The Kalahari desert is a vast region, ( a total area of more than 2.5 million square kilometres or ten times the size of Great Britain ) stretching northwards from the Orange River in South Africa, across eastern Namibia, Botswana, western Zimbabwe and parts of Angola, Zambia and Congo (Zaire). This is a semi-arid biome, as it has an average annual rainfall of 150mm in the southwest, and up to 350mm in the northeast. Technically speaking, the Kalahari, due to the rainfall, is not a true desert, but considered to be a semi-desert region. Rain generally falls during dramatic thunderstorms from November to April. The temperatures range from a bone-chilling -11C in Winter to more than 42C in the shade in Summer, with a ground surface temperature reaching 70C.
The name, "Kalahari" was possibly coined by the famous missionary, Robert Moffat. He noted that a tribe of Black people called themselves the "Kgalagadi", and they came from a region north of Kuruman, which they called the "Kgalagare". Originally, the Park was called the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, and it underwent the name change to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in 1999. Today, the word, "Kgalagadi", means "land of thirst".
In 1938, Bechuanaland, now called Botswana, proclaimed the Gemsbok National Park. The Mabuasehube Game Reserve was proclaimed in 1971, and incorporated into the Gemsbok National Park in 1992. Presently, the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park consists of the old South African Kalahari Gemsbok Park, the Botswana Gemsbok National Park and the Mabuasehube Game Reserve. This is a total area of 38 000 square kilometres or 15 000 square miles. The game is free to roam this area, as there is no fencing between South Africa and Botswana, just small concrete markers placed at intervals to indicate the border between the two countries.
We visited the South African side, which is only about a quarter of the entire transfrontier park, and is located within the southern Kalahari desert. The terrain consists of red sand dunes, sparse vegetation, a few trees and the two dry river beds.
The Nossob River covers a distance of 740 square kilometres, and the last time it flooded was in 1963. Its source is found in he Otjihavera Mountain range, east of Windhoek in Namibia. The Nossob River ends at its confluence with the Molopo River, about fifty kilometres south of Twee Rivieren. At the southern extremity of the Park, the Nossob is joined by the intermittenly flowing Auob River. The word, "Nossob" means "dark clay", and "Auob" means "bitter water". The Auob has its source in the Anas mountains in Namibia. The Auob River is predominantly dry, and only flows for short periods of time after abnormally high rainfall. The Auob River last flowed in the year, 2000, when it flooded the Mata Mata campsite.
The Auob riverbed near the Mata Mata campsite
Over thousands of years, the wind has sculpted the dunes, which are now permanent. The present dune field is thought to have been formed about 19 000 years ago. The southern Kalahari has two sand types: the coarse red sandy soils cover ninety percent of the region; while the finer white sands are bfound in the riverbeds and the pans. The red colour of the dune sand is due to the the presence of iron oxide. The water flowing into the lower-lying areas leaches the iron oxide out, and therefore the sand has shades varying from a deep ochre to bleached white. The soil temperature can reach a scorching seventy degrees in summer, and yet moisture may be found a metre below the surface. The sandy greyish-white riverbeds contain minerals and moisture. This means that there is more vegetation, and therefore the ungulates prefer the sweeter grass in the riverbed, where they congregate after the first summer rain has fallen.
Springbok in the riverbed
There are boreholes which were drilled along the Auob River due to the outbreak of World War I . These were drilled by the South African government, in case it was needed to use this corridor to invade South West Africa ( now called Namibia ). The boreholes would have been needed to provide troops and horses with precious water. This corridor was never used by military forces, and a few of the borehole guards and the borehole drillers stayed on to become farmers, biltong hunters and to cure and trade in animal skins. Farmers had also settled along the Nossob River. Remains of these farms and settlements may still be seen on the steep bank of the Auob River.
Borehole depths generally range from 40 metres to 120 metres. Windmills were used to power the boreholes, but these are being replaced by solar panels. The solar panels have been provided due to the efforts of honourary rangers; "
Friends of the Kalahari"; and our friend, who has always loved and photographed the Kalahari, Piet Heymans. Animals quench their thirst at these waterholes, and provide visitors to the Park with many sightings, much pleasure and photographs. Thank you to the generosity of all of those who have funded the solar panels !
As seen on this map, the waterholes have been named.
Some of the names were given by a Scottish land surveyor, Roger Jackson, for example, names like Strathmore, Dalkeith, Craig Lockhart and Auchterlonie.
Other names were allocated by the Afrikaans settlers. "Leeudril" means "lion shiver". The story is told that a settler, called Matthys, had climbed a dune, leaving his gun in the riverbed. He came face to face with a lion, and he shivered out of fear. Luckily, the lion turned and walked away, but Matthys' fear is recorded forever.
Wildebeest at a waterhole in the Nossob riverbed.
Dave and Joy spent time in the hide at Nossob, watching the jackals trying to catch the doves, that had come down to drink at the water-hole. This photo capturing the action of a failed attempt to procure a meal, was taken by Dave Mullin.
