Krige family burial vault rebuilt

Johan Krige, of Caledon Villa Guest House in Stellenbosch, has helped reconstruct a Krige family burial vault that was built in 1842. Six years ago he received a photo of the neglected vault at the Stellenbosch Dutch Reformed Church. The vault was built by Carl Otto Hager for Willem Adolph Krige of the farm Uiterwyk. Hager was a well-known architect who built many churches. Willem Adolph Krige was the grandson of the Krige progenitor, Wilhelm Adolph Kriege, a VOC official that arrived at the Cape in 1721. In 1942, Willem jnr bought the burial plot at an auction held by the church council. Willem and his wife, Elizabeth, were buried in the vault. Shortly afterwards, the church council opened a new burial ground at Du Toitstasie. In 1967 the Krige family vault was demolished. The original vault could house 12 coffins. With the reconstruction, 120 cremation recesses were built, of which 50 have already been sold to descendants of the Krige progenitor. The Krige Family Association was founded in 1976.