Injisuthi security

I think it is a case of rather turn a blind eye, then it is less paper work for them.

@intrepid: An important thing I learned about the Saharan experience was that knowledge of activity in the central Sahara was held by three categories of people: the smugglers, a hand full (no more) of local officials in remote outposts and the tourists. Like the higher parts of the KZN Drakensberg, the central Sahara is uninhabited. Tourists in the Sahara and hikers in the Drakensberg alike are in possession of the best set of observations of the illicit action. The officials in office blocks, the law enforcement people, the diplomats and so on have all, for the most part, never put a foot in the zone of action. They have a very poor grasp of what is going on there. And the local officials are mostly paid off.

There is, of course, cause and effect going on here. The Drakensberg has been picked as the best (one of the best) place(s) to get contraband across the border. And its the best place because most people, never mind the officials, ever go there. The risk of being caught is very low. As hikers and climbers we probably overlook some obvious points. For us to steam up to Centenary Hut and on to Corner Pass is a bit of fun. For urban law enforcers it is an impossibilitiy. Doing so at night is madness.

So, if evidence of the smuggling activity is to be brought to the attention of the authorities, we are the group of people most likely to be able and willing to do so. As noted, it has to be very carefully done and it has to be passed on very carefully to a chosen set of people. The very best form of evidence, I think, would be video footage of one of those long smuggling trains. At least for starters.

There is a risk but also a long term trade off in tackling this. The risk is obviously the safety of the hikers. For now it is easier to share a laugh with the passing smugglers. The long term trade off lies in the fact that without confronting the smuggling, activity will escalate, it will distort local economies and change the nature of the Berg for many years. Smuggling is easier to confront now than next year or the year after.

Sorry guys for the delay. I forgot to be asked to be notified for any replies.

To Serious Tribe ( Post #1939 ): That's exactly the ridge I'm talking about. From Centenary Hut only the first "bump" of the ridge is visible. If you were in Centenary Hut right now you could see the path the smugglers were using/making coming from that "bump".

But one image is word a thousand words:



To Gollum ( Post #1940 ): I'm assumming that's the way the smugglers use up and down from / to the hut. That said, we didn't see which way they went down.

To SeriousTribe2 ( Post #1941 ): If you look at Serious Tribe's image it's very unlikely the smugglers would create a higher contour path to get to the "bump" of the ride I'm referring to. My guess is they were coming from Corner Pass. But I agree it doesn't make much sense when Judge's is a far easier option.

@mmt-tiska.
I think the sahara route issue is pretty adequately covered by the CIA, based on the fact that it is a conduit for goods funding terrorism, their recent haul being something to whistle at.
I dont think we are going to be seeing them here anytime soon though, unless anyone has spotted OBL lurking in one of the Drak caves recently!

@homeranya
Thanks for the reply. Reason for asking is that I do recall 'Anthony' having once asked "if anyone had noticed a path heading off towards Judge side when one is about to enter corner gully proper?" This point is way higher than the point where the contour path intersects the base of the pass proper, and I thought it may be a link. One can still cut a contour from the top of the ridge above Centenary. If these guys are in fact using the Corner Pass Saddle route, then hats off to them. John Hone says that the entry/exit at the saddle is difficult, not to mention how steep the ridge ascending to it becomes.

Still, good obs. As Intrepid says, the reports are forwarded to the relevent parties. Keep them coming and report only to those who count, and are not likely to be turning a blind eye, or are in some way involved.

This area is on my next trip agenda. Have something I need to check out there.

What state is the Centenary Hut in at the moment??

Hi Serioustribe2- I'm not going to say much more about the Sahara as it will take us even further off topic. But there is some really interesting material on the Sahara Travel Forum under a thread called 'Snow in the Sahara'. Unfortunately the CIA have no traction in the area and the local nation states won't have the Americans there. The French did send an agent to trace the serial numbers on the 727 and he ended up being kidnapped for months. The Sahara reference, as you will have gathered, was just a parallel for us to consider. Don't be surprised, though, if the stuff descending the passes from Lesotho is now more than regular dope. Word on easy border crossings spreads fast.

On Centenary Hut, I somehow wish that the thing hadn't ever been constructed, much as I can see how hard people worked on it. In another era it would have been fantastic. But it was a mess of broken glass last time I was there.

On 20-10-2010 the hut was surprisingly clean, apart from the main area which is full of bird s**t. Somebody has obviously been doing some work recently. There's hardly any glass left on the windows and the ceiling is mostly gone too. All in all, it's looking more hospitable than I've ever seen it.

I agree that the hut should have never been built but now that is there it would be great if KZN Wildlife fixed it up. The excuse as usual: no money.

homearanya wrote:

On 20-10-2010 the hut was surprisingly clean, There's hardly any glass left on the windows and the ceiling is mostly gone too.

Good to hear that the glass is gone and that the state of the hut has improved. By ceiling, do you mean the outer roof? I remember studying it when I was there last - it was one of the few bits that no one had managed to break off and steal.

I think the main problem with the hut was that it was too elaborate. A simple shelter would have been better. That said, it is a great location, particularly for those, like me, who almost never carry a tent.

It seems strange that they would make use of Corner Pass, given what we all know to be a difficult pass. However it is a relatively quiet area so i can see the desire to use it. Someone is going to have to go and have a look and report back.