Page 30 - Bugle Autumn 2014

Ex ZULU BUGLE SOUTH AFRICA
“Due to the rising cost of ammunition, I
will no longer be able to provide a warning shot. Thank you for your patience and understanding. These are hard times.” read the sign on the hotel door in Ladysmith when Ex ZULU BUGLE
visited, between the death
of Nelson Mandela and the
upcoming controversial
election.
The exercise comprised
12 days tackling the arduous Drakensberg Grand Traverse
(270 km and climbing in
excess of 8 km over difficult
terrain), followed by four days
of Battlefield Study in the Zulu
regions of Kwa-Zulu Natal
province. And it was in Africa
where the often less-than-
reliable infrastructure and
wilder areas demanded that
we ‘improvise, adapt and overcome’ more than usual!
We moved straight to our first campsite in North East Drakensberg arriving in a tropical thunderstorm. It was pitch black (the potholes the size of paddling pools along the way had delayed our journey somewhat), and the lightning and thunder were directly overhead. It was certainly not a good omen for the trip. We set up camp and went to bed.
Groggily emerging from our tents the next day, it looked like we had been transported somewhere else overnight. The sun shone clear onto the towering peaks around us, stark and stunning in their sheer magnitude. We used that day to acclimatise and to
sort out the logistics for the start on the following day. The concept was to use the support team (LCpl Steyn and Rfn
Thorpe) to re-supply us with food and other essentials every three days.
We started hiking on the morning of 25 Apr, the sun was scorching as it would be for the entire remainder of the trip. We
ascended more than a kilometre to get from an (already high) starting point
to the top of the escarpment. The mountains there formed
a rolling plateau, which constituted Lesotho, a small round country nestled in
South Africa, set, almost as if placed, on the top of these
mountains.
Once up, we were right
upon the edge of the ‘Amphitheatre’, a huge bowl
of thousand-metre cliffs which towered over the low veldt that
spread limitless below. It was an arresting sight, and, exhausted from our
ascent, we spent some time just looking out before camping nearby.
Over the next few days, the effect of navigation practice was
becoming apparent.
The Riflemen were now
much more comfortable with leading the group, and map-work was becoming faster and more confident.
When we arrived at
Ship’s Prow, on the edge of the escarpment for the next re-supply, we found out that
the re-supply team had not made it. The path marked on the map had ended at a cliff, and they were unable to make it up the
ascent. After searching for the path for several hours, they retreated
On the edge of the escarpment
back down the hill to a nearby campsite. On the top, we soldiered on and started on the emergency rations we had brought. The following night brought no more success... upon reaching the RV, we contacted the support crew. They had got almost to
the top of the escarpment, but were then chased off by a large pack of feral dogs, correctly not wanting to risk rabies in such a remote location.
For the second time, the team, now with ebbing morale and low
Finally, we reached the last day of our trek, home and dry... ...or so we thought
food stocks, pushed on. We finally met them, after what seemed like a very long two days,
at midday on the ninth day, over looking the beautiful Langalibalele pass. The fresh food
had never tasted so good; the team were hungry and tired. The accumulated walking was beginning to take its toll.
Finally, we reached the last day of our trek, home and dry... or so we thought. On the descent, WO2 Sauvary, one of the instructors, fell and sprained his ankle. This
28 FIRST BATTALION
THE RIFLES