While exploring off-road through the Free State we stumbled upon Memel. 

Memel-Zamani now being the official name in recognition of the Zamani township – a settlement adjoining Memel to the west in which several thousand black Africans reside. During the apartheid era, Zamani was separated from Memel by a golf course which acted as a buffer between the two, now however the golf course no longer exists, houses have been built on it and the buffer zone has disappeared. The town and township are now adjacent in one small location. 

We paid R20 each to visit a tiny museum housing several display cases with artefacts from the Great Trek. Everything else, except a convenience store, was closed, including the hotel on the main street and an art gallery. A ghost town with a few people scattered around. 

Please Note: For copyright purposes, I have considerably reduced the resolution of each image below.

Bulembu, Eswatini

From Memel-Zamani, we meandered through Piggs Peak reaching Maguga Lodge in Eswatini just after sunset. 

Last year we drove through the derelict Havelock Mine in Bulembu, Eswatini, without stopping. This year we made a point of returning, ensuring time was on our side to explore another ghost town, which is now home to a variety of successful community enterprises.

In 2006, a team of social developers and entrepreneurs purchased the abandoned mining town of Bulembuwith a vision to restore it to a fully sustainable town, which provides care to over 350 orphaned and vulnerable children. Today, our variety of successful Community Enterprises such as the Bulembu Country Lodge, Bulembu Honey and Bulembu Water provide for the sustainability fund for our Community Care. Our children live in family homes with a caregiver, where they receive all they need, and we provide all children with a full education at Bulembu Christian Academy. The town has a thriving church and a clinic where all children receive health care. And so our vision is realised – raising up the next generation to be the future leaders of Eswatini.