MALOPENE CAMP

[steamtrainfan]

I have some old plates from the Kruger Park and on the reverse is a map which shows a camp just north west of Letaba called Malopene. This map does not show camps such as Lower Sabie, Malelane, Crocodile Bridge and Olifants yet Malopene is shown. On todays map I cannot see Malopene anywhere. Can anyone explain if there was such a camp as Malopene and if there was what is it now. I look forward to receiving some interesting replies.

[GlenD]

This was a rest camp/entrance gate slightly north of todays Phalaborwa entrance gate.
Why it was demolished would be interesting to know.

[steamtrainfan]

Thanks very much Glen79. Anyone know the reasons as to wht it was demolished.

[ndloti]

I think it was an entry gate as well as a camp and that Phalaborwa replaced it .
I think the Mahlangeni section ranger station is now in the same location n.

[Imberbe]

Malopeni / Malopene (at the Honey badger) is a tributary of the Letaba river. It gave its name to Malopeni, an old entrance gate giving access from Tzaneen, which was replaced during 1960 by Phalaborwa gate. It was also a small camp, which later became an outpost. But it burnt down during a veld fire and was closed down.

[Bennievis]

I remember my parents often referred to Malopene Gate and it is nice to hear the name again. Apparently the access road to Malopene Gate was something terrible and you were lucky if your car was still in one piece when you get there. I believe that I too went through Malopene gate giving my age away but I cannot remember that far back.

[hfglen]

I remember leaving Kruger through Malopene when I was knee-high to a grasshopper. It was small and very primitive, and sticks in my mind 55 years later because it had long-drop loos disinfected with (I think) calcium chloride -- and STANK! I for one was not sorry to see it go.

But on the other side of the coin, what became of Gorge camp (later Gorge picnic site, then vanished)?

[Bennievis]

Thank you Chip! I doubt that even SANParks will have this map in their archives.
On closer inspection -
*Phalaborwa did not even exist then.
*Leydsdorp features very prominantly in the map. The Leydsorp hotel must have been popular in those days as a pit stop, not to mention the bar in the baobab tree
*Dutch spelling for Potgietersrus(t).
*Pigrimsrest more prominent than Graskop.
Very interesting map and I am sure worth much more today than the 25c in the 1940's

[Chip]

Hi Bennievis, I actually showed William Mabasa and Dr. Mkize the map a few years ago and William made a photo copy of it as, I think he said, a fire had destroyed old records of theirs some time in the past.
Glad you enjoyed it.

[Nungu]

If you zoom in north of Phalaborwa (Google Earth) you can clearly see a dirt road entering the Park, it continuous for a few km's where it joins another road. This could perhaps be the Malopene road or whats left of it? Is it still in use by officials perhaps? Interesting...

it links up with the S131 a couple of kms before the Ngwenyeni windmill... but if you look at the "gate" itself, I can't see any remains of a camp or gate or any other type of structure....

What was the gate like in those days? Were the structures destroyed or did the boundaries of Kruger change (not in this area that I'm aware of)

[hfglen]

The ancient memory I'm drawing on is that at least some of the buildings were held together by the termites holding hands.
Guess they'd have gotten tired eventually but it wouldn't take much to remove a wood-and-iron structure without trace.

[Bennievis]

Hi Nungu,

Thank you for the images! Yes one can clearly see the road. The gate area almost looks as if it could be a landing strip of sorts.

[mountainview]

Notice also the huge area to the north and east of the Shangoni Area which has been removed from Kruger.

MV

[Imberbe]

Had an interesting talk with someone who grew up in Shingwedzi and is now already retired after working 40 plus years for KNP.

He spoke about Malopene gate as their main gate.

It is indeed on the road indicated above.

It was only a gate, with no camp attached.

It was closed and replaced by Phalaborwa gate, after Phalaborwa town started, due to the huge and still functioning mine at Phalaborwa.

[Chip]

No Imberbe, you have got it wrong.

Malopene was a gate camp. I went through that gate on a few occasions when booked in at Letaba and saw the small camp.

On my map I posted on the previous page, you can see Malopene camp and if you scroll down to the end, it describes Malopene camp as having 15 beds and you could purchase petrol & oil there.

In 'A Dictionary of Kruger National Park Place Names' by J J Kloppers & Hans Bornman, Malopeni, as it is now spelt, was described as "Entrance gate, small rest camp (no longer in use) and borehole, 11km north of Phalaborwa"