Blaauwboschkraal Stone Ruins — Attraction in Emakhazeni Local Municipality

September being Heritage Month in South Africa, we are yet to visit this very important national heritage site, the Blaauwboschkraal Stone Ruins monument near Waterfall Boven / Emgwenya in Mpumalanga Province. We have traveled as far as Machu Pichu in Peru, but have not yet been to this archeological feature in our frontyard, as it were. I have panned the Google map images between Belfast and Waterval Boven, and found several, possibly historically significant, man-made stone formations in the vicinity, including a Stone cross (Steinkreise) site. The latter may not be linked to the stone circles, but it is still an interesting histo-geographical feature on the Mpumalanga Lowveld landscape. Also, interestingly, there is a Stone Circle Museum in the Town of Waterval Boven, and should be a must-visit if you have an interest in ancient ruins and the like. Additional information from web.archive.org made available by the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) in the Government Gazette, 18 April 1975, declaring the site among others on the farm Blaauboschkraal 346 JT in the Belfast District, to be a national monument. The Gazette says that the site comprises "pre-historic stone ruins of Bantu trails thereon...", and goes on to add that "These unique stone kraals were probably built by members of a Hamitic Bantu culture in pre-historic times. The method of construction which was used is similar to that used at the Zimbabwe Ruins in Rhodesia.". I am sure that preservation/ maintenance, sign-posting and advocacy/ publicity will ensure that this asset is available...

Absolutely majestic and a must visit if you pass by. It's accessible with a pretty standard vehicle if you navigate cautiously through the plantation. Although off the road, we didn't feel unsafe or on edge during our visit. Please always keep it neat and tidy when you visit and do not disturb the natural...

Beautiful. But it helps to have a drone because from the inside you lack perspective of the magnitude of the ruins. The government could also do better to preserve the area and curate an experience around these...