Fort Mistake

South Africa , South Africa

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Fort Mistake is a historic British military signalling post on the eastern side of the N11 main road between Ladysmith and Newcastle in KwaZulu-Natal, overlooking the strategic Mkupe Pass in the Biggarsberg Mountains.

Built on what was originally called Fort One Tree Hill, it formed part of the British defensive line during the Anglo-Zulu War (1879) and the First Anglo-Boer War, guarding the vital supply and communication route between Pietermaritzburg, Newcastle and Dundee.

The pass later saw action again when Free State burghers unsuccessfully attacked the British garrison there during the final engagement of the Transvaal War of Independence, and over time the site became known as “Fort Mistake,” a name whose exact origin is uncertain but is now firmly established in local usage.

Today, the remains of the fortifications can be visited by hiking up from near the old filling station on the N11, while nearby Fort Mistake Country Lodge offers accommodation and walking access to the site for those interested in South African military and frontier history.