October 16, 2025 to October 17, 2025
Pofadder
Thursday the 16th of October 2025
Today's ride was probably our most enjoyable so far on this trip. It was also, by some distance, the longest. The 130 kilometers of seemingly bugger-all between Kakamas and Pofadder has hung over our heads since we started thinking about the route we would take. In the end it turned out very well.
We had never intended to ride from Kakamas to Pofadder in a single day. It just seemed too far for us so early in the trip. So we had stocked up on food and water in the expectation of finding a wildcamping spot later in the day.
Despite our intentions, the thought that we could manage the distance was always in our heads and as the ride progressed it became clear to us that we could. In any case, wildcamping opportunities seemed limited. The best was after only 70 kilometers which we reached soon after noon, much too early in the day. The only other worthwhile option was 20 kilometers short of Pofadder and we have the idea that, no matter how tired we are, another 20 kilometers is always achievable.
What did help was that we paced ourselves carefully - if we were to wildcamp we couldn't rush through the day. In addition the southerly wind for most of the day kept us relatively cool.
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We rolled into Pofadder on the stroke of six , twelve houds after leaving Kakamas. I'm so proud of Leigh for being determined to go the whole hog.
Friday the 17th of October 2025
First chore for me this morning was, with a hot day predicted, to shield the tent from the sun with the tarp while Leigh sonehow found the energy to launder yesterday's clothing. Other than that we had a relaxing day, resting up for the ride to Aggeneys tomorrow.
Pofadder was originally a mission station founded in 1875 and was named after a Koranna chief, Klaas Pofadder, though there are other theories about the name's origin. It is now a local center for the surrounding arid Bushmanland area. The people who live here are almost all Afrikaans speaking mixed race descendants of the original Koranna. Along with Putsonderwater, south of Upington, it has come to signify the"middle-of-nowhere" in South Africa, although I can think of many other towns that are far more remote and isolated.
The Koranna were a nomadic Khoei-khoei people who lived in southern Africa, descendants of groups displaced by the European settlers in the Cape Colony. Following migrations north, they settled near the Gariep, Vaal, and Harts rivers in what became Koranaland. Their distinct culture and language were largely destroyed by colonization and conflict, leading to their apparent disappearance by the early 20th century. Their nomadic lifestyle was centered on cattle herding, hunting, and a deep understanding of the natural world. Colonization pressured them to migrate north from the Cape Colony into the arid areas to the north of the then Cape Colony. Two destructive wars against colonial powers in 1869 and 1878 (the British government at the Cape paased the Northern Border Protection Act to permit action against them) significantly impacted their leadership and tribal structures. Intermarriage and evangelization further diluted their cultural and tribal cohesion. By 1932, the Koranna were believed to no longer exist as a distinct people. Their language, Khoemana, is now critically endangered, with very few, if any, fluent speakers remaining - by 2008, only 6 verifiable first language speakers of Koranna were alive.
Today's ride: 135 km (84 miles)
Total: 339 km (211 miles)
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