After looking at some of the sadder history of the Cederberg (well, all of S.A. I suppose), I thought it would only be fair to consider the awesome fun you can also have in the region!
Despite only being two hours north of Cape Town, the Cederberg has a very different nature to the Cape mountains (made famous by our winelands towns which are hidden in their folds). The Cederberg, by contrast, is much rockier, and more brown (and red, as you go further north) than green. Made from softer rocks, the Cederberg shows much more extreme weathering, and it leads from the relatively lush Western Cape into the desert of Namibia. Consequently, the terrain begins to take on a martian aspect, with tortured red rocks towering towards the sky.
On this trip, I only explored the southern section, and in winter the peaks are as lush and green as they ever get... but you can still see the red rock peaking out!
Given the highly textured rock, the area is wildly popular with rock climbers and bouldering fanatics, but also – being a non-Big 5 wilderness area – the area is permeated with trails to explore for day hikers, overnight trekkers and mountain bikers.
There are numerous guest farms nestled in the valleys, producing wine, craft beer, and other tasty products... and in the far north is a quiver tree forest that is a photographer's paradise. ( http://www.nightjartravel.com/animals-nature/quiver-tree-forest )
Of course, there are hundreds of examples of the rock art I discussed yesterday as well! In a nutshell, this is an area that is well worth getting blissfully lost in for a weekend or two, and offers an incredibly affordable getaway from Cape Town.
For those of you who wish to go to South Africa and, maybe, try different paths 
