In the beginning...
Named De Boss at the time, the expanse came about in the mid 17th century and primarily originated as a pen for livestock, particularly cattle. The area was quite desirable as it was well located, comprised of fertile plains, offered suitable grazing land and had easy access to water. The area was characterized by expansive grasslands and there was the added benefit of access to the Eerste River itself, providing water for both the animals and irrigation for nearby farms.
Cattle were crucial to the economy of the Cape Colony, providing meat, milk, leather, and other products essential for sustenance and trade. The pens also served as temporary holding areas for cattle before they were moved to grazing pastures or to market.
Due to its ideal location the area eventually became a refreshment post of the Dutch East India Company around 1680. De Boss was predominantly run by Dutch settlers and the area was eventually renamed to De Kuijlen, deriving its name from the word “kuijle”, which is Dutch for dams (”river of pools”), stemming from the nearby river
In 1700 the farm Leeuewenhof and parts of De Kuijlen was sold to Captain Olof Bergh, an officer commanding the Cape garrison. Olof Bergh’s roles would have included overseeing the defence of the colony, managing garrisons, and maintaining order among the settlers and indigenous populations. Bergh was also responsible for the security and administration of this strategic area as the area was important due to its location near Table Bay (now Cape Town) and its agricultural potential. At this time the farm served as an official halfway stop for soldiers and travellers, on route to Stellenbosch and further inland.
Like the rest of the colony, the local community of De Kuijlen and surrounds could not develop sufficiently. This slow growth was strongly owing to inadequate road links over the very sandy Cape Flats and the long travel times to and from the harbour. The first surveyor general of the Cape, lieutenant-colonel C.C. Michell, a British soldier, drove the initiative in this regard and eventually in 1845, with the invaluable aid of convict labour, he made sure that a hard road was completed which connected the Cape Flats area to the harbour and other towns on-route.
Travelling times were drastically reduced and at this stage it seemed as if the community of De Kuijlen stood on the threshold of extensive growth. A good indication of the area growing was that the three inns in the town, with their canteens which also served as shops, flourished at last.
Kuils River was officially recognized as a town in 1898, at which time stands were starting to be sold for residential purposes for the first time.
CHURCH
In 1829, the first Congregation of the Rhenish Mission was established in Stellenbosch. Over time it was found that many of the congregants were former slaves who had been freed in 1838 and lived in the dunes surrounding the Kuils River area and the distance to Stellenbosch was becoming an increasing problem with the growing number of congregants.
The steadfast faith and perseverance of the devout Johanna (Jana) van der Bergh led to the Rhenish Missionary Society deciding that it was important to have a church in Kuils River, specifically in Sarepta. Work started on it in 1841 and amid much celebration the cornerstone of the church was laid in 1842. The Rhenish Missionary Society which included a school in the community of Sarepta was thus started in 1843 in all earnest. Led by teachers like Hendrik January, both the school and church grew. The church and hall still stand today, and since 1994 has been under the custodianship of Uniting Reformed Church. The school later became known as Sarepta Primary School.
Later in 1854, Reverend JJ Beck of the Durbanville NG Kerk regularly did house calls to Kuils River residents. This eventually led to regular services being held in the local school building, which took place once a month, and became quite a considerable trip at the time. In 1903 the decision was made to establish an official NG Kerk Gemeente (community) in Kuils River whereafter the beautiful NG Kerk Kuilsrivier was built in 1904. The NG Kerk went on to play a very influential role in the town and impacted on the development of Kuils River.
SCHOOLS
The Rhenish Missionary Society in Sarepta, which included a school in the predominantly coloured community of Sarepta, started in 1843 and was led by teachers like Hendrik January, who helped grow both the school and church. This school eventually became Sarepta Primary. The then record keepers had very little interest in recording the history of non-white institutions and therefore very little is mentioned about the establishment, contribution, and the history of the former disadvantaged coloured schools in the Kuils River area.
Though very little is recorded about the institution, it is widely considered that Sarepta Primary School is the first and is therefore the oldest school in Kuils River. A multiracial school at first, it grew in terms of learner numbers which necessitated the establishment of another school. As Kuils River was a conservative Afrikaner run town it was decided that coloured learners could no longer attend white schools and Sarepta Primary School eventually became a coloured school. Segregation of schooling in South Africa started long before the National Party took over in 1948.
After some time, the first attempt was made at registering an official school in Kuils River, a 3rd class or farm school, which was opened on the 1st of June 1851 with J van Veerzen as headmaster. Unfortunately, the school closed in March 1859 due to the lack of interest in the education system by the town and farm folk.
Later, after a few unsuccessful attempts in the 1860’s and early 1870’s, a school for white pupils was founded in August 1874. With the arrival of Charles Mathurin Villet in 1881, a period of cultural and religious revival commenced. The term of office of his successor, the strongly pro-Afrikaner Pieter Francois de Wet, headmaster from 1892 to 1905 was characterised by staff enlargement and the erection of a new school building. During the last decades of the nineteenth century farm schools were founded in the Bottelary and Vlaeberg regions.
However, in 1906, a piece of land in the shape of a triangle was donated by Jacob J. Hamman and the building on site was initially used as a church. In 1908, during a church council meeting (Rynse Gemeente, Sarepta), it was decided that the building should be used as a school. This very building was situated where Palm Tree Villas (Van Riebeeck Road) is today, and was called “Die Hoogte” at the time. Named Kuils River Laer Kleurling Skool their first teacher and principal were Sarah Fredericks, who was previously a teacher at Sarepta Primary. In 1908 there were 41 learners.
By 1932 the school continued to grow to the largest primary school in Kuils River and was also referred to as “Die Blikskooltjie”. These buildings were used until the building in Sarepta Road (1971) was built and the name of the school changed from “Kuilsrivier Laer Kleurlingskool” to Jan Bosman Primary, after an education inspector of that time. Under the leadership of Mr. J. Alexander, the name of the school was reclaimed to Kuils River Primary School.
In 1978, Reverend Daan du Toit and his wife founded the Alta du Toit Centre, a non-profit organisation. This innitiative was driven by their deeply personal mission to create a safe and nurturing learning environment for their daughter Alta, who was diagnosed with Down syndrome. Initially aimed at supporting Alta and other children with similar needs.. Today, the school accomodates around 360 learners from diverse economic and socio-economic backgrounds, standing as a testement to the founders unwavering commitment to care and inclusion. Alta died in 2016 at the age of 61.
RAILWAY STATION
The railway line running from Cape Town to Eerste Rivier officially opened on 13 February 1862 after which the line extended to Stellenbosch, reached on 1 May 1862, and finally the railhead at Wellington on 4 November 1863.
It was innitially decided that Kuils River would only serve as a railway siding, and that passenger trains would not stop there. This decision slowed further development of the town but there was enough growth to necessitate that in 1880 a station building to be erected and by 1885 Kuilsriver Station was earmarked and became the location of a telegram office.
In 1904 a post-office and a post-bank was also incorporated into the railway station and the station was hence known as Kuils River Railway Office. Eventually in 1913 a telephone-exchange was opened at the station and was run by the station master who played a vital role in the community by ensuring all messages, letters and documents were received by the relevant parties.
Come 1955 the Board wrote to the provincial authorities advising them of the poor state of the station. A decision to upgrade the facilities was granted but the new and improved station was only completed in July 1973. The station has remained pretty much the same since then, with the exception of a few upgrades to the platforms and parking lot area.
POST OFFICE
Mail was initially brought to Kuils River via the mail-wagon which ran twice a week between Cape Town and Stellenbosch until 1904. Only after this did mail start to be transported to the town by rail and as a result a small mail office was set up at the railway station. In the early 1920’s mail was moved from the railway station to the 1st post office site in Kuils River which was in an old building located on the corners of Van Riebeeck and Mitchells streets. The local morse code machine was also located here. The first post officer was Ms. Holloway (fondly called Miss Gussie) and she fulfilled this role for 21 dedicated years.
In 1938 the NG Kerk, which was a dominant presence in Kuils River, decided that the town needed a new post-office with better facilities, but would build the post-office themselves and rent the building to the Department of Public Works. The building was completed in 1939 and was subsequently rented at 5-year terms, until this agreement ended in early 1957.
Due to rapid growth this location could no longer service the needs of Kuils River and an alternative was sought. The local NG Kerk committee put in a proposal to the Department of Public Works wherein the church offered to build a new premises and rent it to the department for R150.00 per month. The Department of Public Works confirmed acceptance of the proposal in writing on the 31st of October 1956. The premises was thus build and the contract date started on the 1st of July 1958.
By 1967 the Department of Public Works made the decision that they need the post-office and telephone exchange in one building and decided to purchase the building from the NG Kerk and two additional adjoining Erf’s. The building was bought for R30 500.00 and registered in the states name on the 6th of February 1968. Over the years the post office has been renovated to accommodate the growth within Kuils River.
POLICE
The first police station opened in Kuils River in 1910. The station was confined to an old little house which was located on the corners of Van Riebeeck and old Nooiensfontein roads. This little building was to be the home of the officer and his family, an office, 2 holding cells and a small stall for the officer’s horse.
Initially the police station was manned by Sergeant Loots, who’s only form of transport was a horse. His main priority was the tin mine at the time. The town and mine slowly grew and from 1914 to 1918 Sergeant Kennenberg was in charge of Kuils River Police Station who had one white constable in his command, who together had to police the now nearly 300 mine workers, who often got into brawls or drunken anti-social behaviour.
In 1922 the property rent was up for review and it was found that the building was in disrepair. As the owner of the property refused to fix the property the police decided to look at another property. An agreement was drafted with Mr J.B. Norden and a new premises was attained.
CAPE TOWN’S TIN MINES
In the vicinity of Cape Town there are some six tin-bearing deposits, associated with the Cape Granite Suite. Three of these occurrences were mined for cassiterite in the early 20th century. The deposit first mined at the turn of the century was on the farm Annex Langverwacht 245 near Kuils River.
Most of the production was from alluvial deposits, producing over 700 tonnes of cassiterite concentrate until the working ceased in 1956. There are still open horizontal adits and also some hazardous, partly-filled open shafts at the former Zevenwacht tin mines.
LOCAL TALENT
The small community of Kuils River over its earlier years constituted mainly vegetable farmers against the slopes of the Bottelary Hills, but has produced significant talent that impacted the country.
The earliest recorded affirmation among the inhabitants of the region is the valuable written Verseboek van die Bosmans containing poems written between 1773 and 1813 by Susanna Bosman and her two daughters, Susanna Johanna Schabordt and Maria Margaretha Lanverwacht. The later works of HC Bosman (1905-1951) has led to him being considered as one of the greatest short story authors in South Africa.
Kuils River was also once home to C.H. Kühn (1903–1968), whose works were published under the pseudonym “Mikro”. Arguably his most famous work is “Ruiter in die Nag”. Mikro lived in Louw Street, Kuilsriver, until around 1950. During his more than 37-year residency in Kuilsriver, Mikro worked as a teacher, school principal of De Kuilen Primary School and, later, full time writer. Mikro Primary School, the suburb of Mikro Park and Mikro Street are all named after him.
Seigo ”Okkie” Van Sensie, born on the 26th September 1932, started his walking career in 1963, after reading in the Cape Argus newspaper, about a walk where non whites could participate. Since his first walk, Okkie won three 50-milers in the 1960s and became the first South African Champion in 1965. He later participated in the ‘London To Brighton’ walk and received the ”British Amateur Athletic Board Club Coach Award” in 1973.
When the suburb of Highbury was established in the 1980’s a road, Okkie Van Sensie Road, was named after him.
In 1994, at the age of 72 years old, he became a triple Gold Medalist at the ”African Region World Veteran Athletics Championship” of 20 kilometers. Come 2010, Okkie received the ”Mayor’s Medal” in recognition of his meritorious community service in the category of ”Recreation and Sport” as a final recognition of his achievements.
He was often seen walking through the Kuilsriver when doing his routine exercises. Okie Van Sensie passed away peacefully on the 9th February, 2013.
Fun Fact
Kuils River at one stage had an outdoor entertainment facility named the Skyvue Drive-In. It was South Africa’s third such facility but the very first drive-in cinema for Cape Town and opened in the mid-1950’s. It was later renamed the Skyvue Ster Drive-In.
With the advent of indoor cinemas, the Skyvue Ster Drive-In closed its gates in 1998 and the housing complex St Duma was established on the site.
not Kuils River Skyvue…
References:
JHHVisagie – Die ontstaan, stigting en ontwikkelings geskiedenis van Kuilsrivier 1683-1993
AL Vermaak – Die geskiedenis van Kuilsrivier 1652-1905
Wikipedia.org – Kuils River/ NG Gemeente
Wikipedia.org – Kuilsrivier/ Sarepta
sahistory.org.za
wikiwand.com
ctminsoc.org.za.org.za/resources/capetownmines.pdf
scholar.sun.ac.za
sza3.org.za
google.com
capetown.gov.za
Input from community representatives