There is no doubt that if you were searching for the ultimate partner in the Survivor Maputaland series, Gibson Mkhize would be the man to keep you fit, fat and flourishing, while the other contenders faded into skinny, squabbling versions of their former selves.
As the game-viewing vehicle shudders to a halt, Mkhize (a sprightly 62-year-old grandfather) springs from the driver’s seat and walks into the veld. He ferrets around some bushes for a few minutes and returns with a handful of spikey, black seed pods.
”You see these seeds, guys, these are from the castor-oil bush. In the olden days, when I was a boy we used these for making a kind of Vaseline. Our mothers took the riper seeds and put them in a pot of hot water and it made a substance to put on your skin.”
Mkhize, a guide for the Rocktail Beach Camp in Maputaland, in northern KwaZulu-Natal and close to Mozambique, was born and raised in the area and is a veritable encyclopedia on traditional uses for its cornucopia of flora.
It is knowledge he delights in sharing with the camp’s guests, staging impromptu skits to demonstrate the use of various seeds, leaves or fruits from the sugary-sweet delight of wild dates, custard apricots or umphofa — ”a nice fruit, but you have to keep on munching and be careful not to swallow the pips,” he says, mimicking the exaggerated jaw movements one needs to eat the tough fruit — to the small leaves of the ”flat crown”, which creates a lather when agitated in cold water and can be used to wash clothes.
For construction purposes the lala palm’s stringy leaves can be shredded and twisted into ropes for building, or woven into handbags or baskets. The plant also provides the essential ingredient for an intoxicating palm wine.
”People are curious,” Mkhize says. ”I love this [job], it gives me new experiences every day. I am learning about different people from all over the world and I can teach them about things they haven’t known or haven’t seen before.”
But it is only recently that Mkhize realised his penchant for storytelling and sharing the knowledge of a lifetime. For 33 years he worked as a petrol-pump attendant and coordinator at a Johannesburg petrol station before the company changed ownership and he lost his job in 2003.
There was scant opportunity for employment in rural Maputaland and it was only last year when Mkhize answered an advert calling for guides at the recently launched Rocktail Beach Camp that he found himself gainfully employed again.
The camp employs 30 people from Mpukane, a local village, and has a 50-50 partnership with the community in Gugulesizwe — a small but unpretentious cultural village and adventure centre, which offers horse riding and quad biking.
”From the onset tourism made a huge difference to the community,” says Mkhize. ”It gave people money in their pockets because they were given temporary jobs building the camp.
”We never thought we would be working next to our homes; it gave us some chances. I am very, very happy to be here, to see my kids and listen to what they have to say. At my age it is much better if I am around here.”
The region also has a wealth of natural treasures to offer guests who want to take a walk on the wild side without getting their feet too dirty. The Isimangaliso (Greater St Lucia) Wetland Park is a world heritage site that spans a range of ecological zones including forested dunes, wetlands, beaches and woodlands.
The birding is excellent with an abundance of coastal forest species from the green twinspot to the rufous-bellied heron. Reedbuck are commonly found in the marshes and grassland, and the forested areas are home to red duiker.
Offshore, the Maputaland Marine Reserve offers diving among unspoilt reefs and whales and dolphins are frequently spotted. Even paddling in the deeper rock pools with a snorkel and goggle can offer small thrills. On the day I snorkelled we spotted an octopus, a couple of electric rays and schools of fluorescent fish. Sundowners were enjoyed on the banks of Lake Sibaya, watching hippos wallow in the shallow waters just a few metres away.
But the most exciting reasons by far to visit the area is the chance of spotting hatchling loggerhead and leatherback turtles emerging from their nests and taking their first tentative waddle into the crashing waves of the rough and ready seas.
Reader special
Rocktail Beach Camp is offering readers of the Mail & Guardian a special rate for the month of April.
R950 per adult per night sharing
R350 per child per night under the age of 14 years sharing with an adult
Single guest R1 540 per night
This includes dinner, bed and breakfast and is valid for South African citizens only. Contact Safari & Adventure Co and mention that you are an M&G reader.
Getting there
Guests can drive from Johannesburg (about eight-and-a-half hours) or from Durban (five to six hours). Please note that guests not travelling in 4×4 vehicles require scheduled transfers from Coastal Cashews to the camp. Safari & Adventure Co can also arrange a light aircraft charter at an additional cost for guests who prefer to fly.
For further information, call Safari & Adventure Co on 011 257 5111 or visit www.safariadventurecompany.com. For more information on Rocktail Beach Camp, visit www.rocktailbay.com.
Lisa Johnston was a guest of Rocktail Beach Camp