It all started in 1915 when Isak Lombard (Icke, as his friends referred to him) and his father Yuri Lombard travelled to the Lowveld to come help the local Shangaan people with the existing Lion problem that threatened their lives. While in the area, they did some geological prospecting.

Isak Lombard was born in 1907 in Maraba Stad ‘Pietersburg – Polokwane’ He was a fierce young man, being six feet tall. He was the oldest of 4 children and had to take his brothers and sisters to school in an ‘ossewa’ (boere- carriage pulled by cattle oxen) over the mountains to Gravelotte. Later Icke got married to Antje Schaap.

They became the first white settlers of the lowveld. In 1925 they opened a prospectors camp and Ingwe Park became their base. Icke and Antje build their own house here and they stayed here while making lots of discoveries. These were the days of no electricity, no running water, and back then the Kruger National Park had no fence! He made a lot of discoveries including Gold in the Murchison mine, a big Phosphate deposit in Venda, silver and gold in Zimbabwe.

For each of Icke’s seven children he built a ‘Rondawel’ (round chalet) and this became their family home. They build the roofs with large metal drums that were cut open and flattened by driving over it with an old Jeep. Icke later sold the camp in 1977 but was bought back by his youngest son Antoon Lombard in 1989. Antoon’s oldest daughter, Antonet, saw the potential to renovate the ‘rondawels’ to accommodate people.

Here’s a layout of who stayed where:

No 1 – Antje Eufesia (nicknamed Barbie)
No 2 – Ophir Silvia
No 3 – Eleanor Palistina
No 4 – Isak Snr. and his wife Antje Snr.
No 5 – This was Antje’s sewing room
No 6 – Family Kitchen
No 7 – Hans Jurgens – First born son
No 8 – Ickey Sybrand
No 9 – Antoon Murchison

As you can see on the map all of the chalets are built in a circle, facing inwards. Making it very cosy and safe against any wild predators. We have tried to keep everything as true to how it was originally built by Icke Lombard.