PORT ST JOHNSThe sixty-kilometre drive from Umtata to Port St Johns is
one of the best journeys on the Wild Coast. Leaving
behind the untidy urban sprawl of Umtata, the road
undulates through rolling rondavel-dotted grassland with
never a tree in sight. But after the tiny hamlet of
Libode, the terrain changes dramatically as the road
descends to the coast, past craggy ravines and jumbles of
forest. At last it enters the mighty valley of the
Mzimvubu River, where it is squeezed between the
river’s
edge and the red stone cliffs of the gorge. Before you
lie the Gates of St John, twin mountains that bracket the
river mouth like great statues. The road sweeps
dramatically round the skirts of the mountain to reveal a
ramshackle little place, full of decaying colonial
grandeur and awash with urban legends. | |
Port St John’s romantic reputation as a hang-out of
the
last resort, a magnet for hippies, eccentrics,
backpackers, recluses and beachcombers, might stem from
its rather chequered history. In the late 1800’s it
was a
bustling colonial port. It was also renowned for its
tobacco crop. During the negotiations for the Act of
Union which unified the four independent protectorates of
South Africa, the Transvaal demanded that this tobacco
cultivation be discontinued to prevent it being a
competition for their own crop. So in 1906, tobacco
farming stopped in the Port St Johns’ area –
to be
promptly replaced by the far more lucrative cannabis,
which flourished abundantly in the wild. In 1971 the
Transkei became an independent ‘homeland’ and
much of its
green gold was taken to the gold mines of Johannesburg,
creating a thriving underground industry which the local
police treated with indulgence. Today the cultivation and
trade of this herb is as strong as ever, which might
explain the pervasive impression of Port St Johns as a
laid-back, free-spirited haunt of society’s outer
fringes. | |
Port St John’s attraction for odd characters,
however,
stretches back to the olden times. The extreme isolation
of the port led to some interesting pastimes. Some
renowned dice games were held beneath a drooping fig tree
near the wharf. During one of these games the captain of
a visiting Norwegian ship had a run of bad luck and had to
wager parts of his vessel. His ship’s bell is still
in
use outside the town hall. A notable character was a
ragamuffin known as Captain Kettle and his dog Billy
Bones. Another was the wandering hippo, Huberta..., who
spent a few months causing chaos in the town.
The town’s sea-faring history is also seen in the
various
ship’s relics that adorn many public buildings and
many
pub walls.
Nowadays, the steamy atmosphere, the laid-back people and
the all-pervasive sense of
history
make up an almost
dreamlike little town, merging chaotically with African
hustle and bustle. There are plenty of accommodation
establishments, restaurants, magnificent
walks and
hikes,
beaches,
fishing
spots, boating and lazing
places. There are many good (craft shops) and a well-
organised tourism infrastructure. |
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During the annual
Sardine
Run, the spectacle of the
millions of little fish washing up on the beach is only
matched by the sight of the frenzied people scooping them
up in every conceivable receptacle, including wash baskets
and loose clothing. | |
Places in the district:PSJ Town
Silaka Nature Reserve
Mngazi
Cwebeni
Mngazana
Sinangwana | |
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