The Stormberg Mountains are a range of mountains situated in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa and are a subsection of the greater Drakensberg mountain range. They form part of the 'Amatola and Stormberg' region which includes major towns like Grahamstown, East London and Port Alfred. Towns in the Stormberg Mountains include Molteno, Dordrecht, Barkly East, Rhodes and Steynsburg. South Africa's only ski resort, Tiffindell, is also situated in these mountains.
Contents |
Geologically, the mountains form part of the Stormberg Series of the Karoo System where some of the only workable coal seams in the Cape are to be found.[1] These coal fields are being explored for possible coal bed methane extraction.[2]
These mountains - like all of South Africa - was originally home to the Khoisan hunter gatherers. The Nguni migrations saw the arrival of the Xhosa herders from the north and the displacement of the Khoisan. The subsequent arrival of the Cape colonists in the area resulted in a series of 'frontier wars' which led to the region's incorporation into the Cape Colony
During the Second Boer War, this was the site of the Battle of Stormberg, fought on 9th December 1899.