Jan Harmsgat

Jan Harmsgat is a country house on the outskirts of Swellendam. The house was originally slave quarters. Lady Anne Barnard stayed there and wrote in her diary about Jan Harman’s schat (treasure). Johannes Harman Jansz Potgieter was born.in 1674 on a farm near the Langeberg Mountains. He was married in 1714, and the farm appears on the grant of 1723 as Jan Harmansz Schat (treasure). He was gored to death by a buffalo and later found in an aardvark hole.
In 1731 the grazing rights were granted to Jacobus Botha, a well-known hunter whose career was brought to an end a few years later, when he shot a lion, and the lioness (which he had not seen) attacked and mauled him. He recovered but was not able to hunt again, and in 1734 Governor de la Fontaine made a freehold grant to him, for services rendered, of the farm Jan Harmans Gat which he was then occupying. The farm was described as "vier uur te perd van die dorp Swellendam". Botha lived to the age of 90, dying in 1782, and his 12 sons gave him 190 grandchildren.

In 1789 the farm was owned by Hermanus Steyn de Jonge. In 1765 he married the widow Margaretha van Staden. In addition to farming, he also sat on the District Council of Swellendam. In 1795 the farmers rebelled against the Dutch and declared themselves independent of the Cape Government. Hermanus Steyn was chosen as the president of the new Republic of Swellendam, which lasted for 3 months before the British assumed control of the Cape Colony. He is buried on the farm in a small plot marked by a granite gravestone.

F.J.van Eeden, a member of the Legislature and grandson of Gideon van Zyl, inherited the farm and changed the name to Nooitgedacht. One day, while in a Legislature meetig, he became so angry about a proposed excise duty, that he had all the vineyards cut down, and planted orange trees in their place. Four giant old orange trees which had been planted by Hermanus Steyn, produced wagon loads of oranges for 150 years, but were then cut down by van Eeden, and 5 dozen orangewood chairs made from the timber.

In 1988, Judi Rebstein (maiden name van Eeden) came across the dilapidated farm and recognised it from old photographs as the farm once owned by her great-great-grandmother. After working in theatre and film production, Judi settled at Jan Harmsgat with her husband Brin. They restored the old slave quarters and the old wine cellar. The wine cellar contains the old wine tank where Hermanus Steyn once made wine enjoyed by the Swellendam rebels.

The Wilderness history

Hugo Leggatt, a retired physicist and science teacher, is working on a book about the history of The Wilderness. He was encouraged to start the book by his friend, the late Wilderness author, Victor Smith who left meticulous notes during his life time in The Wilderness. Hugo, in his 60s, settled in the town in 1947 as a 7 year old boy. One of his pupils at Bishops in Cape Town was billionaire Mark Shuttleworth. When Mark blasted off into space in April 2002 aboard the Soyuz Mission, Hugo was there to witness the event. Hugo’s sons have carried on the adventurous spirit. Nick was a crewman on Cheyenne, the yacht skippered by Steve Fosset on a record-breaking around-the-world challenge. Chris is a paddler and rock climber, and owns Eden Adventures, an ecotourism company. Mike is a founder member of The Wilderness and Lakes Environmental Action Forum, as well as an antique furniture restorer. If you can contribute to The Wilderness history book, contact Hugo at (044) 877-0267 or hleggatt@pixie.co.za

Cabaret focuses on Cape slave history

Natalia da Rocha's play, Wa’ Was Djy?, is a tribute to the Cape artists of the 19760s and 1970s - including Jonathan Butler, Zane Adams, The Rockets and The Invaders. Natalia started a production company, Rainbow Worx, in 1995. This latest production was recently performed in Nanning, China. The actors are currently working on a cabaret, Die Slavin ­ As’sie Wind soe Waai, to go on stage next month. Die Slavin is about the slaves at the Cape and helped Natalia find out more about her roots.

Glen Avon Farm

Bill and Alison Brown run a bed and breakfast on their livestock farm, Glen Avon, near Somerset East. Hart Cottage is the restored wattle and daub cottage built by Robert Hart in 1817 when he settled on the farm. The farm has been in their family for 6 generations. Robert was Bill’s great-great-great grandfather. Pictures of him and wife Hannah are proudly displayed on the lounge walls. The cottage's last permanent resident was Robert's great-grandson, Lennox Brown, who moved out in 1938. The cottage was furnished with wrought iron beds, yellow wood dressers and tables dating back to the early residents. A watermill which dates back to the early 1800s was also built by Robert, and remained in use until 1992. The machinery and equipment used was shipped to Port Elizabeth and transported by ox-wagon via the old Zuurberg Pass to Glen Avon, some 200 kilometres. The yellowwood, sneezewood and olivewood used to build the three-storey mill were sourced on the farm. Area farmers would camp there while milling their wheat or mielies. There are barely-legible messages written in pencil on the wooden beams - "Ek was hier April 1892 met 27 zaken koren, J L van der Venter". J J Prinsloo, of nearby Spreeuwkloof, was a frequent visitor in the early 1900s and left a number of messages. Even back then, there was a “No smoking or spitting” law - as shown by an ink scribbling on the beam.

Mrs Culture

Earlier this year, Bets de Klerk, known as Centurion's Mrs Culture, retired after 21 years. She worked at the Centurion library and art gallery. It will not be a full retireent, as Bets is setting up a seminar centre at her smallholding outside Pretoria. In 1984 Bets created the cultural position at the then Lyttelton library. There were only four cultural societies in the area but by 1999, when she moved to the art gallery, there were 32 clubs and socities using the library's meeting rooms.

Former prisoner heads museum

A former Robben Island prisoner was appointed as the new chief executive officer of the Robben Island Museum, earlier this year. Paul Langa (54) is a an ANC veteran born in Soweto. He studied political science at Wits University. In 1977 he left South Africa to join uMkonto weSizwe but was arrested in the same year and served 14 years on Robben Island as a political prisoner.

Voortrekker Monument keeps pace and grows

Since its opening in 1949, the Voortrekker Monument has watched over Pretoria. The little museum that used to be in the restaurant area, was moved and today showcases many Great Trek artefacts, including the Bible given to the Trekkers in Grahamstown.
In 2001, Fort Schanskop was incorporated into the Voortrekker Monument. This Anglo-Boer War fort houses the Danie Theron statue which was moved there in 2002 from Potchefstroom. There is also a replica of the Tanganjika Monument which was erected in 1953 in Tanzania by the descendants of the Boers who moved there are the Anglo-Boer War.
The 341 hectares around the Voortrekker monument are home to various animals including zebras, various species of buck, and pheasants. There are ox-wagon rides, horse rides, as well as walking and mountain bike trails. The chapel is often used for weddings. Future plans include a heritage centre.