Lekkersing

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Auntie Regina Fieland of Lekkersing village, Richtersveld

© Chris Marais

Deep in the folded hills of the Richtersveld in the Northern Cape lies the village of Lekkersing.

No-one can tell you with authority how Lekkersing (Afrikaans for ‘joyful singing’) got its name. Perhaps there were some great choral singers living here once; perhaps it was named after a small nearby fountain that gurgled tunefully.

Up here in the dry Richtersveld, the sound of fresh water flowing is music to anyone’s ears. But a troupe of Nama singers in full cry is just as lyrical. Perhaps Lekkersing has two origins: a village that broke out in song at the sound of a sweet stream passing.

Above the village is a diamond quartzite mine that produces incredibly patterned slabs of slate that have been exported as tiles to all corners of the world. The most beautiful of these are the ‘flower stones’, which look very much like fossilised flowers, but experts say the effect comes from magnesium crystals being formed from the slow seepage of water into the rock.

But the main activity of Lekkersing, which lies near the recently proclaimed Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape World Heritage Site, is the herding of livestock – goats in particular.

The Nama traditions are strong in Lekkersing. When you go there, you might meet the amiable Magrieta Cloete. Ask her about local cooking traditions.

She’ll tell you all about veldkos (veld foods) and traditional lipsmackers like melkkluitjies (dumplings cooked in goat’s milk).

'We live in a very quiet world out here,' she’ll say – obviously not referring to the local kitchens.

Down the road, Auntie Regina Fieland and her granddaughter Monique will bring out their traditional sun bonnets and model them for you.

Then you can sit down for strong coffee with the family and, for a few hours, be part of a very special world.