Leisure Wheels – September 2019

VOETSPOREDIARY #107 Johan Badenhorst

Johan Badenhorst is probably South Africa’s

best-known overlander, with his amazing adventures

televised on SABC2. He also knows a lot about

patience – probably the best attribute if you plan

on travelling the African continent.

V

oetspore in India recently

concluded on SABC2. It was

an eventful journey on the

subcontinent, giving the

Voetspore guys a unique experience of

a journey outside the African continent.

But there is always a yearning to return to

Africa. It was decided, this time, not to

travel just in Africa, but to restrict the

journey to within the borders of our

own country.

Voetspore in South Africa goes by the

acronym ViSA. The strange part is that

this journey requires no visas, not even a

passport. We thought it best to go off the

beaten track in South Africa.

There is a certain danger in doing this

journey. Over the past two decades viewers

became used to the fact that the locations

visited by Voetspore are often exquisite and

OFF THEY GO

VOETSPORE IN SOUTH AFRICA

The Voetspore convoy has travelled

far and wide throughout the years

but for their next adventure they’ve

decided to remain entirely within the

borders of South Africa.

leisurewheels.co.za

sometimes dangerous. Travelling inside

South Africa only, for three months nogal,

may be a little boring, said some. But we

don’t think so. We believe there are many

places worth a second or third visit, and

there are hundreds of places never or

seldom seen on television. These are the

locations we are looking for. South Africa

off the beaten track.

With this as our aim, there is probably no

better place to start than in the Kalahari in

the Northern Cape.

We set off for a small corner on the

border of Namibia, close to the Kgalagadi

National Park. This is a place of extremes:

in summer, unbearably hot; in winter,

freezing cold. But it is a region of

exceptional beauty with red Kalahari sand

dunes dotted by camel thorn and

shepherd’s trees.

The region has suffered severely over the

past five to six years with a drought that

refused to release its grip. Farmers had to

move their livestock elsewhere. Many of the

game died. Yet it remains one of the most

beautiful places in South Africa. The 4×

route through the dunes to Pulai and

Cammspannen was a serious challenge for

our team of three V8 Cruisers.

Voetspore is always something of a

compromise between weight and ability.

We travel for three months at a time and

this means we need to pack everything,

including the kitchen sink. Yet, the vehicles

sometimes need to negotiate serious

off-road terrain.

From Cammspannen we travelled south

to Rietfontein to be entertained by the Groot

Mier and Philandersbron community. It is

here, at Hakskeenpan, where the next land

speed record attempt will take place with

Project Bloodhound. This project has been

in the making for many years. It is now close

to completion, with the rocket car set to

drive on the pan in October, aiming for 500

miles per hour. Later, they aim for it to be

the first car to break the sound barrier. It is a

fascinating project.

At Rietfontein, there is the added

advantage of getting Gertruida Bot to cook

you probably the best tripe in the

Northern Cape.

Before continuing south to the Orange

River, we travelled east along the

Kuruman River. We visited a number of

farmers who directly benefited from the

Kalahari West and East Pipeline, laid in

the 1980s and ’90s, providing fresh water to

the farmers in this buffer zone between

South Africa and Botswana.

10 SEPTEMBER 2019