The final approach to Mount Superior on Zuurberg in the Hex River Mountains
NB: The information here does NOT relate to the MCSA’s property, Waaihoeksberg.
Zuurberg is a property located in the Hex River Mountains, and owned by the University of Cape Town (UCT). The Hex is home to some of the Western Cape’s most rugged mountains, with high peaks – often snow-covered in winter – and the Witels River valley below. Zuurberg is managed by UCT’s Mountain and Ski Club (UCTMSC). Prominent peaks at some of the property’s vertices include Waaihoek Peak, Mount Superior and Buffelshoek Peak. A servitude agreement allows MCSA members to explore Zuurberg (except for the Witels River and riverbed during the summer months, November to April), or undertake a traverse of the Hex River Mountains.
Property
The property can be considered as two areas – the Witels River and riverbed, and the rest of the demarcated Zuurberg area in general. The servitude may not interfere with the rights of the UCT community to use the property, and in particular, the servitude does not allow access to the Witels River and its campsites during the summer kloofing season.
History
In 1961, after two years of negotiations, Neville Pells (son of Eddie) secured the purchase of Zuurberg at a cost of 2000 pounds (which was donated to UCT). This required contacting the seven scattered sons and daughters of the late Captain Heindrich Ludwig Scharmberg, who had owned Zuurberg at the time of his death.
In 2004, the MCSA made a financial contribution which assisted UCT to buy a portion of the farm Vredehoek, adjoining Zuurberg, at a cost of R705 000. This purchase secured access to the Waaihoek ascent path, which had been plagued by access difficulties for more than thirty years. In exchange for its contribution to the purchase, the MCSA gained a servitude for its members to access Zuurberg.
| Where | Western Hex River Mountains |
| Drive time | 2 – 3 hours from Cape Town, depending on access point |
| Walk-in time | 3 – 5 hours, depending on route and fitness |
| Activities | Hard off-trail hiking, high mountain traversing, camping, climbing, mountaineering and skiing. Kloofing is possible in the summer months (November to April), but is excluded from the servitude and requires the correct permit (see below). |
| Size | 8 000ha |
| Ownership/ management |
Owned by the University of Cape Town, and managed by the UCT Mountain & Ski Club (UCTMSC) |
| Maps | 1:50 000 – 3319CA Bain’s Kloof & 3319AD Ceres |
| Permit | Entry into the Witels River or its channels is not allowed without a valid Witels permit which is available from the UCTMSC Zuurberg Convenor. All rules in the “Witels Conditions of Permit” must be adhered to. No permit is required for MCSA members to access the remainder of Zuurberg, but members must carry their valid membership cards. However, note that cars parked at the Waaihoek base (or other UCT approved sites) must display a permit obtained from the UCTMSC Zuurberg Convenor or UCTMSC Huts and Ski Convenor. Failure to display such parking documentation as proof of permission to access the property via the adjacent private land will result in cars being wheel-clamped. Trespassers will be prosecuted. |
| Biodiversity | Zuurberg on iNaturalist |
