REG. 126-240 NPO

INHOUD/CONTENT Book review: The Bokoni story unearthed

Delightful history page on new White River online site

http://wearewhiteriver.com/category/wr-history

Tracy Brooks writes:

We are exploring and writing up historical bits and pieces of White River, and uploaded them

onto our website. We are very pleased to share them with your group if you are interested.

The link is below, all we ask is that you credit We Are White River for the info and put a link

to our website www.wearewhiteriver.com

From the Heritage Desk: We wish you all the best for this project to encourage the recording of local history in such an interesting way. Thank so much for this kind offer to use your content in our weekly Newsletter. Please keep us posted of new historical content at history@destinationsmp.co.za We also boast a small archive which we are more than willing to share with you. Here to follow is one of the articles on some of the street names of White River which appears on this online page:

White River Street Names CAMPBELL ROSS STREET

The town, initially administered by White River Estates, was replaced by a Health Committee on 29 October 1932, under the chairmanship of Colonel R Campbell Ross, who arrived in White River in 1920/21, formerly in the Indian army. He was a director of White River Fruit Growers.

CHARLES NEL STREET

Carel Jacobus Nel (1890-1983)– He was a member of the first White River Health Committee elected 29 October 1932 and elected the first deputy mayor when the town became a Village Council on 17 August 1937. Charles became a teacher at White River primary school when F Davey was the head master. The other teachers were: Willem Jacobus Swanepoel and Miss Tracey. Charles left White River in 1940 to become the head master of the Indian School in Nelspruit. He died in Pretoria in 1983.

Regular Newsletter/Gereelde Nuusbrief

No. 160 2015

www.routesmp.co.za Click: Follow the history/Click: Mpumalanga Historical Interest

NOTE: That this is not an edited publication but merely a compilation of the contributions and comments as received from members and participants

A regular edited annual will be available shortly

DANIE JOUBERT was born in Graaff-Reinet on 22 June 1905. He began his school

career in Winburg and matriculated at the High School, Ermelo. He studied at the University of Cape Town where he attained BA, BSc and BEd degrees and was a student teacher in 1931/32 at the University of Cape Town. Thereafter he was a lecturer in Psychology at the Natal University College. He returned to the Cape and lectured at the Cape Technical College. In 1945 he moved to the Lowveld to farm near Plaston. He was a director of White River Fruit Growers. He became involved in various organisations including irrigation boards, and played an important part in the building of dams in the White River Valley. The Danie Joubert dam (Klipkopje dam) is named after him. He was married to Helena née Strauss and they had three children, Jean, Annemarie and Francois.

JOHN BARKER STREET

The first Chairman of White River Fruit Growers was Capt. John P Barker (1888-1956). He was also the first chairman of the Citrus Exchange and served on the White River Village Council from 1940 until 1944. John Barker was born in Melbourne in 1888 and married Lucy Hay Affleck-Scott, daughter of an Australian surgeon. He enlisted in the British Army (Royal Artillery) in 1915, served in Egypt, Salonika, the Caucasus and Anatolia until June 1920, then emigrated to White River, an almost virgin area in the very first stages of development; he found an immediate opening for rendering a service and drawing income by starting an ox- transport service from the railhead at Nelspruit. From his office, a wattle and daub shack grew the White River Co-operative Agricultural Services with John .Barker as its chairman. The object of that company was to assist the settlers with their purchases by buying co-operatively. The company bought vehicles that did great service to the district by bringing in supplies for the fast-developing valley. These vehicles, on their solid rubber tyres, were still the best available transport when the first packed cases of citrus fruit left the district for export in 1925. He was the moving spirit in forming that much larger and broader co-operative company. The White River Fruit Growers. This company was the first Citrus co-operative to be registered in South Africa and replaced the old White River Cooperative Agricultural Services in March 1924. He was also the first chairman of the Citrus Exchange. He left many monuments to his years of service in helping to develop White River and its valley among which may be mentioned the White River District Farmers’ Association, the White River Estates Irrigation Board and the White River Valley Conservation Board (which came into being to control the water stored in Longmere Dam). Each of these bodies had its difficult periods, and John Barker, as secretary,

had to carry a heavy burden. He was the moving spirit in forming the private company which financed and built the first Town Hall for White River in 1935. This hall was later taken over by the Village Council. John Barker was a member of the Village Council and chairman for three years. It is fitting that his memory should be perpetuated by naming the main pool of the White River Municipal Swimming Bath after him. Barker and his wife were later divorced and she and the two boys left for the English Midlands. Barker died on 4 December 1956, age 68, and was buried in White River.

The Bokoni story unearthed The following book review was published in Mail & Guardian of 27 Feb

2015: AMANDA ESTERHUYSEN

The book "Forgotten World" offers insight into stone-walled archaeological sites

and an understanding of the economies of early farming societies.

FORGOTTEN WORLD: THE STONE-WALLED SETTLEMENTS OF THE

MPUMALANGA ESCARPMENT by Peter Delius, Tim Maggs and Alex Schoeman (Wits

University Press)

Forgotten World offers information about and insight into the stone-walled archaeological sites that

range across the Mpumalanga escarpment. These spectacular stone circles, terraces and pathways

have inspired many exotic and fantastical tales of alien occupation, ancient temples and celestial

observatories; romantic tales that take hold of the imagination easily because knowledge disseminated

about the people who built the sites has been omitted from the extensive, but often biased, annals of

South African history.

The authors, a historian and two archaeologists, deftly pull together the current knowledge of these

sites in a well-illustrated book. They have different areas of expertise, and work with different kinds

of evidence. Thus the reader’s appreciation of the sites emerges from a varied and intricate tapestry of

oral, missionary and written sources; a deep understanding of African social systems, agricultural and

cattle management strategies; and a careful elucidation of material remains.

Delius et al call the area Bokoni, in deference to early 20th-century oral traditions that refer to the area

as the “country of the Koni people”. Indeed, much of the information about Bokoni derives from

interactions with other groups.

The oral history of the Bapedi, for example, records a number of clashes and alliances with the

neighbouring Bokoni. This, albeit indirect, evidence roots the Bokoni firmly within a specific time

period, and within a Southern African socioeconomic framework.

With this in place the authors are able to provide the reader with sufficient archaeological and

historical background to understand the innovative ways in which the Koni defined their living

spaces.

The book delves back into the first millennium CE to provide an understanding of the economies of

early farming societies. In a clear and uncomplicated way, the authors touch on other key sites, such

as Mapungubwe, to demonstrate the range of skill and innovation practised by early farmers.

They also highlight the importance of iron and steel to the farming enterprise, and show how niche

specialisations, such as metalworking, would have been determined broadly by the availability of ore

and wood to fuel the fires in the smelters. This differential access to resources gave rise to a vibrant

trade in a wide range of local resources, such as salt, tin, iron, grain, livestock and pigment across

precolonial Southern Africa.

International networks tapped into these regional trade networks by the end of the first millennium

CE. The Arab-Swahili trade network was followed by the Portuguese and ever-increasing competition

from other European markets. The control of trade and resources would have added to the political

dynamics of the interior as leaders jostled for power over resources.

It was during the 16th century, a period of increasing international interest in ivory and metals, that

Bokoni was first settled. The settlers altered and changed the landscape to increase agricultural yield

and establish themselves on the high-altitude grasslands.

Houses and livestock were secured within high circular walls, each household’s farmland demarcated

with stone markers, and terrace walls were set out and reinforced over time. Livestock was kept away

from the grain crops by an elaborate trackway that funnelled them from the centre of the settlement to

grazing lands and nearby water.

In a practical and visual way, the authors untangle the sites for the reader. They show how the walls of

homesteads differ from terraced fields and road networks. By literally unpacking the walls they

demonstrate how the terraces evolved over time.

The spaces within the stone circles and lines are then interpreted with reference to the large body of

anthropological work on African farming systems, gendered spaces, and through the eyes of young

herd boys who once lived at Bokoni.

These herders, probably whiling away time, pecked circles and trackways into stone slabs, creating

enduring illustrations of their homesteads and houses. The aerial photographs of sites, juxtaposed with

the stone engravings and clear reconstructions of the walled complexes, provide the reader with the

necessary tools to begin to read and comprehend the Bokoni landscape.

The authors do not claim to have solved all the mysteries of the sites which were occupied for the

better part of 300 years. The circumstances that compelled the people of Bokoni to settle the high-

altitude grasslands and advance an agricultural system unique to the area are not completely

understood.

The authors cast their net wide and sought a solution among other islands of agricultural ingenuity in

Zimbabwe and East Africa. Did the people of Bokoni modify their farming practices to cultivate

maize, a grain that has different water requirements to the traditional sorghum and millet? Or were

there other social or political pressures that inclined them towards the intensification of agricultural

produce?

By the 1830s the Bokoni settlements had been abandoned, and the people incorporated into other

chiefdoms or into the missions. Historically, the middle of the 19th century stands out as the period of

fortified capitals. Chiefs set up their capitals on the summits of hills, which they defended with stone

walling. From these lofty and protected vantage points they were able to resist the onslaught from

African and European assailants.

The authors surmise that the expertise of the displaced Koni would have proven invaluable in the

planning and building of these mountain strongholds. They also feel the hand of the Koni can be seen

in the walled fort built at the Berlin Mission Station, Botshabelo, and the emergence of the mission as

a major centre of agricultural production.

All who have a desire to understand the history of South Africa will enjoy this book. The photographs

capture the exquisite nature of this cultural landscape, the narrative unlocks the import of these sites,

and the book, as a whole, provides the inspiration to celebrate, protect and preserve these important

places.

The photographs capture the nature of this landscape, the narrative unlocks the import of these sites.

Death of another Mpumalanga Heritage founder member

Dood van een van Mpumalanga Erfenis se stigterslede Wicus Coetzee van die plaas Sudwalaskraal is onlangs dood na ‘n kort siekbed nadat kanker gediagnoseer is. Wicus was jare lank wel bekend in militêre- en landboukringe in die Laveld. Hy was ondermeer die laaste onder-bevelvoerder van die Nelspruit Kommando. Hy laat sy vrou, twee dogters en vyf kleinkinders agter.

Wicus Coetzee met die heel eerste byeenkoms van die groep, die dag toe daar informeel besluit is om ‘n historiese vereninging van ‘n aard vir Mpumalanga in die lewe te roep. Dit was op Saterdag 28 Januarie 2012 by Ons Hoofkantoor. By hom is Hugh Abercrombie, nog iemand wat ons eereste vergadering bygewoon het en intussen dood is.

HISTORICAL TIMELINE

MPUMALANGA & NEIGHBOURING REGIONS - 06

This a public project in progress. Members and participants are requested to send

dates, detail and photographs – or even completed timelines to enable us to compile a

comprehensive picture of the passing times in this region. A regular continuation of the

timeline will be published here. Please help us to correct facts or to provide us with

sources for more information.

1846

July, 7

Albasini and Carel Trichardt form a partnership is a trading company operating from

Lourenco Marques at Delagoa Bay in Mozambique.

July 25

Mswazi and Potgieter signs a land trade agreement. This means that all land north of the

Crocodile River and east of the Elephant River (Olifantsriver) is recognized for settlement by

the Voortrekkers.

(Bulpin: Lost Trails of Lowveld p.140)

Other

Land ownership for the farm Grootvantijn/Grootfontein, later to become the village of Sabie

is transferred to one PJ Badenhorst

A caravan of six wagons loaded with household merchandise for the Voortrekkers in

Ohrigstad and surroundings leaves Delagoa Bay on a trek through the Lowveld.

1847

January

Albasini marries Gertina Maria Janse-van Rensburg. The couple settles at Ohrigstad.

The building of a Volksraadgebou or parliamentary chamber commences at Ohrigstad Other

Albasini assists to determine the most efficient route from the coast to Ohrigstad

Albasini opens a shop at Ohrigstad

Ohrigstad around 2009

1848

August, 27

Hendrik Theodore Buhrman – a teacher from Holland arrives at Ohrigstad. After just a short

while he abandoned his profession to become involved in local politics.

Other

Veldkornet/Field Cornet Jan Valentyn Botha finds Schoemansdal in the vicinity of the

Soutpansberg and many of the Voortrekkers follow him to the new settlement.

Willem Versveld starts a school at Krugerspost, later to become quite popular and sought

after.

1849

Republic of Ohrigstad becomes the Republic of Lydenburg. The reason for migration to a

location south of Ohrigstad is to settle on ground with a higher altitude with a healthier

climate less prone to malaria and tsetse flies.

Albasini opens a store in Lydenburg

A hunter of English origins, John Chambers and his Voortrekker wife, Dina Gertruida Fourie

settle in the Soutpansberg/Schoemansdal area.

1850

Founding of the town of Lydenburg

Establishment of the first postal service points at Lydenburg and Ohrigstad to be connected

with Zoutpansberg, Rustenburg and Potchefstroom

1851

Completion of the Voortrekker School at Lydenburg

Lydenburg Voortrekker School in 2013

1852

The Dutch trader from Holland, Gregorius Gerhardus Ohrigh dies at the age of 38 in Cape

Town

Completion of the Voortrekker church at Lydenburg

Voortrekker Church at Lydenburg 2013

1853

September, 9

Lydenburgse Volksraad decides to change the name of its constituency to the Zuid

Afrikaanche Republiek

December

The Volksraad or peoples council in Potchefstroom at this stage an additional but

complimentary body to the ZAR at Lydenburg follow suit and rename themselves to ZAR

Noord van die Vaal – ZAT North of the Vaal.

Juwawa Albasini relocates to Schoemansdal. He builds a fortified farmyard and trading post

on his farm called De Skans.

1855

July, 5

A Delegation from Inhambane on the African East Coast of Mozambique under the

leadership of one Father Joachim de Santa Rita Montanha reached De Skans and

Schoemansdal.

Arial photograph of Inhambane in 2012

1858

May, 3

Birth of Hugh Lanion Hall in Devon, Cornwell. HL Hall is to become an agricultural pioneer

in the Lowveld area at the later Nelspruit. A station on the Eastern Line between Delagoa

Bay and Pretoria

Other

Albasini’s appointment as Portuguese Vise-Consul Konsul for the area of Zoutpansberg

1858

Albasini’s appointment by the ZAR as Native Superintendent in the area of Zoutpansberg

1859

Founding of the current town of Wakkerstroom first as Marthinus Wesselstroom on the farm

Krynouwslust in the south east of the current province of Mpumalanga.

Village of Wakkerstroom 2012

1860

April 3 tot 10

During a convention of the two Volskrade/peoples councils in the Over Vaal area it was

decided to amalgamate with Pretoria as new capital.

Other

Fernandes das Neves, a Portuguese travelling trader documented one of his annual travels

between Delagoa Bay and the interior.

1861

August 24

Birth of the later Sir Percy Fitzpatrick, mining pioneer and author of the all-time favourite,

Jock of the Bushveld, in King Williamstown

Other

Death of the Pedi chief Sekwati. This is the start of a period of destabilization and internal

wars in these northern parts.

Birth of the Lowveld pioneer George Elphic, later also known as Mkonto.

FURTHER CORRESPONDENCE/MEER KORRESPONDENSIE

In search of more WW2 info Andrew Hall writes: My late uncle, Major Darrell Hall (RA) was authorised to take photographs during battle and we have this picture displayed in our house. I believe it is a 105mm Pack Howitzer in action in Aden during the Royal Artillery’s Suez Canal campaign. I would be interested to hear from anyone with more info.

Meer oor die boek oor die perde van Kaapsehoop Linda Louw-Reinstorf skryf: (Sien ook by ons boeke-afdeling) Hiermee meer inligting rondom die boek. Koffie tafel boek, hardeband, 200p, byna 160 fotos, agtergrond teks…. Die uitgangspunt is die feit dat die perd deur die mens se geskiedenis deel was van sy pad, geen ander dier speel so rol en het soveel bydrae gelewer tot die mens se geskiedenis nie. Ek sal dit nie stel soos wat Marinette dit in die koerrant berig gedoen het nie (nie seker wie sy daar gekwoteer het nie), ek se nie dit is die mens se skuld dat hulle hier is en daarom moet ons na hulle kyk nie, my uitgangspunt is dat dit die perd is wat die grootste rol van alle diere gespeel het in die mens se bestaan, so dis meer van ’n tipe huldeblyk aan die perd. Ter selfdertyd trek hulle baat uit die boek deurdat daar nie net groter bewusmaking is van hulle bestaan nie, maar ook fondse geskep kan wat wel nodig is vir die versorging van bv beserings, vulletjies wat wees gelaat word, ens. Ek het ’n webblad geskep: www.kaapsehoopwildhorses.co.za asook ’n FB page: facebook.com/kaapsehoopwildhorses / linda@botle.co.za

UPCOMING EVENTS/VOLGENDE BYEENKOMSTE Please note that some changes to these dates sometimes occurs Let asb. op dat daar soms wysiging aan hierdie datum is.

Next outing/Volgende uitstappie Sat. 14 March 2015/Sat. 14 Maart A morning with Prof. Peter Delius/Oggend met prof. Peter Delius Including a talk, book launch and site visit to nearby agrological dig. Meet at Verlorenkloof or leave in convoy from Crossing at 08:30 Cost: R100 including breakfast Book with Heidi at 082 0480 777 11 April 2015 – Sabie railway branch line excursion (Probably to be postponed)

18 April - Visit to Botshabelo at Middelburg

25 to 27 April 2015 – Pilgrims Rest Weekend

16 May 2015 – Mpumalanga Heritage antiques, books and collectable sale at Brondal Avo

Festival

23 May - Annual Val Boer & Brit Dag, Beer & Boerewors tasting kontak Rita

FROM OUR PHOTO COLLECTION/UIT ONS FOTOALBUMS

Old Transvaal Hotel (Later Impala Hotel) Barberton: Yesterday and Today

ON BOOKS/OOR BOEKE: NEW/FOR SALE/FROM MY COLLECTION/IN SEARCH OF: NUUT/TE KOOP/UIT MY VERSAMELING/OP SOEK NA:

This book is a tribute to the spirit of the wild herds of horses; a mere glimpse on the richness of their elusive existence. The pages are filled with a wide range of about 160 photos as well as text describing their background, their daily existence, their threats, their future, but mostly their splendour and beauty. A percentage of the profit will be donated to the Wild Horse Trust Fund. Title: Author: ISBN: Publication Date: Format: Price: The Wild Horses of the Kaapsehoop Escarpment Linda Louw 978-0-620-63505-9 2014 hardcover, 200 pages, 23cm x 23cm R450-00 To order a copy, please contact Linda on 082 332 9784 or send an email to linda@botle.co.za, alternatively visit the Horsecart at Kaapsehoop Horse Trails or the shops in Kaapsehoop to purchase a copy.

History Books for Sale Breytenbach, JH – Die geskiedenis van die Krugerstandbeeld (1954/soft cover/good condition) R100.00

Daniels, Robert V – Studying History How and Why (1966/Soft cover) R100.00

De Groot, AD, Prof. Dr. – Methodologie. Gronslagen van onderzoek en denkme in die gedragwetenschappen (1961/good condition) R100.00

De Vleeschauwer, HJ – Handleiding by die Wetenskaplike Tegniek. Ten behoewe van die geesteswetsnskappe in die algemeen (1960/excellent condition) R100.00

Dray, William H – Philosophy of History ( 1964/Pretence-Hall Foundations of Philosophy Series/good condition) R100.00

Elof, CC – Die Oranje-Vrystaat en Basoetoeland, 1884 – 1902: ‘n verhoudingstudie (1982/D.Phill theses) R100.00

Engelbrecht SP Prof. (samesteller) - Eeufes-Album Pretoria se eerste eeu in beeld (1952/coffee table publication/good condition) R350.00

Gooch, GP – History and Historians in the Nineteenth Century (1952/good condition) R200.00

Gottschalk, Louis – Understanding History. A primer of historical method (1958/fair condition) R100.00

Kriel, DM (vertaler uit Latyn)/Meyer, Prof. Dr. (wysgerige kantaantekeninge) – Rene Descartes se Bepeinsinge ioor die Eeerste Filosofie waarin die bestaan van God en die onsterflike van die siel bewys word (1967/excellent condition) R100.00

Peck, AJA – Rhodesia Accuses (1966/soft cover) R100.00

Peters, W Dr. (editor) School of Architecture University of Natal 1987– Rhodes, towards the conservation of a unique South African town (soft cover/excellent condition) R300.00

Raper, PE/Moller, LA – Onomastics Source Guide Naamkunde-Bronnegids Deel2 1971 – 1978 Onomastics Series No.9 ( 1981/Human Science Research Council publication/Limited edition No. 237 of 250) R100.00

Ryan Ray – Pragwonings van Wes-Kaapland (1972/Coffee table edition/good condition) R100.00

Selltiz, Claire/Johoda Marie/Deutsch, Morton/Cook, Stuart W – Research methods in Social Relations (1965/revised one volume edition/excellent condition) R100.00