KNP HISTORY: A pre-history perspective

“To truly get to know and understand the Kruger National Park as we know it today, one needs to appreciate its history and origins.”

Part 1: Before 1898

In order to truly get to know and understand the Kruger National Park as we know it today, one needs to appreciate its history and origins. The various situational factors and circumstances prevalent at the time of its conception on 26 March 1898, when the Sabie Game Reserve (then known as the Gouvernements Wildtuin), and prior, need to be understood. The following anecdotes aim to reflect on those very early years.

“The Lowveld had extensive trade routes connecting the mining areas to the key ports of Delagoa Bay (now Maputo), Inhambane and Sofala.”

Extensive evidence exists within the current boundaries of the Park that the San inhabited the area.

There are many rock shelters with rock border, the Lowveld had extensive trade routes connecting the mining areas to the key ports of Delagoa Bay (now Maputo), Inhambane and Sofala. These precolonial mines existed at Phalaborwa and Musina (for copper), Tshimbupfe (for iron), Zimbabwe (for gold) and Rooiberg (for tin). These trade routes often followed some of the rivers and points of permanent water supply, such as the Sabie, Shingwedzi, Limpopo, Komati, Olifants rivers and fountains at Malonga, Klopperfontein and Dzundwini.