The regional road numbered R323 uses this pass on its leg between Riversdale in the south and Ladismith in the Little Karoo to the north.

He quickly came to see that a road between the recently established town of Ladismith and the coast would be of great benefit to the farmers of the Little Karoo to enable their produce to be shipped from the harbor at Mossel Bay.

Prison labor was used to construct the 16 km (9.9 mi) tracks, while the workers were housed in a temporary jail on site.

The Cape Colony's Prime Minister, Sir John Gordon Sprigg officially opened the pass in November 1879.

Jimmy Luyt was the first tax collector, and after his death, his wife and Jan Swart continued this job.