Graaff Reinet
Encyclopedia
Graaff-Reinet is a town in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa
. It is the fourth oldest town in South Africa, after Cape Town
, Stellenbosch and Swellendam
.
in 1786, being named after the then governor of Cape Colony
, Cornelis Jacob van de Graeff, and his wife, whose maiden name was "Reynet".
In 1795 the burghers, smarting under the exactions of the VOC, expelled the Landdrost and proclaimed a republic
. Similar action was subsequently taken by the burghers of Swellendam
. Before the authorities at Cape Town
could take decisive measures against the rebels, they were themselves compelled to capitulate to the British. The burghers having endeavoured, unsuccessfully, to get aid from a French warship at Algoa Bay
surrendered to Colonel (afterwards General Sir) JO Vandeleur.
In January 1799 Marthinus Prinsloo, the leader of the republicans in 1795, again rebelled, but surrendered in April following. Prinsloo and nineteen others were imprisoned in Cape Town castle
. After trial, Prinsloo and another commandant were sentenced to death and others to banishment. The sentences were not carried out and the prisoners were released, March 1803, on the retrocession of the Cape to the Netherlands
.
In 1801 there had been another revolt in Graaff Reinet, but owing to the conciliatory measures of General F Dundas
(acting governor of the Cape Colony
) peace was soon restored. It was this district, where a republican government in South Africa was first proclaimed, which furnished large numbers of the Voortrekkers
in 1835-1842.
Graaff Reinet became the centre of British military operations for the whole Eastern Cape during the Second Boer War
. In 1901, a number of captured Boer rebels were tried in the town for crimes ranging from high treason
, murder, attempted murder, arson and robbery. Nine were sentenced to death, with eight of these being executed by firing squad on the outskirts of the town, while the ninth sentence was carried out in Colesberg. The Burgher Monument in Donkin Street commemorates the fallen Boers.
, which rises a little farther north on the southern slopes of the Sneeuberge
, and splits into several channels here. The Dutch Reformed church
in the town is a prominent stone building in the high street with seating accommodation for 1500 people. The building is influenced by the architecture of Salisbury Cathedral
in England.
The college is an educational centre of some importance; it was rebuilt in 1906. The Graaff Reinet Teachers College was closed down in 1990 after it was used as a centre for further educational training for about six years.
Graaff Reinet is a flourishing market for agricultural produce, the district being noted for its mohair
industry, sheep and ostrich
farming.
, the population of Graaff-Reinet (including the township
of uMasizakhe) was recorded as 32,464 people living in 7,038 households. Of this population, 64% described themselves as "Coloured
", 25% as "Black African", and 11% as "White". The dominant language was Afrikaans, which was the first language
of 75% of the population. 21% spoke Xhosa
, and 4% spoke English
.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It is the fourth oldest town in South Africa, after Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, Stellenbosch and Swellendam
Swellendam
Swellendam is the third oldest town in the Republic of South Africa, a town with 28,072 inhabitants situated in the Western Cape province. The town has over 50 National monuments most of them buildings of Cape Dutch architecture....
.
History
The town was founded by the VOC Dutch East India CompanyDutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
in 1786, being named after the then governor of Cape Colony
Cape Colony
The Cape Colony, part of modern South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, with the founding of Cape Town. It was subsequently occupied by the British in 1795 when the Netherlands were occupied by revolutionary France, so that the French revolutionaries could not take...
, Cornelis Jacob van de Graeff, and his wife, whose maiden name was "Reynet".
In 1795 the burghers, smarting under the exactions of the VOC, expelled the Landdrost and proclaimed a republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
. Similar action was subsequently taken by the burghers of Swellendam
Swellendam
Swellendam is the third oldest town in the Republic of South Africa, a town with 28,072 inhabitants situated in the Western Cape province. The town has over 50 National monuments most of them buildings of Cape Dutch architecture....
. Before the authorities at Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
could take decisive measures against the rebels, they were themselves compelled to capitulate to the British. The burghers having endeavoured, unsuccessfully, to get aid from a French warship at Algoa Bay
Algoa Bay
Algoa Bay is a wide inlet along the South African east coast, some 425 miles east of the Cape of Good Hope. It is bounded in the west by Cape Recife and in the east by Cape Padrone. The bay is up to 436 m deep...
surrendered to Colonel (afterwards General Sir) JO Vandeleur.
In January 1799 Marthinus Prinsloo, the leader of the republicans in 1795, again rebelled, but surrendered in April following. Prinsloo and nineteen others were imprisoned in Cape Town castle
Castle of Good Hope
The Castle of Good Hope is a star fort which was built on the original coastline of Table Bay and now, because of land reclamation, lies nearer to the Cape Town city centre in South Africa.-History:...
. After trial, Prinsloo and another commandant were sentenced to death and others to banishment. The sentences were not carried out and the prisoners were released, March 1803, on the retrocession of the Cape to the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
In 1801 there had been another revolt in Graaff Reinet, but owing to the conciliatory measures of General F Dundas
Francis Dundas
General Francis Dundas General Francis Dundas General Francis Dundas (c.1759, Sanson, Berwickshire – 15 January 1824, Dumbarton, Scotland was a British general and acting governor of the Cape Colony between 1798 and 1803....
(acting governor of the Cape Colony
Cape Colony
The Cape Colony, part of modern South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, with the founding of Cape Town. It was subsequently occupied by the British in 1795 when the Netherlands were occupied by revolutionary France, so that the French revolutionaries could not take...
) peace was soon restored. It was this district, where a republican government in South Africa was first proclaimed, which furnished large numbers of the Voortrekkers
Voortrekkers
The Voortrekkers were emigrants during the 1830s and 1840s who left the Cape Colony moving into the interior of what is now South Africa...
in 1835-1842.
Graaff Reinet became the centre of British military operations for the whole Eastern Cape during the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
. In 1901, a number of captured Boer rebels were tried in the town for crimes ranging from high treason
High treason
High treason is criminal disloyalty to one's government. Participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplomats, or its secret services for a hostile and foreign power, or attempting to kill its head of state are perhaps...
, murder, attempted murder, arson and robbery. Nine were sentenced to death, with eight of these being executed by firing squad on the outskirts of the town, while the ninth sentence was carried out in Colesberg. The Burgher Monument in Donkin Street commemorates the fallen Boers.
Geography
The town lies 750 metres (2,460.6 ft) above the sea and is built on the banks of the Sunday's RiverSundays River
The Sundays River is a river in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa and is said to be the fastest flowing river in South Africa. The Khoisan people originally named this river Nukakamma because the river's banks are always green and grassy despite the arid terrain that it runs...
, which rises a little farther north on the southern slopes of the Sneeuberge
Sneeuberge
The Sneeuberge are located in the far western portions of the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. They are the highest mountain range in South Africa outside the Drakensberg and stretch between Murraysburg of the neighbouring Western Cape, north of Graaff Reinet and almost to Cradock.They are...
, and splits into several channels here. The Dutch Reformed church
Dutch Reformed Church
The Dutch Reformed Church was a Reformed Christian denomination in the Netherlands. It existed from the 1570s to 2004, the year it merged with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands to form the Protestant Church in the...
in the town is a prominent stone building in the high street with seating accommodation for 1500 people. The building is influenced by the architecture of Salisbury Cathedral
Salisbury Cathedral
Salisbury Cathedral, formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Anglican cathedral in Salisbury, England, considered one of the leading examples of Early English architecture....
in England.
The college is an educational centre of some importance; it was rebuilt in 1906. The Graaff Reinet Teachers College was closed down in 1990 after it was used as a centre for further educational training for about six years.
Graaff Reinet is a flourishing market for agricultural produce, the district being noted for its mohair
Mohair
Mohair usually refers to a silk-like fabric or yarn made from the hair of the Angora goat. The word "mohair" was adopted into English before 1570 from the Arabic: mukhayyar, a type of haircloth, literally 'choice', from khayyara, 'he chose'. Mohair fiber is approximately 25-45 microns in...
industry, sheep and ostrich
Ostrich
The Ostrich is one or two species of large flightless birds native to Africa, the only living member of the genus Struthio. Some analyses indicate that the Somali Ostrich may be better considered a full species apart from the Common Ostrich, but most taxonomists consider it to be a...
farming.
Demographics
In the 2001 censusSouth African National Census of 2001
The South African National Census of 2001 is the most recent national census of South Africa.The census was undertaken by Statistics South Africa and undertook to enumerate every person present in South Africa on the census night, 9–10 October 2001. The enumeration primarily took place from 10 to...
, the population of Graaff-Reinet (including the township
Township (South Africa)
In South Africa, the term township and location usually refers to the urban living areas that, from the late 19th century until the end of Apartheid, were reserved for non-whites . Townships were usually built on the periphery of towns and cities...
of uMasizakhe) was recorded as 32,464 people living in 7,038 households. Of this population, 64% described themselves as "Coloured
Coloured
In the South African, Namibian, Zambian, Botswana and Zimbabwean context, the term Coloured refers to an heterogenous ethnic group who possess ancestry from Europe, various Khoisan and Bantu tribes of Southern Africa, West Africa, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaya, India, Mozambique,...
", 25% as "Black African", and 11% as "White". The dominant language was Afrikaans, which was the first language
First language
A first language is the language a person has learned from birth or within the critical period, or that a person speaks the best and so is often the basis for sociolinguistic identity...
of 75% of the population. 21% spoke Xhosa
Xhosa language
Xhosa is one of the official languages of South Africa. Xhosa is spoken by approximately 7.9 million people, or about 18% of the South African population. Like most Bantu languages, Xhosa is a tonal language, that is, the same sequence of consonants and vowels can have different meanings when said...
, and 4% spoke English
South African English
The term South African English is applied to the first-language dialects of English spoken by South Africans, with the L1 English variety spoken by Zimbabweans, Zambians and Namibians, being recognised as offshoots.There is some social and regional variation within South African English...
.
Tourist attractions
- The Valley of Desolation, a geological wonder of weathered dolerite pillars which is a declared national monument with magnificent views over the KarooKarooThe Karoo is a semi-desert region of South Africa. It has two main sub-regions - the Great Karoo in the north and the Little Karoo in the south. The 'High' Karoo is one of the distinct physiographic provinces of the larger South African Platform division.-Great Karoo:The Great Karoo has an area of...
plains. - The Camdeboo National ParkCamdeboo National ParkThe Camdeboo National Park is located in the Karoo and almost completely surrounds the Eastern Cape town of Graaff-Reinet.Camdeboo National Park was proclaimed as South Africa's 22nd National Park under the management of South African National Parks on Sunday 30 October 2005.Following an extensive...
of 200 km², on the outskirts of the town with its interesting flora and fauna. - Stretch's Court, a picturesque restored street of KarooKarooThe Karoo is a semi-desert region of South Africa. It has two main sub-regions - the Great Karoo in the north and the Little Karoo in the south. The 'High' Karoo is one of the distinct physiographic provinces of the larger South African Platform division.-Great Karoo:The Great Karoo has an area of...
cottages with brightly painted shutters and doors. - Reinet House Museum - a Cape DutchCape DutchCape Dutch are people of the Western Cape of South Africa who descended primarily from Dutch and Flemish as well as smaller numbers of French, German and other European immigrants along with a percentage of their Asian and African slaves, who, from the 17th century into the 19th century, remained...
building, formerly the Dutch Reformed ChurchDutch Reformed ChurchThe Dutch Reformed Church was a Reformed Christian denomination in the Netherlands. It existed from the 1570s to 2004, the year it merged with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands to form the Protestant Church in the...
parsonage - The Agave Distillery - a distillery producing tequilaTequilaTequila is a spirit made from the blue agave plant, primarily in the area surrounding the city of Tequila, northwest of Guadalajara, and in the highlands of the western Mexican state of Jalisco....
from the agaveAgaveAgave is a genus of monocots. The plants are perennial, but each rosette flowers once and then dies ; they are commonly known as the century plant....
plant. - The Karoo architecture.
- The Dutch Reformed Church in the centre of the town. This Dutch Reformed Church is the only known church in South Africa and possibly in the world to have a kitchen and a chimney.
- The Drostdy Hotel - A Cape Dutch building erected in 1806 as the local seat of government by the VOCDutch East India CompanyThe Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
. Currently a hotel. - Graaff-Reinet is home to more national monuments than any other town or city in South Africa. Graaff Reinet city website
Famous people
Early History
- Chief Hykon - Koebaha or Lord of all the Inqua Tribe (c.1689), reputed to be the richest Khoikhoi tribe in Southern Africa. The Inqua were nomadic cattle farmers in the Camdeboo.
- Koerikei - Bushman leader who rebelled against the Dutch farmers and famously shouted from the top of a cliff to his pursuers: "You have taken all the places where the Eland lived. Why do you not go back to where you came from; there where the sun sets?"
- Adriaan van Jaarsveld. Commandant of the Boers in the district and later instigator of the Graaff-Reinet Republic of 1795. The first Graaff-Reinet citizen to die in the jail at the Castle in Cape Town.
- Coenraad de BuysCoenraad de BuysCoenraad De Buys was described as "a remarkable figures" on the frontier of the Cape Colony. Travellers described him in tones of awe...
(1761–1822) A Boer farmer of the Eastern Cape frontier who rebelled against both the Dutch and English authorities. Nearly 7 ft tall, he is reputed to have been the first white man across the Vaal River. He was a hunter, an outlaw with a price on his head, a cattle raider, an instigator of wars against Africans, but also a warrior in the service of African allies and the lover or husband of two African queens. He was the patriarch of a half-caste clan known as the "Buysvolk" (Buys People) who are still to be found near the Soutpansberg mountains. - Sir Andries Stockenström, 1st Baronet, (6 July 1792 Cape Town - 16 March 1864 London) lived in Graaff-Reinet and was assistant Landrost (Magistrate) of the district. Also was lieutenant governor of British Kaffraria from 13 September 1836 to 9 August 1838.
Great Trek & Boer Republics
- Andries PretoriusAndries PretoriusAndries Wilhelmus Jacobus Pretorius was a leader of the Boers who was instrumental in the creation of the Transvaal Republic, as well as the earlier but short-lived Natalia Republic, in present-day South Africa....
, Born Andries Wilhelmus Jacobus Pretorius (27 November 1798 – 23 July 1853) Great Trek Leader after whom Pretoria was named farmed in the district before the Great Trek. Also instrumental in the creation of the Transvaal Republic. - Andries Hendrik PotgieterAndries Hendrik PotgieterAndries Hendrik Potgieter, known as Hendrik Potgieter was a Voortrekker leader. He served as the first head of state of Potchefstroom from 1840 and 1845 and also as the first head of state of Zoutpansberg from 1845 to 1852.Potgieter was born in the Tarkastad district of the Cape Colony, the second...
, Great Trek leader was born on 19 December 1792 in Graaff-Reinet - Lourens Jacobus Wepener (Louw Wepener)(1812–1865) was born in Graaf-Reinet. He was a Commandant in the Orange Free State and was killed in the 2nd Orange Free State-Basuto War while trying to storm the mountain stronghold of Moshoeshoe I, founder of the Basotho nation. He was renowned for his bravery.
- Martinus Wessel Pretorius. (1819–1901) Boer soldier and statesman, president of the South African Republic (1857–71), born in Graaff-Reinet, the son of Andries Pretorius. He succeeded his father as commandant-general in 1853, and was elected president of the South African Republic, and of the Orange Free State (1859–63). He fought against the British again in 1877, until the independence of the Republic was recognized (1881), then retired.
- Gerrit MaritzGerrit MaritzGert Maritz was a Voortrekker pioneer and leader.-See also:*Graaff-Reinet: Gerrit Maritz, Great Trek Leader after whom Pietermaritzburg was partly named was a wagon-maker in the town....
, Great Trek Leader after whom Pietermaritzburg was partly named was a wagon-maker in the town. - Jacobus Nicolaas Boshoff (31 January 1808 – 21 April 1881) was the second President of the Orange Free State, from 1855 to 1859. He was born in Kogmanskloof, Montagu and completed his schooling in Swellendam and Graaff-Reinet where he worked for a further 14 years.
- Thomas François BurgersThomas Francois Burgers-Literature:...
(15 April 1834 – 9 December 1881) was the 4th president of the South African Republic from 1871 to 1877. He was the youngest child of Barend and Elizabeth Burger of the farm Langefontein in the Camdeboo district of Graaff Reinet, Cape Colony. - General Nicolaas Jacobus Smit (30 May 1837-1896), commander of the Boer forces at the battles of Ingogo and Majuba. Member of the Volksraad (Parliament), he was vice-president of the ZAR in 1887. Prussia made him Knight of the Red Eagle while the Netherlands gave him their highest award as Commander of the Order of the Netherlands Lion. Portugal also gave him the highest award of their country. Born at Doornbos, Graaff-Reinet district, on 30 May 1837, died in Pretoria 4 April 1896.
Politics
- Daniel François MalanDaniel François MalanDaniel François Malan , more commonly known as D.F. Malan, was the Prime Minister of South Africa from 1948 to 1954. He is seen as a champion of Afrikaner nationalism. His National Party government came to power on the program of apartheid and began its comprehensive implementation.- Biography...
(22 May 1874 – 7 February 1959), D.F. Malan, was a Prime Minister of South Africa. He is seen as the champion of Afrikaner nationalism, and his government started to implement apartheid policies. An ordained Dutch Reformed minister in Graaff-Reinet between 1912 and 1915. He is positioned 81st on the Top 100 Great South Africans list. - Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe (5 December 1924 ; 27 February 1978) was a South African political dissident, who founded the Pan Africanist Congress in opposition to the Apartheid regime. Sobukwe was born in Graaff-Reinet. In 2004 Sobukwe was voted 42nd in the Top 100 Great South Africans.
- Dr.Beyers NaudeBeyers NaudéChristiaan Frederick Beyers Naudé was a South African cleric, theologian and the leading Afrikaner anti-apartheid activist...
anti-apartheid activist raised and matriculated here. In 2004, he was voted 36th in the Top 100 Great South Africans. - Matthew Goniwe (1947–1985) Wellknown teacher and political activist in South Africa. His political involvement led to his arrest and conviction in 1977 under the Suppression of Communism Act and he was sentenced to 4 years in Prison. He taught at a local school in 1982. On 27 June 1985 Goniwe and 3 other activists, Fort Calata, Sparrow Mkonto and Sicelo Mhlauli who became known as the "Cradock Four" were killed and mutilated by unnamed members of the Security Forces.
- Cameron Muir Dugmore - (16 September 1963 - ) was sworn in as MEC for Education in the Western CapeWestern CapeThe Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the much larger Cape Province...
Province on 30 April 2004. He attended the Union Primary School in Graaff Reinet. His father was Principal at Union High School. He has been a member of the Western Cape Provincial Executive of the African National Congress since 1993. - Mzuvukile Jeff Maqetuka - , who hails from Graaff-Reinet is the Director-General of Home Affairs. He was trained by the Stasi, the former secret police of Communist East Germany. Maqetuka previously served as the co-ordinator of intelligence in the National Intelligence Co-ordinating Committee. He went into exile in 1978 and completed his military training in Angola and was trained in the former German Democratic Republic.
- Frederick Emmanuel Hufkie Headmaster -Spandau Senior Secondary School - Theologican of the Congregational Church detained without trial in terms of the National Party security laws of 1976 and 1985
Sciences
- Francis GuthrieFrancis GuthrieFrancis Guthrie was a South African mathematician and botanist who first posed the Four Colour Problem in 1852. At the time, Guthrie was a student of Augustus De Morgan at University College London. He studied under John Lindley, Professor of Botany at the University of London. Guthrie obtained...
the Four Colour Theorem mathematician and botanist, lived here. - Harry BolusHarry BolusHarry Bolus was a South African botanist, botanical artist, businessman and philanthropist. He advanced botany in South Africa by establishing bursaries, founding the and bequeathing his library and a large part of his fortune to the South African College...
botanist and founder of the Bolus Herbarium, lived here. - Andrew Geddes BainAndrew Geddes BainAndrew Geddes Bain , South African geologist, road engineer, palaeontologist and explorer.-Life history:...
(1797 - 20 October 1864), esteemed geologist, road engineer, palaeontologist and explorer. Lived in Graaff-Reinet from 1822 for 13 years and worked as a saddle maker. He helped with the construction of the Ouberg Pass and supervised the construction of the Van Rynevelds Pass. In 1837 he was appointed superintendent of military roads by the Royal Engineers. He built eight mountain passes including Michell’s Pass and Bain’s Kloof Pass. He can rightly be called the father of South African paleontology. His first fossil discovery was made in 1838. Famous for a fossil he discovered with a very impressive jaw filled with teeth which he named the "Blinkwater Monster". This fossil was later housed at the British Natural History Museum. - Thomas Charles Bain (29 September 1830–1893) became an even more famous road builder than his father and is the best known of the 19th century road builders. Famous for his 24 mountain passes. He was born in Graaff-Reinet; the second son and seventh child of Andrew Geddes Bain.
- Prof. James Leonard Brierley SmithJames Leonard Brierley SmithJames Leonard Brierley Smith, known as J.L.B. Smith was a South African ichthyologist, organic chemist and university professor. He was the first to identify a taxidermied fish as a coelacanth, at the time thought long extinct.-Early life:Born in Graaff Reinet, Smith was the elder of two sons of...
(26 October 1897 – 7 January 1968) was a famous South African ichthyologist who was born in Graaff Reinet. He was the first to identify, in 1938, a captured fish as a coelacanth, at the time thought long extinct. - Dr.Sidney Henry Southey Rubidge (31 May 1887 - 1970) Farmer on 'Wellwood' Farm in the district. His hobby of fossil collecting became so highly developed that it brought him world wide recognition for his contribution to science in the field of paleontology. In 1952 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of the Orange Free State for his work in this field. He built and maintained a fossil museum on 'Wellwood". This has come to be recognised as the finest private collection of Karoo fossils in the world. A founder of the Merino Ram Breeders' Association of South Africa and of what today is the National Wool Growers Association of South Africa.
- Johannes Jacobus Brummer (Joe) was born in Graaff Reinet on 2 September 1921. He was an economic geologist and one of the most successful mine finders ever. He was responsible for finding copper mines in Zambia, nickel and copper and zink deposits in Manitoba as well as zink and uranium deposits in Saskatchewan. Recipient of the Barlow Gold Medal (CIM) in 1978 and in 1984 the GAC awarded him the Duncan R. Derry medal for his major contributions to economic geology.
- Prof.James William Kitching (6 February 1922 – 24 December 2003) who grew up in the district was a South African vertebrate palaeontologist and regarded as one of the world’s greatest fossil finders[who?]. He, together with James (Jim) Collinson, was the first person to identify and collect therapsid fossils in the Antarctic confirming the former continental link between southern Africa and Antarctica.
- William SmithWilliam Smith (South African)William Smith is South Africa's best-known and most popular television science and mathematics teacher.-Early life and education:Smith was born in Grahamstown and attended St. Andrew's Prep before matriculating at Union High School in Graaff-Reinet...
is South Africa's best-known and most popular television science and mathematics teacher. He matriculated at Union High School in Graaff-Reinet. In 2004, he was voted 86th in the Top 100 Great South Africans. The coelacanth "living fossil" was discovered by Smith's father, Professor James Leonard Brierley Smith, a renowned ichthyologist. - Pierre TerblanchePierre TerblanchePierre Terblanche is a South African motorcycle designer born in 1956 in Uitenhage, Eastern Cape. He started his career in advertising but felt the need to move into the design world. After moving to Germany and working with Volkswagen design he worked at Cagiva's Research Center at San Marino...
, born in 1956 in Graaff-Reinet, was one of the designers of the Ducati 916. The Ducati 916 is an Italian sports motorcycle manufactured by Ducati from 1993 to 1999. He also worked on the Ducati 888 and the 916. He has been the director of design at Ducati since 1997.
Sports
- Douglas Proudfoot, the first captain of the GRGC in 1894 was a legendary South African golfer before the turn of the previous century. He was the SA Amateur champion for seven years in a row from 1893 and again in 1902.
- Herbert Hayton CastensHerbert Hayton CastensHerbert Hayton Castens was a South African rugby union footballer, and cricketer. He was South Africa's first ever rugby and cricket captain. Castens played an important role in the development of rugby and cricket in South Africa, both on and off the pitch. He was usually known as H.H...
(23 November 1864 - 18 October 1929) Born in the village of Pearston neighbouring the Graaff-Reinet District. He is a former South African rugby union footballer, and cricketer. He was South Africa's first ever rugby and cricket captain. On 30 July 1891 he captained South Africa in their first ever rugby international, against the touring British Isles team. In 1896(?) a South African cricket tour to England was organised, with Castens appointed as the first ever South African cricket captain. - Arthur Edward OchseArthur Edward OchseArthur Edward Ochse - One of the many unfortunate victims of the First World War, Arthur Ochse was born at Graaff-Reinet, Cape Colony, South Africa on March 11, 1870, and died at Messines Ridge, France on April 11, 1918, aged 48...
(born 11 March 1870 in Graaff-Reinet, Cape Colony, died 11 April 1918 in France) He was a South African cricketer who played two Tests for South Africa in 1888–89. Known to his team mates as ‘Okey’. Osche held a unique record in South African cricket history for well over one hundred years, being the youngest test cricketer selected for South Africa at 19 years and one day when he took the field for the first test. - Arthur Lennox OchseArthur Lennox OchseArthur Lennox Ochse was a South African cricketer who played in 3 Tests from 1928 to 1929.-See also:*Arthur Edward Ochse...
Born:11/10/1899, Graaff-Reinet, Springbok cricketer; Right Hand Batsman , Right Arm fast bowler. Debut:Against England, 3rd Test, Marylebone Cricket Club in South Africa 1927/28 Kingsmead, Durban, South Africa - Louis Babrow (24 April 1915 – 26 January 2004) Famous Springbok rugby player. Babrow’s international career was a brief one - just one season with the Springboks, but it was a great enough one for him to be included in the 50 top Springboks of all-time in a recent book, The Chosen. The year in which he played was 1937 - when the Springboks became the first team to beat the All Blacks in New Zealand, a feat not equalled till 1971. During World War II he was awarded a Military Cross for gallantry at the Battle of El Alamein, when he was wounded. After the War, Babrow captained the British Empire XV against the Rest of the World. He attended Sacred Heart Convent in Graaff-Reinet.
- Pieter Kuyper Albertyn (PK)(Born 27.05.1897) Dutch Reformed minister in Graaff-Reinet between 1906 and 1921. Springbok rugby captain in 1924.
- Clarence Skelton Wimble, a South African cricketer, was born at Graaff-Reinet, Cape Colony, on 22 April 1861 and died in Johannesburg in the Transvaal on 28 January 1930, aged 68.
- Harry SmithHarry Smith (boxer)Harry Smith , was a South African boxer.He was born in Graaff-Reinet, Eastern Cape Province, Cape Colony.In February 1913 he won the South African heavyweight title when he beat Williams on a fifth-round disqualification....
- SA Heavyweight Boxing Champion, originally from Graaff-Reinet. He was born Frans Liebenberg, but as Harry Smith became one of the most popular figures of his era. In February 1913 he claimed the SA heavyweight title when he beat Williams on a fifth-round disqualification. - Anthony Llewellyn Biggs (Dassie Biggs)a Springbok cricket player was born in Graaff Reinet on 26 April 1946. Selected as a Springbok for South Africa's cancelled tour to Australia in 1971-72.
- Arthur Martin Short (27 September 1947 - ) Born and still farming in Graaff-Reinet. An opening batsman, Arthur Short was twice selected as a Springbok, being named in the 1970 squad to tour England and the 1971-72 squad to tour Australia. Both trips were cancelled.
- Gletwynne Rubidge (1968) Springbok spearfisherman grew up and was educated at Union High School. He is going to Spain for the Euro Qualifications in 2007.
- Kosie Welman Black Rugby player -Flyhalf -South African Rugby Union ,SARU
- Danie Koeberg Black Rugby player - flank forward and centre
- Piet Koeberg Black rugby player - flyhalf -SARU
Literature & the Arts
- Andrew MurrayAndrew Murray (minister)Andrew Murray was a South African writer, teacher, and Christian pastor. Murray considered missions to be "the chief end of the church."- Early life and education :...
(jnr) (1828 - 1917) was a Christian pastor and author who was born in Graaff-Reinet. He was a champion of the South African Revival of 1860. Murray served as the first president of the YMCA (Young Men's Christian Fellowship) and authored over 240 books. Over 2 million of his books have been published to date. - Helen Elizabeth MartinsThe Owl HouseThe Owl House is a museum in Nieu-Bethesda, Eastern Cape, South Africa. The house itself was inherited by a woman named Helen Martins after her parents had died .-Construction:...
(23 December 1897 - 8 December 1976) is considered South Africa's foremost outsider artist. She was schooled in Graaff-Reinet, and her "Owl HouseThe Owl HouseThe Owl House is a museum in Nieu-Bethesda, Eastern Cape, South Africa. The house itself was inherited by a woman named Helen Martins after her parents had died .-Construction:...
" is situated in the village of Nieu-Bethesda 50 km away. - Stephanus le Roux MaraisStephanus Le Roux MaraisStephanus Le Roux Marais was a South African composer....
, (1 February 1896 – 25 May 1979)- well-known Afrikaans organist, teacher and composer especially of Afrikaans lieder (art songs), lived in Graaff-Reinet. - Anna Neethling-Pohl (1906–1992), regarded as a legend of Afrikaans theatre, was born in Graaff-Reinet. She performed in more than 50 stage works and lead roles, and translated 7 of Shakespeare's dramasShakespeare's playsWilliam Shakespeare's plays have the reputation of being among the greatest in the English language and in Western literature. Traditionally, the 37 plays are divided into the genres of tragedy, history, and comedy; they have been translated into every major living language, in addition to being...
into Afrikaans. She published several novels for which she received the Langenhoven prize in 1926 and the Vaderland prize in 1937. - Hymne Weiss (1910 - 6 October 2001) An author of novels and short stories matriculated at Hoër Volkskool in Graaff-Reinet. Hymne also translated many books from German, Dutch, English, Norwegian and Swedish into Afrikaans and was awarded the Academy Award for the translation of BarabbasBarabbas (novel)Barabbas is a 1950 novel by Pär Lagerkvist. It tells a version of the life of Barabbas, the man whom the Bible relates was released instead of Jesus.-Plot:...
by Pär LagerkvistPär LagerkvistPär Fabian Lagerkvist was a Swedish author who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1951.Lagerkvist wrote poems, plays, novels, stories, and essays of considerable expressive power and influence from his early 20s to his late 70s...
- Swedish (1953): Barábas - Eben Leibrandt (1915 - 22 October 2007) was a respected South African artist. Born in Graaff-Reinet, he studied at the Johannesburg Art School and the Central School of Art in London. Regarded as a versatile artist’s artist, Leibrandt was a painter, sculptor, acclaimed mosaic artist and etcher and printer, who represented SA at the 1963 São Paulo BiennialSão Paulo Art BiennialThe São Paulo Art Biennial was founded in 1951 and has been held every two years since. It is the second oldest art biennial in the world after the Venice Biennial , which serves as its role model....
and at the Venice BiennaleVenice BiennaleThe Venice Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice, Italy. The Venice Film Festival is part of it. So too is the Venice Biennale of Architecture, which is held in even years...
three years later. His work is in many major collections, including the SA National GallerySouth African National GalleryThe South African National Gallery is the national art gallery of South Africa located in Cape Town. The collection began in 1872 with the donation of Sir Thomas Butterworth's personal gallery....
, the Johannesburg Art GalleryJohannesburg Art GalleryThe Johannesburg Art Gallery is an art gallery located in Joubert Park, in the central business district of Johannesburg, South Africa. The building was designed by Edward Lutyens and consists of 15 exhibition halls and sculpture gardens...
, the Pretoria Art MuseumPretoria Art MuseumThe Pretoria Art Museum is an art gallery located in Arcadia, Pretoria in South Africa. The museum in Arcadia Park occupies an entire city block bounded by Park, Wessels, Schoeman and Johann Streets....
, the SABC Collection and the Rupert Collection. - David Botha, born in Graaff-Reinet in 1921, was both painter and graphic artist. He is best known for his oil paintings of wet Cape street scenes, usually depicting scenes in Paarl and Stellenbosch. He is considered to be an exponent of ‘Cape Impressionism’.
- Dalene MattheeDalene MattheeDalene Matthee was a South African author who wrote mainly in Afrikaans, although her books were translated into fourteen other languages, including English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Hebrew and Icelandic....
(13 October 1938 - 20 February 2005) was a well-known South African author who studied music at the Holy Cross Covent in Graaff-Reinet. - Etienne van HeerdenEtienne van Heerden-Biography:Van Heerden was born in 1954, six years after the official advent of apartheid. His mother was an English speaking mathematics teacher. His father, an Afrikaans speaking merino stud breeder, farmed the family farm in the Karoo...
(1954), a well-known writer, grew up on a merinoMerinoThe Merino is an economically influential breed of sheep prized for its wool. Merinos are regarded as having some of the finest and softest wool of any sheep...
farm in the Graaff-Reinet district. He is the author of novels, short story collections, books of poetry, essays, cabaret collections and a theoretical book on post-modernism. He also is the founding editor of the multi-cultural South-African internet journal, LitNet, and currently teaches at the University of Cape TownUniversity of Cape TownThe University of Cape Town is a public research university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, and is the oldest university in South Africa and the second oldest extant university in Africa.-History:The roots of...
. - Trudi Dicks was born in Graaff-Reinet in 1940. A well known artist, she has been living in Namibia since 1967. Since the mid-1980s she has exhibited widely both in South Africa and Namibia and has also taken part in some group shows in Europe. Her work was also featured on the 1995 Johannesburg Biennale. She has been the recipient of numerous awards and scholarships.
- Maya Fowler, a novelist, was born in Cape Town in 1980. She started her schooling in Stellenbosch, but spent most of her childhood in Graaff-Reinet, where drought and a harsh landscape fostered an appreciation for beauty that resides in many forms and the tiniest things. Maya holds BA and MA (Linguistics) degrees from the University of Stellenbosch, and she works as deputy editor of Edgars Club Magazine
- Sonia Doubell (1981) is a London-based actress, model and singer. A Bond girl in the James Bond film Die Another DayDie Another DayDie Another Day is the 20th spy film in the James Bond series, and the fourth and last film to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond; it is also the last Bond film of the original timeline with the series being rebooted with Casino Royale...
starring Pierce Brosnan. She attended Union High School for a short spell. She has performed live on the British television show, Top of the PopsTop of the PopsTop of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
. Also the lead singer of dance-music group Dark Monk, whose debut single made it to number one in the German dance charts. - Isobel DixonIsobel Dixon- Life :Born and raised in South Africa and living now in Cambridge, Isobel Dixon works in London as a literary agent, She has published several anthologies. In 2000 she won the South African SANLAM Award for Poetry. In 2004 she won the Olive Schreiner Prize and the Oxfam Poems for a Better Future...
(1969) was born in Umtata but raised in Graaff-Reinet. Her father, previously the Dean of Umtata Cathedral, taught at Union High School where Isobel matriculated in 1987. Isobel is the author of two books, Weather Eye (Carapace 2001) and A Fold in the Map (UK: Salt 2007; SA: Jacana 2007). Weather Eye won the unpublished section of the Sanlam Prize in South Africa in 2000 and the Olive Schreiner Prize, administered by the English Academy of South Africa, in 2004. A Fold in the Map looks back, in the first instance, to South Africa from Scotland and England, while in the second, is a reflection on the authors late and much loved father, his illness and death, and also about her four sisters, and her mother, the women who loved him. Isobel has also had poems published in Ask for It by Name and Unfold. She lives with her husband in Cambridge.
Economics
- Anton RupertAnton RupertDr. Anthony Edward Rupert was an Afrikaner South African billionaire entrepreneur, businessman and conservationist. He was born and raised in the small town of Graaff-Reinet in the Eastern Cape. He studied in Pretoria and ultimately moved to Stellenbosch, where he established the Rembrandt Group ...
Dr. Anthony Edward Rupert (4 October 1916 – 18 January 2006) was an Afrikaner-South African entrepreneur, businessman and conservationist. He was born and raised in Graaff-Reinet. In 2004, he was voted 28th in the Top 100 Great South Africans. - Gerrit Thomas Ferreira "GT" Ferreira - well known banker and founder of First Rand Bank was raised and educated in Graaff-Reinet.
Other
- Sophia Johanna Werner - was born in Graaff-Reinet in 1827. Better known as Black Sophie because of her dark compexion, she was a well-known brothel "madam" in Cape Town and had her premises in Bree Street.
- Sylvia Raphael, one of the leading female operatives in Israel's external intelligence agency, the Mossad, was a Graaff-Reinet-born Christian with a Jewish father. Posing as a Canadian photojournalist under the alias "Patricia Roxborough", she was one of the first Mossad agents to penetrate Yasser Arafat's bases in Jordan and Lebanon in the 1960s. She was closely involved in Israel's partially successful attempts to track down the PLO terrorists responsible for the deaths of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics.