The Oubaas Trail - Smuts Koppie

20 Pages·1998·3.676 MB·English

by  Howard Savage, Cheryl Dehning, Bob Dehning

SMUTS HOUSE MUSEUM
"THE OUBAAS TRAIL"
SMUTS KOPPIE
Oubaas Trail Information Senes: No. 4
INTRODUCTION
"IN LOVE OF THE LAND AND THE DESIRE TO PROTECT IT,I S
FOUND THE TRUE PATRIOTISIN'- J C SMUTS
The Oubaas Trail is a circular route of 2.4km.
Butl
You can stdde in time, back to an era when all you can see today was home to the herds
of grazers and browsers.
Or,
you can go back furlher still to when, where you are now, was the scene of past climatic
changes; events that have left behind the beetle and the plants like driftwood at the high
water mark.
As you scramble over the rocks, take a stride back 2 billion years to when, what is now
Irene, was in the centre of a large sea-basin, and wonder at what forces were unleashed
to transform the sandy seabed into rocks and raise them to 1509 metres above present sea
level.
This is where Smuts used to walk, to collat his thoughts, but mainly to restore his
balance when dealing with the huge national and international problems of his day. We
know from his writing, that although world-acclaimed as statesman, soldier, scholar and
scientist with a strong humanist component, it was to Nature that he turned for sanity and
solace.
On a visit to the Transkei territory in 1935, Jan Smuts said:
"l feel sad at the complete absence of game where once it abounded.
By living among beauty we treat it as commonplace.... We destroy
flowers, cut down forests, bum mountains, and in time, all is
destroyed. It is to the young generation l speak. I ask them to love
South Africa. I appeal to them to preserve the flora and fauna.
Humans are the most destructive creatures on earth"
Walk this trail with your senses sharpened. Note Ihe plants, the trees; hear the birds and
the age of the rocks Rejoice in the rough. the uphill, and at the top, add the sky and the
weather. See the whole - feel whole yourself. Discover Holism where it started - in Nature,
And
il you are young, run, walk, skip, stop and inspect. Be free and know that this place will be
here for your children.
PLEASE DO NOT STRAY FROM THE PATH OR PICK WILD FLOWERS
YOU MAY CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE VELD
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THE (' t6-hit:II4I. >Il1UTSF OU!Vol I fOI'J
Information Series: No. 4 Oubaas Trail
PLACE OF QUIET
"THIS PLACE OF QUIET IS DEDICATED TO ALL WHO IN
SILENCE, SEEK PEACE AND HARMONY FOR ALL MANKIND.'
'BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD."
The Place of Quiet was inspired by
Guy Brathwaite, the first Chairman of the ' p'<', I
General Smuts Foundation, who bought the +~™ ~~ ,
Big House, in 1960, from the Smuts family, ~
and foundedt he Smuts House Museum as
a living memorial to Jan Smuts. The simple
lynch-gate structure was designed by s )
Director of the General Smuts Foundation,
Arthur Gordon-Ellis.
It was built as a place of meditation for
people of all faiths, and none, who come to
Doornkloof, and who, like Jan Smuts,
acknowledge, quite simply,one divine
source of all our being.
At the dedication ceremony in I971, Guy Brathwaite's widow, Sheila, expressed the hope
that the Place of Quiet would ensure 'that as people pass this way up to this lovely koppie,
where their thoughts will roam to General Smuts, our beloved South Africa and all the things
we hope for here, they will pause, and in this setting will be brought to realise the true
source of all our success. May these thoughts which are generated in this spot go forth for
the blessing of our country.'
MARKER 1: THE MYSTERY OF OUR FLORA
IS PART OF A LARGER MYSTERY
OFTHlSGLOBE - J CSMUTS
These layers of dolomite and chert were sandy
seabeds over 2 billion years ago, during an era
called Precambrian. This sea, which was probably
shallow, relatively quiet and had clear and warm
waters, covered a large basin extending from
Zeerust in the west to Nslspruit in the east. Contrary
lo more recent geological formations, these rocks l
have preserved very little record of life existing in
those very ancient limes. thtas there indeed any
plani or snimai ororharliving organism on iha Eanh i ~ 4
2 billion years ago? Probably, but the geologists
have not been able to establish their exact nature.
The dolomite is easily recognised by ils uniformly,
dull grey colour and its rough surfaces, which feel like sand paper when touched. Because
of its grey colour and its wrinkled and crackled appearance, il is easy to understand why lhe
exterior surlace of dolomite is described as "elephant skin".
THE GENERAL SMUTS FOUNOATION
Oubaas Trail Information Series: No. 4
Sandwiched in the dolomite, the chert layers are generally thinner and more variable in
colour, dark grey to almost black, brown to khaki. Those layers capping the dolomite are
very rough, contorted and pitted, all features resulting from the action of rain, wind and other
atmospehric agents.
The characteristics of the dolomite and chert seen on this outcrop can be observed
throughout the whole trail, and once the eye has become more used to them, they are easy
to recognise. The dolomite and chert form part of a whole series of rocks called Transvaal
Sequence which is more than 2000m thick.
One wonders at the cataclysmic events that raised them 1600m above present sea level.
On your way to the next marker you are walking through a plantation consisting of alien
Eucalypts (blue gurrx ) and Pine trees, These trees were introduced to South Africa lor Iheir
timber, as they are last growing, but with a high demand for water thus drying out their
immediate surroundings.
The Eucalypts, with their sweet scented flowers, much favoured by bees which produce
exceftent honey, were planted by Jan Smuts and the timber harvested for mine props.
Mrs Smuts arranged for the Irst few Wattle trees to be planted because she liked their
bright yellow flowers, as in her time the propagation of indigenous trees was not common
The Black Wattle is a very serious alien invader tree of grasslands, forests and
watercourses. The trees live for about ten years and then fall over, in the cleared patch,
thousands of saplings grow and cause heavy infestations which are difficult to eradicate,
as their seeds are viable for up to5 0 years. When grown in controlled conditions, the bark
ia used for the production of tannin used in the leather industry. Black wattle is classified
as a Declared Invader and must be kept in control by Ihe landowner.
The Wamle and Eucalypts trees also release chemical compounds into the soil which
suppresses competition from other plants.
Some of the mature Pine trees are dying naturally
of old age as they have not, since Jan Smuts'death,
been harvested as intended.
lt is now the trend in South Africa to eradicate
these trees in favour of the less invasive and much
less water-consuming indigenous species. These
alien trees also have a habit of spreading from the
areas where they have been planted. Here on
Smuts Koppie the Eucalypts, Pine and Wattle trees
seem to be marching up the hill. Conservationists
would say that that is precisely what they are doing.
They are invading!
The indigenous undergrowth in these alien-
infested areas has started Io recover in some pisces
because thec anopy isn ot as dense as once itw as.
You may see the yellow star-shaped flowers ol the Hypoxis hemerocalli dea
bulbous plant Hypoxis hernerocanidea Hypoxidaceae Gifbol
(yellow star-shaped flowers)
THE GENERAL SMU TS FOUNDA TION
Information Series: No. 4 Oubaas Trail
IIIIARKER 2
"BOTANY IS A GOOD COMPLEMENT TO BIRDING" -J C SINUTS
While the alien trees are not popular with conservationists, we would see far fewer bird
species at Doomkloof if they were not here. The trees provide food, shelter and breeding
sites for many species which would otherwise not have occurred or would have been quite
scarce in the Bankenveld vegetation.
You may be forlunate to see:
Laughing Dove
Cape White-eye
Cape Turtle Dove
Cardinal Woodpecker
Crested Barbet
Golden-tailed Woodpecker
Black-eyed Bulbul
Paradise Flycatcher
Black Sunbird
Grey4eaded Sparrow
Streaky-headed Canary Blackheaded Oriole
Blackheaded Oriole
The flowers of the Eucalypt trees attract bees and other insects which are preyed upon
by the Bee-eaters, Drongos and Flycatchers. Three members of the colourful Bee-eater
family occur in the Eucalypts: European Bee-eater (summer onfyj, Whltefronted Bee-eater
(throughout the year) and Swallow-tailed Bee-eater (winter only) .
Alien trees provide nest-holes for Barbets, Woodpeckers, Plum-coloured Starlings and
Grey-headed Sparrows. Honeyguides, like Cuckoos, are brood parasites which lay their
eggs in the nests of other birds. Two species found here, the Greater and the Lesser
Honeyguides, like to Iay their eggs in the nests of the hole-nesting species. Dead trees
provide favourable perches where birds can sun themsekres early in the lirst rays of the sun
- especially onmorningfsollowing cold or rainy nights.
Several birds of prey are attracted lo stands of alien trees. At Doornkloof the
Gymnogene, the Little, the Ovambo and the Black Sparrowhawks and the Gabar Goshawk,
have been recorded
These observations pose a dilemma for conservationists. II we remove all the aliens so
as to restore the veld to what il looked like in the previous century, we will lose some of the
bird species diversity which makes Doornkloof such an attractive spot for birds and birders.
But il we leave the aliens, we will have to wage a constant battle lo prevent their
encroaching on the natural vegetalion.
In due course we need to gradually phase out mosl of the alien trees, but this will only
be done once there areenoulg> indigenous Irees to provide food. shelter and nesting sites.
Perhaps we should leave some s4nds of non-invasive alien trees so lliat in future we will
still be able to experience the thnll ol seeing a Sparrowhawk swerving it~rough the trees in
h<gh-speed pursuit of its prey,
What do you think the right approach should be7
FHE GEAIERAL SAIIJTS FOIWl>~1 Tli)rv
Oubaas Trail Information Series: No. 4
NIARKER 3:
OUft PLANT COMMUNITIES ARE
TOUGH, RESISTIBLE ANG BRAVE
- J C SMUTS
Grassland is a very stable veld type.
Many of the plant species are resprouters
with ancient underground survival organs
pootstoctu tuuem and i!stook
Tks Smuts Koppie grassland is rare asit t iy 'ytPyr l'ntytey
is situated on a dolomitic outcrop. The "ttfrr.' Vf I/ t •
koppie is classiTied as Bankenveld'
vegetation as it occupies the transitional territory between two vegetation types; grassland
and bushveld. Bankenveld is characterized by tussocks of grasses interspersed with
clumps of trees. Examples of plan1 and insect life from both Grassland and Bushveld
Biornes are tound on the koppie. There is a great diversity of perennial plants and small
animals and birds, Ideally, the larger grazer mammals that are so important to Ihe proper
management ol grassland should be re-introduced.
You are now climbing over a succession of dolomite (the dull grey rock) and chert (the
brownish to dark grey layers). Beingm ore resistant to the erosion and weathering by
atmospheric agents, the roughly horizontal chert layers generally stand out as ridges within
the dotornite or form capping on top of it.
If one looks carefully, thin undula1ing lines can be seen in the dolomite, and rough~
circular features, similar to onions cut in half, can be recognised on top of the chert capping.
These features represent the so-calleds tromatolites, ancient algae that formed "mats" on
the seabed. They are one of the very few forms of fossil life known in Precambrian times.
These rocks with their crevices and warm
rr
r north facing aspect provide the ideal horne,
in Ihis area, for the Red-leaved Rock Fig
(Ffcusingens 'WFH 778). You will not find
this tree on rocks facing south, as it would
not survive the frosty highveld winters. The
new sp r ing I eav esa re red and turgn reen as
; klter
r I t '' ~gs~tftu.tt1tpa roi.p! . ' twhheeyn g rroodw-r ioPlde,earr. eTehaet elinttbley pmeaan-syiszePds cfiigess,
ol birds, as well as primates. The harmless
latex is used by country people as a
Ficus ingensM oraceae
Red-leaved Rock Fig i Rooiblaarvy
ln the warmer areas north of Pretoria,
Ficus ingens grows as a free-standing tree. In 1829 the missionary, Robert Moffat
described "a beautiful and gigantic tree" in Ihe Boshoek area in the Rustenburg district. that
was inhabiled by several native families in their aerial homes. In 1967 "the inhabited tree",
measured a height ol 15m and with a spread of 36m,
In spring and summer look out for the pinky-mauve clumps of trumpet-like flowers of the
Wild penstemon, (Graderia subintegra; 'WFH 594) growing close to the ground.
6 THE GENERAL SMUTS FOUNDA TION
Information Series: No. 4 Oubaas Trail
MARKER 4:
"SOME PLANTS HAVE ASSUMED STRANGE ANO
000 FORMS - A VERY SERIOUS NECESSITY OF
EXISTENCE" - J C SMUTS
f,
Look out for a plant that looks like a monkey's tail or I
'Bobbejaaitstert' (Xerophyfa ietinervis: WFH 176). The
flowers appear in earlys pring. They have a sweet perfume
and vary tn colour from blue to mauve and sometimes
white. The leaves are grass-like. What we see as a
blackened stem is really an extending root structure with a
shield of persistent leaf bases, often charred by fire. Many
of the plants on this koppie are especially adapted not only
to the climate, but also to fire, a natural occurrence in the
highveld winter. Just as a thick telephone directory is
di@cult to burn, so lhe tight Iaaf bases of the monkey's tail
protect the plant when a veld fire rages over the koppie,
You are now at the start of the loose chert area with its
random distribufion of small weathered boulders on the
surface and a good depth of soil.
From this point up to the top of Smuts Koppie, you will
be stumbling over chert boulders, as the dolomite seems to Xerophyfa retinervis
have disappeared. The chert boulders are now of brown to Velfozlaceae
creamy colours, scattered randomly all over the area. We
Monkey's tail I
probably have entered a new phase of deposition in this
Bobbejaanstert
ancient sea, where virtually only quartz sand accumulated
on the seabed. On some of the boulders, Ihe very
characterislic "ripple marks can still be recognised; they
are iden'lical to the features Ielt on our beaches and caused
by them ovement oft he waves on lhe sea bed.
Pjr
Here the Sandapple (Pygrnaeothamnus zeyherr',
i
*WFH 798), an erect dwarf shrublel with littki white star-like
flowers and fleshy yellow fruit has the opportunHy to
'VQ
proliferate by means of an extensive underground system
of stems and roots. It is practically an underground tree,
The Elephant's root (Eiephaniorrhiza elephantina;
WFH 397) also has an extensive woody underground
roolstock. You will notice ils acacia- or fern-like leaves
growing close to the ground, Its yellow spring flowersa re
on dense elongated spikes at ground level. Both of these
plants like so many others on Ihe koppie, have adapted Io
the regular occurrence of hre.
Eiephantorrhiz eiepiiankna
Mimosaceae
Elephant's rootI
Olilantswortel
Ti /E QENERRI SMtJ 1 S Fi3VNDA TiCW '
Oubaas Trail Information Series: No. 4
FIRST BENCH:
"ECOLOGY IS NOTHING BUT THE SOCIOLOGY OF
PLANTS; A STUDY OF THEIR LOVES AND HATREDS,
FRIENDSHIPS AND ANTAGONISMS" - J C SMUTS
T
Pause and enjoy the view and the birds calling. Listen for the ~s~
'peew' of the swallows hawking insects and watch them swoop low
/
over the veld.
A community of plants differs from a community of people in
that, as a general rule, once plants are rooted they spend their
lives just there.
Olea eulopea subsp
If the plant communily is to flourish, the water and nutrients in
africans Oleaceae
the soil must be shared, and lhree processes of grovNh and decay, W.ld Ol.
Wild Olive /Olienhout
mutually beneficial. The larger plants, provide shade needed by
the smaller ones that anchor the soil or provide nesting material
for the birch that spread the seeds of the trees. Such
interconnections are infinite.
Understanding this is the key to Holism implicit in Smuts'
gently worded thought quoted above.
The Wild Olive tree (Olea europea subsp alricana;
WFH 137), you are sitting under is very happy on the dolomitic
rock. The flowers are small and white and cerned in branched Rhus pyroidea
clusters in the exile of the leaves. The unripe fleshy fruit is Anacardiaceae
green with whitish spots, while the ripe fruit is purplish-black, Common Wild Currant I
just like the olives favoured by the Mediterranean people.. The Gewone taaibos
fruit is edible and favoured by birds and vervet monkeys, while
the woad of the wild olive is valued for furniture and omarnent
making.
'j
The vegetation of this koppie may be described as wooded
l, -."../
grassland.B ush groups are formed when seeds are blown or
deposited in the sandy crevices between the protective rocks and in ~ ~ ,
time form the bush clump you see before you. Perhaps the meeting,
place lor birds and small animals like squirrels and monkeys, who
deposited seeds of the fleshy fruits which they have eaten. The
cycle continues today with the birds roosting in the trees and eating
lhe fleshy fruits..
The Wild Olive. Common Wild Curranl (Rhus pyroides
'WFH Tss) Spike .Thorn (Gymnospor(a husiiolia( (yay(anus
heteropt<yta 'WFH 63)), the white spring flowered Wild Pear
foombeya rotundilolia 'WFH l37), the White Stinkwood
fCettis atr<cana 'WFH 805l and the Blue Guarri fE«ctea cr<spa
*WFH 81 ) all have one thi«g in common - fleshy fruits. W itstinkhout
As you continue up the slope. note lhe ferns, aloes, the red flowers and fine grey leal of
the pretty t«rt<gole<as pecies and all the other flowers vvhich may be visible, especially in the
spring and early su«<mer. il ll<e veld has been burnt.
le CTEIVEFIAL SMUTS FOLtNOyt TION
Information Series: No. 4 Oubaas Trail
INARKER 5
"INA FRICA, ONCE YOU LEAVE OUR DESERTS, IT IS GRASSES ANO GLORY
ALL THE NAY" - J C SIIIUTS
Jan Smuts discovered the tall, palatable Smuts' Finger Grass (Digitarr'a erianttta;
WFH 840) on his farm, Ooornkloof. Today this grass is extensively cultivated as a pasture
or hay grass. Jan Smuts was a keen amateur botanist and an authority on the grasses of
South Africa Once, on one of his many 'botanizing' expeditions in southern Africa, he told
a visiting botanist that he was only a General in his spare time! All around you will see
aloes, monkey's tails and Ihe low-growing resin bush (Eur)rops laxus WFH 204) with its
yellow daisy-like flowers. It derives its name from the resinous smell of the crushed leaves.
The two large trees on either side of the path are the Resin Tree (Ozoroa particulosa
'VVFH f 7), with its fine parallel veined grey leaves. The attractive 'currant' fruits are not
edible and have a very strong resin taste and harmless sticky latex. You may see the very
large yellow and black striped caterpillar of the Emperor Moths eating the leaves.
A few words about the soil you have been walking on and that has made your shoes look
brown by now.... Sne as a powder, il is the typical soil that forms in dolomite terrain and has
received the name of "terra raasa (red earth, in Italian). Its dark brown colour is due to the
manganese and iron which is contained in very small amounts in the dolomite and liberated
by its slow but continuous weathedng,
Digiteria eriantha = D smutsii Poaceae
Smuts Finger Grass I Smuts vingergrass
THE GEAIERAL SMUTS FOUIVDA TtON
Qubaas Trail Information Series: No. 4
THE MONUMENT:
THE HIGHEST RELIGION IS THE RELIGION OF THE MOUNTAIN"
The top of Smuts Koppie is a place that is sacred to the memory of Ihe Smuts family.
Here Ihe simple granite monolith and the
surrounding rocks on the summit bear the
plaques of remembrance of members of the
family whose ashes were scattered on the
koppie. Especially poignant are the plaques
bearing the names of the baby twins, Koosie
and Jossie, who died after a few weeks of life
in 1898, and little Koosie (Jacobus
Abraham), who died suddenly in 1900, at the
tender age of one year and four months,
while Jan Smuts was on commando in the
Anglo-Boer War.
The idea of Smuts' earthly remains
returningto the veld grasses he loved so
/ '
much, is entirely appropriate.
The summit was Jan Smuts' place of
meditation, and a walk to the top was part of
his daily routine. In a speech in 1923 on
Table Mountain, his 'cathedral", Smuts
explained his love of higher places:
'And so it has come about that finally in man all moral and spiritual values are
expressed in terms of altitude. The low expresses degradation, both moral and
physical. If we wish to express great intellectual or moral or spiritual attainments
we use the language of the altitudes. We speak of men who have risen, of aims
and ideals that are lofty, we place the seat of our highest religious ideals in high
heaven, and we consign all that is morally base to nethermost hell, Thus the
metaphors embedded in language reflect but the realities of the progress of
terrestrial life. The Mountain.....is the ladder of the soul, and in a curious way the
source of religion. From il came the Law, from it came the Gospel in the Sermon
on the Mount. We may truly say that the highest religion is the Religion of the
Mountain"
In this area, if you' re lucky to be here within 24 hours alter the first good spring rains, you
may see the frantic flight ol the winged male beetle of the species, Ichnesfoma sfobbiai, as
he searches for a mate, by means of enlarged olfactory (smelling) antennae, among the
flightless females which emerge from their pupal stage beneath the ground. The eggs are
deposited between the roots of the grass, Eragrosfis lnicranfha, and the larvae lead on the
decaying grass basal shoots and roots. The larval stage lasts up Io 8 or 9 months. The
larvae pupale about 10 to 15 cm below 1he soil surface. a survival adaptation lo the frequent
tires Ihat occur in the highveld winters. After the first soaking spring rains, lhe beetles
emerge in a burst of energy. Io male, burrow down into the soil, lay the fertilized eggs, and
die. The adults do not teed; their mouth parts serve no function at all.
10 1HE GENERAL SMOI S FOUNDA TlON