Eclipse comes to Mutale Valley
7 November 2002
The influx of tourists for the total eclipse on December 4 will do far more for local communities than boost their curio sales for a few days.
Although the last solar eclipse visible in southern Africa occurred just 18 months before this one, it will be a long time before the next eclipse takes place – in 2030. Now eclipse fans are rushing to snap up accommodation offering prime viewing of the phenomenon.
The best place to view the eclipse is the northern part of South Africa’s Limpopo province, between Beitbridge in the west and the Mozambique border in the east.
Rich in myths and legends
One community likely to benefit from the eclipse is the Mutale Valley community. Situated on the dry side of the Soutpansberg mountain range, the valley is most likely to have clear skies during the eclipse. It is also an area rich in culture, myths and legends and will appeal to those attracted to the spiritual
dimension of the celestial phenomenon.
Thanks to the Land of Legend Partnership, formed between the Mutale Valley community in the Venda region of Limpopo, communications company WildNet Africa and Isaac Rambauli, a local tourism operator in Thohoyandou, the benefits of the tourist rush on the area in December will be ploughed back to the people of Mutale Valley.
The period of total eclipse - when the moon completely blocks the sun - will last just over two minutes at its maximum, from 8.18am to 8.21am on December 4. A partial eclipse, with a crescent of the sun remaining visible, will be seen within a much broader path that includes most of Africa, parts of Indonesia, Australia and eastern Antarctica.
Beacons will burst into flames
But no matter how fleeting the phenomenon, plans are being made to turn the event into a spectacular and historic occasion, lasting as many days as tourists wish.
On the day of the eclipse itself
and on the evening before, the Mutale Valley will reverberate to the sound of traditional Venda dancing, singing and drumming. As the eclipse passes overhead, beacons on surrounding hills will burst into flames and the valley will celebrate another legendary event.
The Land of Legend Partnership has secured camping sites, viewing sites, former army barracks and a community craft centre in the Mutale Valley, a prime site for viewing the eclipse. The craft centre will also function as an entertainment venue and an outlet for local arts and crafts.
The partnership will ensure that local tourism expertise is effectively used and that communities in the area get tangible benefits from the boom and do not experience it as an invasion of their privacy.
The Road Less Travelled
The partnership is promoting the use of community for hire by overland operators and for corporate camps. But more importantly, the greater region is set to benefit
from the tourism flowing from the eclipse phenomenon. The partnership has extended its activities to include the Ribolla region along the N1, east of the town of Makhado (formerly called Louis Trichardt).
Tourists will be encouraged to do some sight-seeing in the area and explore the “Road Less Travelled”, as it is being billed. This will give them a spectacular view of the Soutpansberg Mountain Range, offer them the opportunity to see the unique arts and crafts of the Ribolla region, where the famous Venda drum (featured at the World Summit on Sustainable Development) was made, and visit a community craft centre offering traditional entertainment in the town of Elim.
Other attractions in the Mutale Valley region include potholes, caves, sacred forests, a sacred lake and a botanical reserve.
For more information visit EclipseLine or call Eclipse Line on 084 190 0000.
Source: EclipseLine
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