Nkomazi patrons explore Mananga Mountain
The hike up the mountain allowed the hikers to enjoy the beautiful views and partake in conversations about tourism.
A cool breeze coupled with breathtaking scenery is what awaits at the top of the Mananga Mountain, 600m above sea level.
Nkomazi Local Municipality’s economic development and tourism department took patrons up it on an unforgettable hiking experience on September 13. The 13km hike left the ramblers in awe of the beautiful views from the top of the mountain.
The mountain also serves as a home for the encephalartos lebomboensis, also known as the Lebombo cycad, a species now so rare in the wild that it’s at risk of extinction.
This hiking activity was a build-up programme towards the provincial tourism awareness day celebration that was to be held at Masibekela Park the following day. The department’s director, Jerry Khoza, said he was happy with the turnout, from stakeholders and community members. “I am happy that people came out in their large number to join us for this beautiful experience. Most of us hiked all the way up and made it back, and there were no incidents. We want people to know about this gem and to understand that they can come and hike here anytime, it’s something that uplifts your spirit and clears your mind,” said Khoza.
He made a call on the top of the mountain for anyone with ideas on how it could be used for tourism benefits in the area, and the capital to do so.
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“Tourism is one of the key areas when it comes to economic development and job creation. This is such a beautiful mountain and there’s a rock up here that is strategically placed. A small hotel up here and bungee jumping activities would attract a number of people into the area. We have a number of establishments where people can bring investments to bring even more tourists so we could create even more jobs for the people of Nkomazi. As it stands, people only go to Mbuzini to see the Samora Machel Monument and nothing else. We could have a very nice boat cruise at Masibekela Park, but nothing is happening in terms of activities. We call on anyone with investment and ideas to come to our office so we can further discuss how to make these attractions more enjoyable for the people of Mpumalanga and beyond,” he added.
The hikers enjoyed some monkey oranges and learning more about the mountain.
