This article is not a lesson in history and nor was that end intended when it was written. The purpose is to see the lighter side of life where a bit of a rather scarceSubstance, oft referred to as humour, is added to the mix. Unfortunately, as I have seen, earlier, that rare ingredient does not go down well with some. It could be the root cause of indigestion. Some great person, could have been me, said. If you can laugh at your self then you have the right to laugh at the rest of the world. If you can laugh at the rest of the world and not yourself Well then. SIMON VAN DER STEL Zacharias Wagenaer was the direct successor of Jan van Riebeeck. He succeeded Van Riebeek in 1662. Not much happened during his tenure other than the castle falling to pieces (1663) because it was built from mud and that is not the ideal recipe for a rainy climate. Van der Stel was appointed the Commander of the Cape in March 1679 and assumed duty on12 October 1679. His male servant and right hand man was a blonde guy with Germanic origins. He was accompanied by his wife and an attractive Blonde daughter. He had a rather monkey-ish attitude about him, especially when he had a few cold ones too many and hit the dancing flood. Often the dancing floor hit him in the kisser too. By and large he was an ok outjie. And he ate jellyfish. Simon lived in a world of his own. He tried his hand at corruption to gain possession of the Rondebosch area to plant his grapes but failed to do so. That was almost the first case of corruption on the southern most tip of Africa. Simon was a rather astute bugger and bought, yes bought, the mother of all estates called Amstel and Constantia both still produce the best wine and grapes today. Yes nannies. He must have been a real s.o.b because his sons moved off into the hinterland somewhere near Worcester just to plant grapes there or in all probability to get away from their pop. Hark unto the following: In 1682 Governor-General van Goens instructed Simon van der Stel to oppose all miscegenation at the Cape. High Commissioner Hendrik Adriaan van Reede agreed whole-heartedly with this policy. He went on to stipulate that children of the slaves must have their own teachers and emancipated female slaves may not marry unattached Dutchmen. The children of the Dutch and other immigrants must have their own schools and teachers. { Despite the levity of this comment the above statement was not purposely sought out for placement but rather clamoured to be found}. What is implied here is that a form of localised “apartheid” was enacted during the 1680’s. That mindset has grown up amongst the offspring of those who it touched then, and remained in the psyche of those who came after. This tenet of apartheid can now clearly be separated from the mythical delusions we hear about every day and should help to put the 350year story to rest and perish in peace. I doubt that will materialise because it is not about apartheid but political inches and egos. The Cape colony was ruled and governed by the Dutch authorities during that period and hence if there is guilt to be bandied about then that guilt must be placed squarely upon the shoulders of the Dutch government. And not the South African man in the street. Further, we must bear in mind the Dutch stipulations referred only to the Khoi, the Hottentots and the Kaapmans. It is difficult to define the Kaapmans but they may be related to the Hottentots and were a roving band of marauders. There is no indication of other tribes or nations in close proximity to the expanded Cape Colony. Other than those found in the eastern Cape - Xhosas. Technically the High Commissioner did not have the powers to promulgate any laws or by-laws with out consulting the Netherlands government. The High commissioner is a diplomatic post while the Governor-General is a post created by the government and crown to assist those in power to make decisions. The G.G was a man-on-the-spot and had the power to veto laws enacted by the governing body. And even his own laws were to be ratified in the Netherlands
So far, as I have done research, Only a single case comes to the fore where land was given away to members of the Netherlands contingent at the Cape. The land was given by Jan Van Riebeeck to workers as a bonus, really, for the effort they put into the setting up of the Cape. This was not a buckshee and the new owners had to pay tax on the land. Most of this land fell in the Somerset West area close to the Hottentots Holland Mountains. (Helderberg)
Ref. 500 years A History of South AfricaProf CFJ Muller
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