ACTIVITIES
The wonder of Cata lies in two things - its people and its extraordinary natural environment. Because all the facilities in the village are 100% community-owned, you have a unique opportunity to engage with both. All the guides are Cata locals. They know the village intimately and are eager to show you around. Please contact Boniswa Tontsi to arrange any of the activities.Bird-watching
The indigenous forests at Cata are home to an abundance of birds. Look out for the Chorister Robin-Chat, Dark-backed Weaver, Forest Canary, Green Twinspot, Grey Cuckooshrike, Knysna Turaco, Olive Ground Thrush, Olive Woodpecker, Terrestrial Brownbul and Yellow-throated Woodland-Warbler.Cata’s most famous winged resident, however, is the rare and endangered Cape Parrot www.capeparrottrust.org/FACT_SHEET.html. A partnership between the village and Birdlife South Africa has seen this bird’s numbers increase phenomenally. Pecan-nut trees have been planted to provide a ‘buffer’ between the forest and the communal fruit orchards of the village, ensuring that the parrot and the people are not in competition. Sightings of a flock of approximately ten Cape Parrots are regularly reported.
We suggest that you take a guided bird tour through the forest. A local Cata resident, passionate about birds and local flora, will take you on a three- or six-hour birdwatching expedition. Able to name birds in both English and isiXhosa, and engaging in his love of the subject, you are guaranteed a memorable outing. See the price-list for rates.
Horse-riding
There are a number of horses available for hire from local villagers. Allow local trained guides to lead you through the breath-taking scenery of Cata. Click here for prices.Mountain-biking
A road network through the northern reaches of Cata, though the Waterfall Forest and commercial plantation, as been selected for mountain-biking. Perfect for adventure athletes and nature lovers, the earmarked tracks and spectacular views are guaranteed to thrill. Click here for a map. Bring your own bikes or hire ours at reasonable rates.Hiking
The best way, in our opinion, to really appreciate the natural beauty of Cata is on foot. There are a number of hiking options, and the people of Cata are ready to tailor-make a walk for you. If you are reasonably fit, and have some time on your hands, we would strongly urge you to consider hiking the Amatola Community Trail. Much more than just a hiking trail, it is a great walking experience, through a spectacular and dramatic natural environment; magnificent views; cascading waterfalls; deep gorges; fascinating geological features; many swimming pools and picnic spots; ancient indigenous forests; imposing rocks and cliffs; and amazing bird and plant life. The trail offers face-to-face engagement with some of the wonderful people of the Amatolas; access to rural experiences that are otherwise inaccessible and insight into the heritage of the area, rural homesteads and innovative post-apartheid development processes. The trail is as much as about community as it is about the Amatolas. Click here for a day-by-day description of the trail.Agri-tourism
There are three kinds of agriculture practiced at Cata, forestry, co-operative irrigation farming, and individual homestead gardening. All three provide out-of-the-ordinary experiences visitors to Cata who are interested in farming.The forestry venture began in 2006. The Cata Communal Property Association has a forty-year licence from the Department for Water Affairs and Forestry for the establishment of a commercial timber plantation. It is a labour-intensive operation, providing employment opportunities for more than 40 local villagers, half of which are women. You will enjoy interacting with Ms Siziwe Katanga, the supervisor. Siziwe will tell you how important the forestry project is for Cata - as a long term investment and as a here-and-now development opportunity for the village. After 25 years, when the pine is harvested, phenomenal benefits will flow to the community, the owner of the venture.
Situated right in the middle of the village, the co-operative farm is Cata’s flag-ship project. A very important source of low cost fresh vegetables for the villagers, the irrigation project is partly responsible for the fact that 99% of villagers now eat twice a day or more often, whereas five years ago this was not the case. Mpisekaya Pama is the supervisor of the irrigation project. He will be happy to show you around the 22 hectares now under cultivation.
Visit Nothemba Languva’s garden… Homestead gardening in Cata received a boost through training in 2004 by a Limpopo-based NGO called Water for Food. Villagers were taught how to run off water from roofs and storm water can be harvested and used for producing food. A form of trenching and waste-use is employed instead of fertilizers. This highly successful method is in use today.
Cata Community Museum
At the heart of village stands the small community museum - unique in SA in that it is the only museum that tells the story of rural land dispossession, and the community’s successful struggle for restitution.
Inside the museum building
The museum comprises an indoor section, as well as an outdoor component. Visitors begin their ‘Cata experience’ in the indoor part of the museum, where they will find exhibits of world-class standard. Life before the removal is depicted through artefacts and photographs. Pride of place is given to a model of a pre-betterment homestead - accurate in every detail. The homestead was modelled by internationally-acclaimed historical modeller, Peter Laponder, who has also done work for the Iziko Museums in Cape Town, and the Gisozi Genocide Memorial in Kigali, Rwanda. Click here to download a 6 MB PDF presentation on the making on the Cata model.The homestead is contrasted with the impact of betterment. Houses were demolished, fields and kraals had to be abandoned, established social arrangements were destroyed. The people of Cata were forcibly ‘villagised’ - with severe economic and social consequences.
The museum also focuses on the post-1994 period. The community’s engagement with the land restitution process over the period 1998 to 2000 is explained, and the signing of the historic Cata Settlement Agreement, in October 2000 is celebrated. Its links to the Vulamasango Singene campaign are explained. This campaign, by betterment villagers that were prejudiced during the lodgement phase and are seeking restitution, is the most significant early twenty-first century social movement in the Eastern Cape Province.
A museum outdoors
Visitors are then invited to view the outdoor part of the museum - a two-kilometre guided walk along a professionally ‘cut’ heritage trail. View the breath-taking scenery, while reading information boards along the way that describe the social and natural history of Cata. The natural heritage of Cata is extensive and spectacular. Situated on the slopes of the Amathole mountain range, Cata valley has notable geological features, its indigenous forests and grassy slopes are full of interesting plant life, and a number of rare birds (including the endangered Cape parrot) are frequently spotted here.The walk takes visitors to the ruins of pre-betterment homesteads, and to the Cata toposcope. For many, the toposcope ‘brings home’ the effect of betterment on the community - the name of each dispossessed person is engraved in granite, with the distance to their demolished homestead noted. As one stands in the centre of the toposcope, surrounded by 334 names, and looks over the countryside to where the homesteads once stood, one begins to understand the force of the devastation.
For more information
…or to book your trail guide, please contact Boniswa on 072 568 7926.
Entrance to the indoor museum is free. See the price list for the cost of a guided walk along the heritage trail.
Xhosa language classes
"This was an invaluable experience for my students - I would certainly recommend Cata for Xhosa language immersion." (Adjunct Professor Tessa Dowling, School of Languages and Literatures, African Languages Section, University of Cape Town, January 2010)Teaching your mother tongue as a second language is not as easy as one might think, as a group of Cata residents discovered in September 2008 when workshopped on the subject. The intensive training covered the syllabus for beginners that was developed by a professional Xhosa language consultant, as well as tips for homestay hosts to ensure that their Xhosa students learn as much as possible during their stay.
To make your Xhosa lessons worthwhile, we encourage you to stay for at least four days (Friday to Monday if necessary), and to come with at least one other learner. And of course, a homestay is the essential accommodation option.
“Cata is a very special place, a community that is unified, proactive and empowered. In my two weeks there my Xhosa improved dramatically, under the guidance of my patient, friendly and competent home-stay host, with the input of the whole village. I was exposed to traditions and cultures that I'd only read about, and was made to feel welcome and accepted. I would recommend it to anyone, at any level of Xhosa language.” (Kira Schlesinger, UCT Language Student, January 2010)
Latest News
Feel the heartbeat of an ordinary Xhosa village - opt for a homestay and live with one of the Cata families for the duration of your stay. Perhaps you might like to have your evening beer at the local tavern and meet your neighbours. read more
From the newly-built chalets you can enjoy the view of the mountains and the Cata Dam on the road to Keiskammahoek. You can opt for self-catering or have meals prepared for you in traditional Xhosa style. read more
Cata is a paradise for children… bicycling or horse-riding or learning a little of the local language. And, of course, they could meet the local children and together with them, look for cattle in the afternoon.
But Cata is not as ordinary as you might think first when you enter the village. During apartheid the village underwent a complete forced removal from the hills to the valley. This programme was ironically called “betterment“ and affected millions of people all over South Africa. This, and the successful fight for restitution, is documented in the Cata museum. read more
