Mnweni security

Any recent info on the Mnweni area? I am taking a group of 5 high school boys for a weekend out (17th birthday request!). I plan to walk in to Shepherds or 5 Star cave on Fri, up Mweni Pass on Sat to Mponj Cave and down Rockeries on Sun. Last weekend in Feb. I descended Mweni many years ago, but never up. Have been to Mponj many times.

I am aware of the dope trains and am not too worried about them. Is 5 Star a better option than Shepherds? Also I seem to recall there is a Shepherds 1 and 2, one a bit higher up? We don't plan to carry tents and with the regular sauce falling out of the sky am keen to find decent shelter on the way up.

thx Spook

Spook, when you get to the confluence of the Mbundini and Mnweni rivers, look up at the little berg ridge between them. At the base of the major cliff band on this ridge, there is an obvious cave which can be seen from quite a way down the valley already.

This is the cave I refer to as 5-star cave (not the one marked on the map). While the cave is not by any means 5-star, it is well out of the way of the locals and is hence in a better condition than Shepherd's Cave, etc. Quite a stiff hike (off-trail) straight up the slope from the path but the view and seclusion is well worth the effort.

The cave offers good shelter for a small party (6-8 max).

Thx Stijn sounds like the answer. Stiff stalk to get there will put off the donkey drivers!

Thanks for the info. We will prob go for 5 Star as the first choice but keep the other options as backup if occupied. In winter I would be tempted to head up the pass a way and find a flat bivy spot. But with summer this would turn out more moist than comfortable.
Spook

On a recent trip to Mnweni (up Rockeries and down Mnweni) for the long weekend at the end of April, I met several other hikers on their up Mnweni who told me that they had planned to go up Fangs instead. However, on the approach path (not sure where) to Fangs pass, a local person told them, quite aggressively they tell me, that there was no route up the pass and they must turn back immediately. Now I know there is a route up so I assumed he must be trying to hide something, or for some other reason not want anyone going up Fangs. Has anybody else had a recent experience like this up Fangs or come across any security issues in the pass? I see from the forums that people have recently done the pass, perhaps someone can shed some light?

Thanks!

We walked Fangs last week.
There is a good path leading from 5 Star cave up to the waterfall and across up the ridge and up Fangs on the right slope for just short of 1km. It then remains strong in the river bed for a while before fading. This initially led us to believe that Fangs was becoming the new Judges, with the locals making improvements and essentially a new pass.. This is not the case but the path also is strong heading up the Mbundini ridge. and I am not sure how far it goes and how well travelled .
There is also a large dagga field in the area between the two waterfalls, but at the moment it’s full of weeds and may have been burnt recently.
Personally I feel that this is still a dagga growing area and this is their major activity, hence the good paths. They probably keep the mules up in the pass area to hide them and stop them from wandering.
Perhaps we can hear something about Mbundini from someone.
Personally, I would have thanked the local for his advice and pushed on anyway, allowing ourselves to be intimidated in our own backyard is just going to make us victims eventually. We have as much right to the berg as they do, probably a bit more because our activities happen to be legal.
Friendly but firm is the way to go.

When we came down Fangs last weekend, we spotted two locals some way above the waterfall at the split between Mdundini and Fangs. We were in the river boulder hopping, when the one guy whistled at us and showed us where the path leads onto the grassy slopes. Extremely helpful and friendly, we would've missed the path completely. We saw some shovels further along the path, obviously they were working something. The same guy came walking past us numerous times, with loaded donkeys, and then again without donkeys. up and down. A family also passed us, a mom with a baby on the back, guy with a panga, two loaded donkeys and a dog. Also some yougsters passed us further down. lots of activity and donkeys, but everyone extremely friendly and smiling. Not asking us for anything. One guy asked if he could carry my friends pack to visitor centre because we looked tired to him. We didn't feel threathened at all.

Ok great, thanks for the info. Seems Fangs is safe and passable! Good to know.