We officially launched the Majakaneng Heritage Trail at a festive picnic breakfast attended by several stakeholders in the Majakaneng community. The event began with thought-provoking speeches by Magaliesberg Biosphere NPC Chairman Andrew Murray and Board Member Merriam Modisakeng, followed by a stirring speech by long-time resident and landowner Churchill Madumo. Butie Mokwena ended off by praising his fellow team members and conservation rangers and their tireless commitment to conserving the Magaliesberg.
It was then time for prizegiving. The Trail Team received internationally recognised certificates for the course they completed in Hiking Trail Development, awarded by Gerhard Van Greuning, affectionately known as ‘Mr G’, our hiking trail development specialist at Eco-Trails. Next, we recognised the winners of the ‘Our Mountain, Our Future’ art and writing competition – five talented grade 4’s from Majakaneng Primary school. They will be the first lucky pupils to experience the guided trail with some of their teachers in 2022. The trail is a perfect opportunity for cost-effective environmental education outreach for the three schools in Majakaneng and six schools in nearby Bapong.
Formalities ended with a moving performance by Drama for Change, an incredibly talented group of local young actors, who did a dramatic interpretation of how our environment suffers from the pressures of careless and unsustainable use. The theme was inspired by the project’s participatory community workshop on environmental challenges, held earlier in October.
Before the welcome rain came, everyone had time to chat and mingle over a packed picnic breakfast, look at some of the children’s competition entries and the new informative heritage signs that are on permanent display at the trail base.
The Magaliesberg Biosphere NPC and trail team would like to thank the school teachers, mothers, church leaders and neighbours for their attendance and for celebrating the launch with us. A special thanks to the Majakaneng landowners who offered their support and encouragement for the project from its inception in August.
The Majakaneng Hiking Trail Project was supported by the German Commission for UNESCO, the German Federal Foreign Office and the Magaliesberg Biosphere NPC.
The trail is one of the best routes in the Magaliesberg. There are short options along the river for those that just want a walk in a shady forest and a longer more challenging route to the top of the mountain for those that want a serious work out.