Mzanzitravel Magazine - Issue 9

One of many quaint little shops in Riebeek
Kasteel - Image: Pixabay
Stately old home, Riebeek West - Grobler du Preez /
shutterstock.com
Many eateries to be enjoyed - Image: Pixabay
The two Riebeeks lie snugly at the foot of the Kasteelberg (castle mountain)
which, seen from the air, looks like a sharpened stone-age tool left lying in the
veld, surrounded by vineyards and wheat fields. The valley was discovered in 1661
by scouts sent out from the Cape Town castle by the first Dutch commander at the
Cape, Jan van Riebeeck, to explore the interior. In the 1700s people of European
descent started settling in the valley, and by the mid-1800s two distinct farming
communities were developing here – Riebeek Kasteel at the southern tip of the
mountain, and Riebeek West, less than 5km away just over a hill and below the
centre of the mountain. Just down the road is their lesser known cousin, the hamlet
of Hermon, a popular venue for weddings.
A fascinating part of their history is a ‘feud’ that saw the local Dutch Reformed
Church community split in two, forming two congregations and building two
churches in the two villages that were walking-distance apart. Before either of the
towns had its own congregation, farmers and townsfolk of the valley each Sunday
had to make the 20km journey by horse cart and ox wagon to Malmesbury, where
a church had been established in 1745, to attend church services. Fed up with this,
the Riebeek Kasteel community decided to build their own church in the 1850s,
which upset the neighbouring Riebeek West community. But Riebeek Kasteel
went ahead anyway and laid the cornerstone of their church in 1855. So in 1858
Riebeek West followed suit and established its own congregation, and that’s how
it has been ever since.
Another interesting claim of the valley is that two successive prime ministers of
South Africa were born here, both of whom made their historical mark on South
Africa but in very different ways, and each leading one of the two main political
parties of the day in a fierce contest for power. In 1870 the Boer general, politician,
philosopher, international statesman, prime minister, and later field marshal in
the British army, General Jan Smuts was born on the farm Bovenplaatz, part
of Ongegund, just north of Riebeek West. (See our previous article above.) The
house where he was born is still there and is a national museum open to the public.
Just four years later, the other future prime minister, Dr DF Malan, was born at
Allesverloren, just south of the town. The farm is now a well-known wine estate
and still owned by the Malan family. Malan went on to become the first apartheid
prime minister with his National Party having defeated Smuts’ United Party in the
1948 general election.
Set among rolling vineyards and wheat fields in this beautiful, tranquil valley,
the twin towns are quite different, each having a unique charm and variety of
things to do. In the eclectic mix of little bistros, shops and restaurants of Riebeek
Kasteel, visitors can mingle with bohemian types, artists, local shopkeepers, hip
young professionals, day-tripping families and local farmers while sampling the
locally-produced selection of wine and port, fresh fruit, olives, homemade bakery
and jams. More than likely you will get caught up in conversation with one of the
shopkeepers or restaurateurs.
Two of the town’s more well-known contemporary residents are journalist,
author and political commentator Max du Preez and fellow journalist, author and
restaurateur Jacques Pauw who wrote the recent best-seller, The President’s
Keepers, an exposé of the infamy that surrounded South Africa’s recently ousted
President Jacob Zuma.
Neighbouring Riebeek West appears somewhat quieter, a peaceful, sleepy town
with stately old Victorian homes lining the streets running up the hill towards
the mountain. Many of the district’s wealthy farmers come here to retire. In both
villages the churches that once were the centre of some discontent, are still
present. At the church in Riebeek Kasteel, called De Oude Kerk, much of the
valley’s history and that of the mid-1800s Voortrekkers can be explored in in what
is now the Valley Museum. In the town square stands a red ox erected in 1938 to
commemorate The Great Trek.
A place not too be missed in Riebeek Kasteel is the original Royal Hotel, one of
the oldest hotels in the country still operating, complete with its rumoured resident
ghost. Enjoy a delicious lunch on the shaded backyard patio overlooking the hills
covered in vineyards while sipping some local wine. Or pop into any of the many
little eateries and drinking holes with names like Bar Bar Black Sheep, Eve’s
Eatery & Bar, Mama Cucina, Café Felix and Beans About Coffee. Then do some
browsing and shopping at the Wine Kollektive or any of the little shops offering
handmade chocolate, biltong, locally made soap, local fashion designs, antique
collectables and bric-a-brac. There are also a number of wine farms and wineries
for wine tasting in the area.
For more information contact Riebeek Valley Tourism on
Tel +27 (0)22 448 1545 or email tourism@riebeekvalley.info.
Vintage tractors, trains &
other fabulous machines …
rediscover the magic of childhood at
Sandstone Estates
Sandstone Estates, a 7,000 hectare farm located in a beautiful corner of the
eastern Free State on the border with Lesotho at the foot of the Maluti Mountains,
is a place that will bring out the child in every one of us. Here you will find vintage
machines of every description and use, from steam trains to tractors and military
vehicles, and more.
Sandstone Estates is a large commercial agricultural enterprise close to the town
of Ficksburg, which is renowned as the cherry capital of the world. The estate is
also home to the Sandstone Heritage Trust, a private preservation initiative - not a
museum, but a private collection of vintage machines of every possible description
which can also be enjoyed by enthusiasts and members of the public.
36 |ISSUE 9|www.mzanzitravel.co.za | MZANZITRAVEL