The legend of Van Hunks and the Devil

There is a rich cultural history to be found in South Africa with all the tribes and ethnic groups calling this country home. Some legends and myths have lasted for hundreds of years, retelling by our elders of days of old, captivating the minds and imaginations of people all over the country. One such legend is the story of Van Hunks and the Devil. There are many versions of the legend that has been told over the years and all leads to why sometimes one can see a ‘cloth’ of clouds creeping over Table Mountain.
As the legend goes, Jan Van Hunks was a retired sea captain who would regular hike up the slopes of the mountain know as Devil’s Peak. There, he would sit and look at the settlement of Cape Town down below. A small port that was constructed to refuel and replenish Dutch and merchant ships travelling to and from the East Indies Ocean. While sitting on the slopes, Van Hunks would relax and smoke his pipe before heading back down to the settlement.
One day, when Jan was at his usual spot smoking his pipe and looking over the Cape Town settlement, he saw a stranger that walked up to him and asked if he could join him in smoking. Van Hunks agreed and he and the stranger started smoking together. As the time went on, the stranger challenged Van Hunks to a smoking duel on who can smoke the most without getting sick. Van Hunks accepted the challenge and the two smoked so much that clouds of smoke formed over the mountain.
After some time, the stranger stoop up to leave because he could not keep up smoking with Van Hunks. As the stranger stumbled away, Van Hunks looked and saw a red tail tailing behind the stranger, and he realized that he had been in a smoking duel with non-other than the devil himself! Not content with being beaten, the devil created a clap of thunder and they both disappeared from sight.
Today, the regular occurrence of clouds that creeps over Devil’s Peak and Table Mountain are said to be Van Hunks and the devil going at it again, smoking up a storm.