The Little Karoo

Photo © Struik Publications

[ previous page ]

HOEKOE

is the name of the valley where the renowned Afrikaans author, poet and politician, CJ Langenhoven, was born in 1873. A man of exceptional qualities, he wrote numerous literary works and was a vigorous campaigner for the promotion of the Afrikaans language. In 1914 he entered politics, serving in the Cape Provincial Council and the House of Assembly before being elected as a senator in 1920. In 1918, he wrote the words of Die Stem, South Africa’s national anthem from 1957 to 1994. He died in his house, Arbeidsgenot, in Oudtshoorn in 1932.

ZOAR

is a picturesque mission station set amid lush green irrigated gardens. Founded on the farm Elandsfontein by the South African Missionary Society (SAMS) in 1817, the settlement was named after the biblical Zoar on the Red Sea (Genesis 14:2–8). Its history is closely linked with nearby Amalienstein, dating back to 1833, when the Berlin Missionary Society took over control of the mission station at the request of the SAMS.

As a result of dissatisfaction among some members of the congregation over, among other things, the introduction of candles and the crucifix, responsibility for Zoar returned to the SAMS in 1843.

AMALIENSTEIN

The focal point of this small mission station is the beautiful Lutheran church, painted in the traditional mustard, blue and rust colours of the early Lutheran Church. The Amalienstein mission was established by the Berlin Missionary Society and its name honours Amalie von Stein, who donated the money to purchase the land. Water from a nearby stream is used for irrigation, and a variety of crops, such as grapes, peaches, nectarines and plums, are cultivated.

SEVEN WEEKS POORT

...with its spectacular folded and warped layers of sandstone 4, ranks among South Africa’s most spectacular routes. The course carved by the Seven Weeks River through the Swartberg  5 forms a natural link between the Little Karoo town of Ladismith and the Great Karoo. A route through the narrow poort was constructed as early as 1862, but the road was frequently washed away, prompting the decision to build the Swartberg Pass.

Various explanations as to the origin of the name range from a stock thief who hid in the poort for seven weeks to a corruption of the surname of Louis Zerwick (Zerwick se poort), an early missionary at Amalienstein.

[ next page ]

Page: 1 MATJIESFONTEIN
...is a charming Victorian village that was developed around a railway halt in the Karoo by a Scotsman, Jimmy Logan. In the early days of rail travel in South Africa, trains did not have dining carriages, and in 1844 Logan obtained the concession to open ...

[more information]