Join me on a tour of Masakhane Village and experience the culture of the Tswana people of the Magaliesberg. Situated 10km from the town of Magaliesburg and about 40km from Johannesburg, this informal rural settlement is currently the site of an exciting cross-generational knowledge integration programme which aims to engage the youth and elders from the community in the transfer of indigenous knowledge of plant uses and traditional technologies.
Let the elders enchant you with a treasure trove of stories and information on traditional and medicinal uses of plants and natural resources or visit some of the households, and chat to the people of this friendly rural community where people are actively working towards a better future for themselves.
Aspects of the development of this community in co-operation with a local NGO and SABMiller, such as the day-care centre and food gardens will give visitors a bird’s eye view of sustainable development in rural South Africa and will illustrate the way in which traditional and new knowledge is used by the community to create sustainability in an ever-changing world.

Visit one of the homesteads and get served wild mint tea and magwinja (vetkoek) straight from the pot. Let Oupa Koos and Ouma Alice tell you about the power of aloe juice to “wash away the past” after difficult times such as death or other hardship. As you walk along the road between the sink houses you will get a sense of just how close to nature the people of Masakhane still live – many of the wild plants in the yards have been planted or left to grow there for medicinal and traditional uses e.g. the Thornapple or “Stinkblaar” (Datura stramonium) a common weed in suburban gardens, the fresh warmed leaves of which may be used as a poultice to relieve the pain of rheumatism, gout, boils, abscesses and wounds.
Despite their limited resource, the inhabitants of Masakhane often describe aspects of their rural life style as “bophelo bo bonolo” which means “easy, simple life”. Come and share a few hours with the people of this friendly community and bask in the warm hospitality of this quaint little village which nestles on the foothills of the Magalies Mountain. You will leave with a deeper insight into the lives of small rural communities in South Africa – a way of life which is centred around the values of sharing, family and community. Come and allow yourself to be infused by the spirit of Ubuntu – the African philosophy which is based on mutual caring and interdependence between people.
The village tour is a joint venture between Ian van der Vyver, who is a qualified nature conservationist and the community and includes training in hospitality and tourism related skills and which enhance the livelihoods of several families in the community.