Makana Botanical Gardens. Formerly known as the Grahamstown Botanical Gardens, the Makana Botanical Gardens were founded in 1853 by Deed of Grant on the slopes of Gun Fire Hill. aid to be the second oldest such gardens in South Africa and a national monument, lie adjacent to the Rhodes University campus in Grahamstown. They were established way back in 1853 and were the second garden established in the Cape Colony at the time. The Garden boasts a wide variety of fauna and flora, as well as animals.