The World's oldest known mattress has been unearthed in South Africa, in a Cave in KZN! Made of plant material and dated up to 77,000 years ago—50,000 years earlier than previous evidence for human bedding. These early mattresses apparently were even specially prepared to be resistant to mosquitoes and other insects! Early members of our species, Homo sapiens, were nomads who made their living by hunting and gathering. Yet they often created temporary base camps where they cooked food and spent the night. One of the best studied of these camps is Sibudu Cave, a rock shelter in a cliff face above South Africa's Tongati River, about 40 Kilometres north of Durban. Sibudu was first occupied by modern humans at least 77,000 years ago and continued to serve as a favored gathering place over the following 40,000 years. Since 1998, a team led by Lyn Wadley, an archaeologist at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, has been excavating at Sibudu, uncovering evidence for complex behaviors, including the earliest known use of bows and arrows. "What we have is evidence of plant bedding that is 50,000 years older than any previous site anywhere in the world," said study leader Lyn Wadley. Over the past several Years, the team has found that many of the Archaeological layers featured large, 1-centimetre thick swaths of plant remains, including the remnants of both stems and leaves. Most of them cover at least three square meters. The team suspected that these swaths were the remains of bedding, but the earliest previous evidence for sleeping mats is only between 20,000 and 30,000 years old, at sites in Spain, South Africa, and Israel, where similar but more fragmentary arrangements of plant remains have been found. Measuring up to 22 square feet (2 square meters), the beds were also large enough to accommodate a whole family. For modern hunter-gatherers, such as the Inuit and Kalahari Bushmen, "the idea of just one or two people sleeping on a bed is unknown," she noted.

Botshabelo, which means 'place of refuge', is the largest Township in the Free State and, after Soweto, the largest in the Country. Botshabelo and Thaba'Nchu are known collectively as the Thabelo Area. People originally moved there in search of work, when they left their rural homes in the Free State to move closer to Thaba'Nchu (a homeland). Botshabelo was reserved exclusively, at the time, for the Tswana people (interestingly the largest group of people originally from Botswana to live in South Africa, whose language is Tswana). Thaba Nachu, which was settled as early as the 1830's, was something of an enclave of Bophutatswana as a result of Apartheid and today remains governed by His Majesty Chief Albert Moroka, responsible for civil matters and judge of the tribal court.

Botshabelo Mission Station can be found in Middelburg in the Mpumalanga Province. Originally a place of refuge for Christians, Botshabelo Mission Station grew into an important and rather influential centre where the Gospel was widely proclaimed among the black people. It became a place where both black and white people received education and training and even where commerce and industry were practiced. Established in 1865. No longer an active Mission Station, there are two Churches of Historical value. Two young German missionaries, named Alexander Merensky and Heinrich Grützner, arrived in South Africa from the Berlin Mission Society during the 1860’s, to spread the gospel among the Zulu nation. They bought a farm in the Olifants River Valley near Middelburg and soon established a Mission Station named Botshabelo, meaning ‘Place of Refuge or sanctuary‘. In order to protect the Settlement a Fort was also built called Fort Wilhelm. Soon, a small Town developed around the Mission and even included a 2300 ha Nature Reserve. Initially Merensky built a Home for himself and his followers. The refugees fleeing from Chief Sekukhuni, of Swaziland under the leadership of one of his brothers, Johannes Dinkwanjane, also arrived at Botshabelo. A brick house was erected as a parsonage. Merensky had also begun constructing a stone fort as protection against attacks from Chief Sekukhuni who wished to subdue his brother to his authority. The Fort was named Fort Wilhelm after the German Emperor and is unique blend of Western and Sotho Architecture. A Church was built in 1868 using a total of 300,000 bricks that were made locally. The Church was later extended into a cross formation which can still be seen! Botshabelo was largely self-sufficient and expanded rapidly. In 1873 there were 1,315 inhabitants. Botshabelo had its own general dealer shop, a large mill a small distance away, run by a full time miller, fields with furrows, a bookbindery and a blacksmith shop. A School was built and the first Building is still known as the Practice school. At the beginning of the 20th Century, a large School was built which served as a Training College, until 1979. It was at Botshabelo that the missionary R.F Güstav Trumpelmann, with the invaluable assistance of his erstwhile student, Abraham Serote, translated the bible in Sepedi (North Sotho). The publication in 1904 by the British and Foreign Bible Society of this combined effort was the first complete Bible in an indigenous language. The Botshabelo Mission Station also incorporates an Ndebele Village. This Village comprises of an open-air Museum established to successfully preserve the interesting tribal Culture. This well known tribe is famous for its colourful Huts, cultural garb and brilliant arts and crafts. Stores selling their fascinating arts and crafts can be visited! The Botshabelo Mission Station boasts true historical value, a beautiful little church and many old Buildings. Today, this Mission Station is a Museum. The entire Area is a Site Museum and has plenty to offer interested Tourists, hikers as well as Historians. Tours throughout the Mission Station are available and should be taken for those wishing to ask questions and learn more of the station! Hiking Trails have been developed in the area to afford visitors the opportunity to learn more of this intriguing area. A visit to the spectacular nature reserve is also a must where bird watching and game viewing can be enjoyed. Unfortunately, the Botshebelo Mission Station, according to the 'City Press' article on the 11 of July 2016: says "It was a cold Tuesday in late June when I visited the historical group of about 80 buildings. The Botshabelo site – which once drew up to 2 000 tourists a day (according to Middelburg Observer) – stood empty, the doors of its many missionary buildings were bolted shut, trees growing through the steps, walls crumbling. Its architecturally valuable 18th century Lutheran church, once the biggest South of the Orange River and boasting yellowwood benches and stained glass windows, is falling apart. Half of the roof has collapsed on to the Altar."

Mtwalume is a small seaside Village situated in the Umdoni Coast of KwaZulu Natal. This quaint Village was named after the Mtwalume tree, the bark of which was traditionally used by the Zulus for medicinal purposes! This little village lies on KwaZulu-Natal's South Coast between Ifafa beach and Hibberdene, roughly 87 kilometres from Durban. It has been used as a holiday town for years, and thankfully remains so, with only a couple of shops and a post office! The small Mtwalume Beach is mainly a holiday Beach although you will find a local fisherman or two here as well. Holidays spent here are about the Beach and reminiscent of a time before glitzy, huge beach-side Mansions became the norm of any strip of beach available along the coastline. It is surrounded by an abundance of indigenous fauna and flora, and the Mtwalume River which forms a beautiful Lagoon stretching into the sea. The water is warm and there are quaint tidal pools ideal for swimming. You can also enjoy angling, scuba diving and surfing. The South Coast train line along the Hibiscus coast runs between the Town and the Beach is no longer in operation, except for the occasional Freight Train! The main feature is the Lagoon formed where the Mtwalume River meets the Sea, (which was named by the Zulus for the tall, long trees growing on the banks!) As the river can be unpredictable, but this doesn't stop people at the Coast from enjoying skiing, fishing, swimming, surf angling and deep-sea fishing!

This Township was established when Centurion was incorporated into Tshwane in 2000. Olievenhoutbosch is a fast growing Residential Area and offers visitors interesting attractions, such as a Koi fish-breeding Farm and the Ndebele Cultural Centre.