The original sign that was on the gate has been lost since the placement of the geocache. However, there are similar signs around the area, an example of which is shown above. When arriving at such a gate, you may think that the sign on the gate is not very friendly and inviting. This is in stark contrast with the warm and welcoming reception that awaits you once you meet the friendly people living in this beautiful Karoo area. You will be able to experience the real Karoo hospitality and friendliness in the nearby village of Nieu-Bethesda. You may also cross paths with other examples of the friendly Karoo communities in the towns of Graaff-Reinet to the south and Middleburg north-east from this cache.
To understand the context of the warning sign on the gate you have to bear in mind the hard and challenging work that it takes to eke out an existence with sheep and goat farming in this harsh environment with its warmer than hot summers and colder than icy winters. Wool producing merino and mutton producing dorper sheep are found in these beautiful hard open spaces where millions of years ago a vast ocean was to be found. As part of the farming stock, the sheep of the Karoo are joined by the indigenous boer goat ("boerbok") and veld goat, while mohair produced from angora goats (originally from Turkey) is now also an important farm product in some places in the Karoo. Game farms are also increasingly introduced in the semi-arid Karoo.
As if the climate and low rainfall is not enough, one of the biggest challenges in this farming area is stock theft; sometimes by petty thieves, but more often than not by organised criminal gangs. I will never forget one early morning at 03:00 on a gravel road in the area when I was confronted by a shotgun wielding farmer while on my way to Nieu-Bethesda; after our nervous interchange he explained to me that vehicle headlights on the road at that time of night usually only means one thing.
While you should take heed of the warning on the gate, you don’t have to take it personally; it is addressed at the criminal scoundrels engaging in the scourge of stock theft. You are more than welcome in our beautiful world and I am sure you will enjoy your stay. Oh and by the way, don’t worry, you don’t have to enter the gate to find the cache.