IT TAKES A VILLAGE... A mountain community built on care and connection

There are places you visit, and there are those that capture your heart. Long before the winding roads of Magoebaskloof and Haenertsburg became weekend escape routes, people were already coming to ‘The Mountain’ searching for something quieter, deeper and more connected. Over generations, through flower shows and funerals, conservation causes and quiet acts of care, a community was shaped - one that still believes life is better when people show up for one another.

Local historian Louis Changuion believes that spirit of cooperation has always been one of the village’s defining characteristics. After decades spent documenting the stories and history of the mountain, he still speaks about the place with wonder, describing the silver mist drifting against the escarpment and the peace of mind he believes people cannot find elsewhere. For Louis, the deeper meaning behind the phrase “it takes a village” is simply that when individuals cannot manage alone, the community steps in. “If people cooperate,” he says, “they can achieve much more.”

Organisations like Thusanang, Rotary Haenertsburg, The Care Association, Haenertsburg Neighbourhood Watch, HADEF and the Letaba Fire Protection Association have become part of the village’s invisible support structure - the kind of safety net many communities no longer have. Their work ranges from caring for vulnerable residents to responding during fires, crime incidents, electricity outages and personal crises, often through entirely voluntary effort.

“There are some beautiful humans in this community,” says fourth-generation resident Denise Tooley. What moves her most deeply is the number of conservation-minded residents who continue working tirelessly through organisations like the Mountain Environmental Watch and Friends of the Haenertsburg Grasslands to protect ‘The Mountain’ for future generations.

For many families, this sense of conscious care is precisely why they choose to build a life here rather than simply holiday in the mountains. Beth Forrest Stroud knows this feeling intimately. Having grown up with the village as part of her internal landscape, she returned to raise her own children here. “I didn’t just want to come back and visit that feeling,” she says. “I wanted to actually build a life inside it and give that to my own children” - one marked by small rituals of belonging and an atmosphere of connection and familiarity that shaped her.

Long-time resident Colleen Ballenden has watched the rhythms of the village evolve over time, describing Haenertsburg as quirky, eccentric but deeply accepting - a place where people have always been welcomed for exactly who they are. She remembers “in the old days” when villagers gathered on a Friday to shop, bank, collect parcels, borrow books and exchange news.  These memories are shared by Erie Railton and Jane Hillary, whose family roots stretch back generations to the farm now known as Cheerio Gardens.

Renowned for its Spring blossoms, the iconic Cheerio Gardens remains family-owned and managed by Sarah Hillary.  It evolved from a plant nursery and a beloved gathering place hosted by ladies of the community into one of the key tourism attractions of the area.  The Haenertsburg Village Hall, built in 1933 by volunteers, remains symbolic of that shared spirit - part meeting place, part library, part dance floor and civic heart.

Today, Michel Hughes and the Hall Association offer regular gatherings, ‘Tig’s talks’ and events that still keep that tradition alive.  Community stalwart and events-fundi, Linda Miller is of the opinion that, “there is an abundance of talent in this little part of the world with caterers, photographer, sign-writer, musicians, makers and accommodation – all supplied by local stars.”  

The sense of community still defines much of village life today. “There are many people who quietly do what needs to be done,” says Michi Kröger, fourth-generation farmer of the Thompson’s Wegraakbosch Organic Cheese Farm. She speaks of committee members, market organisers, people sponsoring soccer shoes for local children, and those “hiding in plain sight” who stop at accidents, check on hospital patients or quietly support struggling families. For Michi, stewardship and community are inseparable and as custodians of one of South Africa’s important water catchment areas, many residents see environmental protection not as an ideology, but as their responsibility.

Environmental advocate Megan Baragwanath acknowledges that not everyone who arrives immediately understands the culture of stewardship that exists on the mountain. But she believes people are slowly shaped by the place itself. “The protected natural heritage gives people opportunities to get back to basics” while walking, hiking, birding or swimming.  Megan speaks passionately about residents who devote unpaid hours to protecting the landscape for future generations. “There is a strong unstated responsibility we take on as a whole,” she says, “to help and improve where we can.”

That same sense of care shapes the hospitality industry too. Lara Luis of The Pot ‘n Plow believes community means choosing collaboration over competition. “It is a positive cycle of kindness,” she says.  Heather Gore of Blueberry Heights Café feels that “local businesses are the heartbeat of a place. They give it character, personality and authenticity.” While Bistro Haenertsburg’s Wim van Zyl describes his restaurant as a community meeting place where support often takes simple forms - meals for elderly residents, transport, company and practical help during difficult times. “It’s the small things,” he says, “but they matter.”

According to newcomers Ryan and Lana-May Chandler, “it takes a village, they say, and that is exactly what it took to pull us from the city. We came to build a business - one which we can be truly proud of and one which would be frequented by all, but most importantly, one which will make a difference in all Haenertsburgers' lives.” They have felt warmly welcomed by the community and almost everyone describes a feeling of connection, generosity and belonging.  Jessi Scates of Magriets Fine Foods sums it up by saying that while every small town has its frictions, “when it matters, this place lives with open hands and open hearts.”

This is what many people are searching for when they come to the area these days. Not merely space or silence, but a life softened at the edges by community. People may come for the landscape and hikes with Sandi-Leigh Moore’s The Mountain Company, but stay for something less easily photographed - neighbours who still wave, ask after your family and gather at local markets.

Even beautiful stories must be held up to the light though. Residents speak warmly of kindness and belonging, but also acknowledge increasing pressures - noise, development, business competition, environmental strain and the growing gap between living in a place and taking responsibility for it.  New residents bring energy, children, businesses and fresh ideas, but village life cannot survive without participation. 

“There’s always tension between preservation and progress,” says environmentalist and FroHG chairperson, Chris Jackson. “The real trick is finding a middle ground that works for everyone.”  Tourism development expert, Mike Gardner, believes that “the Village is unique in many ways, not only in Limpopo but in many other parts of the country and there is a sense of pride in who we are and what we offer. Whilst many other small towns and villages are steadily ‘deteriorating and even disintegrating’, Haenertsburg is not merely surviving but moving ahead in many ways.  The only constant in the world today is change and this will demand thinking that is out of the box.”

Duncan Barry points to one of Haenertsburg’s quieter strengths - its ability to organise: volunteer groups raise funds. Protect land and respond to emergencies while the rate-payers association supports residents.  But Mark Harman of the Care Association offers a grounded reminder that the real test of community is whether care reaches those who need it most.  A village is not a perfect arrangement of like-minded people. It is a place where individuals choose, repeatedly, to remain in relationships with one another - old families and newcomers; farmers and conservationists; business owners and volunteers.

And maybe that is the real story of ‘The Mountain’ - not only its forests or waterfalls, but the quieter ecosystem of people who continue to hold one another up through changing times. A place where neighbours still check in, volunteers still step up before being asked, and belonging is treated not as an abstract idea but as a daily practice. In a world increasingly shaped by disconnection, Haenertsburg and Magoebaskloof offer the hope of something different - the reminder that when enough people care deeply about a place and about each other, almost anything becomes possible.