Twee Riviere

Twee Riviere ('two rivers' in Afrikaans) lies in the lower Langkloof valley in Koukamma Local Municipality, Sarah Baartman District, a few kilometres east of Joubertina on the R62. The original farm was surveyed and registered on 14 February 1765, issued as a loan farm by the VOC to Jacobus Scheepers. It has changed hands over the centuries but the community has persisted. About 450 people live here today, representing roughly 125 families across 60 surnames, an unusual consistency for a village this small. The two rivers of the name are the Diep River (historically Klipdrif) and the Dwars River, both rising in the Tsitsikamma Mountains to the south and flowing through the town.

The Langkloof is apple country. The valley is hemmed by dramatic mountain ranges, and the roadsides run green and red with orchards in season. The harvest period is the defining event of the year for the whole valley, bringing seasonal workers and activating the packing infrastructure that makes the Langkloof one of the most productive fruit regions in the Eastern Cape. Twee Riviere sits at the centre of this, not at its edge.

The town has a museum and a 200-year-old Cape Dutch building said to be where fruit farming in the region first began. The South African Institute for Heritage Science and Conservation has a presence here. The Skrijwershoek Arboretum, of interest to botanists, horticulturists, and tree collectors, is accessible from the village. The mountains above the valley offer hiking and trails with views down the length of the Langkloof.

Twee Riviere is a place that gets on with its own life. It is not a tourism destination in the brochure sense. It is a small agricultural community with a very long history in a very beautiful valley, and it doesn't need you to confirm any of that.