slopes and – with his crew of convict labourers
– cut and dry-walled for four years to link the
Klein Karoo to the coast. According to the
Knysna Historic Society, the pass was opened
to light traffic during 1866. When Prince Alfred
(the second son of Queen Victoria) visited in
September 1867 it was re-named and then the
pass was officially opened on September 29,
1868.
Jimmy Zondagh still remembers family visits
by ox wagon over the pass to Plettenberg
Bay. “The site that is today The Beacon Island
Hotel was a family property and we used to
camp nearby,” he says. The pass traverses
four different biomes on its route from the
Klein Karoo plains to the coast. A section of
the pass also bisects the Middle Keurbooms
Conservancy - a 30 000-hectare conservation
and eco-tourism hot spot.
Zondagh explains that at 68,5 km it is officially
the second longest mountain pass in South
Africa (behind the 73,3km Baviaans-Kouga 4x4
route). That pass, however, is not accessible
to sedan vehicles, making it technically the
longest pass in South Africa. It also holds the
distinction as the second oldest unaltered pass
still in use and it is also the only pass in South
Africa where people live alongside the road.
AgriKultuur |AgriCulture
The Zondaghs of the Langkloof.
(From left): Francois, Jimmy, Magdel and
James Zondagh.)
Tru-Cape Fruit Marketing managing director
Roelf Pienaar says that the Zondaghs of the
Langkloof were among the first to partner
with Tru-Cape and the company values their
continued contribution.
Although the September 23, 2018 race is fully
booked, be among the supporters or mark the
2019 race in your diary right now. See www.
karootocoast.com for more.
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