By: Lerato Dumse

On July 16 2023 I received a text message from Muholi asking if I am keen to go to Mount Frere to report on the ongoing PhotoXP project. Having had conversations with Muholi expressing my interest to be in a different space from where I currently reside, which is at home in the east of Johannesburg I jumped at this opportunity. 

I immediately contacted Charmain Carrol who is one of the facilitators and in whose home the group was traveling to in Mount Frere. By the next morning which was a Monday I woke up early to start preparing for the trip. Charmain said I could take a taxi or bus and I would be picked up in Mount Frere town to get to her village known as Mabhobho.

I contemplated using public transport but eventually I opted to drive myself. I reminded myself that part of the reason I got this particular car back in 2019 was because I have a huge interest in doing road trips and CoVid with lockdowns prevented me from traveling. I checked google maps to see what the journey entailed. The furthest I had driven was KZN which is about 7+ hours mostly on the N3 route. I’ve been to KZN by road many times so I know what to expect. Eastern Cape from Gauteng was my first time and I will admit I was a little nervous but I was not about to let the nerves stop me. Maps said from my house to Mount Frere was just under 11 hours and the first part of the journey is on the N3 as if I’m traveling to Durban. That put me at ease. I prepared the car, got a new battery and did some diagnostic work and was ready. 

I could hardly sleep on the 18th thinking about the journey ahead of me. By 2am on July 19 I was up to complete my packing and packing everything in the car. Around 5am I was in the house saying goodbye to my mom, while the car was idling ready for the road. I always enjoy experiencing the start of a new day, its usually so quiet, it makes me feel like it’s just me in the world and the birds that are always chirping during those hours of the morning. To see the start of a new day while on the road also has its own effect on me. I was so excited experiencing daybreak. 

One thing I’ve learned since I started driving is that the rules that are set up on the road are not thumb sucked but actually work. For instance, when they set a speed limit if the road is empty, it might feel like they are making you drive slowly but when there is traffic then I’ve found that automatically you will find yourself driving at the set speed. Same with the rule of stopping every 2-hours. I know some people pride themselves with being able to drive non-stop for 5 hours but I always find that at around 2-hours I do need to stop and stretch and that’s exactly what I did during this trip.

During my pit stops I would give regular updates back home and to the crew I was going to meet up with telling them all was smooth. It was during the day, nice and bright after I had exited N3 when all of a sudden there was this fog. I was confused unsure what’s happening. I thought is it a veld fire? There was no smell of smoke. By this time I had to drive very slow with hazard lights on. Then it started drizzling and it was so hard to see ahead with no safe place to stop I just had to keep driving. When the fog started clearing and I breathed a sigh of relief then came the trucks, speeding and just being bullies. That moment was scary because it was clear they rule those roads and just don’t care about other motorists. I was thinking about all these terrible truck accidents because these truck companies like to cut corners and have unroadworthy trucks on the road or sometimes overload them compromising safety. By this time, I was already behind on my driving time but kept saying to myself, better late than never arrive.              

Road works said we also want to be part of your experience. Having to wait for long while traffic is open for the opposite direction needed patience because there was nothing I could do about it. The journey continued and I lost GPS signal, a big lesson for me that I should have taken screenshots of the destination as backup. I found myself driving unsure if I’m going in the right direction. Then I was in need of a petrol station for what seemed like eternity of driving with reserve tank in the dark in an unfamiliar place. Eventually I started seeing lights from a distance and as I turned a corner there was a petrol station. It was a beautiful sight until I realized its closed. A security guard approached and told me it will only open the next day at 7am and gave me directions to another one not far. I asked about a B&B and there was one just around the corner. So I opted to rather stop for the night and continue my journey the next morning.

GPS was working fine the next morning and when I checked it said I’m in Umzimkhulu which is about 2 and a half hours away from Mount Frere. I was still in good spirits looking forward to making it to the crew so everyone can relax knowing I’m safe. I’m glad I opted to stop for the night because the road is narrow and full of curves, approaching it with fresh eyes during day light helped. Eventually I made it to Mount Frere and waited to be picked up so we drive to the village. 

Charmain and her nephew Anele arrived and after running a few errands it was time to head home. I have seen Charmain post a lot of pictures about her home so I had an idea of what to expect. When we arrived, it was a sweet moment reconnecting with Terra Dick, Sibahle Nkumbi and Lindeka Qampi. I also got to finally meet the animals Charmain and I have chatted about from the cats, dogs who also have cute puppies, pigs and chickens. The landscape provided the tranquility I had been craving for. Far from the city, no sound of cars or even neighbors. Just beautiful silence with a peaceful view. I settled looking forward to the coming days of skills sharing with another chapter of PhotoXP for me.