Himeville is a small town situated in the foothills of the Southern Drakensberg, in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa, approximately 130 km south-west of Pietermaritzburg on the route to the Sani Pass and the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site).
Himeville is the closest town to the Sani Pass, which links to Mokhotlong town in Lesotho. It falls within the Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma Local Municipality, which is part of the Harry Gwala District Municipality.
Himeville’s high altitude, heavy snowfalls, and climatic extremes are possibly the initial reason for its relative neglect. But the breathtaking scenery, abundance of water, and the Himeville and Underberg district’s reputation as a fly fishing mecca, now make it an attractive alternative to the busier parts of the ‘berg.
There are three golf courses in and around Himeville, and the abundance of water means that water sports like swimming, rafting, canoeing, and tubing are the order of the day. The Underberg-Himeville Trout Fishing Club has access to over 160 km of river and 60 dams. Add to that several private dams in the area, and any fly-fishing fundi would be fascinated.
Formerly the terrain of San hunter-gatherers, who spent their summers in and around Himeville, the Himeville Museum, located in some of the original stone buildings erected in 1900, has a valued collection of San artefacts and is worth a visit.
History
The town was first established as a police outpost and a branch of the Border Mounted Rifles in 1890, following a spate of gun-running and cattle rustling in the area.
In 1902, the town was named Himeville after the then Prime Minister of Natal, Sir Albert Henry Hime, a road engineer elected as Prime Minister of Natal in 1889.
