Berg Alert 2025
07 Jan 2025 07:31 - 09 Jan 2025 07:52 #79420
by intrepid
This is the place for all updates, incidents and observations relating to security issues in the Drakensberg in 2025.
The kind of thing which should be reported here:
* new incidents of theft, mugging or any kind of verbal or physical intimidation (whether it is experienced first-hand, seen in the media, or heard through the grape vine).
* new observations of the activities of shepherds, smugglers and other parties, especially as it concerns the safety of visitors to the Berg.
The purpose of this thread is to maintain a true picture of what is happening in the Berg, to keep a concerned Berg community informed, and to create a healthy awareness of security issues which will help others avoid problems. It is not the intention to create a media hype or undue negative publicity for the Berg, nor to harm tourism the area, and definitely not to create prejudice against the Basotho and other locals living in the area. The traits that lead to crime and other security- related incidents in the Berg are traits that are common to human nature in general and are not tied to a specific culture or nation.
We advise visitors to the Berg to take the security issues seriously - but rather than being alarmed and avoiding going there, we want people to be informed on what the issues are exactly and how they occur - and to make decisions accordingly. We want people to keep hiking in the Berg.
We also encourage people to appreciate the cultures of the local people that can be encountered in the Berg and even to learn some local words and phrases. Wherever possible let your encounters with the locals be friendly and interactive. Many encounters can be very rewarding. If you do find yourself in a tense situation, do your utmost to maintain respect and stay calm. Some helpful notes on Basotho culture have been written for hikers and travellers .
For a complete list of historical Berg Alert threads running since 2008, please see this link .
Known, relevant issues during recent years:
Injisuthi: Sadly the Injisuthi escarpment is now featured on this list because of 2 incidents in 2024. Problems have occurred in the past, but going back a fairly long time, so this could be considered a "new" trend. Gear was stolen during the night from a group of hikers camping in tents inside Upper Injisuthi Cave. Rocks were also hurled by shepherds at a group of hikers descending Leslies Pass. Interactions with locals in this area might be strange or somewhat intimidating in nature as has also been reported. Caution is advised if you are hiking there.
Road to Injisuthi: Youths on the side of the road may beg for handouts. Road blockages may sometimes be set up in order to compel motorists to stop, at which they may be harassed for handouts. This seems to occur particularly at the cattle grid. These are long standing issues which are ongoing. Incidents were reported in 2022. We are not certain if anything happened 2023-2024. There have been reports of stones being thrown at cars when handouts are not received.
Mzimude / Walker's Peak area: A very serious incident occurred in 2023 in which two hikers on a Grand Traverse were brutally attacked and robbed of some gear. The incident occurred during the day while they were hiking, whereas many previous incidents of this nature have happened at night. This is the first security incident in this part of the Berg, that we are aware of, since the start of Berg Alert in 2008.
Amphitheatre and Khubedu Valley: Raiding of tents at the Tugela Falls and surrounds in an old issue which is ongoing. Intimidation for handouts also occurs in the area, including the Chain Ladders, which has been known to result in stone-throwing. There was a nasty incident in the Khubedu Valley during 2016 which received a lot of publicity - the details of this incident can be read on this thread . There have been reports of hikers encountering individuals from the Lesotho Defence Force in the area, who sometimes ask to see passports, and there have also been cases where the hikers were harassed by them. The last reported incident of this nature was around 2019. Hikers venturing onto the escarpment may want to carry their passports on them.
Mbundini area: tented camps have been attacked and raided at night, particularly at the unmarked pass overlooking Madonna And Her Worshippers, near Rat Hole Cave. The last reported incident occurred in 2018. Hopefully this trend will quieten down, but we are leaving this warning here for some time still because of the serious nature of these incidents which could still happen again. Security problems in the Berg can persist in a specific area over a very long period of time, albeit at a low incidence rate.
Ntonjelana Pass: during the December 2018-January 2019 period two different hiking groups encountered a group of 3 armed individuals claiming to be from the Lesotho Defence Force in the general escarpment area near the top of Ntonjelana Pass. It appears this type of incident has not reoccurred and it may be time to remove this report here (can anyone confirm please?).
Rhino Peak / Mashai Pass / Bollard Pass: Periodically we hear reports of intimidation and rock throwing by shepherds. The most recent incident was reported in 2021.
Giants Pass (Giants Castle): In 2021 a group was chased from their tents by gunshot and their tents were raided. This area went through a troubling period between ~2004-2008 and had been relatively quiet until this recent incident.
For more information read through General Security Precautions , and also read this post on the security issues around the Amphitheatre as well as the Mbundini area - included is a map indicating where the problems are occurring.
Take nothing but litter, leave nothing but a cleaner Drakensberg.
Berg Alert 2025 was created by intrepid
This is the place for all updates, incidents and observations relating to security issues in the Drakensberg in 2025.
The kind of thing which should be reported here:
* new incidents of theft, mugging or any kind of verbal or physical intimidation (whether it is experienced first-hand, seen in the media, or heard through the grape vine).
* new observations of the activities of shepherds, smugglers and other parties, especially as it concerns the safety of visitors to the Berg.
The purpose of this thread is to maintain a true picture of what is happening in the Berg, to keep a concerned Berg community informed, and to create a healthy awareness of security issues which will help others avoid problems. It is not the intention to create a media hype or undue negative publicity for the Berg, nor to harm tourism the area, and definitely not to create prejudice against the Basotho and other locals living in the area. The traits that lead to crime and other security- related incidents in the Berg are traits that are common to human nature in general and are not tied to a specific culture or nation.
We advise visitors to the Berg to take the security issues seriously - but rather than being alarmed and avoiding going there, we want people to be informed on what the issues are exactly and how they occur - and to make decisions accordingly. We want people to keep hiking in the Berg.
We also encourage people to appreciate the cultures of the local people that can be encountered in the Berg and even to learn some local words and phrases. Wherever possible let your encounters with the locals be friendly and interactive. Many encounters can be very rewarding. If you do find yourself in a tense situation, do your utmost to maintain respect and stay calm. Some helpful notes on Basotho culture have been written for hikers and travellers .
For a complete list of historical Berg Alert threads running since 2008, please see this link .
Known, relevant issues during recent years:
Injisuthi: Sadly the Injisuthi escarpment is now featured on this list because of 2 incidents in 2024. Problems have occurred in the past, but going back a fairly long time, so this could be considered a "new" trend. Gear was stolen during the night from a group of hikers camping in tents inside Upper Injisuthi Cave. Rocks were also hurled by shepherds at a group of hikers descending Leslies Pass. Interactions with locals in this area might be strange or somewhat intimidating in nature as has also been reported. Caution is advised if you are hiking there.
Road to Injisuthi: Youths on the side of the road may beg for handouts. Road blockages may sometimes be set up in order to compel motorists to stop, at which they may be harassed for handouts. This seems to occur particularly at the cattle grid. These are long standing issues which are ongoing. Incidents were reported in 2022. We are not certain if anything happened 2023-2024. There have been reports of stones being thrown at cars when handouts are not received.
Mzimude / Walker's Peak area: A very serious incident occurred in 2023 in which two hikers on a Grand Traverse were brutally attacked and robbed of some gear. The incident occurred during the day while they were hiking, whereas many previous incidents of this nature have happened at night. This is the first security incident in this part of the Berg, that we are aware of, since the start of Berg Alert in 2008.
Amphitheatre and Khubedu Valley: Raiding of tents at the Tugela Falls and surrounds in an old issue which is ongoing. Intimidation for handouts also occurs in the area, including the Chain Ladders, which has been known to result in stone-throwing. There was a nasty incident in the Khubedu Valley during 2016 which received a lot of publicity - the details of this incident can be read on this thread . There have been reports of hikers encountering individuals from the Lesotho Defence Force in the area, who sometimes ask to see passports, and there have also been cases where the hikers were harassed by them. The last reported incident of this nature was around 2019. Hikers venturing onto the escarpment may want to carry their passports on them.
Mbundini area: tented camps have been attacked and raided at night, particularly at the unmarked pass overlooking Madonna And Her Worshippers, near Rat Hole Cave. The last reported incident occurred in 2018. Hopefully this trend will quieten down, but we are leaving this warning here for some time still because of the serious nature of these incidents which could still happen again. Security problems in the Berg can persist in a specific area over a very long period of time, albeit at a low incidence rate.
Ntonjelana Pass: during the December 2018-January 2019 period two different hiking groups encountered a group of 3 armed individuals claiming to be from the Lesotho Defence Force in the general escarpment area near the top of Ntonjelana Pass. It appears this type of incident has not reoccurred and it may be time to remove this report here (can anyone confirm please?).
Rhino Peak / Mashai Pass / Bollard Pass: Periodically we hear reports of intimidation and rock throwing by shepherds. The most recent incident was reported in 2021.
Giants Pass (Giants Castle): In 2021 a group was chased from their tents by gunshot and their tents were raided. This area went through a troubling period between ~2004-2008 and had been relatively quiet until this recent incident.
For more information read through General Security Precautions , and also read this post on the security issues around the Amphitheatre as well as the Mbundini area - included is a map indicating where the problems are occurring.
Take nothing but litter, leave nothing but a cleaner Drakensberg.
Last edit: 09 Jan 2025 07:52 by intrepid.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Serious tribe, DeonS, firephish, Smurfatefrog, grae22, Super_mil, riaan300
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