In 1849 Aliwal North was established as an administrative centre for the recently annexed territory north of the Stormberg Mountains. It was named for the town of Aliwal in India, the scene of a great victory over the Sikhs two years earlier by Sir Harry Smith, the Governor of the Cape Colony. The town was […]
Barkly East, the “Switzerland of South Africa”, lies on the edge of the Kraai River Gorge in the Drakensberg. This town, one of the coldest and highest in South Africa, is surrounded by the Witteberge (White Mountains) where some of the peaks rise to as high as 3 000 m. The town was established on […]
Burgersdorp, situated in the northern foothills of the Stormberg Mountain Range, was established in 1846 as a new parish of the Dutch Reformed Church of Graaff-Reinet. The parishioners called their new village Burgersdorp (“Citizens’ Village”) and administered their town according to their own solidly, conservative views based on biblical doctrine. It was therefore a logical […]
Originally named after the wife of Sir Henry Bartle Frere, the then Governor of the Cape, the town’s name was changed to “Cacadu”, name of a nearby river, after the town was incorporated into the now defunct Homeland of Ciskei. Cacadu (Lady Frere) serves as the centre for the Glen Grey farming district. Archaeology And […]
Cradock, the “Capital of the Midlands”, was founded in 1814, on the farm Buffelskloof. It was named after Sir John Cradock, who, realising the need to establish two new frontier strongholds, chose the site where Grahamstown stands today as the eastern frontier stronghold and the site where Cradock stands today as the western frontier stronghold. […]
The picturesque little town of Dordrecht was established in 1856 as a Dutch Reformed parish and named after the town of the same name in the Netherlands. During the Anglo-Boer War, burghers from the Free State annexed the town and declared it part of the Free State. However, after the war it was reintegrated into […]
Stunning views of the Drakensberg Mountain Range await visitors to this small village. The village was named after a previous Chief Magistrate of Tembuland, Sir Henry Elliot who was revered as a kind man with a unique ability to reason with antagonists and defuse potentially explosive situations. The most important agricultural product of the area, […]
Originally called Maraisburg, this town was established in 1873 and renamed after Jan Hofmeyr, a linguist and champion of the Afrikaans language. History And Architecture Anglo-Boer War Memorial: The memorial commemorates the Boers who died in the Anglo-Boer War. Dutch Reformed Church: The pillars and portico of the church are similar to those of the […]
Indwe is the Xhosa word for blue crane, the graceful birds that have made the area around this town their home. The town lies at the foot of the picturesque Stormberg Mountains. Dairy and sheep farming is the mainstay of the area. Entertainment And Shopping Water sport: The Doornrivier Dam is a popular venue for […]
This town was established in 1874 on the farm of one Johannes Jacobus Wagenaar, fondly referred to as “James”, by his English friends. And, it is by this nickname that the new town, situated on the banks of the Skulpspruit, eventually became known. The primary activities of the area are wheat and wool farming. Archaeology […]
