Red Desert protected

The SA National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) said yesterday it had erected a fence to protect the world’s smallest desert, the Red Desert, which lies 170km south of Durban, after a request from owners of the nature reserve in which it is located.

Only 200m in diameter and resembling a miniature version of the Arizona Desert in the US, the man-high hills and valleys of naked red soil bare stark contrast to the surrounding lush and tropical vegetation.

The Red Desert gets its name from the scarlet colour of the sand and is situated on a hillside overlooking the Mtamvuna River which divides KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape, near the Wild Coast Sun Casino complex.

Archaeological artefacts going back millions of years can be found and the locals have welcomed its new status as an internationally protected heritage site, Sanral said.

Matt Williams, a fourth-generation member of the family which for over 100 years has owned the land where the Red Desert is situated, said myth surrounded the origin of the desert, including stories that aliens had landed on the site.

“Truth be told, the origins of this desert are found in the location of a Zulu tribe in the 1800s, with vast cattle herds stolen from the Pondos,” Williams said, adding that tools from the Stone Age have been discovered.

Negotiations began with the Williams Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife and in 2015 the Red Desert Nature Reserve was established as a biodiversity stewardship nature reserve.

At least 480 species of plants and 200 bird species have been recorded to date, with many listed as being under threat.

Southern Reed Buck, common duiker, blue duiker and oribi have also been seen. – ANA