Seweweekspoort

Seweweekspoort is a mountain pass located along the R323 regional route running from Zoar, [Western Cape|Zoar] and Laingsburg in the western Little Karoo region of South Africa's Western Cape province. The highest point in the Western Cape, Seweweekspoort Peak, is located close to the pass. The pass and surrounding area is a popular tourist attraction due to the diversity of local flora and the geology of the surrounding mountains.

Name

Various theories exist about the origin of the name for the pass. The most plausible is that it is named after Rev. Louis Zerwick of the Berlin Missionary Society and probably worked at Amaliënstein and Zoar. In the vernacular the pronunciation of Zerwickspoort became Seweweekspoort.

History

In the 1850s construction began on the road alongside the Gamka River using prison labor. The road was completed in November 1862 and is still in use.