Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
South Africa is a land of cultural diversity, its history echoing through the sands of time. But, hidden within the country’s borders are weird and wonderful mysteries that portray the blending of cultures.
Mysteries ignite one’s imagination with a flare of South African pride, as folklore intertwines with reality. Through the decades, certain of these weird and wonderful mysteries have been passed down from generation to generation.
Here are three unusual South Africa mysteries that are sure to captivate your attention:
Steytlerville Monster – Eastern Cape
Although a tiny town, sporting a population of a few thousand people, Steylerville is known by many for being the home of a shape-shifting monster. Allegedly, the strange creature plagues the small Karoo town in a rather unusual way.
Legend claims the monster changes shape the moment someone looks at it. One man claims he saw the being as man in a suit. When the creature saw him look, it changed into a pig and then into a bat.
So far, the monster has not harmed anyone. Instead, it seems the quirky creature finds joy in terrifying people with its shape shifting shenanigans.
Trunko – KwaZulu-Natal’s South Coast Sea Creature
What is a mystery without a sea monster somewhere in the seams?
While Margate is one of the most popular holiday destinations in the country, it was a very little-known town back in 1924. Which is when this story takes place. On October 25, 1924, people witnessed a battle of epic proportions between two killer whales and a giant, white sea creature.
Story has it that the sea creature attacked the whales with its tail, before jumping 20 feet out of the water. However, the whales refused to back down and fought back. The battle lasted three hours and the creature was killed. Its body washing up onto the shore.
Apparently, the creature was 47 feet long, 10 feet wide and five feet high. It was named Trunko by cryptozoologist Karl Shuker. Its body lay on the beach for 10 days before it was reclaimed by the sea. As no scientific investigation was conducted, it is still uncertain on what the creature truly was.
The Flying Dutchman – Cape Town
The Flying Dutchman is one of the most iconic South African mysterious legends. Immortalised by mariners and movies such as Pirates of the Caribbean, however legend claims the ship was captained by a Dutchman, Hendrik van Decken. His eerie story begins in 1641, while he was travelling to Holland from Batavia.
As he approached the Cape, a storm broke out and his terrified crew urged him to turn back, to avoid dying in the raging storm. However, van Decken refused and swore that not even God could stop him from sailing around Cape Point, even if it took him to Doomsday.
His words angered God and van Decken was cursed to sail the seas for all eternity. Through the years, many ships have seen the Flying Dutchman sail the seas looking for port, but to no avail.
Some claim that the Flying Dutchmen is a mere optical illusion, while others maintain van Decken and his crew are doomed to sail until the end of time.
