Berg Alert 2016

Hi Gkotzee,

It's not clear exactly where in the valley below Fangs Pass Jody and his group were camping, but if you assume it was around Madonna and Her Worshippers, and you were 300 m from Mbundini Pass you were within 1.5 km of where the attack occurred. If it was more opposite Fangs Pass where they were camping it is about 3 km from where you were. Scary that Richard Hunt mentions an almost identical 'unreported' attack in that same area a few months ago.

Thanks, is a solution to the issue not to get Basutho guides for escarpment hikes? Similar to those offered by the Mnweni Hiking Centre?

@AdrianT

I like the idea of improving comms throughout the Berg but unfortunately our radio network is kept private for security reasons. There are a number of new satellite-based products now such as Spot3 etc that have sos buttons. They do weigh a bit though although they are getting lighter all the time. The issue is battery life although solar charging options are getting much lighter now too. To all those techies out there - why not let us know about options for hikers that allows for instant transmission of co-ords for emergencies?

The unreported attack was on a hike during the 13th to 17th February, led by John Pickup, from Royal Natal to Cathedral. They were camping in the Madonna area and in the early hours of the morning Natasha Williams was attacked in her tent by a Basothu wearing blanket and gumboots. The flysheet was pulled off and the inner tent cut and an attempt was made to roll the tent over. Food was stolen. Her screams awoke the others who chased the attacker off. It is not known if there was more than one attacker. Christine Pickup's report was supposed to appear in the last MBC magazine but may appear in a future edition.

Gkotzee wrote: Thanks, is a solution to the issue not to get Basutho guides for escarpment hikes? Similar to those offered by the Mnweni Hiking Centre?

Great idea and something I am trying to figure out. I have offered "opportunities" to 4 individuals already. This will include training, a qualification, and potentially freelance employment. In every case I got a great big "yes thank you" smile only to be let down the next day.

I agree this is a solution if the right people can be identified. Sadly it appears I have no clue how to do that. Lol

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

Hy,
In the area where I live, I am used now to hike with my dog, not because of security issues but because that is a true good pleasure, for him and for me, and really you are feeling yourself very safe you alone with him in the tent, and he is not a Ridgeback. Furthermore he is carrying his own part of weight for his food and water.

Hello all

I'm one of the guys attacked on the night of the 23rd reported by Jody.
I have been advised by concerned loved ones to avoid posting as I'm still in hospital and the ordeal is very much still part of every waking hour.

I think the discussions that we are having on this forum are relevant and that they could contribute to informed decision making especially during the planning phase of a trip. I don't think that there is much to be gained by disecting the actual event into "could have" or "should have" discussions. It has happened and at the time the only option was for survival. My wounds are testament to this.

When I am better I will be happy to engage on the topic and supply specifics that could be of value. I believe that this incident should be used as a springboard for more meaningful discussions with concerned parties and elevated to a strategic level where decisions can be made. We cannot leave the safety of individuals to chance and we cannot assume that this problem will go away.

Thank you for the support and concern shown by many and thank you for your enthusiasm to engage on the matter.

I look forward to working on this challenge collectively.

Dave Moldenhauer

This is terrible news, and I hope those involved recover soon.

From the description of the Khubedu river, it seems that I camped at roughly the same spot over the Easter weekend and again just days before the attack, the night of 18 April, our first night of the GT. Its scary to think that we missed the attack by just days!

Over Easter we were very aware of so much more shepherds around than normal. As we walked they would come down from the peaks where they had been watching us, to ask for sweets and smokes. There is no way one can camp unnoticed, they watched us all the time. As they blend in with the surroundings in their brown blankets, one cannot even see where they are.

During the GT, there were less shepherds, but still quite a few daily. Luckily we had no incidents at night. We were always friendly to the shepherds and gave them sweets and tried to chat with them, however, most of them cannot speak english.