Durban - When I accepted an offer to spend a weekend on a houseboat on Lake Jozini, I couldn’t help myself – I conjured up images of the “Busted Flush”, the somewhat tacky, barge-with-a-cabin houseboat where fictional detective Travis McGee hung his hat.
Moored somewhere in the Florida Keys, the tatty boat was something McGee won in a poker game – hence the name “Busted Flush”.
But I was gobsmacked when I saw the Shayamanzi and its sister, the Shayamanzi 2, on the waters of Lake Jozini, the former Pongolapoort Dam.
The Shayamanzi 2 is the slightly bigger of the two, accommodating 20 people as opposed to 12, and was my berth for the weekend. It has three decks: lower cabins half under the water line, and classy cabins on the middle deck, and the lounge, bar and eating area on the upper deck. Each cabin has its own bathroom and shower.
There is a jacuzzi at the back of the boat, which was well used in 35ºC heat. Each houseboat has two small fishing boats (tenders) with 60 horsepower motors.
Shayamanzi 2’s captain, Bramson Chihota, was an entertaining individual who surprised us with his many fascinating stories. He worked for many years on Lake Kariba, so knows everything there is to know about houseboats and tiger fishing.
One of these stories was about the waterbuck. He said that when the paint on the picture of the world was still wet, the waterbuck sat down and white paint got on to their tails.
He also mentioned that they have a gland above their tails that emits an odour crocodiles don’t like, so they don’t harass the waterbuck. The stories are told with a glint in Bramson’s eye and an ear-to-ear smile.
The dam was completed in 1974. It is on the Pongola River, covers 17 000 hectares and at its widest point is 5km across. The dam wall is 70m high.
It was built to irrigate farmlands and the Makatini Flats. It is on the western side of the Lebombo Mountains, in an area characterised by bushveld, wildlife and subtropical weather.
There are 27 species of fish in the dam, the most prevalent being the tiger fish. The tiger fishing on the dam is comparable with that in the Okavango Delta and the Zambezi River, they say.
The lake is surrounded by the Pongola Game Reserve and Phongolo Nature Reserve, which provide spectacular game viewing.
The reserves are teeming with a large variety of wildlife, which can be viewed from the Shayamanzi decks or the tender boats.
According to the Shayamanzi website, the game reserves have many animal species, some of which can be seen in herds from Shayamanzi’s decks.
They include white and black rhino, elephant, buffalo, hippo, crocodile, wildebeest, giraffe, zebra, kudu, nyala, bushbuck, mountain reedbuck, common reedbuck, red duiker, grey duiker, waterbuck, steenbuck, suni antelope, black-backed jackal, hyena, cheetah, wild dog, serval cat, warthog, bushpig, banded mongoose, leguaan, and terrapin.
There are occasional sightings of the leopards that roam the slopes of the Lebombo range.
The muddy plains and reed banks provide excellent breeding grounds for the waterbirds, which can be seen in their thousands – Whistling Duck, Yellowbilled Storks, Spurwing and Egyptian Geese, Cormorants, herons, kingfishers, and fish eagles.
Along the entire western bank is the magnificent Lebombo Mountain range.
One of the night anchorages may be in the gorge. Here the mountains rise on either side, covered in indigenous cycads and ferns. The glowflies make a spectacular show along the shoreline.
Other overnight anchorages are in the river and at Mosquito Bay, both well positioned for game viewing.
The houseboats leave from their moorings at the Jozini Tiger Lodge, where guests may leave their vehicles in a secure parking area and have a bite to eat before their waterborne experience begins.
Shayamanzi and its sister can host conferences. There is cellphone signal everywhere, ensuring access to the office at all times. There are blinds on the dining room side to reduce the glare during presentations.
To run equipment, electrical power is provided by a 30KVA water-cooled generator, two inverters or shore power when anchored in the river.
There were nine of us on the trip and the crew of three, so there was a lot of noise and everyone got on like a house on fire.
The Shayamanzi 2 was fabulous. The food was great, the accommodation comfortable with its oak panelled cabins, air conditioners and fans.
Each cabin has two sliding doors which, when opened, allow you to look across the dam from the comfort of your bed.
Captain Bramson took us out at 6.30am on one of the fishing boats. There was a hush out on the water, except for the quiet putting of the boat motor.
It was hard to imagine anything but that we were in paradise.
Greg Baxter was a guest of Shayamanzi Houseboats.
l shayamanzi@saol.com or telephone +27 (0) 34 413 2299
www.shayamanzi.co.za - Saturday Star
