sector for our summer campaign that includes the festive season, proves beyond reasonable doubt that our “Limpopo ka December Campaign” is set to immerse our Travellers beyond expectations. This will timeously capture more prospective holiday makers to Limpopo this summer. I am particularly encouraged by the fact that Limpopo citizens have come of age as they are beginning to plan for holidays locally instead of going out of the province given so much that our destination has on offer,” said the MEC.
Matibe added that: “This is one of the four critical seasonal campaigns that seeks to promote and market destination Limpopo as a viable tourist destination both locally (South Africa) and the rest of the world. Already the month of October was packed with so many activities that transcend into both November and December months leaving our province abuzz with more to enjoy. The Summer Campaign we are launching today, is a marketing activity undertaken by the entity to create awareness and market the province as a preferred destination of choice during this festive season.”
Both LTA’s chairman and chief executive office, Andrew Dipela and Moses Ngobeni were positive that this campaign will not be futile as they expect an influx of tourists this festive season.
The media crew which responded positively to the summer campaign launch was offered a five-star treatment after spending two nights at the Clifford’s Rufaro Hotel, Conference and Spa. This magnificent establishment provides free Wi-Fi, and guests can enjoy an outdoor swimming pool, a garden and all.
After a nice breakfast fit for the Kings and Queens at the hotel, the media crew were on the road, touring some parts of Fetakgomo-Tubatse’s tourists attraction centres, however the trip was almost spoilt by the sjambok wielding taxi patrol hooligans who stopped our shuttle before interrogating our driver while counting us.
The trip nevertheless continued with Phiring Village as our first stop. This is where tourists can experience and explore Homestays concept that was first discovered in Limpopo by Traditional African Homestays of South Africa (TAHSA)
The Tufa waterfall is locally known as Sekweneng, translating to the place of the crocodile. This site is one of the best kept secrets in Limpopo and is conveniently situated near the Echo Caves.
The main rock formation is dolomite, which contains a high percentage of calcium and magnesium that results in the formation of highly porous tufa rock. The Tufa waterfall builds up over time as the calcium rich water runs over green moss to calcify as ‘limestone’ around the moss. The precipitating process is repeated resulting in an active growing and fresh green Tufa waterfall. The green moss growing on tufa rock reflects life.
We wrapped our media tour at The Bushman Rock Shelter (BRS) field project began in 2014 and is mainly funded by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs Commission on Archaeological Excavations (Commission des fouilles), with the support of IFAS-Research. In South Africa, it is also supported by the University of the Witwatersrand (Evolutionary Studies Institute) and the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Palaeosciences.
In 2018, the project came to the end of its four-year term. Given the successful outcome of this first phase of work at the site and on the archaeological collections, the team obtained an extension of the project from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs Commission on Archaeological Excavations. This extended project will also include the nearby site of Heuningneskrans and will run at least until 2021. The excavation permit, granted in 2014 by the South African Heritage Resources Agency, was also renewed.
