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This popular and majestic area of the Berg is certainly a must see, and not just once! However, visitors to the area will do well to be informed about the security issues there.

Problems are strongly related to smuggling activity. Organ Pipes Pass is a very popular choice for hikers, and it also happens to be one of the most significant smuggling corridors in the Drakensberg. Both the Camel Route and Thuthumi Ridge Route are heavily used. Tlanyaku Pass and Thuthumi Pass are also significant routes. In addition, the smugglers have firmly esabished another pass in the area, one which I refer to as "Smugglers Pass". A well established trail descends towards the Thuthumi Pass trail from the southern side of the Ndumeni Dome. It crosses the Thuthumi Pass route and flips over the ridge separating it from the Thuthumi Ridge Ridge of Organ Pipes Pass, to join that trail on the other side. From this selection of passes there are again various routes which they use to cross the Little Berg in order to reach the rural areas bording the reserve. Ndedema Gorge, containing the highest concentration of rock art sites in the Drakensberg, is a major route. It seems as though some of the dagga exchange takes place here, since bags of dagga are sometimes stored in caves such as Eland Cave. The smugglers surprisingly also pass by the hotel and KZN Wildlife resorts and staff accomodation at night. They make use the Ribbon Falls and Tryme Hill routes. Observations by hikers indicate that minor use is made of passes such as Mlambonja Pass / Bell Traverse and Cockade too.

It must be pointed out that the smugglers are usually not an immediate threat to hikers. Stories among hikers of encounters with the smugglers in this area abound. In fact, it is common place and to be expected. Usually there is nothing more than an exchange of greetings between the two parties, if that. However, the fact that armed (yes, armed!) drug smugglers being a common sighting by hikers in the mountains is cause for concern, and is something which everyone needs to be very aware of. Many hikers can share stories of groups of smugglers (sometimes pretty large groups) passing right by their tents at night. Mostly no problems are encountered, though there have definitely been cases of theft and confrontations (see summary of incidents below). There have also been cases where smugglers have mistaken hikers to be an armed patrol at night, and fired shots at them. The smugglers are commonly seen descending the passes in the late afternoon, or in the evening, ready to pass through the lower areas during the night. It is equally common to hear or see them moving back up the passes in the middle of the night, or very early in the morning, having spent a dar or two at the drop-off point.

My own first, close encounter with the smugglers happened to be on a solo hike, during a night in the Old Fire Lookout on Thuthumi Ridge. In those days the roof was not damaged, the glass windows were in tact and the hut still had a door, though it could not be locked. Luckliy I fasten the door on the inside with some cord before I settled into my sleeping bag. At about 10 in the evening a band of smugglers arrived at the hut, on their way up the pass. They pounded and rattled on the door, trying to open it, and peered in at me trough the windows. Needless to say I felt very intimidated and vulnerable, not sure how things were going to pan out. Eventually the left. After I had calmed down and settled back into my sleeping bag, a second band arrived and the whole scenario was repeated! That time I had had enough, and after the second group had moved off, I packed up and walked back down to my car in the dark. It was an unsettling experience, and one which I reported to the authorties at the time. It is not possible to say exactly what their intentions were and what they would have done if they had gotten into the hut, but a lone hiker is just such an easy target for a mugging. Groups of hikers have been robbed in Bannerman Hut before, so the concern is realistic.

A much more postive encounter with other Basothos is common on the Camel Route. Migrant workers make use of the trail, as well as groups of ladies heading for the shops, and families on social visits. These are usually friendly and the encounters are generally enjoyable. Unfortunately this is still an illegitamate border crossing and an unlawful entrance into the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park.

The Bell Traverse and Mlambonja Pass are used for cattle rustling and it is not uncommon to see skeletons along the trail of cows that have fallen and died while being driven up into Lesotho. It seems almost unbelievable that this would occur on such a remote, exposed and incredibly scenic stretch of mountain, but it does. Cows and horses may be stolen from anywhere in the area, but the local people living in the foothills of the Mweni and Cathedral Peak areas are easily targeted. It is been the observation of some that that the cows are actually herded up the Nxwaye valley (the valley one looks into from the top of Orange Peel Gap) in stages, over a period of days, each time higher up until they are completely separated from their herd and owners. In 2004 a group of hikers using Bell Cave were allegedly held up at gun point and robbed of everything except the clothes they were sleeping in.

Recommendations for the area

• * Follow the precautions already listed in General Precautions for Drakensberg Security.

• * Do not camp directly at the top of Organ Pipes Pass since a lot of traffic passes through there even at night. A better alternative would be to around the corner, beyond Castle Buttress, at the stream where the slopes of Cleft Peak begin. There are also excellent caves in this area such as Roland's Cave (S29 00.845, E29 11.308) and the Ndumeni Dome Caves (Upper Ndumeni Caves) (S29 00.96, E29 11.220 & S29 00.918, E29 11.321). Though they are a bit of a climb up from the pass, they are away from the main trails, offer excellent shelter and fantastic views. Carry water up from the pass as there is very little higher up. The Lower Ndumeni Caves in the Thuthumi Pass gulley (S29 00.834, E29 11.280 and S29 00.834, E29 11.306) are right on a trail where the smugglers may pass by and do not offer as good protection as the others.

• * Try avoid camping near the trail heading down the Makhapung Valley between Ndumeni Dome and Windsor Castle, especially where the smugglers have made their own pass coming out at the top of this valley (S29 00.847, E29 11.957). This trail is heavily used. Should you be heading for Yodler's Cascades push on and camp well up the Yodler's Cascades valley (there are shepherds in this valley too but do not seem to be a majot threat).

• * The top of Tlanyaku Pass should also not be used for camping, nor anywhere area near the well used path leading down the Tlanyaku valley into Lesotho. A better alternative would be the smaller valley coming down from Little Saddle. It is a very beatutiful place with good water and lot's of places to pitch a tent. Two such places are at S29 02.664, E29 13.240 and S29 02.427 E29 13.237. The smugglers will almost never go there but the shepherds may be there at times. 

• * The army uses the old lookout hut on Thuthumi Ridge for most of the year, but this is a fairly safe shelter if they allow you to share it with them (edit: no longer used by the army). If they are not there, be on your guard, as there may be a lot movement up this trail at night. There is no longer a door and the smugglers do not hesitate to rest there even if it is occupied by hikers.

• * All caves in the Ndedema valley that are traditionally used by hikers are known and used at times by the smugglers too – and they may make use of them even if they are occupied by hikers already. These include: Schoongezicht Cave, Gravel Cave, Leopard Cave and Poacher's Cave. They also use Sibayeni Cave near Philip's Folly, which has one of the highest number of San rock art paintings. It is understandable that hikers still want to explore this magnificent area of the Berg and use these caves – so do we. In order to reduce the risk, rather visit this area in the winter months when there is less traffic. Be very observant and look around, even during the day. Never leave your gear unattended, even in the caves. In 2004 a group of hikers had most of their gear stolen from Leopard Cave that they had left there temporarily. Always be prepared at night, secure all equipment in a safe place and have your boots, flash light and sticks close at hand.

• - The same goes for the campsites at the junction near Philip's Folly and at the foot of Tlanyaku Pass – take extreme caution if you still want to use them. If anything, you will hear footsteps of smugglers going up the pass throughout the night and there have been reports of unpleasant confrontations with smugglers snooping around the tents.

• - Care should be taken when using Bell Cave and Twins Cave, on the Bell Traverse, as these lie directly on the path. Twins Cave Annexe (near Twins Cave) is off the main trail but it is known and used by the Basutho's. Take precautions as already detailed above. Trencher's Cave and Drip Cave are away from the main trail and are a safer alternative (if you can find them). The camping area at the base of Cathedral Peak near Bugger Gulley is also situated along the route that the Basutho's use and every precaution should be taken when camping there.

• As in the other areas, there is less activity in late winter / early spring and hiking at this time of year instead of the summer and autumn months will reduce the risk somewhat.

History of incidents in the Cathedral Peak area

Far too many incidents are never reported and circulated! Bear in mind that more has happened than is reflected in this list.

* 1980s till present: numerous unspecified incidents of theft at the old KZN Wildlife campsite. Cars have been broken into and loose items lying around tents have been taken. Source: berg.co.za .This campsite is no longer in use.

* 2001, February 22: a major gun battle ensued between smugglers and the authorities. A KZN Wildlife patrol encountered a very large gang of smugglers (reportedly between 70-90 individuals!). The smugglers started firing at them and the patrol called in the police for assistance. The gun battle continued for an hour over an area spanning 6km. One smuggler was shot dead, 10 were arrested, and 18 bags of dagga worth R500 000 were recovered. Source: IOL - Smugglers turn Drakensberg into battle field.

* 2004, August 29: gear was stolen from Leopard Cave in the Ndedema Gorge. A guide and British tourist had hiked to the cave and left most of their gear in the cave intending to overnight there. They had done a relatively short walk from there to look at some rock art and returned to discover that everything they had left in the cave had been taken.  The culprits where either Basotho smugglers hiding in the area, or their south African counterparts waiting for a shipment to arrive that night. Source: no explicit reference to the incident can be found online (other than some indirect references), but details of the incident were known and spoken about at the time.

* 2004: a group of hikers camping in Bell Cave were robbed at gunpoint of all of their possessions save the clothes they were sleeping in. Exact date and more details not known. Source: berg.co.za.

* 2005~2007: skeleton / decomposed body of a smuggler discovered by hikers on the Camel Route. Exact date unknown and further details unavailable. Source: word of mouth.

* 2005~2007: a skirmish which almost became violent erupted between hikers and smugglers at the campsite at the bottom of Phillip's Folly. The hikers were camping there and during the night the smugglers walked through the campsite and allegedly kicked over a cooking pot which was left outside the tent. The startled hikers emerged from the tent and a tense confrontation occurred between the two parties, which could have become violent.  Exact date unknown and further details unavailable. Source: word of mouth.

* 2008 March: a long-standing dispute over land between two local tribes in the Cathedral Peak area errupted into violence costing several locals their lives. Among the victims was a KZN Wildlife employee who was part of the kitchen staff at the Didima resort. Several houses were burned down. The resort was closed for several days during this time. There was a heavy police presence and warnings were issued to the public to be careful along the road, though no incidents were reported where tourists where ever under threat. The dispute is between the Magangangozi and Mhlwazini communities who accuse each other of encroaching on each other's land. Source: More disturbing times at Cathedral Peak.

* 2008 ~October: a group of hikers were headed for Schoongezicht Cave. A wrong turn-off onto the Thuthumi Pass trail caused a delay which ultimately caused them to pitch camp at The Neck. At 03:00am in the morning they were startled by the sound of smugglers on the trail, at which they retreated from camp and hid. It is thought that the smugglers mistook them for an armed patrol that was attempting to ambush them (something which does take place in the area), since they started shouting and a gun was fired. Thankfully no-one was harmed in the incident. Source: Didima Security Update November 2008.

* 2009 ~April: an exchange of fire transpired between a KZN Wildlife ranger patrol and smugglers heading up to the escarpment. The smugglers were challenged by the patrol, who then immediately fled. Two stopped and opened fire on the patrol with a handgun and a shotgun. The ranger patrol returned fire, fatally wounding the man with the shotgun. A conflicting report about hikers being allegedly shot at by smugglers was circulated at the same time - it is thought this was a misconstrued version of the story. Source: Latest security incident.

* 2010, ~February: clothing and other items were stolen from campers at the new KZN Wildlife campsite. It was a rainy night and the perpetrators cut a hole through the wire fence around the site. The campers were awakened by the sound of someone outside their tent and yelled, whereupon the thieves ran away. The guards were allegedly asleep in the ablutions. The following morning is was discovered that several personal items had been stolen. Source: Berg Alert 2010.

* 2010, September 5: a hiker fell to his death under mysterious circumstances in trying to escape a fire which swept up the slopes around the base of Cathedral Peak, where he and his friends were camping. Though the incident could very well have simply been an accident, I have included it here in this list because the surviving members of the group strongly felt that there could have been more to it and that the fire may have been started intentionally in order to chase them out of their tent, so that their gear could be stolen. We will probably never really know exactly what happend, but it was a disturbing story left a troubled and uneasy feeling among the Drakensberg community. Source: Dragon's Wrath 2010 thread, from post # 1690 through to #1909.

* 2011, July 17: two packs were stolen by smugglers during the night from a tent of three hikers camping at the top of Organ Pipes Pass. Apparently there was a friendly interaction between the hikers and the smugglers that evening before they went to sleep. This incident was never reported to the authorities, and was incidentally mentioned to me by another hiker who spoke to the group at the Cathedral Peak hotel afterwards. It shows how security problems so often remain unreported and undetected - an unfortunate phenomenon that only enhances the problem.

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