Fugitive’s Drift, a Natural Heritage Site, was the brainchild of David and Nicky Rattray, pioneers of heritage tourism in South Africa, and has become a magnet for history buffs from around the world since it opened in January 1990.
“This business was built on British tourists and David had the gift of making older British people very special,” says Rob Caskie who, in addition to his duties as principal lecturer, has taken on a greater management role following historian and storyteller David Rattray’s death nearly five years ago.
“David was a very good businessman and chief executive in addition to having a wonderful way with words. He can truly be said to have had the Midas touch,” he adds.
“Prince Charles’s visit with his young son, Harry, really put this place on the map.”
The popularity of Fugitive’s Drift is based on its proximity to the Anglo-Zulu battlefields of Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift, as well as the manner in which the history of these – one a calamitous defeat and the other a victory against all odds… in the space of 24 hours – is presented to guests.
David Rattray’s father, Peter, was a patent attorney in Joburg who had a great interest in the Anglo-Boer War that later expanded to include the Zulu wars.
A cattle-farmer from Rorke’s Drift, George Buntting, “one day called him up out of the blue and told him that 200 hectares of land on the banks of the Buffalo River had come up for sale”, recounts Caskie.
It was a pile of rocks, he said, and no good for farming. However, it would be a great place for holidays.
“Rattray and his wife, Gillian, used to come down with their young children on long weekends and holidays. That was when David’s love of the area and its history began.”
Fugitive’s Drift and the monument to lieutenants Melville and Coghill were not part of the farm but were later acquired by his son. The two subalterns were the first men to be awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously for their rescue of the queen’s colours from the disaster of Isandlwana.
They died crossing the swollen river at Fugitive’s Drift but the muddy colours were retrieved by a patrol a fortnight later.
“David and Nicky started this business on a wing and a prayer in the latter half of 1989.
“They had two rooms which could take four guests but a vehicle that could seat eight.
“A wealthy businessman with the ability to identify ‘winners’ said this made no sense.
“David responded that he didn’t have the funds to build two more rooms.”
The businessman asked how much it would cost and, because he’d built the first two, Rattray knew the price.
On departure, the businessman presented him with a cheque, saying: “That’s for the next two rooms. I want them finished in three months and I want you running with a full vehicle the next time I come here.”
Accommodation at Fugitive’s Drift currently comprises a lodge with eight luxury en-suite rooms, a guest house with six rooms, Umzinyathi House – the original George Buntting homestead – which is a rustic self-catering three-bedroomed farmhouse and the KwaGeorge garden cottage.
As neighbouring farms came up for sale over the next six years, Rattray’s benefactors bought them in trust and took down internal fences to create a game reserve that now encompasses some 2 000ha with a 20km frontage along the river.
The reserve, especially abundant in birdlife, can be explored on foot, by vehicle or on horseback.
In the bar, Grace and Hlengiwe address guests by name. While Caskie holds court at one long dinner table, Nicky quietly joins the other but effortlessly draws guests to her.
“I’ve always felt that our business is small and intimate enough for every staff member to know every guest’s name. This means that we have to learn a lot of new names every 24 hours.
“We recently had 60 people here for a cycling tour of the battlefields and I had to know everyone’s name.
“For any human being, the most special sound in their language is their name and to be able to address guests continually by their names throughout their stay and during the battlefield lectures makes a huge impact on them.
“We also don’t want people to feel as if they’re staying in a hotel. We want them to feel that they are houseguests staying in our garden.
“If our business is in any way ahead of the pack, it’s in these little details.” - Saturday Star
If You Go...
From Johannesburg (five hours)
Take the N3 south towards Durban. After 50km, turn left on to the R23, heading for Standerton (102km).
Proceed through Standerton and on to Volksrust (85km).
From Volksrust, take the N11 to Newcastle (50km).
Proceed on N11 for 39km beyond Newcastle (i e heading towards Ladysmith) and turn left on R68 for Dundee/Glencoe.
Drive through Dundee, and exit on R33 heading towards Vryheid.
Almost 5km out of Dundee, turn right on the R68 heading towards Nqutu, Babanango and Melmoth.
After about 25km, turn right on to gravel road with sign Rorke’s Drift.
Go beyond Rorke’s Drift for 3km and turn left onto the D31 with sign Fugitive’s Drift.
Go along this road for 7km, through the big black gate, until you see the signs for the Lodge and Guest House, on the right.
Note that the gate is locked at 6pm.