The industrialisation of South Africa commenced with the discovery of gold in 1886 on the Witwatersrand. In 1867, diamonds were discovered at Hopetown and in 1871, more diamonds were discovered in the vicinity of Kimberley. From the Cape colony, the settlers were sent to Algoa Bay, known today as Port Elizabeth.ĭuring the early years of Dutch occupation, the focus was primarily on agriculture. Therefore, encouraged by the British government to immigrate to the Cape colony, the first 1820 settlers arrived in Table Bay on board the Nautilus and the Chapman on 17 March 1820. People from Germany, Scandinavia, Flanders and Switzerland also contributed to the diverse population of the Cape.Īfter the Napoleonic wars, Britain experienced a serious unemployment problem. They settled mainly in the Stellenbosch district near what is today known as Franschhoek. In 1679, Simon van der Stel was sent to the Cape to become the new governor and in 1689, some 180 Huguenot refugees were brought to the Cape after Louis XIV had banned Calvinism in France. The construction of the Castle of Good Hope, which still stands today, only began in 1666, after Van Riebeeck had left the Cape, and was completed 13 years later. Around this a garden was planted and meat was bartered for with the Khoikhoi (who were initially called Goringhaikwa, and later Kaapmans). Fort de Goede Hoop – a fort with four corners made of mud, clay and timber – was built in the middle of what is today Adderley Street. This meant that the completion of the fort became urgent. However, a few months after their arrival in the Cape, the Dutch Republic and England became engaged in a naval war (10 July 1652 to 5 April 1654). Van Riebeeck was under strict instructions not to colonise the region but to build a fort and to erect a flagpole for signaling to ships and boats to escort them into the bay. Along with the Council of Policy, Van Riebeeck came equipped with a document called the ‘Remonstrantie’, drawn up in the Netherlands in 1649, which was a recommendation on the suitability of the Cape for this VOC project. The arrival of Van Riebeeck marked the beginning of permanent European settlement in the region. As a result their food dwindled and at the end of the winter approximately 19 men had died. However, the first winter experienced by Van Riebeeck and his crew was extremely harsh, as they lived in wooden huts and their gardens were washed away by the heavy rains. The aim was to establish a refreshment station to supply the crew of the Company’s passing trading ships with fresh water, vegetables and fruit, meat and medical assistance. Within a week of the arrival of the three ships, work had begun on the Fort of Good Hope. Land was sighted on 5 April 1652 and the ships docked the next day. Sailing on the Dromedaris with two other ships, the Rejiger and De Goede Hoop, Van Riebeeck was accompanied by 82 men and 8 women. Van Riebeeck had signed a contract with the Dutch East India Company (VOC) to oversee the setting up of a refreshment station to supply Dutch ships on their way to the East. On 24 December 1651, accompanied by his wife and son, Jan van Riebeeck set off from Texel in The Netherlands for the Cape of Good Hope. The story begins with the arrival of Jan Van Riebeeck in the Cape – 6 April 1652.
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